Customer Reviews

Our Little Secret

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Starr Ambrose's debut novel Lie to Me was one of my favorite reads in 2008. It was funny and well written, had great characters and was an easy, quick read so when I saw Our Little Secret was available, I was really looking forward to reading it.

Welcome to the live styles of the rich and famous in D.C. where mistaken identities, blackmail, corruption, foreign dignitaries and politicians are the order of the day. Mmmmm sounds just like every other regular day in Washington. The only thing missing was Chris Matthews from MSNBC's Hardball.

Identical twin sisters Lauren and Meg Sutherland couldn't be more different. Where Lauren is the responsible, reliable, practical twin, engaged to an equally boring man, Meg is promiscuous, lives life on the wild side and is now newly married to her boss and a man twice her age US congressman Harlan Creighton. And it turns out instead of enjoying wedded bliss and a honeymoon get-away, the newlyweds are in fact M.I.A. and on the run.

With her sister missing, Lauren Sutherland hightails it to Washington D.C. where the first person she encounters is Drew Creighton, ski instructor and son of the missing congressman. Drew immediately mistakes Lauren for her twin sister and thinks she's a gold-digging hussy interested only in his father's wealth and power. The sparks immediately fly between Drew and Lauren with a close call involving a hair pulling incident and a well-placed kick to the shin (I'll let you figure out who did what).

Since Lauren was an engaged woman at the start of the book, I was interested to see how Ambrose would develop the relationship between Drew and Lauren. Turns out Jeff the fiancé was a bit of a dud and I could see why Lauren would dump his ass in favor of the gorgeous, irresistible ski bum...or someone she thinks is a ski bum. You know what happens when you ass-u-me and both are guilty of jumping to the wrong conclusions about each other.

As Drew and Lauren put their amateur detective skills to work, they are actually a good team once they get past their initial misunderstandings (ohh and Lauren dumps the BF), then the hot and steamy action really heats up between them. But they've got a job to do as they dodge bullets, an attempted kidnapping (Drew's not the only one who mistakes Lauren for her twin sister), and car chases while trying to figure out the good guys from the bad.

At this point the suspense plot involving the political blackmail plot, doctored pictures, secret service agents and foreign nationals was a bit long winded and tedious and I was ready for it to be over. To Lauren's credit she was surprisingly strong and smart and really held it together at the end when she was faced with some uncomfortable circumstances.

Our Little Secrets had it's moments with funny clever writing , some madcap adventure and great chemistry between Drew and Lauren. Although I enjoyed the story, it wasn't in the same league for me as Lie to Me.

I loved this book. It kept me interested from start to finish. The plot was excellent, intricate without being overly detailed to where your attention wanders as with some books. The romance was perfect for me. It was sweet and slightly feisty without being overly annoying with stupid misunderstandings and neither hero nor heroine behaved in a way that frustrated me (as with some other romance books). I highly recommend it! I thought the book was another quality read from this author and I can't wait to read more books by her!!

I am used to read book from Janet Evanovich romantic collection but this one has become one of my favorites!!! I couldn't put it down. It is sexy and romantic and very funny. I could totally relate to the main character. Perfect book.

Twins Lauren and Meg Sutherland are total opposites as the former is reliable and the latter is impulsive. However, even Lauren, used to her sibling's reckless behavior, is stunned when her sister marries US Senator Creighton, a man twice her age.

Lauren plans to persuade her sibling and the politician to annul their marriage. However, she becomes concerned when the newlyweds vanish without a trace. The senator's son Drew joins Lauren in a search for their missing relatives after mistakenly accusing her of being a gold-digger. To her shock, Lauren is attracted to Drew, which is out of character for her as she is engaged to an ultra conservative who is compatible to her. At the same time an unknown adversary stalks them and the newlyweds are planning to prevent by any means possible the bungling amateurs from unraveling a Washington run by blackmail of illicit trysts.

Our Little Secret is an enjoyable amateur sleuth romantic suspense in which the lead couple in their search for their relatives find themselves in a murkier deadly situation as a predator watches their every move. The story line is a fast-paced frenzied frolic with the emphasis on the romance although Starr Ambrose takes a jab at a DC fueled by money interests. Fans will appreciate this entertaining gambit as Drew and Lauren wonder how love can prove so dangerous.

Harriet Klausner

I actually really liked this book. Its the first book I've read from this new author and I would recommend it. It kept me very entertained. I had a hard time putting it down. The plot was a little ridiculous I thought, but it was none the less a fun book and chemistry of the characters worked.

I don't usually read romance books but I like this author for her quick wit and humorous characters. I've read both her books and couldn't put either of them down. The adventure draws you in and keeps you guessing as you root for her characters to not only fall in love but stay alive! I only wish she had more books out there for me to read. Keep them coming Starr!

STORY BRIEF:
Lauren and Meg are identical twins. Meg is impulsive and wild. Lauren is responsible and predictable. Meg elopes with her boss, a U.S. senator twice her age. Lauren flies to Washington D.C. to talk Meg into an annulment. When she arrives, she finds that Meg and the senator are missing. Others think Lauren is Meg and try to kidnap her. Drew is the senator's son. Together Drew and Lauren search for Meg and the senator and try to unravel the mystery. Although Lauren is engaged to a dependable, boring guy, she is attracted to Drew whom she believes is a ski bum.

REVIEWER'S OPINION:
This was ok, but I was expecting more. Her first book wowed me, but this book felt more like other romantic mysteries. Nothing was wrong, but I was hoping for more fun with mistaken identities or something new and different. The characters, plot, and relationship development were all good. It's mostly solving the mystery with a little suspense. I like this author, and I'm definitely planning to buy her third book "Thieves Like Us" coming Fall 2010.

DATA:
Story length: 356 pages. Swearing language: strong. Sexual language: mild. Number of sex scenes: 3. Total number of sex scene pages: 13. Setting: current day Washington, D.C. Copyright: 2009. Genre: romantic mystery with some suspense.

OTHER BOOKS:
I've read one other book by Starr Ambrose. My 4.5 star review of "Lie To Me" Copyright 2008 was posted 1-22-09.

While making our way through our enormous `to read' pile we found Skin Game and all we can say is WOW. We were so blown away by this awesome book that we had to smack ourselves for waiting this long to read it! Ava Gray provided us with the best elements we love in a novel; beguiling but flawed characters, high-voltage sensuality, great dialogue and a suspense that held our attention from cover to cover. Incidentally, our `in-house' description of Skin Game was `if Nalini Singh and Anne Stuart had a baby, this is the book it would write.' Perfect summation!