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kdickin3's review
adventurous
funny
inspiring
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
honeycoveredpages's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
I always read a couple of reviews before starting a new book. There were mixed reviews so I didn't go in with high expectations. This book had everything that I love in a book: history, romance, mystery. However there were many times that I found myself zoning out while listening to the audiobook. The climax was very anticlimactic, but the ending was cute. I may try one more book by Selena Montgomery/Stacey Abrams.
kellee's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.0
chelseamartinez's review
3.0
This book is fun, especially if you, like me and Stacey Abrams (haha) went to Texas for grad school. It's an adventure story about some nerds (ivory tower and otherwise) who drive around in a convertible from some not-too-scary villains. There are good scenes in a tourist cave and I like (although not IRL, conflict of interest!) the idea of a husband and wife sheriff & chief of police team. I read this for a nascent book club made of friends who were all looking for something different out of this book, and going in with zero expectations except to note some things that would be interesting to talk about with friends is a nice way to go into a story.
encyclopediabritanika's review
2.0
I love Stacey Abrams and very much wanted to love this book but I didn’t. Heavy on dark (talk of rape and murder) and light in romance. Neither of the main characters was likable to me.
slangston10's review
3.0
I have to be honest-- interesting plot, very impressive diction, but I wouldn't peg this as a romance novel. I'd read another one if it was free, but it definitely didn't sizzle, which is fine. Just a misnomer by one of my favorite humans.
briewhale's review
3.0
Romantic suspense isn’t my usual cup of tea, but I did find this one quite enjoyable. Mara was a badass heroine who was smart and independent. My favorite part was the treasure hunt plot. I loved the mystery and intrigue of it all.
izzyruby's review
3.0
The plot of this book was v national treasure meets true detective and I found myself caught up in the mystery but could not for the life of me invest in the characters and their relationship (which I think is the whole point of romance novels). The characters felt stiff and all used darling and honey far too much/much of the dialogue sounded all the same. I found myself rushing to get through the non mystery parts.That being said, I am not a visual reader and this is book gave me vivid pictures of everything, there was something incredibly tactile about all of the settings.
plottrysts's review
3.0
We absolutely read Hidden Sins because we discovered (as many romance fans did) that Selena Montgomery is a penname for Stacey Abrams. The book is a second chance romantic suspense that reunites high school sweethearts. Romantic suspense is not our favorite genre, but we found plenty of things to enjoy about this novel. Mara is now a con artist who's been seduced by her family's stories of hidden treasure. Ethan is a forensic anthropologist who has been unwittingly hired to investigate the same puzzle.
What we liked most was the diversity of the cast - including Mara's grandmother, a Black Texan woman with Japanese ancestry; Ethan's new love, a Bostonian from a Black upper-crust family; and Ethan and Mara themselves, who came from poverty to pursue vastly different careers (Ethan in academia and Mara in con artistry).
7-Word Summaries:
Laine: Third-generation con artist can’t run from love.
Meg: High school sweethearts reunite to hunt treasure.
www.linktr.ee/plottrysts
What we liked most was the diversity of the cast - including Mara's grandmother, a Black Texan woman with Japanese ancestry; Ethan's new love, a Bostonian from a Black upper-crust family; and Ethan and Mara themselves, who came from poverty to pursue vastly different careers (Ethan in academia and Mara in con artistry).
7-Word Summaries:
Laine: Third-generation con artist can’t run from love.
Meg: High school sweethearts reunite to hunt treasure.
www.linktr.ee/plottrysts