Review: great romance and story with people older than 22 for a change!
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 09 25, 2013
Secrets and Sins: Malachim (A Secrets and Sins Novel) (Entangled Ignite).Naima Simone .ARC provided by publishers.Opened this eagerly - I hadn't realised there were earlier books, but that didn't matter as they are standalone novels, and complete - no awful cliffhangers as so many romance novels have lately. Its a treat too being able to read a book where the characters are older that 21! sometimes it seems as if romance has to stop once we pass 25 and that's just not true!So, what did I like about this book - all of it to be honest :) Danielle was such a  great heroine, flawed from her past though through no fault of her own, and yet brave enough to move on despite the danger she'd been in. Knowing her ex would try to find her she took pains not to get close to anyone in case it placed them in danger - but when she interviewed with Malachim there were sparks neither could ignore. He'd been hurt in the past too by his ex fiancée, and was watching Danielle carefully even though he was so attracted to her. It was clear to him she was hiding something but he didn't know what. His law practice was having problems too, with an issue from the past which he was involved in with his three long time friends having been raised recently, and he didn't know if he would lose his licence to practice. What he doesn't know is that she's under an assumed name, and she's terrified her wealthy, powerfully connected ex, who's just been released from prison for assaulting her, will come and find her and maybe kill her this time. She's living on the edge of a nightmare, not sure whether to stay or go. She doesn't have the resources to set up another ID and move on, but will staying place those she's met in danger?Things happen before she's had a chance to make a decision, Danielle has events occur that affect her and people around her, and yet she's loath to involve the police. This makes Malachim suspicious, but of course he doesn't know why she has this mistrust. Judging by her actions around men, her nervousness over actual contact and her response when the police are mentioned, he speculates she's been physically hurt in past and let down by the police. Yet in his position he can't afford any more scandal attached to his business.  Still, somehow they end up together when her flat is broken into, and they get closer and closer, and he begins to feel he's falling for her. His friends are concerned too - having helped him pick up after his ex left they suspect Danielle and her actions. Danielle too is falling for him, has right from the start if she's honest with herself.There's things that aren't as they seem on the face of it too, and they paint her in a bad light. It all comes to a head in a nail-biting, riveting, suspenseful finale, and there are some tough decisions to be made. I was taken by surprise by the twist at the end too - I certainly didn't see that coming!Priced at 2.12 for 203 pages/509kb its very reasonable for a romance with a great back story and one worth re reading.Stars: great book, five stars.