Never Tell Secrets

by AJ. Rella

"It wasn’t over then. It isn’t over now..."

Lola O’Connell has a new life, new friends, a thriving career. Her dreams are coming true and it’s everything she has ever wanted, but there’s one thing missing, Alfie Tell. Her dark, mercurial man is gone from her life, but not from her mind.

Her heart broken and her trust destroyed, she is determined to move on, but when Alfie returns to her life with a new proposition, her resolve is truly tested.

Every lie, every secret is unfolded and Lola finds herself questioning everything she thought she knew about this man.

Tension grows between them as Alfie works harder to win her back and Lola does everything she can to keep herself from falling again. But Alfie is a determined man and as Lola knows all too well, he is ruthless when it comes to getting what he wants…

Never Tell Secrets is a dark romance and is the second book in the Never Tell Trilogy.

540 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 30, 2025

About the author

AJ. Rella is the author of the Never Tell Trilogy and the Wild Born Series (formerly His Reluctant Luna.)
AJ was born in England and when she isn’t writing, you can find her working in her garden or sipping chamomile tea in a cosy armchair, tucked into a book that is hopefully filled with magic, monsters, and a little bit of romance too.

Reviews

[Lia · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 ⭐️
It was mature, powerful, raw, and pure

[❁ lilyreadsromance ❁ · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am speechless.

This author is my favourite now. No doubt about it.

If book 1 is about a toxic relationship, book 2 is about redemption. A story of two broken people trying to fix the aftermath of a clusterfuck of a relationship in book 1. This is definitely an angsty read. You will try to rip your hair off. It was a challenging journey to reach the end there. Honestly, I thought it would be another devastating ending to this couple; it was pretty bleak there.

However, I cannot deny that I love the emotional turmoil this book brought me through. I cannot wait for the final book of the series. This is one of those books that you should definitely wait for the final one to come out before embarking on the journey. Because let me tell you, I am dying from now till February when the last book will come out.

[Leona এ · Rating 5 out of 5]

It’s 2:45am. I stayed up to finish this book even as my eyes were burning from lack of sleep.
This is beautiful. Absolutely gut wrenching, but beautiful.
Super proud of how Alfie worked to be a better man.
If there’s any word apart from beautiful that I could use to describe this book at this time of the morning, I would.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Never Tell Secrets by @aj.rella

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶️🌶️ (but there is a scene at a smex club).

Book 1 finished with Lola leaving Alfie after finding out everything he had done to manipulate and control her (no spoilers some of was awful, very manipulative and controlling). Book 2 follows on into their relationship.

This is a no spoiler review so no details of the plot but we see both of them carry on with their lives which do continue to be intertwined. Still written from Lola’s perspective but with the odd chapter Alfie thrown in (which I love).

This series continues to have me in a chokehold. It’s no secret I loved Alfie in book 1 despite everything he had done and that continued for me throughout book 2. I continue to root for him (but at times it’s hard work). Lola, oh girl, you made me feel all the emotions!!! One minute I feel like I get you, and the next I am raging at you (and probably not in the way everyone expects). The supporting characters are brilliant. I desperately want Keira, Lola’s BFF to have her own book.

This is a dark romance but not in a typical dark romance way. Both books feature a relationship that is emotionally abusive and without the kidnapping etc that might typically alongside it in some the books, it’s very stark and it feels very real so do proceed with caution. But if that isn’t a trigger for you, this is a great series to read (you have to start at the beginning). I adore it!!! Book 3 is still to come and I honestly can’t tell you what will happen.

[-Good_life_simping · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was everything I wanted for Lo and Alfie since Book 1 🍀❤️‍🩹

[Mariam · Rating 5 out of 5]

Woah.

