Secrets in a Small Town

Paperback, 240 pages

English language

Published May 1, 2019 by Bold Strokes Books.

ISBN:: 978-1-63555-436-6

(1 review)

Town manager Savannah Castillo has everything under control, just the way she likes it. But when she starts to receive unsolicited gifts and messages from a stranger, her life turns to chaos. Against her better judgment, Savannah accepts Deputy Chief Mackenzie Blake’s help in the investigation and is more than a little annoyed when Mackenzie suggests herself as a part-time, live-in bodyguard.

Savannah isn’t Mackenzie’s favorite person. She’s rude and entitled, and she always has to have the last word. Always. But when she and her daughter Eliana need help, protecting them becomes more than just a job. Mackenzie’s mission is to find the person harassing them before they cause real harm. Savannah’s fleeting and incredibly sexy smiles don’t make the task any easier, and there’s no time for distractions.

Not when someone waits in the shadows, watching and preparing to strike.

1 edition

Cheri reviewed Secrets in a Small Town by Nicole Stiling

Review of 'Secrets in a Small Town' on 'Storygraph'

2 stars

I wanted to like this book so much! The beginning grabbed me and I laughed a lot through the first several chapters so I thought I was in luck. I got over the fact that this very, very likely was a Once Upon a Time fan fic - which I normally don't care for much unless the writing is really well done - and decided to just roll with it. After all, Micki and Savannah had great chemistry and banter and there was a cute kid and fun secondary characters. All the makings of a fun read.

And then the police work started.

I've been told many times - a few while reading this book and chatting about it with a friend - that I'm just too hard on f/f romance novels. And I probably am. But in my defense, if a main plot arc of a romance is solving …

I wanted to like this book so much! The beginning grabbed me and I laughed a lot through the first several chapters so I thought I was in luck. I got over the fact that this very, very likely was a Once Upon a Time fan fic - which I normally don't care for much unless the writing is really well done - and decided to just roll with it. After all, Micki and Savannah had great chemistry and banter and there was a cute kid and fun secondary characters. All the makings of a fun read.

And then the police work started.

I've been told many times - a few while reading this book and chatting about it with a friend - that I'm just too hard on f/f romance novels. And I probably am. But in my defense, if a main plot arc of a romance is solving a case and the main character solving it is a police officer - even in a rom/com - the police work should make sense and be somewhat believable. I didn't think that happened here.

I did like the author's voice and her humor so I would certainly try her next book. This one had too many rough edges for me to get into properly.

Thanks to Bold Strokes Books and NetGalley for the chance to read an author I'd not heard of before!