Storms and Secrets

The Haven Brothers #2

by Claire Kingsley

He’s always loved her. Now he’ll fight to save her.


Zachary Haven is living a lie.

He’s stuck in a rut, pretending to hate the woman he’s always loved. He didn’t mean for things to turn out that way. But sometimes life gets out of control, especially when you’re young and stupid.

Not that he ever had a chance with her. She’s gorgeous and smart, talented and kind. And Zachary? He can’t seem to keep himself out of trouble.

Marigold Martin just met the man of her dreams.

Blowing into her life like a storm, he sweeps her off her feet. She can’t help but wonder if he’s the one. He’s a dream in a bespoke suit—and he says he wants her heart.

But nothing is as it seems.

A brush with death wakes Zachary up to the reality of his life. And his feelings for Marigold. He’s determined to make her his—convince her they were always meant to be.

But secrets run deep, and Zachary fears the man who’s after Marigold could be more than a romantic rival.

He could be the devil himself.

And Zachary might be too late to save her.


Author’s A troublemaker turned small-town hero risks everything for the love of his life. A soft-hearted heroine who finds her strength. An accidental body piercing, brotherly shenanigans, the Squirrel Protection Squad, and lots of big feels. This small-town romantic suspense will leave you breathless, with the romantic happily ever after you’ve been waiting for.

NOT a love triangle


Content this book contains references to sex trafficking

Genres: Romance, Romantic Suspense, Small Town Romance, Contemporary Romance, Suspense, Contemporary, Audiobook

Paperback

First published March 14, 2024

About the author

Claire Kingsley is a USA Today and #1 Amazon bestselling author of sexy, heartfelt contemporary romance, romantic comedies, and small-town romantic suspense. She writes sassy, quirky heroines, swoony heroes who love their women hard, romantic happily ever afters, and all the big feels.

Add Claire's next releases to your TBR today:


NOW AVAILABLE ON AUDIO:

Reviews

[readingmanon · Rating 3 out of 5]

It’s not THAT bad but I have difficulties believing this is the same author that wrote the Miles family series and the Bailey brothers series…

[Sam · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.75/5 - This series is just not hitting like the Bailey Brothers/Miles Family series did. I’m just not feeling the chemistry between the characters.

Also the suspense part of this book was so predictable.

[logan · Rating 3 out of 5]

enjoyed the suspense element but the romance development was….. not it.

[Christi (christireadsalot) · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ugh this was super disappointing! I’ve read this author for years now off and on and there have definitely been hits and misses. But I enjoyed the first book in this series and had high hopes this series would hit. But this book just wasn’t it.

This is a small town, romantic suspense series and in this book we have a hero who fell first (years ago) and a heroine who is oblivious (and doesn’t even believe his feelings when he does express them). She’s too wrapped up into this “perfect” guy she’s just started dating, so she doesn’t believe the hero when he comes forward with his feelings for her. He is her best friend’s brother, so they’ve been in one another’s lives for years. But of course not everything is perfect with the new guy and the heroine unfortunately realizes that too late. But no worries cause the hero is waiting for her.

So the romance felt lacking and just not well-developed. We get told about moments from their shared past but it didn’t do anything. He was pining, she didn’t believe him, he was pulling childish pranks on her current date. It just felt weird. There is a suspense plot-line to the story that was dark and while I preferred those chapters instead, even though those weren’t fully captivating either and were predictable. All in all this was just a miss for me!

CW: sex trafficking, sexual assault, drugging, abduction, physical violence against women

[glavreads · Rating 3 out of 5]

i am so bummed i didn’t end up loving this - it started off strong for me but really fell flat unfortunately ):

zach was a really fun hero and he had a lot of cute moments/sweet gestures but this was really all over the place. there were so many little plot points like his relationship with his dad, her problems with her salon, her overbearing parents, her mom like having some kind of memory issue?? that were brought up or hinted at and then never resolved. the relationship development went from her wanting nothing to do with him to them saying “i love you” within like 2 or 3 chapters and the suspense storyline just kind of took over the story.