It's very rare that a toxic billionaire romance can hold up the same energy from the first book into the second. Usually the conflict goes from becoming a couple to facing random external conflicts. This one didn't shy away from ripping apart the relationship and digging deep. Yes, I think the whole therapy trope and the overwhelming amount of talking about feelings and putting labels on traumas and stuff was a lot. But you know what, the first half was so beyond spectacular at keeping me on the edge of my seat that it's okay. Also I don't know, there was almost too-much of an attempt to make them healthy because thats how it's supposed to be. and idk i think its okay that some stuff they did got healthier, but it just felt really forced like "this is how the plot has to go so im putting the characters through xyz so they become healthier."

“A part of me hated what I was about to do, but I was a person that could only ever do what came naturally. I reached for his hand. I saw pain in his eyes, white hot and searing. He was hurting more than me. I hadn’t realised it until then, but it was true. His actions had always been more painful for him than for me.”

“I watched her step into the lift, making small talk with Elliot. She was the only person I knew besides Ada that could make that man smile. How could I live without this?
Watching her has become my addiction. I twitched without it, I became short-tempered without it. I needed it. Just in case. Just in case I ever lost her again. This was my safety net.
”

“I know you’re hurting, despite how calm you’re trying to appear. When the storm hits, I’ll be there. I will make this right, I promise.”
“Another Alfie Tell promise,” I said, “just as worthless as the last one.”

“ought about what he’d done. It sickened me.
I felt Alfie approach, stepping closer until his body pressed up against mine.
“Lean on me.” His voice was soft. Somehow, it soothed me, smoothing out some of the pain he’d caused.
Forcing myself to relax, I leaned against him, letting him hold me up for a moment. With that, the wave crashed through me.
“I hate you.” My words were choked, as if they didn’t want to be spoken.”

[Spice and Shelf Love · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 stars. I have a strong suspicion this was originally written on wattpad or ao3 or something, because it has that feeling of something that was written in installments over time - while it's enjoyable in that format, when it's read all together it just really feels like it needs an editor to trim it down and hone it in a bit.

The first book was a pretty great representation of how a toxic relationship can go so badly so quickly (and the mental manipulation that can happen SO fast), but this one floundered around. Side characters get sidelined even more (the sister, Keira) - the sister gets the predictable twist from book 1, Keira clearly is just being set up for her own book. The main couple's back and forth energy goes on FOREVER. While both definitely have character growth, they both backslide, which I loved because that felt true to life. (Honestly I appreciated the nuances of their mental trauma here - it was explored in a few different ways, which was great). But it just kept going on and on and on.

And unfortunately this didn't lead to some emotional climax at the end. By the time they actually got together, I was just so tired of them I was underwhelmed. There had just been several "omg it's happening!" moments before that were ultimately fake-outs that by the end I was just left feeling over it :/

The writing is good but it just really needs an editor to help with the flow of the story so that the chemistry of the couple isn't lost like it was here.

[Miha · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5

Let me start with this: when you go to Greece, you go to the sea, not the ocean. Greece is surrounded by the Mediterranean Sea, not the freaking ocean. I cringed every single time Lola called it the ocean.

If in book 1 we get waaaay to much sex, in book 2 the author said “hold my beer” cause they won't have any of that until maybe 300 hundred pages in the book.
Don't get me wrong, I don't mind that the sex scenes are nonexistent between Alfie and Lola. What does bother me is that Alfie makes sure we all know he absolutely does not keep it in his pants.

What really irritated me in the first half is that Alfie is supposedly desperate to get Lola back, yet casually admits he slept with another woman just a week earlier. And sure, he reassures us it was “only anal” because he can’t stand the thought of another woman—but he “needed to blow off some steam.”
Alfie, sweetheart, go to the gym for that. If you’re claiming obsession and undying love while doing this, it makes it very hard to believe you.

Then there’s the proposal. He proposes to Lola three months of… what, exactly? Because it’s not a relationship if he’s still thinking about sleeping with other women on the side. That made absolutely no sense to me.

The second part of the book it's not that bad. They are a bit more settled, I guess, as they really realize how toxic they are for each other.

I wait to see what is happening in book 3.

