Born In Secret

The Braddacks #1

by Susan Kearney

Best Mom ever.

When a checkup reveals that 5-year-old Skye is not Brooke Evan’s daughter, a heartbroken Brooke hunts down the biological parents. It’s the right thing to do . . . for Skye.

Inventor. Business man. Dad?

But when Brooke shows up on Max Braddack’s doorstep, he suspects she has ulterior motives. It’s hard for the laid-back, billionaire Max to believe that Brooke is simply doing what’s best for her daughter.

A child to love.

Yet, the more time Max spends with Brooke and Skye, the more he comprehends that other forces besides his growing feelings are in play. The little girl who was born in secret is in terrible danger . . . and she needs Max and Skye to protect her.

Genres: Romantic Suspense, Contemporary, Contemporary Romance, Romance

172 pages, Kindle Edition

First published July 3, 2014

About the author

Susan Kearney used to set herself on fire four times a day, now a USA TODAY—BESTSELLING author, she does something really hot—she writes paranormal romance and romantic suspense for Tor. She can apply the old rule of "write what you know" and never run out of ideas for characters and plots. An All-American and professional diver, expert in martial arts, sailor, real estate broker and owner of a barter business as well as women's fitness and three hair salons, she has enough material for a lifetime.

Kearney, a native of New Jersey, writes full time and has sold books to the industries' top publishing houses — Grand Central, Tor, Simon & Schuster, Harlequin, Berkley, Leisure, Red Sage and Kensington. As an award winning author, Kearney earned a Business Degree from the University of Michigan. Kearney's knowledge and experience spans throughout the romance genre, and her fifty plus books include contemporary, romantic suspense, historical, futuristic, science fiction and paranormal novels. She resides in a suburb of Tampa—with her husband, kids and Boston terrier. Currently she's plotting her way through her 54th work of fiction.

Reviews

[Terisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Brooke Evans never would have dreamed that the daughter that she was raising wasn’t her own. Having donated eggs to her sister so that she and her husband could conceive a child only to die a few months later she took Skye and raised her as own. During her 5-year checkup though the doctor discovered the disturbing news that somehow, the eggs were switched and not only was Skye not her daughter but she didn’t belong to her deceased brother-in-law either. After doing some research on her own she was able to find out that Skye was the daughter of Ford and Rhonda Braddack.

When Brooke first approaches Max with the story that her daughter belongs to his brother, he’s certain that she has a motive for trying to pass her daughter off as theirs. Why would anyone search for a child’s parents for no other reason than to right a wrong? It’s a sham and he’s determined to get to the bottom of it but when his brother is injured and people start turning up missing and even dead, he can’t help but to believe her and someone is trying to cover something up. It’s up to them to discover the truth before it’s too late because now they’ve become the target and Skye is danger.

I was given an ARC of this book by Bell Bridge Books through Netgalley in return for an honest review. I loved this book and have a feeling that I as I get to know the rest of the Braddock’s, I’m going to love them as much as I loved Max. He was so amazing with Skye from the moment he met her and while he did keep secrets from Brooke, he was always gentle and protective from the beginning. This book is one of those books that has it all: Mystery, suspense, murder, romance and even some humor thrown in for good measure. It looks as though all three books in the series will be released towards the end of August.

[Betty Lambert · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was good. This is about Max and Brooke. Brooke takes her child, 5 year old Skye in for a check up and the blood test reveals that Skye is not her biological daughter. She is heartbroken but puts that aside to find the real parents, but when she finds the fathers brother Max, he doesn't believe her. This story deals in Invitro fertilization and how mistakes are made. Very good read on how it really works at times. Some good news, but also some bad news. Highly recommend.

[Sumedha the wordy habitat · Rating 1 out of 5]

someone searched for books like born in secret and reached my blog post of best adult romance books. i wanted to check out the book that prompted them to search.

disappointed but i'm sure they'll absolutely love my recs if they liked this one.

[Shelley · Rating 1 out of 5]

I think this was supposed to be a thriller with romance. The plot was ridiculous, the body count was too high for this type of book and ruined it for me.

[Alima Livzletlivz · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’ve had a couple of Susan Kearney’s books in my library for a while now, but ended up reading her Born Trilogy. The book covers were so captivating and endearing. Been her books a first for me, was not sure what to expect even though the synopsis of the books was intriguing.

Born In Secret is the first of the trilogy of the Braddack brothers and introduces Max Braddack, a genius inventor and Brooke, a mom on the hunt for the secret behind her daughter Skye’s birth. Brooke lands on Max’s doorstep in with the shocking news that a Braddack is the biological father of Skye.

Born In Secrets is a thrilling ride of hidden secrets, suspense and danger lurking in the shadows of a fertility clinic. As much as the story was interesting, somehow I felt that Max and Brooke were rushed into love. There was not that much of a character development versus giving the premise of the story more importance.

It is a good time pass of a read for sure.

Received a copy from Netgalley for an honest review.

http://alimalivzletlivz.wordpress.com/

[Jess O. (From Jess to You) · Rating 3 out of 5]

"3.5 out of 5 stars! This gripping novel keeps you on your toes and in suspense the whole way through! I liked this novel and it’s build-up for this seemingly dynamic series. Typically this isn't usually the type of novel I'd go for but I like reading novels where the premise is about a couple meeting and falling in love because finding out that their child (which they got help in creating through a clinic) isn't really theirs, the only difference about this novel was its darker twists to it."

Read more of this review and a teaser here: http://frommetoyouvideophoto.blogspot.com/2014/08/made-grade-braddacks-series-book-1.html

[Diane Saul · Rating 5 out of 5]

When Brooke finds out that her 5 year old daughter, Skye, is not her biological daughter she sets out to find her birth parents. She is afraid to lose her daughter, but she thinks it's the right thing to,do for Skye. When she confronts Max he is suspicious,. He thinks Brooks is only out for money from his wealthy family. When they start to investigate how the mix up could have happened they realize Skye could be in danger. No one wants to talk and people are dying. This is a book with plenty of suspense with romance to keep you reading. It is the first in a series of 3 books. Based on my enjoyment of this book I will be reading the next 2.

[Melanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was my favorite out of all 3. It has great intrigue, suspense, lots of action and some fun sweet-sexy scenes.

Enjoyable read

[cyndi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read !!

This kept me reading I loved the intrigue and the storyline. This is a beginning of many I'm sure I will read by this author.Looking forward to the next one!!

[charmaine White · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good Read

Has everything you could want in a good book.Mystery,Romance,Adventure,Love,keeps you on the edge of your seat from page one to the end.

[Peggy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dramatically fulfilling with a little tug on the heart. Another great read from Susan Kearney... Looks like I will be following this author on her books!


*received for an honest review*

[Michele bookloverforever · Rating 2 out of 5]

okay plot, wooden dialogue. No spark.