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4.05 AVERAGE
4.05 AVERAGE
'A beautifully realistic, romantic and heart-wrenching tale of soulmates, true love, broken paths and the road to Happily Ever After. Lilian Harris packs a literary punch with Shattered Secrets' - The British Bibliophile
Thank you to Lilian Harris for sending me an ebook Advanced Readers Copy for me to read and leave an honest review, as part of her ARC/promo team.
NOTE: This review is spoiler-free but will make references to the book's blurb and its contents within, so if you don't want to know a thing about this book and want to go in with a clear mind, please scroll away from my review...now :)
Shattered Secrets is a brand new, standalone read by the one and only Lilian Harris. This is my fourth read from this incredible lady, as well as being my first standalone read from her. After reading her Messina Crime Family Series -- consisting of Sinful Vows, Cruel Lies & Twisted Promises -- this read on its own promised to be a refreshing new direction with a focus on two new main characters. More on them shortly.
First, I'm going to talk tropes. Those familiar with the Messina Crime Family Series will know the kinds of tropes those books entail, but what about Shattered Secrets? , well, here is what is in store for you all with this standalone read:
✔ Mafia/Mob Lawyer
✔ Amnesia
✔ Married Couple
✔ Second Chance
✔ Twists & Turns
✔ Plot & Steam
✔ Soulmates
✔ Buried Secrets
✔ Surprise Pregnancy (Due to trouble conceiving)
There are a number of tropes in that list that are personal favourites, but I was particularly interested in the 'amnesia' trope this time around. The draw for me was who she had chosen to bestow it upon and for once, it wasn't the stereotypical choice I've seen other romance authors go with. Getting to the point in which this occurs was going to be the fun part, and it was very much that. Not so much 'fun' in the humorous sense, but the gripping and unputdownable sense. Especially when there's a reunion involved. Just to name one thing. There's plenty woven in between the series of events to keep us all thoroughly entertained.
Though it seems like we've reached the 'Happily Ever After' by the first page--as the two main characters are already married--, we're quickly shown how after the happily ever after, can soon have a spanner thrown into its works. Any marriage has its ups, downs and bumps along the way, but Hudson Mackay and Hadleigh soon come across their biggest bump yet when one night when he was due home from working late, Hudson never made it home to Hadleigh.
This is where the mystery and secrets first begin to unfurl.
Hadleigh Mackay is far from shy and demure, she is strong and her faith equally as so. When Hudson goes missing and against all odds, something within her heart and soul tells her to keep strong and have faith. Everyone around her believes Hudson to be dead, but not his wife. As the months pass, her belief doesn't lessen but only grows as strong as her love for her missing husband. Letting go isn't even an option in her eyes, no matter how many times for her own piece of mind that she is to do so. She aims to prove people wrong, and I was right alongside her cheering her on.
Hudson isn't the only man at her side, however. His best friend, Brooks, is right there waiting in the wings to step in and step up to be Hadleigh's rock and shoulder to cry on, should anything happen to Hudson. Remember, there's plenty of secrets and when they catch up to both Hudson and Brooks--Hudson ultimately paying the price--, Brooks is left to pick up the pieces in which there are plenty when everything has shattered.
Faith and hope can only carry so far and last for so long, as Hadleigh soon learns. Though Hudson is still missing and her heart firmly holding onto him and their conjoined moments together, she learns that her squeaky clean, confidant of a husband is in fact a liar. Not the generic white lies told to often surprise your significant other, but the kind of lies that eventually come to light with karma knocking firmly on the front door. True to her loyalty despite this, his secrets are now hers and she'll take them to her grave rather than rat him out. Love could conquer all here with the two soulmates. It might just be enough to save them both when all seems lost when something--Hudson--is found.
Finding the other half to her heart and soul should've been the reunion she was hoping it would be, with the relief of seeing him alive and well coming up behind it. Such as life and with its many twists and turns, this is far from the case. She has lived every moment of their time apart on a rollercoaster of emotions, thoughts and feelings, whereas he has not. Reuniting in the most unlikely of places, she is the only one of the two who remembers anything about their time apart as well as them as a couple. Cue amnesia trope and subsequent storyline path.