[Kali]

0 ⭐️

I’m sorry this was the weirdest, while still managing to be boring, book I have ever read. The FMC and MMC have less chemistry than two slices of bread and while I usually don’t mind the insta love trope, this was unhinged. Also there was a very unnecessary sub plot about sex trafficking!? No thanks.

[Amanda Herring · Rating 2 out of 5]

I didn’t understand why these two characters supposedly loved each other…

[Steph · Rating 3 out of 5]

If I hadn’t already read the Miles and Bailey series I don’t know if I would keep reading the Haven series. It’s just lacking compared to those. There is no believable chemistry between the couples. The plot of this one was in line with the first Haven series - darker than typical CK books. It was fairly predictable but still interesting. I was excited for this series because of how good the Bailey series was, but the Haven characters are just really falling flat for me.

[Jenn (The Book Refuge) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another great read from Claire Kingsley. I love the Havens and this Romantic Suspense had just enough drama and plenty of small town charm.

4 stars
1.5 on the spice scale

[Tammy Moldovan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Shocked into love

I loved, loved, loved Marigold and Zachary’s dual secret crush, best friend’s brother romantic suspense tale with a side of romcom. The story had the perfect blend of sweet moments, spice, laughs, supportive friends, messy families, painful pasts, secrets, a little bit of danger, absurdity, and all the happy heart squeezing love. The slow ratcheting up of the tension that accompanies the hints and glimpses of the bad guy is delicious perfection. Don’t worry, the suspense was well balanced with the romance and the Tilikum absurdity. Add in the chapters from a third POV to give us information about the bad guy without the MCs knowing things yet and it created a wonderful cocktail of awesomeness. Zachary is an electrician in small town Tilikum. He is impulsive and stubborn and has five brothers and one sister. He has been secretly in love with his sister’s best friend for years but it’s not until a brush with death that he decides to do something about it. Marigold owns the hair salon in Tilikum. She is romantic and loves love so she has been waiting for her Prince Charming/Mr Darcy to show up. Just as he seems to have finally appeared, Zachary decides he wants her. But is Preston really Prince Charming or is he really the devil in disguise. While the identity of the bad guy in the story was obvious, that did nothing to diminish the enjoyment of the story. Reading this will give you all the feels - laughing, crying, swooning, cringing, teeth gritting, and cheering - while it’s sucking you into the romance and suspense. The story was well written and included witty dialogue, three dimensional characters who grow, and an engaging storyline. I cannot wait to read which Haven brother falls next.

[Cassandra · Rating 2 out of 5]

girl I am not religious but what on god's green earth happened here?

Marigold and Zachary's story needed to cook more on the backburner. Like I just didn't care about either of them from the last book to make this one feel right to be book two. Luke was who I actually expected but that isn't even the worst of it

First of all, the conflict from Marigold and Zachary's past was valid I guess but Zachary being the way he was for their entire lives only to BLURT OUT AN "I'M IN LOVE WITH YOU" with NO preparation? I know I love yous are not like a planned delivery but bro there was NO GROUNDS from you? It was no wonder she reacted that way but also her resolve was shot so quick too. I didn't buy their relationship. The development here was not it and the pacing is insane. How are we at the end of the book and now both brothers are planning their weddings months apart? I have so many thoughts on this.

Second of all, Zachary is like the black sheep in his family according to all him and his dad. He's saying he's too much, too impulsive, not good enough. His dad doesn't give him the time of day and then they have one weird moment at the end that is just supposed to fill that hole up? No discussion on how Zachary feels like he's a failure in his father's eyes? That's a pretty big pill to swallow. An even better moment to help develop your characters.

The suspense in this made me uncomfortable and rightfully so. Sex trafficking makes me feel physically ill and I was nauseated by the entire plot. I am glad we didn't get details for this. I didn't need to see more in this one.

