SYNOPSIS

Behind his beautiful eyes
Lay a thousand secrets and lies.

But my own secrets are all laid bare
The twisted reality of a disgraceful affair.

I once deciphered the mysteries hidden in art
Then mistakes and desire tore me apart.

Now I’m shipwrecked at the end of the earth
Desperate again to prove my worth.

The lighthouse keeper is a stranger to me
Yet one night with him sets me free.

We find ourselves united by the stars above
Both of us needing the salvation of love.

Until our secrets and shame continue to build
And what was flourishing will soon be killed.

*****Patty’s Review*****

*****4.5 STARS*****
{ARC Generously Provided by Author}

He brings his hands to either side of my neck, tilting my head to just the right angle, and presses his lips to mine. For the first time in my life, I know what it means to be kissed right to your soul, to feel a kiss in every inch of your body.

THE SECRET THIEF is an adult contemporary standalone written by the talented Nina Lane. Over the last several years I have read almost every one of her books and am one of her biggest fans. This story is a little different from anything I’ve read by her in the past. It had a fairy tale feel to it, but we also still get some of Ms. Lane’s signature brand of sexy and some of the sweet banter between the Hero and Heroine that I recognized from her ”Spiral of Bliss” series. The author continuously creates mouthwateringly sexy alpha male Heroes that get my temperature rising and she most definitely did that when she created Flynn Alverton. He’s a mystery that readers, as well as the Heroine, will be consumed with. I was anxious for all of his secrets to be revealed.

Eve Perrin is the newest resident of Castille, Maine. Her beloved uncle who recently passed left his old estate located in the town to her in his will. The move to Maine is both welcome and necessary for Eve. She was an art history professor back in U.C.L.A. but unwittingly got involved with a married man which later turned into a huge scandal and branded her as a ”whore”, and crazed stalker. Neither of those labels was true. She was just a victim of bad judgment and naivete. Eve hopes that she’ll be able to start fresh in Castille, but when she gets turned down for every job she tries to apply for, it becomes apparent that her “reputation” has followed her all the way from California. Her mother definitely had a hand in her predicament. She had no qualms about publicly shaming her daughter at a local restaurant and it only ended up fueling town gossip about poor Eve.

During her first day in town, she visits the lighthouse which is a landmark of Castille. She comes across the wall of secrets. It contains people’s secrets written on pieces of paper that are rolled up and placed between the wall’s stone crevices. She notices a man staring down at her from the top of the lighthouse and even though she can only make out the shape of him, she can’t help but feel a strange connection to him. Days later when she has lost all hope after having received yet another rejection from a potential employer, the man from the lighthouse ends up being her savior. The sexy lighthouse keeper who has been the star of her nightly fantasies offers her a dream job. He was good friends with her late uncle and was able to acquire his vast collection of fairy tale books that her mother auctioned off instead of giving them to Eve like she should have. Eve will be responsible for organizing and cataloging all of her uncle’s books.

Eve learns quickly that Flynn is guarded and keeps mainly to himself. He is known as the town recluse. Flynn keeps her at arm’s length and gives her a set of rules to adhere to as his employee. She’s not allowed in the lighthouse and his living quarters, and she is to refrain from asking him personal questions. As the days go by, Eve spends a lot of time alone at work but eventually, Flynn ends up showing up for her lunch and tea breaks. They begin to develop an easy friendship, but Eve wants more, and she suspects that Flynn does as well. There’s something that haunts Flynn and whenever Eve brings something up that hits a nerve, his impenetrable wall comes up quickly.

Flynn isn’t the only one with a past that haunts him. Eve is still reeling from the relationship that threw her into an embarrassing scandal which ultimately destroyed her career. She doesn’t trust her judgment in men. Flynn seems dangerous to her and even though her mind is sending her huge warning signals, it’s her heard that is inexplicably drawn to him.

I wanted so badly to get inside Flynn’s head, but the story is told in Eve’s point of view. We do eventually learn all of his secrets and it did absolutely nothing to lessen my love for his character. I thought that Eve was a likable character and I understood why she was so beaten down by her past, but I wished that she had the backbone to put her wicked mother in her place.

Here are my overall ratings:

Hero: 5
Heroine: 4
Plot: 4
Angst: 4
Steam: 5
Chemistry Between Hero & Heroine: 4.5

THE SECRET THIEF releases on April 3rd!