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Doesn't Everyone Have A Secret?
Doesn't Everyone Have a Secret? is a romantic comedy about three very different people, each with a secret, whose lives collide in unexpected ways.
Steph is a harassed mum who's considering an affair with her children's sexy headmaster. Penny is trying to deal with a crush on her boss, OCD and a sad secret from her childhood. And Mike is a vicar who is being blackmailed for his secret, although it's not all that it seems!
Meanwhile, all three are being watched over by their own guardian angels, who try to push them in the right direction and help move their lives along - but not always successfully ...
Doesn't Everyone Have a Secret? is genuinely laugh out loud funny, but also deals in a sensitive way with serious problems that any of us could face in life. Sue Shepherd's debut novel is bold, it doesn't pull any punches, and it has bucket loads of heart.
Steph is a harassed mum who's considering an affair with her children's sexy headmaster. Penny is trying to deal with a crush on her boss, OCD and a sad secret from her childhood. And Mike is a vicar who is being blackmailed for his secret, although it's not all that it seems!
Meanwhile, all three are being watched over by their own guardian angels, who try to push them in the right direction and help move their lives along - but not always successfully ...
Doesn't Everyone Have a Secret? is genuinely laugh out loud funny, but also deals in a sensitive way with serious problems that any of us could face in life. Sue Shepherd's debut novel is bold, it doesn't pull any punches, and it has bucket loads of heart.
340 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 20, 2015
21 people are currently reading
67 people want to read
About the author
Sue Shepherd
3 books6 followersSue Shepherd's debut novel 'Doesn't Everyone Have a Secret?' was published by Corazon Books in March 2015. It reached the top 10 UK Kindle chart, and also topped the romantic comedy, contemporary romance and humour charts.
Sue wrote two more romantic comedy novels for Corazon Books before switching to crime writing. Her suspense novels - 'The Sandlin PI Series' are published by Hobeck Books and are published under the name S E Shepherd.
Sue lives on the picturesque Isle of Wight with her husband, two sons, a standard poodle named Forrest and a Cavachon called Sky. Her passions in life are: her family, writing, the sea-side and all the beautiful purple things her sons have bought her over the years. Ask Sue to plan too far in advance and you'll give her the heebie-jeebies and she'd prefer you not to mention Christmas until at least November!
Twitter - @thatsueshepherd
Sue wrote two more romantic comedy novels for Corazon Books before switching to crime writing. Her suspense novels - 'The Sandlin PI Series' are published by Hobeck Books and are published under the name S E Shepherd.
Sue lives on the picturesque Isle of Wight with her husband, two sons, a standard poodle named Forrest and a Cavachon called Sky. Her passions in life are: her family, writing, the sea-side and all the beautiful purple things her sons have bought her over the years. Ask Sue to plan too far in advance and you'll give her the heebie-jeebies and she'd prefer you not to mention Christmas until at least November!
Twitter - @thatsueshepherd
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
January 6, 2017
really enjoyed this story, now onto Sue Shepherd's next book, Love Them and Leave Them x
December 1, 2015
Overall rating: 3.5 stars
Genre: Chick Lit
Plot: 6/10
Ending: 7/10 epilogue was one of the best bits
Writing: 5/10
Hero: n/a*
Heroine: n/a*
Humour: 8/10
Steaminess: 3/10
HEA:
*Characters: Enjoyable characters overall,
Mike and Jane were a tad boring (5/10)
Penny was okay but predictable (7/10)
Steph and John were great character's (Steph: 7/10, John 10/10)
Fucking loved the angels, I was too eager to get back to them I found myslef skimming the others more. (9/10)
Didn't read the blurb fully on this one and wasn't expecting literal guradian angels
Genre: Chick Lit
Plot: 6/10
Ending: 7/10 epilogue was one of the best bits
Writing: 5/10
Hero: n/a*
Heroine: n/a*
Humour: 8/10
Steaminess: 3/10
HEA:
*Characters: Enjoyable characters overall,
Mike and Jane were a tad boring (5/10)
Penny was okay but predictable (7/10)
Steph and John were great character's (Steph: 7/10, John 10/10)
Fucking loved the angels, I was too eager to get back to them I found myslef skimming the others more. (9/10)
Didn't read the blurb fully on this one and wasn't expecting literal guradian angels
April 12, 2015
This debut novel by Sue Shepherd is great and I actually emailed her to say congratulations and how much I enjoyed it. I was praising this book to a lot of my family and am still recommending it to my friends. Its twists and the interaction between the characters and how their lives interlink are interesting and show how small a world we live in.