Overall, I'm disappointed in this book. Our love interests don't feel like they belong together yet. Zachary's behaviour to win Mari over was not redeeming nor was it endearing. It was like he wasn't picking up on social cues. I genuinely don't understand how we went from Josiah's story to this one but here we are...

I think I'm going to head to the Bailey's series since reviews seem to be pretty unanimous that that one has been favoured more than this one.

[Laeeqah Ebrahim · Rating 1 out of 5]

I don't know whose book this one is but I am sooo excited for all of it. Aaaah

[Kair · Rating 5 out of 5]

Note: I read an Advanced Reader Copy of this book.

Claire Kingsley’s latest book Storm and Secrets brings us back to Tilikum, the hometown of the Bailey and Haven families. Storms and Secrets is the second book in the Haven Brother’s series, but can also be read as a stand alone. I really enjoyed this book, and basically dropped everything to read the entire book in one afternoon/evening. This book has two storylines: the first is the disappearance of Brielle Thayer and the second is the enemies to couple romance of Zachary Haven and Marigold Martin. Storms and Secrets is more of a romantic suspense novel than your typical rom-com, but don’t get me wrong there are plenty of very funny scenes between brothers, towns folk and the pesky squirrels of Tilikum. I have read all of Claire’s Bailey and Haven books at least twice and this book will definitely become one of my favorites in the series. I must admit I was a bit skeptical of Zachary being the hero when the book started due to the way he was portrayed in other books. However, this book showed the readers another side of Zachary that made us all fall in love with him and root for him as he fights to win Marigold’s heart and solve all the secrets that are lurking around Tilikum. Claire Kingsley’s writing has become more suspenseful as she writes more of the Bailey/Haven stories. I highly recommend Storms and Secrets and encourage readers to check out the entire series.

The book will be available on March 14, 2024 in hard copy, Kindle Unlimited and Audible Audiobook. Save it to your TBR list today!

[Paloma FC (in my reading era) · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 / 5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐️
1,5 / 5 🌶️
Spicy chapters: 26, 30

First Person, Dual POV 🙌🏻

Zachary (MMC) and Marigold (FMC)

Pros:
There is some humor in regards to small topics such as the squirrels in town. There's even a brigade of "squirrel portectors" 🐹🐹🐹

Cameos from some of the Bailey Brothers and their families.


Cons:
I didn't really buy the fact that the MMC is a womanizer, yet he had always had a crush on the FMC, and rated every woman in comparison to Marigold. Zachary kept the FMC at an arms length and didn't even talk to her (complete avoidance) for YEARS after some misunderstanding, to the point that Marigold thought that he HATED her 😒. Although it's clear in the story that the FMC also had a crush on Zachary for years, why did neither of them try to communicate like adults, even if just cordially? Especially when Marigold was Zachary's sister's best friend, so they orbited around the same places constantly... ����🏼‍♀️😩😒

There was hardly 0 pining or angst between the MC's because they both liked the other in secret, apparently 🤷🏼‍♀️ But what did they have in common? Hardly nothing, imo 😩.

Also, let's not forget that Marigold started dating her "perfect dream man" until she realizes something is off about him. After she breakups with the dodgy man, she almost immediately starts dating Zachary, and they say the three words "ILY" super fast. Like, waaaay, too much too fast - imo.

Compared to CK's previous series, this one has very little spice 🌶. Not enough if you ask me, and when we finally get there, the scenes are brief, not very explicit, and kind of vanilla... 😩.


In conclusion, the 'Heaven Brothers' series is way darker than the author's previous series. I've read all of Claire Kingsley's books at this point and find myself not loving the new books as much as some of her older ones. I do admire CK's attempt to reinvent herself, writing plots that cover darker/hevier topics (in this case, human trafficking).
However, I still think that 'Storms and Secrets' deserves 4 stars, as the story kept me hooked, it was well written, and I couldn't put this book down.

Happy reading! 📚

[Debbie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is AMAZING! I seriously could not put it down, forget the housework, I spent all day reading it!

Zachary and Marigold grew up knowing each other, after all, she was the best friend of his sister Anniker, but suddenly the two stopped talking, he would avoid her at all costs, and although she knew why, it still hurt all these years later.

It all changed one day when he was working at her salon, and realised that they were meant to be together, but how was he going to make Marigold fall for him. The thought shocked him to the core, but he was determined to win her heart, whatever it took.

Marigold could not believe Zachary had decided that they should be together, why now, when she had been on a few dates with someone she really liked, she just couldn’t get her head round it, but these old deep seated feelings are hard to ignore.

What follows is a story of storms and secrets, with mystery, danger and lots of love thrown in!

[Ally Cee · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn’t feel strongly about this book either way. For how long this book was I didn’t really know anything about either main character. There wasn’t much character growth or background. And why did these two like each other? With these two having known each other their whole lives, flashbacks would have been helpful to bring the full picture. And this book didn’t have the suspense the previous one did. We knew who the bad guy was from the beginning and it became clear pretty quickly what he was doing. All in all it was an okay read. I do hope Brielle will be one of the MFCs in a future book in this series.

[Maria · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really don’t know how the author did it but she has outdone herself once again. Firstly, the plot; there is an initial entanglement that leads the reader at a dead end but if one goes deeper into the story it will take he/she into a surprising situation. Secondly, the characters; Marigold is a kind and sweet girl who wants, like all the other girls, a happy ending. She’s a bit discouraged but later she’ll realize that the love of her life has been under her nose all these years. Zachary, our hero, who apparently seems to be a smartass and an uncaring guy, is actually a passionate and a kind soul. Around these characters we will meet once again those we have read before and started to love so much. Pay attention: this is not only a small town romance, which we love so much, but there is a plus that is a suspenseful situation that will capture the reader’s attention until the end of the book.

[Martha Tuohey · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.75

The suspense element of the plot definitely outweighed/outshined the romance.

[KY Book Lover · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you have read the Haven or the Bailey books by Clare Kingsley, you already know and love Marigold Martin. She is a hopeless romantic, the town hairdresser, and BFF to Annika Haven and Audrey (future Haven). We knew she was crushing on a Haven brother, and finally, the mystery is solved but not without a lot of complications. The main complication comes in the form of a mystery man by the name of Preston Garrett, who is new to town and seemingly the man of Marigold's dreams. 

After a near death experience. Zachary Haven is ready to confess his love for Marigold.  Unfortunately,  his timing is the worst as she has just started dating the new man in town. It doesn't take long for Zachary to not only want Marigold to stop dating Preston but to fear for her safety as well. 

To say this book was not what I expected would be a tremendous understatement. Of course,  I loved the cast of characters. They are all fantastic and fun. The squirrel protection squad makes several appearances, which is great.The story of  Zachary and Marigold was so incredibly well written and sweet, I loved it

There is,however, a dark subplot to this book that I was not expecting.  I don't think I've ever suggested checking tw's for a Claire Kingsley book, but for this one, you should. It gets dark, and truthfully, I could've done without that. I know there is going to be suspense, and I like that, but this was a bit much, IMO. I looked to her books for fun, lighthearted reads. This one was very different.  To be clear, not bad, just different.  Will I continue to read this series, of course, but I will hope for more books like the Baileys and less like this.

[Emme · Rating 1 out of 5]

This was a nightmare to finish. Characters have no depth or thought process behind any of the decisions they make. Conversations consist of three short sentences. And the plot would MAYBE be believable if it was written properly. I don't understand how this turned out so much worse than the rest of Tilikum books. It's truly a shame because Zachary had potential and Marigold definitely deserved a better love story.

[Dara · Rating 2 out of 5]

Don't judge Claire Kingsley books by this one. The other Tilikum books universe books are so much better.

[Amanda S. · Rating 2 out of 5]

this was painful & I probably should've DNFd. I've followed Claire Kingsley for years now, but I'm thinking it might be time to take a break.

[Lucy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Up to 66% and just reading to know how it ends. Normally I wouldn’t take the trouble of writing a review as I go, but there’s SO much I don’t want to forget about this one. It pisses me off when I end up wasting my time with a book that sucks.

First and most important: I don’t buy this couple. They don’t do anything for me. It was all so sudden and with absolutely no explanation or history to back up such strong feelings. They just loved each other, had sex (no spice whatsoever), moved together and started mentally planning their wedding in a matter of, I don’t know, five pages? There’s no chemistry between them and the writing lacks depth; it’s plagued with corny cliches all stuffed together.

Also, what the hell is going on? This author is all over the place with the conflicts of this story. It would have been much more interesting a hard choice between the guys and not such an obvious villain. Don’t even get me started on the situation with what so far appears to be (and, of course, was) the women trafficking he has going on. Just, no.

Everything is so surface level that not even the friendship between Annika, Audrey and Marigold is believable. That part when they go from “the guy I was dating slapped me” to squeaking because there were going to be sisters one day. Gag.

I feel like a big percentage of this pages were spend with excessive description. Don’t get me wrong, I love when an author does a good work situating you in a place, carefully composing their characters, but there has to be a point to that, it has to have meaning behind it. It’s not just good writing because you took six paragraphs to describe a street. Every time.

Well, I did not like this story and wanted to rant about it apparently. It didn’t get better after that 66%.

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

Note: I read an Advanced Reader Copy of this book.

Claire Kingsley has done it again! I read (and loved) the first book in this series and it was like a comfy sweater or an old pair of shoes-- totally beloved but no major shocks or surprises, even with the intrigue piece of the storyline. This installment, however, was thrilling! I'm amazed at how much I love the character of Zachary Haven, because encounters with him in previous books gave me the impression of him as an asshole instigator who just can't let shit go. As it turns out, that's still kind of accurate, but when channeled correctly? Whew! This was good, good stuff. I can tell it was an awesome book because I already want to go back and read it again!

[Ashley -Goldstarreads · Rating 5 out of 5]

That was absolutely amazing. Seriously, I didn’t think Claire could make me like the Haven brothers, let alone love them…but shoot, I’m totally in love with the Haven brothers. Especially Zachary. When we met him back in the early Bailey brother days, I thought that punk needed his butt whooped and I wanted to see the Havens crushed. Now? I’m head over heels for them. First Josiah, now Zachary (and I already had a thing for Luke, cause let’s be honest, he and Garrett have always been the Havens that were tolerable). Zachary was sweet and funny, charming and protective. Sexy as sin. And Marigold? Ugh, she is just an absolute doll. She is feisty, fierce and beautiful inside and out, a real sweetheart with a heart of gold (rose gold for her!). These two together don’t make sense on surface level but as you get to know them, you realize how absolutely perfect each other they are. Soulmates destined for a wonderful and beautiful life together. But before they get there, they have some challenges to face. Like the mysterious, rich bachelor that’s in town and wants to date Marigold. And the biggest challenge? Zachary himself. He had to get out of his way and make amends for some big hurts and being a dumb guy that ignored a situation and the object of his love instead of handling things. Claire Kingsley seriously outdid herself with Zachary Haven and his charming ways. I love the suspense and mystery that made up the plot of this book. You clearly know something is up early on but it builds steadily, it doesn’t go from no danger to red flashing signs, but as you read, your instincts are screaming at you, and I literally screamed at the characters to run the other way! As always, Claire Kingsley doesn’t disappoint with the writing, it is always phenomenal. Her characters are layered, complex, endearing and just wonderful (unless we are meant to hate you, but even then she can make us love them again). The plot was interesting and intriguing. The story sucked me in and kept me engaged the entire time.

