A Bloody Good Secret (Secret McQueen #2) By Sierra Dean
Urban Fantasy
E Book
September 2011
Samhain Publishing

Reviewed by Tori

Favorite Quote: “Don’t let those wolves bowl you over, Secret. You’re the prize, not the property.”

A Bloody Good Secret picks up about 3 months after Something Secret This Way Comes. When Secret was given the name of her next “assignment” at the end of Something Secret This Way Comes, she decided the best way to handle it was not to and ran to her grandmother’s house. But Secret should have realized that she would not be able to hide for long so when she is kidnapped and forcibly returned she isn’t so much surprised by the act as she is by the participants. Lucas Rain, King of the Werewolves, and her vampire tribunal boss, Sig, apparently decided that it was time for her to come home and acted together. Secret is both fascinated and insulted by this.

“I’d like to go home. Your driver left and I’d like to go home.”

“Secret…”
“I did miss you. I really did. And I wanted to come home. But you should have let me do it my way. I needed time.”

“I know. But Secret, we needed you here. We’re your friends.”

“Yeah. With friends like you, who the hell needs enemies.”

As Secret investigates to try to clear Holden’s name, it becomes apparent, with the help from some unlikely allies, that Holden is bring framed and unless Secret finds the true traitor, she and Holden will both suffer the consequences.

I really enjoy the world that Ms. Dean has created in her Secret McQueen series. From the name, Secret McQueen, to Secret’s job and her intricate relationships we are given an energetic and feisty urban fantasy that engages and holds your attention to the end. A wonderful balance of humor and suspense; it’s the characters in here that make this story so superb.

Secret is a bounty hunter who is just trying to survive a dual nature. Half vampire and half werewolf; she feels like she truly doesn’t belong anywhere. Add in a love triangle that is slowly becoming a quad-angle and poor Secret has a lot on her plate. Armed with engaging snark, Secret charges head on into battle and woe to anyone who gets in her way. What really appeals to me about Secret is that she is not infallible. She isn’t a supernatural with unlimited powers. She makes some poor decisions and she gets her butt kicked occasionally. Yet there is no fatalism in her. No continuous emotional angst that has you wondering, “OMG… what now?”. Ms. Dean has created a character infused with enough realism and humanistic qualities that you can’t help but bond with her.

I love that Secret seems to have a better handle on those surrounding her. Especially her love interests-Lucas and Desmond. In the first book, Something Secret This Way Comes, the soul bond between them overwhelmed her and she seemed to be led by the hand, or by the lust, when it came to them. In here she is much more in charge of her feelings around them and lets each of them know that she is not their property nor will she be dictated too. Lucas, as always, over steps boundaries, but Desmond acts from his heart and his heart is Secret. We are clued in to a possible third romantic interest-I mean, her vamp side needs some cold blooded loving too, right? I am very interested in seeing how Ms. Dean manages to blend everyone together.

The council, the pack, and the rest of the gang are in here and up to their fangs and claws in Secret’s business. We are slowing getting to know the background of all the characters, enabling us to see how they feature in Secret’s life and why. We are also introduced to some new characters that prove to be just as interesting and secretive as everyone else.

The action is non stop and as inviting as the first book. Plenty of twists, turns, and misdirection keeps us and Secret on our toes as she races to find the the true traitor in their midst. The ending is a mixture of shock and awe as everything is dramatically revealed. Secret gets quite a surprise at the very end and I look forward to seeing how she deals with it in book 3, title & date to be announced. Ms. Dean does a Christmas novella coming out November 2011, title to be announced, where Secret and her human friend, Detective Mercedes, set out to solve a string of murders.

Note: Ms. Dean tweeted in July that she has done something in book 3 that may cause me to hurt her. I am hoping she reconsiders this because I like her and would hate to have to drive to Canada and straighten her out. :P

Rating: B

Recent Reviews:
Hanging With Bells – 4/5
The Book Pushers – 4/5
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