Reviewed by Cindy
TITLE: The Secrets We Keep
AUTHOR: Rick R. Reed
PUBLISHER: NineStar Press
LENGTH: 219 Pages
RELEASE DATE: July 6, 2020
BLURB:
Jasper Warren is a happy-go-lucky young man in spite of the tragedy that’s marred his life. He’s on a road to nowhere with his roommate, Lacy, whom he adores, and a dead-end retail job in Chicago.
And then everything changes in a single night. Though Jasper doesn’t know it, his road is going somewhere after all. This time when tragedy strikes, it brings with it Lacy’s older, wealthy, sexy uncle Rob. Despite the heart-wrenching circumstances, an immediate connection forms between the two men.
But the secrets between them test their attraction. Will their revelations destroy the bloom of new love… or encourage it to grow?
REVIEW:
This was a very different kind of story than I usually read. And I liked it.
Jasper is so relatable. Life has been hard on him, really hard, but when his heart is broken by a traumatic event, he feels so lost and alone.
Until Rob stumbles into his life. But when someone like Jasper is given something so good, it’s sometimes hard to believe that it can be real. It takes him a long time to realize that he deserves some good in his life. But of course, there’s always something around the next corner threatening to take it all away.
The ups and downs of this story take us on quite a rollercoaster. Mr. Reed knows how to wring every bit of emotion out of his characters and my heart was ripped apart more than once on this journey. Parts of it had me smiling, but I also cried big ugly tears…for Jasper and for Rob and for Lacy, the best friend.
These characters aren’t perfect and that’s the best part. They make mistakes and say stupid things they don’t mean in the heat of the moment. It makes them seem all the more real. Like they’re people we get to know and root for.
Because if anyone deserves a happy ending it’s Jasper Warren.
The dialogue between the characters is crisp and sharp. The picture the author paints of Chicago and Palm Springs really brought those places to life for me. A good author helps me see things…get photographs in my head. And Rick Reed is a really good author.
This story is definitely not all sunshine and roses. There’s angst galore, but it’s appropriate to the story and never feels overdramatic.
Things did drag a little for me in the middle, but not for long and while this is not an “edge of your seat” story, it did keep me hanging on until the very end.
Not your typical “Hallmark” kind of romance and as far as I’m concerned, it’s the best thing about it.
The cover doesn’t really match the story for me. It suggests something a little more sinister and this isn’t that. It’s just real feelings and that means they aren’t always nice.
Another winner from a wonderful author.
RATING: 
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