Finding Hudson is only the start of a series of unfortunate events. For the most part. Fortune can be found in the most darkest and unlikeliest of times and places and as determined as she is to retain Hudson in any which way, shape or form, Hadleigh is prepared to continue putting herself and their lives through the wringer to come out on the other side in a place the two of them can exist no longer as two separate souls, but soulmates once more. Soulmates who still bring the steam between the sheets—and anywhere they can—, the desire bubbling and creating all the steam. There’s no denying with the sparks that buzz between them that there’s chemistry. As creative as Lilian is with the dark romance side to her novels, spice and steam are two surefire guarantees too. The blushing, breathing-out-slowly-through-the-lips kind of spice and steam. Take notes from these two characters, that’s all I’m saying. Wink, wink.
Although their story didn't end in a way in which I had anticipated, it was a good place to leave their story and I left the book with many (happy and sad) tears shed and a big, happy smile on my face. Lilian did an incredible job with two incredible characters, and continues to cement my firm belief in that I was glad to have come across her and her work. Though this book is a standalone, I wouldn't object to these two making an appearance in a future standalone novel. I could simply read about them forever. I hope other readers will fall in love with them and their story as much as I did.
Five stars.
Thank you to Lilian Harris for sending me an ebook Advanced Readers Copy for me to read and leave an honest review, as part of her ARC/promo team.
NOTE: This review is spoiler-free but will make references to the book's blurb and its contents within, so if you don't want to know a thing about this book and want to go in with a clear mind, please scroll away from my review...now :)
Shattered Secrets is a brand new, standalone read by the one and only Lilian Harris. This is my fourth read from this incredible lady, as well as being my first standalone read from her. After reading her Messina Crime Family Series -- consisting of Sinful Vows, Cruel Lies & Twisted Promises -- this read on its own promised to be a refreshing new direction with a focus on two new main characters. More on them shortly.
First, I'm going to talk tropes. Those familiar with the Messina Crime Family Series will know the kinds of tropes those books entail, but what about Shattered Secrets? , well, here is what is in store for you all with this standalone read:
✔ Mafia/Mob Lawyer
✔ Amnesia
✔ Married Couple
✔ Second Chance
✔ Twists & Turns
✔ Plot & Steam
✔ Soulmates
✔ Buried Secrets
✔ Surprise Pregnancy (Due to trouble conceiving)
There are a number of tropes in that list that are personal favourites, but I was particularly interested in the 'amnesia' trope this time around. The draw for me was who she had chosen to bestow it upon and for once, it wasn't the stereotypical choice I've seen other romance authors go with. Getting to the point in which this occurs was going to be the fun part, and it was very much that. Not so much 'fun' in the humorous sense, but the gripping and unputdownable sense. Especially when there's a reunion involved. Just to name one thing. There's plenty woven in between the series of events to keep us all thoroughly entertained.
Though it seems like we've reached the 'Happily Ever After' by the first page--as the two main characters are already married--, we're quickly shown how after the happily ever after, can soon have a spanner thrown into its works. Any marriage has its ups, downs and bumps along the way, but Hudson Mackay and Hadleigh soon come across their biggest bump yet when one night when he was due home from working late, Hudson never made it home to Hadleigh.
This is where the mystery and secrets first begin to unfurl.
Hadleigh Mackay is far from shy and demure, she is strong and her faith equally as so. When Hudson goes missing and against all odds, something within her heart and soul tells her to keep strong and have faith. Everyone around her believes Hudson to be dead, but not his wife. As the months pass, her belief doesn't lessen but only grows as strong as her love for her missing husband. Letting go isn't even an option in her eyes, no matter how many times for her own piece of mind that she is to do so. She aims to prove people wrong, and I was right alongside her cheering her on.
Hudson isn't the only man at her side, however. His best friend, Brooks, is right there waiting in the wings to step in and step up to be Hadleigh's rock and shoulder to cry on, should anything happen to Hudson. Remember, there's plenty of secrets and when they catch up to both Hudson and Brooks--Hudson ultimately paying the price--, Brooks is left to pick up the pieces in which there are plenty when everything has shattered.
