Today we have a release blitz for THE SECRET by J. Beck & C. Hallman! Check it out and be sure to grab your copy today!
Title: The Secret
Series: North Woods University #3
Authors: J.L. Beck & C. Hallman
Publication Date: August 2, 2019
Genre: Contemporary, Romance
Secrets… they can make or break you.
I would know. I’m hiding the biggest secret of all. My scars are so much more than skin deep. They consume me, control me.
Then I meet him, Clark Jefferson. Six foot two inches of greek god hotness, with a smile that’ll make your panties disappear. He wears a clear warning label: Heartbreaker, and if I was smart I would stay away from him.
With my past, my secrets nothing could ever come of being with a man like him. Still I cannot ignore the feelings he stirs inside me. He frightens me and excites me all at once.
He makes me want to break free of the suffocating fear that claims my heart.
Our meeting isn’t fate though, he needs me as much as I need him, and so we strike a deal.
He’ll be my fake boyfriend and I’ll help him get out of trouble with his dad.
But secrets can’t remain secrets forever and as I grow closer to Clark my feelings for him grow too. Soon the line between fake and real blurs and when the past I’ve been running from finally catches up with me I’ll have to confess to Clark the truth or let go of a love that was only ever supposed to be fake.
**This is book three in the North Woods University Series. It can be read as a complete standalone and contains NO cliffhanger, NO cheating, and a HEA. Please be advised this series contains material not suitable to all readers. This is NOT a YA series.**
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Disclaimer: This review contains potential spoilers. I received an Advance Reader Copy at no cost from the publisher/author. All opinions in my review are my own.
Wow, this book was so much more emotional than the first two books. I was completely engrossed in this story from the very start. The authors have an incredible talent for bringing their characters to life in the pages, and I think that this book is the best that I have read yet for this.
Out of all three books in the series so far, I think that Clark and Emerson are my favorite characters from the series. There is just something about them that really speaks to me. I definitely related to Emerson since I share her struggles with anxiety and PTSD. She was such a genuinely good soul and it was heartbreaking discovering the horrible injustices that she had to endure in her youth. I was rooting for her during the entire book. I really wanted her to have her happily ever after. I really liked Clark in the second book of the series, even though he was an unapologetic manwhore. I loved getting to know him better in this book. If I am honest, his manwhore reputation still kind of bothered me in this book but I was also impressed by how caring and accepting he was when he fell for Emerson. He never pressured her for anything she didn't want to give and he always wanted to make sure that she was comfortable and safe. He was protective of her in all the best ways. I love that when he met her he made a connection between her and his mother who had passed away when he was 12 from suicide after suffering from the same conditions that Emerson has. He just wanted to help her since no one helped his mother. Along the way, he fell in love with Emerson. Both Emerson and Clark have some great character development and they are both characters that are full of depth. I also liked seeing the characters from the first two books. I can't wait for Sebastian's story in book four!
As mentioned above, the romance was just darling. Considering Emerson's fragile nature, they didn't really have a traditional courtship. If I had any bone to pick about the romance, it is that the romance was a little sudden. They hardly know each other for any real amount of time before they are head over heels and they feel like they can't live without the other. That felt a little unrealistic, but the romance itself was so heartwarming. The way they come together is beautiful and fills me with so many feels.
I really loved the representation of anxiety and PTSD. I live with both of these myself and reading about Emerson while she navigates these issues in her life was really an emotional experience for me. More so than usual, I would say. The authors did a fantastic job of portraying the reality of these conditions and the adverse effects that they can have on a person trying to live and manage their symptoms.
The plot of this book felt very different from the other books in the series. It was very character-driven and all of the stressors and conflict stem from events that took place in the past. There is more of an internal conflict in this one as opposed to events or actions by characters that set things into motion. While this did make the story very emotional and absolutely impossible to put down, it also felt a little lacking at the same time. I still think that there should have been more external conflict. The overall plot just didn't feel as strong in this book, which is hard for me to say. It was overly predictable (apart from that epilogue) but it was also compelling in its own way. The characters really drive this story forward. It's odd because I really enjoyed this book more than the last book. I enjoyed the characters much more in this book as well. I suppose that the plot just wasn't as convincing as those in the previous books.
And I can't help but mention that this book has one heck of an epilogue. I can honestly say that I was adequately shocked at everything that occurs in the epilogue. It even made me giggle when it was all over.
This book does contain potentially triggering subject matter, but it tackles these things with grace. If you are sensitive to stories involving anxiety, PTSD, rape, lack of consent, miscarriage, assault, and suicide then please proceed with caution with this book.
Overall, this is an emotional story that really packs a wallop on your feels. This is a raw story about fear, regret, and putting the past behind you and conquering your own demons. It's also a beautiful love story about acceptance, trust, and finding your happily ever after. I am so excited to read Sebastian's story in book four of this series once it is released!
Wow, this book was so much more emotional than the first two books. I was completely engrossed in this story from the very start. The authors have an incredible talent for bringing their characters to life in the pages, and I think that this book is the best that I have read yet for this.
