Secret, Book 1 of the Secret Series by Nia Forrester
A Review By: SY
Trey Denison is a man shaped by loss who has learned to bury his emotions and keep most relationships superficial. And Shayla Jordan is hiding from a past she can't seem to escape, even by starting over in a city where no one knows her secret.
When Shayla rents the basement apartment in Trey’s childhood home, her quiet, enigmatic nature arouses his curiosity, and Shayla sees in Trey a chance to rediscover her sensuality. But as their initially cautious connection deepens far beyond anything either of them anticipated, the secrets they each harbor threaten to surface, jeopardizing everything they’ve built.
Can Shayla and Trey overcome their pasts and embrace the possibility of a future together, or will their hidden truths tear them apart?
Review Notes:
Audio Book Publication Year: 2024
An installment in a Series? Yes (Book 1)
Narrator (s): Allan Monteilh
Nia Forrester seems to toggle between romance, mystery and women's fiction with relative ease, and "Secret" straddles the mystery and women's fiction line. The first installment in a three-book series, we meet Trey, an attorney whose star is rising at the law firm he's employed with. No stranger to hard work or beautiful women, Trey's exploits cause his personal and professional life to collide. This tension keeps the listener on edge waiting for the proverbial shoe to drop.
Shayla meets Trey as his tenant, and her quiet, somewhat reclusive behavior causes her landlord to become curious about her. What he discovers, he was not expecting.
This story is what many listeners would classify as a "slow burn" - the plot steadily and slowly builds, providing time to get to know the characters. Nia is a beautiful writer, and the level of detail and world building she provides is enviable. One reviewer described this title as "frustratingly good," and that feels accurate - the way the story unfolds, the listener is hanging on to find out how it all comes together.
Allan Monteilh is fairly new to audiobook narration, and does a good job with the 3rd person point of view. In the first few chapters, the cadence and texture of his voice seemed slightly muted, but perhaps that was an artistic interpretation of the building mystery. Monteilh hits a comfortable stride as the book progresses, and performs the dialogue, particularly between the male characters, with authenticity and confidence.
Would you recommend this book?: Yes
Reading Recommendation? Yes!
Rating: 4 (It’s lit!)
Content Warnings? Physical abuse/violence, Sexual abuse/violence