Faith and hope can only carry so far and last for so long, as Hadleigh soon learns. Though Hudson is still missing and her heart firmly holding onto him and their conjoined moments together, she learns that her squeaky clean, confidant of a husband is in fact a liar. Not the generic white lies told to often surprise your significant other, but the kind of lies that eventually come to light with karma knocking firmly on the front door. True to her loyalty despite this, his secrets are now hers and she'll take them to her grave rather than rat him out. Love could conquer all here with the two soulmates. It might just be enough to save them both when all seems lost when something--Hudson--is found.
Finding the other half to her heart and soul should've been the reunion she was hoping it would be, with the relief of seeing him alive and well coming up behind it. Such as life and with its many twists and turns, this is far from the case. She has lived every moment of their time apart on a rollercoaster of emotions, thoughts and feelings, whereas he has not. Reuniting in the most unlikely of places, she is the only one of the two who remembers anything about their time apart as well as them as a couple. Cue amnesia trope and subsequent storyline path.
Finding Hudson is only the start of a series of unfortunate events. For the most part. Fortune can be found in the most darkest and unlikeliest of times and places and as determined as she is to retain Hudson in any which way, shape or form, Hadleigh is prepared to continue putting herself and their lives through the wringer to come out on the other side in a place the two of them can exist no longer as two separate souls, but soulmates once more. Soulmates who still bring the steam between the sheets—and anywhere they can—, the desire bubbling and creating all the steam. There’s no denying with the sparks that buzz between them that there’s chemistry. As creative as Lilian is with the dark romance side to her novels, spice and steam are two surefire guarantees too. The blushing, breathing-out-slowly-through-the-lips kind of spice and steam. Take notes from these two characters, that’s all I’m saying. Wink, wink.
Although their story didn't end in a way in which I had anticipated, it was a good place to leave their story and I left the book with many (happy and sad) tears shed and a big, happy smile on my face. Lilian did an incredible job with two incredible characters, and continues to cement my firm belief in that I was glad to have come across her and her work. Though this book is a standalone, I wouldn't object to these two making an appearance in a future standalone novel. I could simply read about them forever. I hope other readers will fall in love with them and their story as much as I did.
Five stars.
“Shattered Secrets” might just take the cake for my favorite Lilian Harris book yet!
This is my first amnesia romance and to say I’m hooked would be an understatement. What’s unique about this trope is that you get to live the characters love story twice over: once at the beginning, and a second time at the end.
As far as characters go, our FMC Hadleigh is the definition of resilient. When her husband goes missing, she spends so much of the book looking for him. Even as the years pass she never gives on him or consider moving on to another man. Her love for Hudson was palpable and I was rooting for her the entire time.
Hudson…bless his soul. I can’t imagine going through what he went through, and as frustrating as it was to watch him suffer without his memory, it made their second chance love story all the more sweet. His character was flawed and far from perfect, but his love for Hadleigh ran deep.
Such an angsty, yet fun book. I was in pain for a good amount of it, which is a testament to how strong of a writer Harris is.
This is my first amnesia romance and to say I’m hooked would be an understatement. What’s unique about this trope is that you get to live the characters love story twice over: once at the beginning, and a second time at the end.
As far as characters go, our FMC Hadleigh is the definition of resilient. When her husband goes missing, she spends so much of the book looking for him. Even as the years pass she never gives on him or consider moving on to another man. Her love for Hudson was palpable and I was rooting for her the entire time.
Hudson…bless his soul. I can’t imagine going through what he went through, and as frustrating as it was to watch him suffer without his memory, it made their second chance love story all the more sweet. His character was flawed and far from perfect, but his love for Hadleigh ran deep.
Such an angsty, yet fun book. I was in pain for a good amount of it, which is a testament to how strong of a writer Harris is.