[A · Rating 5 out of 5]

This books was somehow better than the first. I honestly didn’t really know what to expect in the second book of the trilogy but this pleasantly surprised me.

**slight spoilers ahead**

So in the 2nd book of the trilogy we dove into how Alfie had changed, for the better. He’s still human though so some things don’t magically disappear and it was great we got to see that on paper and that Alfie and Lola both acknowledged that.

This books was way less toxic than the first and some scenes were pretty wholesome. We got to see them mend their relationship and kind of dating. Outside of just crazy sex like in book one.

What I also like was how in the book it not only touched on Alfie and how he changed and his tendencies and bagage, but also Lola’s. Her father abandoning her, her mother dying at a young age, Adam…
Lola also had some unresolved bagage she needed to heal in order to become the best version of herself.

I enjoyed that we got to see more of Keira and Natalie. Hopefully we get a book for Keira and Damien😁

The book was well written, and really thought out. I liked the therapy session they attended.

Can’t wait to read the final book of trilogy and see what AJ Rella has in store for us next

[Portia Dorkas · Rating 4 out of 5]

While I always enjoy reading about Alfie and Lola and their world of people, I did feel this lagged in a lot of places. It took me a month to read it, and I had to come back several times to pick it up again. Whereas the first book went too heavy on the spice, this book had next to none. Often I wondered if I was even rooting for them to come together by the end. I could've taken or left the last chapter and epilogue. When Lola refers to whiplash, she could just as well be speaking about NTS itself, since Alfie controls the narrative and he pulls the rug out from under her (and the reader's) feet all too many times. Therapy books (like epistolary novels) can easily drag, and this was no exception, sometimes at the expense of the chemistry between the MCs.

Apart from those issues, the writing is polished, there are many moving moments. As with NTL, I miss the characters and their world when the book is done.

[Emily Hurricane · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I thought Alfie and Lola's story couldn't get any more unhinged, in walks NTS saying 'hold my beer.' Anyone who knows me knows I fought A+L's union so hard in the first book, but that isn't today that I am so fascinated by Alfie as a character. NTS is chock full of his backstory and past, as he opens up every part of himself for Lola to see him. What a wild ride, can't wait for book three to see what these crazy kids get up to next!

(Also in true AJ form it's beautifully written and sizzling hot, of course!)

[Midnight blue · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am telling you guys, you have to read this book. I cannot tell you how amazing ,emotional and capturing it is. You feel every moment every feeling every emotion that’s written in this book I recommend 1000% Alfie is obsessed, but in this book he’s trying to do it in the right way. This book is about redemption but not just his redemption, also Lola’s. It’s amazing to see how affectionate Alfie can be, I mean come on why can’t I find someone like him in the real world, someone that fights his demons just to be with me😔😔🥺 I’m excited to read the third book. Can’t wait for it to come out.

[thoughtfultoadzipperpasta · Rating 2 out of 5]

I love books that follow the same characters mainly but surprisingly i rly liked the side characters and we were given enough time to get to know them well too

AGAIN only 2 stars because more back and forth it’s just exhausting like YES no yes NO yEs nO ! Like ok damn

Anyways idk what the 3rd book is gonna be about but yes we will be sat

[Stacey W · Rating 3 out of 5]

I understand this book was about redemption and healing but there were times where it was dragging.

The back and forth about the secrets wasn't for me. Lola seemed less mature and less put together regardless of her career trajectory. Alfie changed in ways that changed his character.

Will I keep reading? Yes. While I didn't love this one, I do love AJ's writing style.

[Nefelibata · Rating 3 out of 5]

Personally I liked the first book, the second tried too hard to attain closure for the characters from their trauma and baggage, and in doing so, lost the very complexity that made the story compelling, felt like it was pushing too hard for a neatly wrapped “all set, finally moved on” arc. It lacked the rawness of the first and ended up feeling forced and boring

[Tamisha · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved it. I know I shouldn’t but I was obsessed