The book revolves around a few characters from a town that have interesting stories that in some way overlap each other in different ways. Then there are the angels that are present in their lives. If you know my style of reviewing you know that I don’t give away too much of the story and spoil it for others. So sorry if you find that I am not telling you what happened but there are so many little stories that are in this book and telling any part in detail would ruin the reading.
Steph is mum of two, Sophie (11) and Jamie (7) and married to John she feels she is insignificant and not appreciated by her family. She often day dreams about being approached by a dark handsome stranger and being whisked off to exotic climates and living a completely different life. Suddenly the new charming head teacher Gareth Churchill is paying her a lot of attention and she finds that she likes this and starts to imagine a life away from John with Gareth. He offers her the escape that she thinks she wants. Sue’s description of Gareth is different and I love the way she describes him; “He seemed to just ooze charm somehow. And his voice reminded her of chocolate, the smooth, expensive kind”.
The Reverend Mike Bannerman married to Jane but is spending a lot of time with the new woman, Maggie, in the village. They spend time watching DVD's and drinking Ovaltine whilst Jane is at different meetings. They chat for ages about their life growing up and are at ease in each other’s company. Jane is unaware of the time that they spend together but Mike knows that “sooner or later he was going to have to confess to Jane”. He does spend time with his other parishioners and is always trying to think of how he can help them. He is determined to try and help Bert after the death of his wife and to spend more time in his company. Mike also spends a lot of time at his mum’s, who is a widow, and for the next few weeks will be responsible for looking after her beloved plants whilst she visits Aunt Caroline’s.
Penny Littleton is a shy woman who suffers from compulsive disorder of counting things, cleaning things or checking things around her house and her work place. She is the PA and secretly in love with Mr Clarke and often insists on touching his bald head for luck. It made me giggle imagining her doing it in front of the Prime Minister and when he was on TV. Eventually Mr Clarke is unnerved by her problems and insists she spends time off trying to solve these problems.
Penny’s story is linked with the house where Steph and John currently live and things come to a head when she meets Steph and faces her demons.
These are the main living characters but the excitement starts when you realise that angels are involved in watching and trying to guide them in their decisions and actions. They may just be there as a presence to show support or there to protect and encourage. They can whisper things and protect them if need be. Through the story they do this in many different ways.
The main angels are; Aldo who is a fantastic angel who a lot of the younger angels tend to adore. Angela is a conscientious angel and is great friends with Aldo. Archibald is an old angel that often falls asleep on the job. He likes to have a drink and sometimes overlooks his job for a quick pint or forty winks.
I love the way that the angels behave and how you hear the story from both the angels and the characters point of view. The angels have such a strong influence and I often found myself wondering about the presence of them in my life. I like the idea that you don’t have one guardian angel but different ones and how these all have their own different qualities. I also like how the angels are not whiter than white but have been known to bend the rules to try and do what is best for the people they are watching.
This book is great and in fact am going to buy a paper back copy to keep on my shelf. This is a must read for many of my book friends and family. I have enjoyed discussing the contents and theories that come up in this book and debating them with my husband with eagerness. I often think there is someone telling you in the background to so something and think this happened when my daughter fainted and split her head.
The book revolves around a few characters from a town that have interesting stories that in some way overlap each other in different ways. Then there are the angels that are present in their lives. If you know my style of reviewing you know that I don’t give away too much of the story and spoil it for others. So sorry if you find that I am not telling you what happened but there are so many little stories that are in this book and telling any part in detail would ruin the reading.
Steph is mum of two, Sophie (11) and Jamie (7) and married to John she feels she is insignificant and not appreciated by her family. She often day dreams about being approached by a dark handsome stranger and being whisked off to exotic climates and living a completely different life. Suddenly the new charming head teacher Gareth Churchill is paying her a lot of attention and she finds that she likes this and starts to imagine a life away from John with Gareth. He offers her the escape that she thinks she wants. Sue’s description of Gareth is different and I love the way she describes him; “He seemed to just ooze charm somehow. And his voice reminded her of chocolate, the smooth, expensive kind”.
The Reverend Mike Bannerman married to Jane but is spending a lot of time with the new woman, Maggie, in the village. They spend time watching DVD's and drinking Ovaltine whilst Jane is at different meetings. They chat for ages about their life growing up and are at ease in each other’s company. Jane is unaware of the time that they spend together but Mike knows that “sooner or later he was going to have to confess to Jane”. He does spend time with his other parishioners and is always trying to think of how he can help them. He is determined to try and help Bert after the death of his wife and to spend more time in his company. Mike also spends a lot of time at his mum’s, who is a widow, and for the next few weeks will be responsible for looking after her beloved plants whilst she visits Aunt Caroline’s.
Penny Littleton is a shy woman who suffers from compulsive disorder of counting things, cleaning things or checking things around her house and her work place. She is the PA and secretly in love with Mr Clarke and often insists on touching his bald head for luck. It made me giggle imagining her doing it in front of the Prime Minister and when he was on TV. Eventually Mr Clarke is unnerved by her problems and insists she spends time off trying to solve these problems.
Penny’s story is linked with the house where Steph and John currently live and things come to a head when she meets Steph and faces her demons.
These are the main living characters but the excitement starts when you realise that angels are involved in watching and trying to guide them in their decisions and actions. They may just be there as a presence to show support or there to protect and encourage. They can whisper things and protect them if need be. Through the story they do this in many different ways.
The main angels are; Aldo who is a fantastic angel who a lot of the younger angels tend to adore. Angela is a conscientious angel and is great friends with Aldo. Archibald is an old angel that often falls asleep on the job. He likes to have a drink and sometimes overlooks his job for a quick pint or forty winks.
I love the way that the angels behave and how you hear the story from both the angels and the characters point of view. The angels have such a strong influence and I often found myself wondering about the presence of them in my life. I like the idea that you don’t have one guardian angel but different ones and how these all have their own different qualities. I also like how the angels are not whiter than white but have been known to bend the rules to try and do what is best for the people they are watching.
This book is great and in fact am going to buy a paper back copy to keep on my shelf. This is a must read for many of my book friends and family. I have enjoyed discussing the contents and theories that come up in this book and debating them with my husband with eagerness. I often think there is someone telling you in the background to so something and think this happened when my daughter fainted and split her head.
March 20, 2015
Have you ever wondered about the still small voice of calm that you sometimes hear deep within your subconscious that tells you to stop and consider your actions? Well, in Doesn’t Everyone Have a Secret, Sue Shepherd explores the concept of a team of guardian angels who watch over us and who guide, cajole and beguile us into thinking we are acting for ourselves, when really they are are guiding our every move and their gentle and sometimes, not so gentle hints, quite often, steer us in a direction we had never planned to go.
Steph Stubbs, Mike Bannerman and Penny Littleton are being watched over by a team of rather special guardian angels but of course they are unaware of this which makes for an interesting and sensitively managed story which looks the vagaries of modern life and of the secrets which we keep hidden, not just from our nearest and dearest, but also sometimes from ourselves.
I really enjoyed the story and found the writing to be accomplished and warm with just the right amount of humour mixed with compassion and sensitivity. The characters are nicely drawn so that they seem believable, rather like people you would like if you met them in the street, and as you read about them you start to care about what happens and hope that everything turns out right for them. I enjoyed their individual stories, their problems could be something we have all faced at one time or another, and it was good to see how everything played out for them.
I think that this is a commendable debut novel and I am sure that the author will continue to go from strength to strength.
Steph Stubbs, Mike Bannerman and Penny Littleton are being watched over by a team of rather special guardian angels but of course they are unaware of this which makes for an interesting and sensitively managed story which looks the vagaries of modern life and of the secrets which we keep hidden, not just from our nearest and dearest, but also sometimes from ourselves.
I really enjoyed the story and found the writing to be accomplished and warm with just the right amount of humour mixed with compassion and sensitivity. The characters are nicely drawn so that they seem believable, rather like people you would like if you met them in the street, and as you read about them you start to care about what happens and hope that everything turns out right for them. I enjoyed their individual stories, their problems could be something we have all faced at one time or another, and it was good to see how everything played out for them.
I think that this is a commendable debut novel and I am sure that the author will continue to go from strength to strength.
August 28, 2015
A light hearted read with an underlying message. Our actions do have consequences and in real life there isn't always going to be an angel there to guide us.
July 14, 2015
I enjoyed this book, it was a nice bit of escapism with some humour. A nice concept as well ! Not my usual cup of tea but I would still recommend it to others.
September 16, 2015
This book was very enjoyable
October 8, 2024
I got this book via Amazon Kindle Unlimited last year because I was in a phase and thought I would enjoy it (Shari Low binge anyone?). Unfortunately, the writing felt horrendous to read, the pacing was all over the place and I didn't feel any connection to our main characters as there was no time to develop feelings towards them other than confusion and disgust (for 1). The only reason I got as far as I did was because of the notion of watching a train wreck, I couldn't tear my eyes away no matter how bad I knew it was going to look. Considering this was a debut novel and I have enjoyed another book by Sue I suppose this can be chalked up to lack of experience but I had to DNF this one because it was just too much but not in a good way. (DNF @ 33%)
September 14, 2018
Sue Shepherd has written a great novel. The story involves ordinary everyday people, except that he or she is not quite what they seem. The busy housewife, the avuncular vicar and the anxious secretary; they all start to fall apart as their secrets threaten to destroy them. What a complex world they weave. The plot moves forward at a brisk pace, and the development of character is one of the joys of this novel. Sue Shepherd is not afraid to meet the issues of today head on but in a thoughtful and sensitive way. There is no hiding from unpalatable truths. Tension is maintained throughout. Will the angels be able to save the day?
October 26, 2018
Started reading as I wanted a break from crime and thought it was a funny book, it wasn't what I expected at all but enjoyed it as it was different.
February 10, 2021
Loved the whole concept of this book. Funny, captivating, highly recommended.
May 6, 2022
Easy enjoyable one for the beach bag,chic lit ish, guardian angels and intertwined lives.
January 15, 2023
Such a lovely Read
A well written 1st nove!!l, I so enjoyed it can't wait for the next novel by Sue Shepherd well done
A well written 1st nove!!l, I so enjoyed it can't wait for the next novel by Sue Shepherd well done
June 12, 2015
This was a really good storyline, following the lives of three very different people with very different problems: Steph: a bored wife/mother who finds herself falling into a relationship with the new headteacher at her children's school. Mike: the town vicar, trying his best to hide a certain woman from his proud mother and loving wife. Penny: a disturbed, OCD suffering PA who's infacuation with her boss is becoming an issue too much for her to handle.
It took me a while to warm to the characters in this book, However, as I'm assuming that how the writer planned, as you get to know back stories and personalities uncover a little more, they are a lot more bearable.
It wasn't until around halfway through, when back stories were starting to unfold that I started to actually gain an interest in the story.
My main issue with this this story is completely my own issue of opinion. I didn't really like the stories of Angela, the guardian angel. Although she made great explanations to why the characters acted certain ways in different situations throughout the story, I would find myself starting to zone out when I would get to a chapter of Angela discussing everything that had gone on and how she had tried to help.
A few grammar issues also played on my mind a little too. Mainly speech marks that didn't have a beginning.
It took me a while to warm to the characters in this book, However, as I'm assuming that how the writer planned, as you get to know back stories and personalities uncover a little more, they are a lot more bearable.
It wasn't until around halfway through, when back stories were starting to unfold that I started to actually gain an interest in the story.
My main issue with this this story is completely my own issue of opinion. I didn't really like the stories of Angela, the guardian angel. Although she made great explanations to why the characters acted certain ways in different situations throughout the story, I would find myself starting to zone out when I would get to a chapter of Angela discussing everything that had gone on and how she had tried to help.
A few grammar issues also played on my mind a little too. Mainly speech marks that didn't have a beginning.
May 31, 2015
I would have given this story four, or maybe even five, stars if it didn't have the graphic (and unnecessary) sex. It was a really good story, well-written and involving, different than most. It's sad that such a good writer, with original ideas, has to resort to smut. I read erotica, so I'm no prude; I just think there is a time and a place for everything and this type of story is not the place.
October 27, 2015
love the book such a unique perspective on our shoulder great debut and look forward to She's nxt book
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews