Grave Secret (Secret McQueen #5) by Sierra Dean
Urban Fantasy
March 19, 2013
Samhain
Reviewed by Tori
Favorite Quote: “Actions and consequences.”
Oh. My. Spoilers ahead.
Karma’s a bitch.
At the end of Keeping Secret, we learned that Lucas Raintree is the arse we have always thought he was when he leaves Secret standing at the altar while he handles a small problem for her uncle. He sends Desmond to inform Secret of his defection. *gasp* Though, I have to admit, a small part of me smirked and thought, “You totally deserved this, Secret.”
In Grave Secret, Secret is dealing with her anger towards Lucas by really not dealing with it. She ignores his calls, refuses to accept his apologies, and has essentially declared him persona non grata in her life. She is working to get Desmond back in her life and bed again when Lucas, like the bad penny he is, shows up and informs her that his sister, Kellon, is missing and as pack enforcer and his were queen, (they are bound together regardless of the actually wedding), she needs to find her. Secret is also investigating a rash of murders involving teenagers where her bff Callippe looks to be prime suspect number one, and Secret’s mother is back and wants Secret’s crown…preferably with her head attached to it.
Grave Secret takes us on a wild emotionally telling ride that will leave some cheering, some jeering, but almost everyone wanting book six. Consequences are the base that this story is built upon. After the events in book four, Secret has a lot to answer for. Her continuing efforts to have her cake and eat it too has come back to spank her… hard. She is now having to face the fallout for poor decisions and hasty actions of the past. And they are harsh consequences. She has lost Desmond, she owes Holden, and she must deal with her non breakable bond with Lucas regardless of his humiliation of her. Secret also has to deal with the tribunal and her continuing unpopularity there. And even though she see’s the results of these poor decisions, she still continues to think and react with her emotions rather than her head, putting herself and others in more danger than before.
Sierra Dean’s continuing world expansion and character development of this wickedly noir urban fantasy keeps it fresh and engaging. Non stop action and engaging plot lines will leave you longing for more long after you reach the end. Each installment continues to mature, further revealing insight into Secret’s life and the lives of those around her. Tension builds as Secret is once again making decisions that are emotionally based. They aren’t always the best decisions but they are often the lesser of the two evils. Unfortunately, those decisions have devastating consequences, as Secret is beginning to find out. 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 is wore out. Dealing with Lucas and the Eastern Wolf pack, the Vampire Tribunal, and the mess she has made of her love life has left her in need of some serious downtime. But life stops for no one as Secret soon learns. Her love life continues to be one hot mess that reached a pinnacle in book four and now seems to be struggling to regroup. Desmond is back though Holden still features heavily in the mix.
While I love this series, this wasn’t my favorite installment. I really felt this book was more of a bridge between books four and six. The romance, which has begun to overpower the arc and edge this series out of UF territory and into PNR, has become redundant and I’m ready for a decision to be made. I’m not a love triangle fan to begin with and when Secret does something in here that made me question her true feelings and the motivations behind them, I’m almost at my wits end. Let’s just say, when other characters call her to task on it, you know something isn’t right. I won’t spoil but I really hope she starts thinking more with her head and less with her crotch. I do however give kudos to Dean for allowing Secret to make her mistakes and suffer the fallout while continuing to love all the men in her life. Regardless of what the readers want or feel comfortable with, Dean continues to evolve Secret’s love life in a way that stays true to her character. It’s rare to see this sort of romantic quad-angle (?) outside of erotica.
The main storyline is chocked full of action and suspense as Secret is once again forced to step up to an already full plate and deal with multiple issues simultaneously. The subplots begin to intertwine with the main storyline and feed off one another and when a tragic event occurs, we see again the effects of consequences. Only this time, Lucas is at fault and the results don’t bode well for Secret’s future. I sense some shift in their balance of power and I can’t wait to see if this is true in book 6. We are introduced to new enemies who promise us some interesting times in the future. The ending is a dramatic enlightening affair. Taunt action and suspense twists will leave you shocked by the outcome.
Once again, Sierra Dean has brought us screaming through the catastrophe that is Secret McQueen’s life and left us ready for round 6-Secret Unleashed-release date to be revealed.
Overall Rating: C+
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