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Secret Minders #2
Echoing Secrets
All magic leaves a mark.
Prince Arran’s fight to cope with the secrets that left him the new leader of his kingdom has just begun. The past holds him hostage. An apparition with Ryla’s voice and piercing stare haunts him. All while Nithle stands mostly empty despite his efforts to rebuild. Then, the Union takes another baby.
The hunt for why leads Arran to Lavanai, a place he never thought he’d step foot in, let alone seek aid from. While the once-enemy land’s ruler is welcoming, Arran finds himself navigating Lavanian politics and working alongside those responsible for his parents’ and protector’s deaths to uncover the Union’s latest ploy.
As his memories, Ryla’s ghost, and the weight of trying to protect all he cares about threaten to crush him, Arran knows he must hold himself together. Even if it means doing the unthinkable.
Prince Arran’s fight to cope with the secrets that left him the new leader of his kingdom has just begun. The past holds him hostage. An apparition with Ryla’s voice and piercing stare haunts him. All while Nithle stands mostly empty despite his efforts to rebuild. Then, the Union takes another baby.
The hunt for why leads Arran to Lavanai, a place he never thought he’d step foot in, let alone seek aid from. While the once-enemy land’s ruler is welcoming, Arran finds himself navigating Lavanian politics and working alongside those responsible for his parents’ and protector’s deaths to uncover the Union’s latest ploy.
As his memories, Ryla’s ghost, and the weight of trying to protect all he cares about threaten to crush him, Arran knows he must hold himself together. Even if it means doing the unthinkable.
486 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 23, 2026
About the author
Laura A. Barton
4 books36 followersLaura A. Barton has a knack for getting lost in worlds that don’t exist. Whether of her creation or another’s, she loves magic-stained realities and living, breathing characters. In the “real world,” she lives in Ontario, Canada with her fiancé and their dog, Lila.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
June 4, 2025
Amazing book. Literally everyone needs to read this series 😫
January 2, 2026
Here’s my first book review for 2026, and I’m pleased to say it’s starting on a high note with this ARC!
I can’t say much about this book’s specifics without divulging spoilers for book one of Secret Minders, which makes it hard to sing Echoing Secrets’ praises properly—but I can say that the plot is intricate and cleverly laid out, the character arcs are compelling, and the showcasing of war’s aftermath—with former enemies-turned-allies navigating fledgling trust and past trauma, while a new war brews—is handled with great care and intelligence.
The political turmoil is nice and tight. The fights are well paced, with magic aplenty, and the closed-door romance between leading characters Arran and Adel is both subtle and sweet, as well as very human, bringing a nice balance to the trauma and tension they’re wrestling with. New landscapes are explored. New secrets come to light. And while the book is 400+ pages long, those pages fly by fast.
Barton asks hard questions and weaves a beautiful and often heartbreaking narrative that shines a spotlight on the cost of war and innocents who suffer on both sides of the conflict. Secret Minders is a saga about flesh-and-blood people, about brokenness, and about redemption. I highly recommend it to high fantasy readers looking for an intricate and thought-provoking read! (Just be sure to read Book 1, Killing Secrets, first.)
Content: Peril, death, trauma/PTSD, brief strong language, and closed-door romance.
I can’t say much about this book’s specifics without divulging spoilers for book one of Secret Minders, which makes it hard to sing Echoing Secrets’ praises properly—but I can say that the plot is intricate and cleverly laid out, the character arcs are compelling, and the showcasing of war’s aftermath—with former enemies-turned-allies navigating fledgling trust and past trauma, while a new war brews—is handled with great care and intelligence.
The political turmoil is nice and tight. The fights are well paced, with magic aplenty, and the closed-door romance between leading characters Arran and Adel is both subtle and sweet, as well as very human, bringing a nice balance to the trauma and tension they’re wrestling with. New landscapes are explored. New secrets come to light. And while the book is 400+ pages long, those pages fly by fast.
Barton asks hard questions and weaves a beautiful and often heartbreaking narrative that shines a spotlight on the cost of war and innocents who suffer on both sides of the conflict. Secret Minders is a saga about flesh-and-blood people, about brokenness, and about redemption. I highly recommend it to high fantasy readers looking for an intricate and thought-provoking read! (Just be sure to read Book 1, Killing Secrets, first.)
Content: Peril, death, trauma/PTSD, brief strong language, and closed-door romance.
March 17, 2026
better than even the first book
I called the first book, Killing Secrets, a masterpiece, but this one is even better. The thoughtful and consistent depiction of character growth, political reality, and mental illness really drew me in and created such a vivid world that I kept thinking about this story even when not reading it. (Also, that ending. Wow.) I can’t wait for the third book!
I called the first book, Killing Secrets, a masterpiece, but this one is even better. The thoughtful and consistent depiction of character growth, political reality, and mental illness really drew me in and created such a vivid world that I kept thinking about this story even when not reading it. (Also, that ending. Wow.) I can’t wait for the third book!
January 17, 2026
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Not again! Thank you, Laura A. Barton, for that ending and dropping another bombshell! This was an amazing book. My favourite part was Arran’s mental journey. His everyday struggles were so well written with such details that I felt all the emotions. His despair. His pain. The writing was exceptionally powerful! I am excited to find out where this story is heading next!
Not again! Thank you, Laura A. Barton, for that ending and dropping another bombshell! This was an amazing book. My favourite part was Arran’s mental journey. His everyday struggles were so well written with such details that I felt all the emotions. His despair. His pain. The writing was exceptionally powerful! I am excited to find out where this story is heading next!
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November 20, 2025Like book one, I wrote this, so I’m not going to rate it. Just know that I love it, and I hope you love it as well.
Review of advance copy received from Author
this has been my most anticipated read ever since I read the first book and I'm so glad the author sent me an arc copy!!
first off, the love story between Arran and Adel is the sweetest and strongest I've read in so long. You can't help but root for these two. I love that the events of the first book were still prominent and explained the main characters actions while moving the plot forward. Even characters that were deemed villainous in the first book become well loved main characters.
I learned with the first book to really stick through a slow beggining because once it picks up it REALLY gets good!!!
And the ending?!!! loved it. 👏🏻👏🏻
now the hard part- waiting for book 3
first off, the love story between Arran and Adel is the sweetest and strongest I've read in so long. You can't help but root for these two. I love that the events of the first book were still prominent and explained the main characters actions while moving the plot forward. Even characters that were deemed villainous in the first book become well loved main characters.
I learned with the first book to really stick through a slow beggining because once it picks up it REALLY gets good!!!
And the ending?!!! loved it. 👏🏻👏🏻
now the hard part- waiting for book 3
May 7, 2026
It's going to be interesting seeing how Laura wraps up this series!
January 17, 2026
Book two of the Secret Minders series picks up right where book one, Killing Secrets, leaves off. This series continues to immerse you in a unique world and magic system that is unlike anything you’ve ever read before. Arran continues to learn to navigate the world despite his crippling grief and anxieties. With the support of his love, Adel, these two young royals find themselves with tough choices and making deals with those they’ve always feared. As truths come to light, they realize that this fight to make things right will be more than they expected.
If you’re looking for a fresh take on fantasy with secrets, lies, gut wrenching grief, fierce loyalty, and unexpected twists, this is a must read series!
If you’re looking for a fresh take on fantasy with secrets, lies, gut wrenching grief, fierce loyalty, and unexpected twists, this is a must read series!
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews