The Secrets She Kept

Written by Brenda Novak

Narrated by Carly Robins

The rich and powerful Josephine Lazarow, matriarch of Fairham Island, is dead. The police say it's suicide, but Keith, her estranged son, doesn't believe it.

Keith bears scars-both physical and emotional-from his childhood, but he's worked hard to overcome the past. After walking away from his mother and her controlling ways five years ago, he's built a new life in L.A. He's also accumulated a fortune of his own. But as soon as he learns of his mother's death, he returns to Fairham. He feels he owes it to his grandfather to put the family empire together again, and he's determined to find his mother's killer.

The problem is, coming home to Fairham puts him back in contact with Nancy Dellinger, the woman he hurt so badly when he left before. And digging that deep into his mother's final days and hours entails a very real risk. Because the person who killed her could be someone he loves . . .

• Language: English
• Publisher: Tantor Media, Inc
• Release date: Sep 27, 2016
• ISBN: 9781515982227

Brenda Novak

New York Times bestselling author Brenda Novak has written over 60 novels. An eight-time Rita nominee, she's won The National Reader's Choice, The Bookseller's Best and other awards. She runs Brenda Novak for the Cure, a charity that has raised more than $2.5 million for diabetes research (her youngest son has this disease). She considers herself lucky to be a mother of five and married to the love of her life. www.brendanovak.com

Reviews for The Secrets She Kept

[lauigl · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Josephine Lazarow had a lot of secrets....The Secrets She Kept, book 2 in the Fairham Island series, picks up 5 years after The Secret Sister. Josephine Lazarow is dead. Her death has been ruled a suicide, but her son, Keith Lazarow, is not convinced. His mother would never take her own life, he insists. Once a down and out addict, Keith has turned over a new leaf. Turns out he has a knack for real estate and operates a multimillion dollar company in California. His newfound wealth gives him the means to delve deeper into his mother's death. After consulting with his sister Maisey regarding the mysterious circumstances surrounding their mother's death, she supports Keith's decision to pursue a more thorough investigation. If only he could persuade the beautiful, highly intelligent and efficient Chief of Police, Harper Underwood, to get on board. Keith realizes that his negative reputation precedes him, and that it will take great effort on his part to reverse others' preconceived notions of him, including the police chief's. Meanwhile, Keith is trying to contain his feelings for the woman whose heart he broke 5 years earlier before he got clean, Nancy Dellinger. Realizing he made a tremendous mistake in taking her for granted, he desperately wants to start over with her. But Nancy has continually resisted his attempts and Keith is having a difficult time accepting her rejections. Will these distressing circumstances in his life push Keith over the edge and back to the drugs he's worked so hard to put behind him? Did Josephine take her own life or did someone murder her? The Secrets She Kept was every bit as good as The Secret Sister, which was a 5-star read for me. In it we find a great mystery alongside a solid, second-chance romance story. Brenda Novak is very adept at conveying human emotion. Her characters' feelings and expressions are authentic and relatable. I also appreciate how there's a purpose for every one of her characters. At the conclusion of the book the reader is not left wondering "whatever happened to so and so?". Everything comes together at the end, neat and tidy, with each person accounted for. Some of the characters that we were introduced to in The Secret Sister have evolved and matured in The Secrets She kept, and for that reason I recommend reading the books in order. If I had to list any cons for this book there would only be one. I wish it was free of the heavy petting and sensual scenes since I prefer wholesome romance. Just my own personal preference. Brenda Novak's writing is so good it doesn't even seem necessary. Being that the romance aspect shared space with the mystery, these scenes were few and I did my best to skip over them. Had everything remained the same, and the romance been strictly sweet, it would be a 5++ read for me.Overall, The Secrets She Kept was an excellent read with a thoroughly satisfying mystery and a HEA that will melt your heart.

[gpangel_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The Secrets She Kept by Brenda Novak is a 2016 Mira publication. I was provided a copy of this book by the publisher and Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review. The sequel to ‘Secret Sister’ is every bit as explosive and absorbing as the first book, and then some. Five years have passed since the events that took place in the first book and as the story opens, Keith is receiving a phone call from his sister, Maisey, informing him the family matriarch has died. Was it an accident, suicide, or something far more sinister? Keith must return to Fairham Island to face all the ghosts of his past, put his mother’s affairs and estate in order, and get to the truth about how his mother died, which means he will have to face Nancy again, the woman who runs his mother's flower shop. Keith and Nancy were lovers once, but Keith treated Nancy pretty shabbily, leaving Keith riddled with guilt, and hoping he can make it up to her somehow. Was Josephine murdered? If so, the suspects are far and wide, and as the investigation heats up, a whole closet full of skeletons comes tumbling out that will shock even the most jaded reader. It seems Josephine is still causing problems for everyone, even from the grave…Talk about dark family secrets! This is one mixed up family, with Josephine causing devastation all the way around, torturing people with her selfish acts that have serious and far reaching consequences, and damaged so many lives. I couldn’t believe some of the things this woman did, but it looks like she paid the ultimate price for her actions. I would have liked for Maisey and Rafe to have had a little bit of a larger role in the story, but this one is all about Keith’s redemption, and his character did indeed improve by leaps and bounds, and it was heartening to see him finally mature, show mental toughness, and find peace and happiness. Heaven knows he deserves it after all his mother put him through. The murder mystery is very murky, and a little bit shocking, and kept me riveted to the story. I never came close to guessing how everything would turn out in the end!If you like family sagas, with lots of buried secrets coming to light, as well as a good whodunit mystery and a little spicy romance to cap things off, then you’ve come to the right place. This type of story is right up my alley, and I enjoyed it immensely!