Review: Overall Grade - B
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 07 26, 2013
Title:  Secrets From Her PastSeries:  Scandelous Series Book #2Author:  Jules BennettGenre:  RomanceBlurb:  Wishful thinking never fixed anything...but it's better than facing the truth.Cori's automatic response to trouble has always been to run in the opposite direction. The last time she left her hometown of Pebble Cove, it was to escape the kind of heartbreak no sixteen-year-old should have to endure.Now she's back, mostly to help out with a family crisis. But partly to escape a scandal that the unrelenting eye of the media has blown out of all proportion, and wait for the dust to settle.People have disappointed Dylan nearly his whole life, but he's a big boy; he's learned to move on. Except when it comes to the love of his life, the now-famous, one-name supermodel Corinne. Despite what she put him through--abandoning him when he needed her most--to him she'll always be just Cori.When a series of events throws them together, they fall back into old patterns--and into each other's arms. But even as love rekindles, Cori fights the rising urge to run...before the truth of the night she ran away shatters both their hearts beyond repair.Warning: Contains a flight-risk heroine who must learn to stand her ground, and the man whose love still burns bright enough to guide her home.Both Sarah and Danita read and reviewed this book and their reviews are below.Sarah's Thoughts:  Even though this book was part of series, it also reads like a stand alone novel.  You don't feel like you're missing anything as you're reading along, so you don't need to worry about coming into it and being lost, or missing pieces from a critical part of the storyline.  I really liked this book - it was great story about love recaptured.  The characters were likeable, but each one had their moments where you found yourself irritated at their behaviors.  The sex scenes were usually a bit quick and non-descript for me, certainly not anything to scorch the pages.  The aspect is more on the romance for this book, so if you're looking for some really hot erotic scenes it may fall a little short.I thought that for such a huge secret standing between the two characters - and with the way Cori just ran off - they re-connected awfully quickly.  It was a bit too fast, and hard for me to buy into, with the author relaying on their past history together to build on, but for me there could have been more build up.  But it was not something you couldn't overlook in the story and continue to enjoy it.  And for me, Dylan was a bit inconsiderate in the end before he manages to get some sense knocked into him.A good read overall, typical of the romance genre.Rate:  BDanita's Thoughts:This is the first book I've read by Jules Bennet.The hero in this book is Dylan who is a carpenter who has a past with the heroine Cori (professional name is Corinne). Cori and Dylan were in love and had their lives planned out before she left town abruptly when she was 16 leaving Dylan behind with no explanation. Cori left town for her own protection and with a secret that could destroy those she cares about the most.Cori becomes a successful super model going by the name Corinne and time moves on as Cori rebuilds her life but things come tumbling down when she's been accused of a crime she was innocent of and starts losing modeling jobs which was her living. She came back home not only to get away from her legal problems and to help her parents.As the story progresses the people of Cori's home town look down on her and pass judgment. She and Dylan become close but she still keeps him at arms length because of that one dark day when she was 16 and the reason she left down abruptly with no explanation will change everything if he ever learned the truth.The story seems to focus more on the physical connection between Dylan and Cori. The rebuilding of their relationship seems to be based on their sexual attraction to each other.When the secret that Cori is holding comes out it doesn't seem to be dealt with by either of them.The story is full of misunderstandings between Dylan and Cori but it also contains a lot of forgiveness. The story also shows that you can go home again.Overall the book was a good read but I think it would have been easier to follow if I had read he first book in the series.I give it a B.Reviewed by both Sarah and Danita.[...]