Review & Giveaway: S.E.C.R.E.T - L. Marie Adeline (US & Canada Only)

US Cover

In S.E.C.R.E.T there are…

No Judgments. No limits. No shame.

Cassie Robichaud’s life is filled with regret and loneliness after the death of her husband. She waits tables at the rundown Café Rose in New Orleans, and every night she heads home to her cat and a solitary one-bedroom apartment. But when she discovers a notebook left behind by a mysterious woman at the café, Cassie’s world is forever changed. The notebook’s stunningly explicit confessions shock and fascinate Cassie, and eventually lead her to S.E.C.R.E.T, an underground society dedicated to helping women realize their wildest, most intimate sexual fantasies. Cassie soon immerses herself in an electrifying journey through a series of ten rapturous fantasies with gorgeous men who awaken and satisfy her like never before. As she is set free from her inhibitions, she discovers a new confidence that transforms her, giving her the courage to live passionately. Equal parts enticing, liberating and emotionally powerful, S.E.C.R.E.T is a world where erotic fantasy becomes reality.

Secret Series:
S.E.C.R.E.T
Titles and release dates for future books to be confirmed

Visit the Secret Novels website for more information.

Review:
Since the death of her abusive husband Cassie has spent her life living on the sidelines, she spends her days working and her evenings reading and is too scared to even consider dating again. She has lost her confidence and has created a safe little world to live in without even really noticing how lonely she has become. It is only after she reads a mysterious notebook that was left in by a customer at the cafe where she works that she starts to question her safe routine. The notebook contains an explicit account of a woman's journey to fulfil her wildest sexual fantasies and gives a glimpse at a secret organisation that helped her achieve her dreams. When Cassie is invited to join S.E.C.R.E.T she is scared to take the risk but reading that notebook has opened her eyes to the possibilities and she finds she can't walk away without taking a chance.

I wasn't too sure what to expect from S.E.C.R.E.T when I first picked it up but I have to say I really enjoyed it. As much as the idea of talking to a bunch of complete strangers about your innermost desires was a little odd I really liked the idea of having a group of hot men who are willing to help you act out your fantasies! What girl wouldn't like to be made to feel special and beautiful and have men going out of their way to pleasure them? What I actually liked most about the story though was the way Cassie's confidence grew thanks to the help she had from S.E.C.R.E.T, the goal wasn't just sexual empowerment but to help her step away from the sidelines and start to live again. The story takes place over a year and Cassie went from being someone who had very little experience and was very shy to a confident and in control woman who knew what she wanted from life and was happy to go out and get it. The encounters Cassie has vary in intensity and don't all lead to sex but they all help her discover something about herself and they were all hot and enjoyable to read.

I had a few minor niggles with the story and have to admit that I rolled my eyes on learning about a secret society called S.E.C.R.E.T - surely they could come up with a better name for themselves than that? - but I was able to forgive them when I found out that each of the letters stood for something meaningful. I still think I'd have preferred a different name for the organisation but that didn't stop me from enjoying the story. I'm all for women being able to explore their sexuality in a safe environment, Cassie was able to live out her wildest dreams but was never at any risk and she had to agree that she wanted to continue at every step along the way. Perhaps it's partly my age and the fact that I'm single but I found it really easy to relate to Cassie and I have to admit that if I was invited to join this kind of society I'd jump at the chance! I'll warn you now that the ending is slightly frustrating but it has definitely left me wanting to carry on reading the series. If you're looking for something that has a bit more depth to it than some erotic romances then I'd definitely recommend giving S.E.C.R.E.T a try, don't go into this expecting a happy ever after though - the book is more about Cassie's self discovery than a standard romance story. I have high hopes that she'll find her HEA by the end of the series though.

Source: Received from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review

Other Reviews:
If you have reviewed this book on your blog please leave a link to your review in the comments & I'll add the link here.

UK Cover

Paperback:

Kindle:


Giveaway Details:

As part of the blog tour I'm happy to be able to offer my American and Canadian readers the chance to win a paperback copy of the book. This is the first giveaway I've hosted that isn't open for my British followers, unfortunately that is because the prize is being offered by the US publisher Broadway and they have set the postage restrictions. I do hold a lot of UK giveaways though and it's nice to be able to offer a prize for some of my international followers!

• One winner will win a paperback copy of both S.E.C.R.E.T by L. Marie Adeline.
• The winner's prize will be sent out directly by the publisher Broadway so the winner must give me permission to pass their address on.
• To enter please use the rafflecopter below to confirm that you are a resident of US/Canada, there are optional extra entries for following or tweeting about the giveaway but these are not required to enter.
• Duplicate and invalid entries will be deleted and the winners will be chosen at random from all remaining entries.
• The giveaway will close at Midnight GMT on the 25th of February 2013 and the winner will be contacted soon afterwards. You will have 48 hours to reply to me with your address or a new winner will be chosen.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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