I have to admit that this is the first J.C Reed book that I have read, even though I have had her Surrender series on my kindle forever.

Although The Lover's Secret could be read as a stand alone, it would be better if you had read the Surrender series first, as I felt that I was coming in halfway into a story, and even when I finished, I could not wrap my head properly around Brooke and Jett's relationship.

Brooke and Jett's relationship has a sexy, dark edge to it, there are some pretty deep trust issues going on on both sides. They are very much in love, but at times I felt like they were on separate planets rather than in a relationship. The sexual side of their relationship is hot - smoking, steam up your kindle hot, but even then there is that undertone that things aren't all as they seem.

Troubles from their pasts never seem to be far from their minds, and I feel that they play a big part in what is happening to them now. They are placing a wedge in their relationship, and it may be too much for them to get through. Brooke sees things about Jett that she had blinkers on about before, and seems to be seeing things clearly for the first time - or is she?

I haven't got my head around what Jett's game is either. Is he the loving man she thought he was, or is it all just another game to him?

"As perfect as he had seemed at first glance—sweet in words, gentle in actions, and sexy as hell—I shouldn’t and wouldn’t forget the fact that I had always sensed something dark lurking inside him. It was a side I had always been afraid to confront or face."

At first I thought I was going to be all out of the loop when it came to this story (again, not the author's fault, but due to my not reading the previous series) but Ms Reed gave me just enough that I could start to put all the pieces in place and kept me invested in Brooke and Jett's story. And then she really began to ramp things up towards the end, but then we were cliffhangered! But it looks like it is not long until book 2 is released so I shouldn't have to wait too long for more.

What I will be doing between now and book two is going and finally reading the Surrender Your Love series, then reread The Lover's Secret (or should it be The Lover's Lies, as there seems to be a few) to get the full impact of this new series