I listened to the audio book and wow! The narrators do an amazing job bringing these characters to life. Teddy Hamilton is one of my absolute favorite male voice actors, he was the perfect man to voice Zachary. He brings that cockiness and mischievousness to life, gives passion and emotion to his character. Samantha Brentmoor is a fantastic Marigold, she truly gives that sassy, fierce, and sweetness to her performance. She was perfect for Marigold. And lastly, Desiree Ketchum does great for the third person POV, it gives a new dynamic to the story and life to it. It elevated the performance to have a different voice for someone who was a big part of the plot while being in the background.

This story was everything I wanted in a Claire Kingsley novel, and romance novel period. I fell in love with Zachary and Marigold and their journey to being together. I fell in love with Tilikum all over again. This story made me laugh out loud, smile so big my cheeks hurt, tear up and yell at the characters. It truly was a fantastic read and I can’t wait to visit Tilikum again.

[Emma · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was just fine. I loved the first one but this brother kind of got on my nerves and the thriller plot line was kind of a lot. Overall it was sweet and silly as usual but not my favorite tropes. The next one though? I think it’s about to be so good

[Colorado · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dark story with human trafficking plot

Storms and Secrets has two parallel stories. Marigold's story is in the foreground as she begins dating a newcomer in town and struggles with her longstanding crush on Zach. In parallel, we learn about Brielle, a teen runaway who is abducted on the side of the road. The book includes forced prostitution, physical abuse, and selling / shipping girls overseas. The darkness overshadowed the romance.

[Heather · Rating 3 out of 5]

I feel like I inherently have to give this 3 stars because it's Zachary and Marigold and therefore I won.

This was better than the previous book but there's still something about the way Kingsley is going about this series that somewhat bugs me. It may be the fact that it's trying to be equal parts romance and mystery/thriller but it's simply not meshing for me. The storyline is fine, and while I do appreciate a POV for Brielle and seeing depth in the antagonistic/mystery plot, I still feel like it really takes away from Zachary and Marigold's story and thus rushing so many aspects of their characters and overall dynamic. It's interesting that the Bailey series all seemed to have an overarching/connecting storyline between them to keep the B plot interesting, yet there was still plenty of time to develop characters and relationships. Why is there such a struggle to do that with the Havens? I don't get it. These books do remind me of Evan's book where I noted that the plot of that book felt very separate from the others, but it's like this series so far just feels not only very separate from the Baileys but from other books similar to this style. I don't think what Kingsley is trying to do is bad, but it's simply too surface level and detached for me.

But as I said, Zachary and Marigold are It and I won. Thank you for your time.

[Victoria Franklin · Rating 5 out of 5]

The way I devoured this book 👏✨

3 POVs = triple the suspense, and let me tell you… that extra POV had me flipping pages like crazy 👀🔥

⚡ Zachary Haven: electrician, world-class flirt, master of pretending he doesn’t love the girl next door.
💇‍♀️ Marigold: sweet salon owner looking for Mr. Right… until Mr. Wrong (aka Zachary) finally confesses his love.

But of course, just before he bares his heart, a new guy strolls into town rich, charming, possibly perfect. Now Marigold’s stuck between her long-time crush and a shiny new romance.

And that mysterious 3rd POV? DARK. INTENSE. OBSESSED. 🖤 Totally different vibe for a Claire Kingsley book and I ate. it. up.

Zachary + Marigold = chemistry, angst, protection at all costs. Ughhh my heart 😭❤️

[Carrie · Rating 2 out of 5]

The more I thought about the book after reading it the more disappointed I got. I love the miles family and Bailey brothers books and even enjoyed the first haven book. This one felt like a suspense book with a sub plot of romance. I don’t think we really learned anything new about the characters that we didn’t know from previous books. The romance felt hurried and over looked. The suspense was pretty predictable but also darker than any of the other books.

Trigger warning: SA, physical abuse, sex trafficking, drugging.