Out of all three books in the series so far, I think that Clark and Emerson are my favorite characters from the series. There is just something about them that really speaks to me. I definitely related to Emerson since I share her struggles with anxiety and PTSD. She was such a genuinely good soul and it was heartbreaking discovering the horrible injustices that she had to endure in her youth. I was rooting for her during the entire book. I really wanted her to have her happily ever after. I really liked Clark in the second book of the series, even though he was an unapologetic manwhore. I loved getting to know him better in this book. If I am honest, his manwhore reputation still kind of bothered me in this book but I was also impressed by how caring and accepting he was when he fell for Emerson. He never pressured her for anything she didn't want to give and he always wanted to make sure that she was comfortable and safe. He was protective of her in all the best ways. I love that when he met her he made a connection between her and his mother who had passed away when he was 12 from suicide after suffering from the same conditions that Emerson has. He just wanted to help her since no one helped his mother. Along the way, he fell in love with Emerson. Both Emerson and Clark have some great character development and they are both characters that are full of depth. I also liked seeing the characters from the first two books. I can't wait for Sebastian's story in book four!
As mentioned above, the romance was just darling. Considering Emerson's fragile nature, they didn't really have a traditional courtship. If I had any bone to pick about the romance, it is that the romance was a little sudden. They hardly know each other for any real amount of time before they are head over heels and they feel like they can't live without the other. That felt a little unrealistic, but the romance itself was so heartwarming. The way they come together is beautiful and fills me with so many feels.
I really loved the representation of anxiety and PTSD. I live with both of these myself and reading about Emerson while she navigates these issues in her life was really an emotional experience for me. More so than usual, I would say. The authors did a fantastic job of portraying the reality of these conditions and the adverse effects that they can have on a person trying to live and manage their symptoms.
The plot of this book felt very different from the other books in the series. It was very character-driven and all of the stressors and conflict stem from events that took place in the past. There is more of an internal conflict in this one as opposed to events or actions by characters that set things into motion. While this did make the story very emotional and absolutely impossible to put down, it also felt a little lacking at the same time. I still think that there should have been more external conflict. The overall plot just didn't feel as strong in this book, which is hard for me to say. It was overly predictable (apart from that epilogue) but it was also compelling in its own way. The characters really drive this story forward. It's odd because I really enjoyed this book more than the last book. I enjoyed the characters much more in this book as well. I suppose that the plot just wasn't as convincing as those in the previous books.
And I can't help but mention that this book has one heck of an epilogue. I can honestly say that I was adequately shocked at everything that occurs in the epilogue. It even made me giggle when it was all over.
This book does contain potentially triggering subject matter, but it tackles these things with grace. If you are sensitive to stories involving anxiety, PTSD, rape, lack of consent, miscarriage, assault, and suicide then please proceed with caution with this book.
Overall, this is an emotional story that really packs a wallop on your feels. This is a raw story about fear, regret, and putting the past behind you and conquering your own demons. It's also a beautiful love story about acceptance, trust, and finding your happily ever after. I am so excited to read Sebastian's story in book four of this series once it is released!
“Please don’t look at me like that…” I slur.
“Please leave… just… leave me alone,” she pleads and my heart breaks at her words. That’s what my mom used to tell me. She asked me to leave her alone and I listened to her. Maybe if I hadn’t listened to her and listened to my gut instead she would still be here, alive.
“I won’t leave you,” I tell her, shaking my head, determination coating my words. “But please don’t look at me like I’m going to hurt you. Please, don’t be scared of me.”
“You’re dunk,” she points out and that wild look in her eyes overtakes her features now. She continues taking small steps backwards, retreating further into the room, further away from me. I want her close, in my arms, safe, secure. It’s the strangest, but truest emotion I’ve ever felt before.
“Yes… I had something to drink, but that doesn’t change the fact that I would never hurt you. I can control myself,” I sigh and set the plate down on top of the dresser
“You’re scaring me,” she admits, her voice small and shaky. I don’t know who hurt her, but in that moment I vowed to myself to find out. I will find out who did this to her and then I will make them pay. It’s obvious she was powerless, weak, but she’s not anymore. She has me now, and I’ll protect her, defend her till my last breath. I know this without even thinking.
Holding my hands up, with my palms showing, I try to calm her like I would a scared animal. “You don’t have to be scared of me. Not ever,” I assured her. “I just want… I want you to feel safe. You don’t have to be scared here. I promise I’ll keep you safe. No one will hurt you, least of all me.”
J.L. Beck & C. Hallman are two ladies with a love for coffee, books, and the bad boys who live inside them.
They’re a dynamic duo who love writing all genres of romance, from erotica, to suspense. To date they’ve written ten books together and don’t plan to stop any time soon.
When they aren’t writing you can find them making jokes, discussing their next book, arguing over cover photos, and of course drinking more coffee.
They’re humble, and truly blessed to have found such amazing readers.
Connect with J.L. Beck:
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My name is Vanessa a.k.a. Queen Alchemy. I am a 30-something-year-old mother of four nerdy, fantastic children. We live in the Midwest. I have a reading addiction, and I hope that I never recover! I'm the hugest nerd you can find with interests not limited to the following: comics (Batman and Captain America for the win!), science, computers, zombies, unicorns, Harry Potter, cartoons from the 80's & 90's, Frankenstein, history, crafting, cooking & baking, Star Wars, digital scrapbooking, D&D, Minecraft, Hello Kitty, horror, metalcore, royalty, tattoos & piercings, bright colors, and so much more!
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