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Secrets #2
Life of Secrets
Do you love thrills and suspense?Alyssa Chambers is rich and privileged by birth, but a criminal by choice. She steals secrets from the powerful and influential, and sells them to whoever pays - and they pay very well. But when someone assassinates a Presidential candidate in an office Alyssa just robbed, she's framed for the murder and her whole life goes up in smoke. Now she’s running for her life, hunted and alone. The last man she can trust is the one she can’t stop betraying; a man busy struggling with a religious conversion when she needs him to focus on the here and now. To survive, clear her name, and uncover the assassin, Alyssa will learn about trust and faith, while facing the truth about her past, the truth about her family, and the truth about her Life of Secrets. This political thriller will grip you right to the very end.
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181 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 12, 2014
125 people are currently reading
454 people want to read
About the author
Bowen Greenwood
32 books36 followersBowen Greenwood: Marksman, martial artist, motorcyclist. Once a resident of Washington D.C., once a political operative, once a reporter. He reviews other indie writers' books and posts updates about his own at www.bowengreenwood.com
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 33 reviews
July 28, 2014
Mixed feelings
Mixed feelings
OK, it was a fast-paced,exciting ride, and right triumphed in the end... sort of. But finishing the book did not leave me feeling fulfilled or satisfied. The heroine was thoroughly unlikable for too long for the sappy ending to turn things around. I understand that it wasn't her fault -- her father manipulated and molded her; but the net result was a long and mostly unpleasant read.
I did appreciate the professional editing -- a welcome change from a lot of the books available on Kindle.
Mixed feelings
OK, it was a fast-paced,exciting ride, and right triumphed in the end... sort of. But finishing the book did not leave me feeling fulfilled or satisfied. The heroine was thoroughly unlikable for too long for the sappy ending to turn things around. I understand that it wasn't her fault -- her father manipulated and molded her; but the net result was a long and mostly unpleasant read.
I did appreciate the professional editing -- a welcome change from a lot of the books available on Kindle.
July 24, 2014
Started well, story is good, but I got a bit annoyed by the jumps back and forth in time- think they could have been accomplished better and text in those passages could have been shorter/less repetitive, especially towards the end.
May 29, 2017
Political Intrigue at its best
I've read over 100 books dealing with political issues over the last 20 years. This one beats all the others with well-done scene structure and marvellous character development. I would recommend this book to anyone who distrusts our political system, or just enjoys near-factual fiction.
I've read over 100 books dealing with political issues over the last 20 years. This one beats all the others with well-done scene structure and marvellous character development. I would recommend this book to anyone who distrusts our political system, or just enjoys near-factual fiction.
January 11, 2023
Surprised
Difficult to keep track of the many characters. However, exciting scenes and action, some of which were hard to believe, but enjoyable regardless. But most of all the magnificent gospel of forgiveness, and how it applies in even the direst situations. Good versus evil. Blessed be the God who helps us in our struggles,
Difficult to keep track of the many characters. However, exciting scenes and action, some of which were hard to believe, but enjoyable regardless. But most of all the magnificent gospel of forgiveness, and how it applies in even the direst situations. Good versus evil. Blessed be the God who helps us in our struggles,
May 9, 2023
Alyssa Chambers is an engaging character, and her intro novel is a romp featuring twists and turns you won't see coming. Her flaws trap her in a conundrum of her own making, and the exit leads straight to a conclusion (setup for her next novel, really) that couldn't have ended any other way. I found it worth my time and enjoyed the trip.
March 8, 2017
It was good
But there were a lot of editing errors. Enjoyed the storyline. Not enough depth of the characters with the exception of primary. Enjoy his writing better than most but needs better editors.
But there were a lot of editing errors. Enjoyed the storyline. Not enough depth of the characters with the exception of primary. Enjoy his writing better than most but needs better editors.
February 10, 2018
Rich young lady becomes "plumber" stealing information for politicos. As president candidate gets murdered, she is the suspect. Poorly written. The description of Alyssa does not fit the physical activities gets involved with....not realistic.
May 20, 2017
Pretty Good Read. Author does a good job of getting you into the Story.
