This is the first book I’ve read by this author, and while organized crime is not usually my thing, M/M definitely is so I decided to give this one a go. I was interested to see how things would play out, since this kind of setting-like any other hyper-masculine setting-makes an M/M relationship pretty dicey. This is the author’s second book, and while technically it stands alone, there are characters from the first book and some of their backstory that I would have preferred to have up front. It was mostly revealed as this book went on, but at times I did feel a bit adrift until I got that information.
I really, really liked Greg. Yes, he might go around busting up kneecaps and do other unsavory things as an enforcer for a crime boss, but underneath it all he really is a good guy (you know, the bad boy but with a heart of gold type). Jake is the unpredictable, kind of unbalanced one, and while he’s the absolute definition of a bad boy, there’s horrible things in his past that have shaped who he has become today. Greg and Jake are a perfect fit-best friends, roommates, work partners, and possibly more—if they can overcome Jake’s past and keep themselves alive when someone wants them dead.
Between the Secrets is high on the action, suspense and tension, and when Greg and Jake do come together it’s also hot, intimate and raw. Each would do anything for the other, and at times things between them can be quite intense. This story does touch on the difficult topics of sexual and physical abuse, so may be disturbing for some readers. It does leave you wanting to tuck Jake away in your heart for everything he’s been through.
There’s a lot of buildup as the two try to figure out who is out to get rid of them, and because of that the ending seemed a bit anti-climactic to me. We’re also left with a bit of a cliffhanger involving their boss, Ron, which is meant to hook you for the next book. In the end, Between the Secrets was a 3.5-star read for me, and it’s the relationship between Greg and Jake with its intensity and emotion that earned it each of those stars. This book is meant strictly for readers 18+ for adult language and topics, and M/M sexual content.