This is the sort of romantic suspense that will grip you from the first chapter and not let you put it down. This is Hudson and Hadleigh’s story and I don’t want to give anything at all away, but it begins with them being married and completely in love but dealing with something incredibly heavy. All the while, there’s something odd happening in the background that proves to be huge and results in Hudson having amnesia, and throughout we revisit some characters we’ve already met and meet a lot of new ones that all play their parts in the larger story.
These characters! Hudson is this swoony alpha husband and a lawyer with a colorful history that he’s not exactly transparent about with Hadleigh, and she’s absolutely lovely and sweet and provides great juxtaposition for his character. Together, they definitely make up quite possibly my favorite couple from Harris, and the deep connection they have is palpable. I think that’s the reason that when everything is happening that it almost hurts to witness their pain. They go through some horrific and sad situations but throughout it all, you can feel their love.
And the whole plot and everything that happens? Just wow! There’s a lot that transpires and I won’t spoil anything for you, but this book is written so well and clearly very thought out to have it come together as perfectly as it did. Harris has quickly become my favorite author for romance with a twist, and I didn’t see what went down coming. It’s exactly why this book is so engaging and addictive.
This is going on my list of favorite books of the year. It’s got romance and spice and suspense and will break your heart but then put it back together. If you love romance that’s got true love but is filled danger and tension, then this book is for you.
These characters! Hudson is this swoony alpha husband and a lawyer with a colorful history that he’s not exactly transparent about with Hadleigh, and she’s absolutely lovely and sweet and provides great juxtaposition for his character. Together, they definitely make up quite possibly my favorite couple from Harris, and the deep connection they have is palpable. I think that’s the reason that when everything is happening that it almost hurts to witness their pain. They go through some horrific and sad situations but throughout it all, you can feel their love.
And the whole plot and everything that happens? Just wow! There’s a lot that transpires and I won’t spoil anything for you, but this book is written so well and clearly very thought out to have it come together as perfectly as it did. Harris has quickly become my favorite author for romance with a twist, and I didn’t see what went down coming. It’s exactly why this book is so engaging and addictive.
This is going on my list of favorite books of the year. It’s got romance and spice and suspense and will break your heart but then put it back together. If you love romance that’s got true love but is filled danger and tension, then this book is for you.
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
dark
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
* ARC received for an honest review *
Shattered Hearts is Lilian's new book in her mafia world. I loved this book so much. I was hooked from the start. And every chapter got me sitting in the edge of my seat to find out all the answers.
Hadley & Hudson were everything. The way they are so loyal to each other. Their love for one another was everything. Their story was filled with happiness n also heartbreak. It was Amnesia trope which changed the whole trajectory of their relationship. But in the end, they found each other again. Their journey to get back to eo was so amazing to see. They really are soulmates. I love Holden so much. That little boy made me smile so much.
Also I loved Gio & Isuelt crumbs. They were so entertaining. And I love the connection they have with the Mackays. Also loved the other characters appearance from the Messina world.
I love Lilian's books so much. The way she surpasses her own writing with every new release. I can't wait to see what she has in the future for us.
Thank u so much, Lilian for giving me the opportunity to read ur book ahead of release.
Shattered Hearts is Lilian's new book in her mafia world. I loved this book so much. I was hooked from the start. And every chapter got me sitting in the edge of my seat to find out all the answers.
Hadley & Hudson were everything. The way they are so loyal to each other. Their love for one another was everything. Their story was filled with happiness n also heartbreak. It was Amnesia trope which changed the whole trajectory of their relationship. But in the end, they found each other again. Their journey to get back to eo was so amazing to see. They really are soulmates. I love Holden so much. That little boy made me smile so much.
Also I loved Gio & Isuelt crumbs. They were so entertaining. And I love the connection they have with the Mackays. Also loved the other characters appearance from the Messina world.
I love Lilian's books so much. The way she surpasses her own writing with every new release. I can't wait to see what she has in the future for us.
Thank u so much, Lilian for giving me the opportunity to read ur book ahead of release.
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
slow-paced
This story was so good! Lilian did an amazing job with the amnesia trope! The heartbreak, the twists and secrets, the romance...this story had it all. So good!
I received an arc and this review is my own.
I received an arc and this review is my own.
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced