Keeping Secret (Secret McQueen #4)
Urban Fantasy
July 10, 2012
Samhain Publishing

Reviewed by Tori

Favorite Quote: “ The first rule of Vamp Club is you don’t talk about Vamp Club. “

Oh Sierra, you bad, bad girl. I and Sierra Dean have a love/hate relationship. I love to hate her characters and she loves to feed my hate. It’s sick, but it works for us. Sierra gives Secret no room to rest in this fourth installment. Lucas forced her hand in accepting his ring and now she finds herself engaged and planning her wedding to the East Coast King of the Werewolves. The tribunal is setting her up for something, and now she has to travel to Louisiana to see her werewolf uncle who has some qualms about her marriage to Lucas. Toss in a scary arse grandmother, a pissed off hurt boyfriend, and a vampire sentry who is pressing his suit, and Secret wonders if those runaway brides didn’t have the right idea.

Keeping Secrets is a story of love, loss, and heartbreak. Ms. Dean doesn’t hold back in here and lets the chips fall where they may. Secret has been living in with one foot in two completely different worlds (and relationships) and has been warned repeatedly that she will have to make a choice or the choice will be made for her. Continuing world expansion and character development keeps this deliciously dark and wickedly funny urban fantasy fresh. Non-stop action and engaging plot lines will leave you wanting more long after you reach the end. And no. Shaking your e-reader does NOT magically make more story appear. Trust me on that. Each installment continues to mature, further revealing insight into Secret’s life and the lives of those around her. Emotions run high as Secret is once again forced to make decisions that aren’t always what she wants, but are the only ones she can make at the time. And those decisions have devastating consequences. I wouldn’t recommend starting here if you haven’t read the previous books. This arc is long reaching and each book picks up where the last one leaves off with almost no recap.

Secret McQueen, ½ vampire and ½ werewolf, has had a very hard year. Gone are her bounty hunting days; circumstances have placed her in a tangible position of power on the Vampire Tribunal. Her powers are increasing and changing, leaving her feeling uneasy. Her love life continues to be one hot sexy mess and suddenly she finds herself learning more about her mother’s side of the family and planning a wedding to Lucas. This is causing a lot of problems between Secret and her lover Desmond. Desmond loves Secret with all his heart but Lucas is his King and he knows they cannot skirt this issue much longer. The pack needs their king and queen to bond in a permanent fashion for political and personal reasons and Secret realizes she has to accept. *Luca must die. A slow, horrible, nasty death.* That is all I’m going to say. Holden, my sexy little vampire boyfriend, continues to protect Secret from others and sometimes herself. He brings so much humor and common sense to the story. I love he is a part of Secret’s life but something happens in here that has me hoping Holden continues to show that common sense.

“Woman. When push comes to shove, it’s always about who gets to wear the tiara.”

We see interaction with the tribunal in here and once again Secret will be kept in the dark and forced into a corner, agreeing to things she doesn’t understand but whose ramifications will most certainly be felt in the future.

If I have any qualms about this series, it was always the the romance. After three books and a few novellas, the romance didn’t seem to have advanced much for me and appears to be stagnating. Plus, I have never been a fan of love triangles-or quadangles as it may be. In here, Sierra changes it all. I won’t say much because I don’t want to spoil but it will leave you speechless you watch Secret try and navigate the minefield that is her love life. Did I mention Lucas must die? I did? Okay then.

The story are chocked full of action and suspense as Secret heads to Louisiana to see her uncle and gets involved in finding a lost packmate. Secret finds more than she bargained for and uses her snark and impressive fighting skills to save the day. Secret further impresses upon us that she is not a woman to trifle with. I admit I like the attitude Secret is beginning to show again. Her snark is coming back and keeping everyone happy and not make waves isn’t her number one priority anymore. Secret is kicking ass, accepting no excuses, and taking names. I really hope this continues and we see much more of it in book five. Old friends come into play; we see more of the the luscious Detective Taylor again, who seems to be re evaluating his opinion of Secret. Holden plays a major role in here and it felt like old times. Meeting Secret’s uncle has left me conflicted, especially with some of the information he has imparted to her. Is he friend or foe? I guess time will tell, but I like him. We are introduced to new friends and enemies who promise us some interesting times in the future. The ending is a dramatic, heartfelt affair. Taunt action and suspense twists and turns you inside out while shocking revelations that will leave you begging for book five-tentatively titled Grave Secret and set to release in 2013..

Overall Rating: B-

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