October 30, 2017
Interesting and faced paced. Keeps you guessing.
March 26, 2018
I know it is fiction, but just a bit to much fiction for me. The story is just not believable, the action just unrealistic and this manhunt from the FBI just immpossible ........not a story for me !
January 20, 2019
Good book
You people should just read this book yourselves and write your own review on this novel yourself and I really enjoyed reading this book very much so. Shelley MA
You people should just read this book yourselves and write your own review on this novel yourself and I really enjoyed reading this book very much so. Shelley MA
September 5, 2019
Fun Read. I read the first in the series which was also good. I enjoyed this and will definitely be reading more from Mr Greenwood
April 20, 2022
Good political novel
A very fast paced read. Bowen h a s created a novel that reminded me of a teenaged desire to be a spy
A very fast paced read. Bowen h a s created a novel that reminded me of a teenaged desire to be a spy
June 9, 2016
This book was good and I finished it in one day. But it was hard at times to keep switching back and forth. It would be present time then Alyssa would flashback to earlier times. This book has twists and turns, suspense, and adventure.
Matt Barr was an aka preachers kid. That was all you needed to describe someone when I was growing up, for preacher's kids were the worst of the worst. But that doesn't exactly describe this preacher's kid as he is more like the underdog in this story and Alyssa Chambers, in the beginning is his champion fighter. Matt has always been in love with Alyssa. All he ever wanted was for Alyssa to love him back.
Alyssa has always been a rebel because her dad is very wealthy and has no time for his daughter. He has his own agenda and that doesn’t include her.
So she is always trying to get her dad to notice her. Everything Alyssa chooses to do she makes sure she is the best because before her mother dies she tells her, "be strong" and to be strong you have to be the best.
After achieving the best at whatever she does, Alyssa always needs a new challenge.
What she doesn’t realize is that each challenge is changing her. Is it for the better or worse?
She challenges her limit by doing something illegal and not getting caught and each time she does it she gets a bigger thrill.
She never gets caught by the police and rarely gets caught by one of the bad guys. She is just that good.
Challenge after challenge continues to come up before Alyssa realizes that soon or later the one friend she has is going to be hurt or killed.
She doesn’t run but she does hide but not for long because she cannot allow the wrong people to win.
All Alyssa ever wanted was for her dad to love her but instead he has done the last thing she ever expected of him. It takes Alyssa to the very end of the book to realize exactly that. It may take her longer to forget. She needs to get some perspective on integrity and she might get that from a present she receives from Matt, still her best friend, at the end of the story.
This story's ultimate moral, in my humble opinion, is forgiveness. Just stop all the hating and revenge and just act upon that one word f o r g i v e and then forget it.
But forgiving is never easy when someone has wronged you nor is it easy to forget what they did to you, in fiction or real life.
I have read review after review about this book and I just don’t get how people can think this story is so unbelievable?! Really? Seriously? This book is not unlike any crime show that I have ever seen on television and I would rather read about it than watch it.
I have been a believer so long that I guess I don’t understand how one can feel like this book was preaching or stuffing it down your throat.
Matt Barr was an aka preachers kid. That was all you needed to describe someone when I was growing up, for preacher's kids were the worst of the worst. But that doesn't exactly describe this preacher's kid as he is more like the underdog in this story and Alyssa Chambers, in the beginning is his champion fighter. Matt has always been in love with Alyssa. All he ever wanted was for Alyssa to love him back.
Alyssa has always been a rebel because her dad is very wealthy and has no time for his daughter. He has his own agenda and that doesn’t include her.
So she is always trying to get her dad to notice her. Everything Alyssa chooses to do she makes sure she is the best because before her mother dies she tells her, "be strong" and to be strong you have to be the best.
After achieving the best at whatever she does, Alyssa always needs a new challenge.
What she doesn’t realize is that each challenge is changing her. Is it for the better or worse?
She challenges her limit by doing something illegal and not getting caught and each time she does it she gets a bigger thrill.
She never gets caught by the police and rarely gets caught by one of the bad guys. She is just that good.
Challenge after challenge continues to come up before Alyssa realizes that soon or later the one friend she has is going to be hurt or killed.
