Review: HOW IN THE WORLD DID I MISS THIS GREAT ROMANTIC SUSPENSE SERIES??
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 04 28, 2014
"When a little girls fantasizes about who she’ll be when she grows up, she envisions a mother, wife, doctor, teacher, lawyer. Even a princess.She doesn’t see herself bellied up to the bar of a neighborhood pub a week before her wedding day because she caught her now ex-fiance in bed with another woman."Secrets and Sins: Raphael is the third book in author Naima Simone’s Secrets and Sins series. Raphael’s book can be read as a stand-alone but the series is sequential so keep that in mind. If you want to start with the first book in the series, read Secrets and Sins: Gabriel, first. I didn’t realize Secrets and Sins: Raphael was part of a series when I started reading it. I haven’t read the other books in the series and could tell as I read this book that previous story lines and plots were being referenced. If you read Raphael’s book without having read the first two stories, expect some spoilers on the earlier books. That being said, I had no problem jumping into this story.Secrets and Sins: Raphael is a romantic suspense story told from dual points of view of the main characters, Greer and Raphael. Greer is heartbroken when she walks in on her fiancé having sex with another woman. She immediately calls off the wedding and shortly after, finds comfort in the arms of Raphael, a bad-ass, tattooed and pierced security expert. After a very steamy one night stand, Raphael drops Greer at her house and leaves. Unfortunately, Greer walks in to find her fiancé dead. She ends up unconscious with no memory of what happened and ultimately must reach out to Raphael for help.As a big fan of all different types of romantic suspense, I’m surprised I haven’t run across this series before. It was well written and enjoyable. The pacing was good throughout. I love a book that starts with a bang and this one certainly did. There’s no long lead in before the steamy parts start. Car hook up? Hot! And the rest of the steamy bits weren’t bad at all!“I’ve been dreaming about tasting you. Not knowing how you feel against my tongue has been driving me crazy. My only regret from that night is not putting my mouth on you.” He paused in sliding down her shorts, cupped her sex over the blue cotton. Oh, God she silently cried out, bowing into the caress. Just one touch, and he’d shoved her toward an orgasm looming just beyond her reach. One. Touch. “So how about it, princess? Will you come in my mouth? Will you let me find out if reality lives up to fantasy?”….“From the moment I saw you sitting all prim and proper in Chay’s office, all I’ve wanted to do is dirty you up. Put my hard, rough hands on your soft skin, mark you, see you sweaty and messy and know I did that to you. I made you come undone- ____ , just come. And while everyone else seems the composed, gorgeous lady, only I know what lies beneath. Only I know how wild you get. How loud you get. How wet you get.” His smile had disappeared, and a hard need replaced the teasing sensuality, tautening his features, darkening his eyes. “Our secret. So ‘princess’ isn’t a slight. It’s a reminder. Of what I want, what I had, and no matter how _______  stupid it is, what I crave more of.”I really liked these characters together. I don’t want to give anything away but they both had pretty big hang ups and although relevant, I thought both characters issues became redundant after a certain point. There was also a lot of inner monologue for both characters and at times it seemed a bit excessive.Overall, I really liked this book. I recommend this book for fans of romantic suspense that don’t mind cliché story lines. Yes, this was a bit of a guilty pleasure but I still really liked it. I’m a little disappointed that I started with the third book in the series because I definitely plan to go back and read the first two soon and I like to read books that are tied together in order normally. Four slightly guilty pleasure stars!Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for a honest review.