She doesn’t run but she does hide but not for long because she cannot allow the wrong people to win.
All Alyssa ever wanted was for her dad to love her but instead he has done the last thing she ever expected of him. It takes Alyssa to the very end of the book to realize exactly that. It may take her longer to forget. She needs to get some perspective on integrity and she might get that from a present she receives from Matt, still her best friend, at the end of the story.
This story's ultimate moral, in my humble opinion, is forgiveness. Just stop all the hating and revenge and just act upon that one word f o r g i v e and then forget it.
But forgiving is never easy when someone has wronged you nor is it easy to forget what they did to you, in fiction or real life.
I have read review after review about this book and I just don’t get how people can think this story is so unbelievable?! Really? Seriously? This book is not unlike any crime show that I have ever seen on television and I would rather read about it than watch it.
I have been a believer so long that I guess I don’t understand how one can feel like this book was preaching or stuffing it down your throat.
September 9, 2014
Life of Secrets, a fast-paced political thriller, is Bowen Greenwood’s second installment in his Secrets series. A quick and edgy read, it can easily be read as a standalone. A good choice for those who love suspense novels, Life of Secrets explores the behind-the-scenes manipulation of politics.
Alyssa Chambers is the daughter of privilege, a sought after professor and a plumber. But she doesn’t fix leaks, she looks for dirt on candidates a la Watergate. Motivated by her desire to one-up her influential father and to fulfill her mother’s dying admonition to be strong, Alyssa keeps her real and shadow lives separate, until a job goes horribly wrong. On the run from the authorities and desperately looking to exonerate herself, Alyssa turns to long time friends and adversaries to find the truth.
Life of Secrets is definitely plot-driven. There are fight and chase scenes, overheard conversations, and political intrigue aplenty. But Greenwood does a good job of fleshing out his main character. Alyssa is complicated — rich, successful, intelligent. She doesn’t need to prove anything, but she continues to take risks to prove herself, even as she hides her accomplishments. She is finally confronted by her need for nothing and no one. Not an overtly Christian book, Greenwood does explore the concept of forgiveness — that we don’t deserve it, but certainly need it.
If you like your suspense fast and furious with political conspiracy thrown in, then check out Life of Secrets. A perfect read for the run-up to the mid-term elections!
Recommended
Audience: Adults
(Thanks to the author for a review copy. All opinions expressed are mine alone.)
Alyssa Chambers is the daughter of privilege, a sought after professor and a plumber. But she doesn’t fix leaks, she looks for dirt on candidates a la Watergate. Motivated by her desire to one-up her influential father and to fulfill her mother’s dying admonition to be strong, Alyssa keeps her real and shadow lives separate, until a job goes horribly wrong. On the run from the authorities and desperately looking to exonerate herself, Alyssa turns to long time friends and adversaries to find the truth.
Life of Secrets is definitely plot-driven. There are fight and chase scenes, overheard conversations, and political intrigue aplenty. But Greenwood does a good job of fleshing out his main character. Alyssa is complicated — rich, successful, intelligent. She doesn’t need to prove anything, but she continues to take risks to prove herself, even as she hides her accomplishments. She is finally confronted by her need for nothing and no one. Not an overtly Christian book, Greenwood does explore the concept of forgiveness — that we don’t deserve it, but certainly need it.
If you like your suspense fast and furious with political conspiracy thrown in, then check out Life of Secrets. A perfect read for the run-up to the mid-term elections!
Recommended
Audience: Adults
(Thanks to the author for a review copy. All opinions expressed are mine alone.)
June 29, 2017
'Life of Secrets' was such a great story and the premise was way too believable. The storyline itself was incredibly written. The lies, betrayal, deceitful nature of most of the characters and the corruption was pretty accurate when dealing with politics. The 'Secrets Series' gets better with each book. Alyssa is not the typical lead. Sure, she's beautiful, excels at everything she does and is an all around picture of perfection, but on a deeper level she has morals that outrank her socialite upbringing. She's a kick-ass ally you want on your side. Everything she stands for is basically for the betterment of society. Matt is such a great friend. His forgiving nature is actually a blessing. I look forward to reading more of this series. A must add to your tbr list.
October 6, 2014
I was really enjoying the story when it suddenly decided to stop being an action-thriller and became a Christian morality play.I have nothing against Christian morality fables; I read them regularly. But this comes out of the blue, unsupported, leaving the thriller unfulfilled and the moral blatantly screaming out at you without subtlety. It was rather off putting. But if you went in, knowing that the big payoff for reading this story was that someone was going to receive a Bible, it would be much more tolerable.
January 25, 2015
Intriguing and Thrilling
Intriguing tale of a very wealthy gal that leads two different lives; one as a Professor and the other in a political arena where she sets out to find secrets of high powered politicians and...where she receives a hefty paycheck.
The story keeps you on the edge of your seat, anticipating the dangerous challenges she faces that spurs her to live this duo life. Thrilling book!
Intriguing tale of a very wealthy gal that leads two different lives; one as a Professor and the other in a political arena where she sets out to find secrets of high powered politicians and...where she receives a hefty paycheck.
The story keeps you on the edge of your seat, anticipating the dangerous challenges she faces that spurs her to live this duo life. Thrilling book!
August 19, 2014
Not a great read. The main character turns to a life of political "plumbing" out of boredom and a need for daddy's attention. She's unlikable, in a fantastical situation, only to find solace in what one can surmise is the Bible. The story is weak, the characters weaker, and the religious subplot is plain unnecessary. Skip this.
July 24, 2014
Overall good story, suspenseful. Hard to keep all the characters straight. One big bother was sometimes the main character was referred to as Alyssa, sometimes as Chambers - very confusing at first, annoying after awhile.
July 26, 2014
Very good
Very good
I liked the story and the characters in this book. The ending was not the happy ever after type but made you feel it was fair and hopeful. Good clean mystery.
Very good
I liked the story and the characters in this book. The ending was not the happy ever after type but made you feel it was fair and hopeful. Good clean mystery.
July 26, 2014
Surprisingly good
Surprisingly good
I always love a good spy thriller and this did not disappoint me. It was surprising to have a "Christian" bent put on the story which really pleased me.
Surprisingly good
I always love a good spy thriller and this did not disappoint me. It was surprising to have a "Christian" bent put on the story which really pleased me.
August 6, 2014
Great writing,suspense fear and loving forgiveness. Waiting for more. Introduced to it by spouse who also loves suspense
Great writing . suspense,fear,love,forgiveness. Waiting for more.Introduced by spouse who also loves mystery. I will tell
others about this .
Great writing . suspense,fear,love,forgiveness. Waiting for more.Introduced by spouse who also loves mystery. I will tell
others about this .
September 18, 2014
All the Call's family is so good... making the story not credible and very syrupy. All marines were supermen and all very loyal...
Not at all convincing.
The rest of the story is not bad at all. Even have good drama and suspense.
Not at all convincing.
The rest of the story is not bad at all. Even have good drama and suspense.
August 20, 2014
I love the main character and how smart she is! I got a bit lost between all the characters. I did not want to let the book down after being half done. A great discovery!
September 3, 2014
Making Watergate Understandable
Well written, fast paced, enjoyable quick read. Money can't buy everything, but it can buy strength, peace and the knowledge of today's politics!
Well written, fast paced, enjoyable quick read. Money can't buy everything, but it can buy strength, peace and the knowledge of today's politics!
October 31, 2014
Not a bad story line. The book started out strong but started to lose my attention sometime in the middle and never reall regained the starting momentum for me.
March 20, 2015
Excellent
This book kept me on my toes. It twists and turns every time you think you know what's going on. I was stunned all the way to the end.
This book kept me on my toes. It twists and turns every time you think you know what's going on. I was stunned all the way to the end.
May 24, 2015
Really good reading
Did not turn out like I assumed it would. I loved it. Will look for more from this author, as I am sure I would not be disappointed.
Did not turn out like I assumed it would. I loved it. Will look for more from this author, as I am sure I would not be disappointed.
June 26, 2015
I really liked the book, I really liked that she never killed anyone, she just beat them up.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 33 reviews