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Secrets
The stunning new summer besteller from Freya North. They drive each other crazy. And they both have something to hide. But we all have our secrets. It's just some are bigger than others! Joe has a beautiful house, a great job, no commitments -- and he likes it like that. All he needs is a quiet house-sitter for his rambling old place by the sea. When Tess turns up on his doorstep, he's not sure she's right for the job. Where has she come from in such a hurry? Her past is a blank and she's something of an enigma. But there's something about her -- even though sparks fly every time they meet. And it looks as though she's here to stay! (Large Print Edition)
Hardcover
First published April 1, 2009
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About the author
Freya North
41 books694 followersFreya North is the author of many bestselling novels which have been translated into numerous languages. She was born in London but lives in rural Hertfordshire, where she writes from a stable in her back garden. A passionate reader since childhood, Freya was originally inspired by Mary Wesley, Rose Tremain and Barbara Trapido: fiction with strong and original characters. To hear about events, competitions and what she’s writing, join her on Facebook, Twitter and her website.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 213 reviews
January 8, 2024
Easy chick lit reading.
Freya North is an author that I will be keeping my eyes open for.
Four stars.
Freya North is an author that I will be keeping my eyes open for.
Four stars.
March 4, 2012
This book epitomizes for me what's so great about the giveaways on Goodreads. It's a book I never would have bought myself. It's a romance, it's lightweight, and I'm serious and literary.
Hmmmm. Time to rethink that whole bit, evidently.
What a sweet and smart book! It had been waiting for a day (week, month...) when I needed cheering up, and it was what the doctor ordered.
It's a paced-just-right love story, between commitment-adverse Joe, who needs a house-sitter, and Tess, a single mom who needs a home. Set on the coast of North Britain, the story offers a sweet look into the manners and life of those exotic Brits, and there's also a nice amount of sensual build-up. It explores how secrets get in the way of love, and how forgiveness is so crucial - including forgiving yourself. One of my favorite insights was how empty living without loving leaves a person, on down the road, how we have to open up and to trust.
Saints' stories once were used to show people how to live; sometimes fiction does that too. Secrets does.
I loved that Tess was OK just as she was, as a mom and homemaker. She didn't need to be a "professional" in order to deserve respect. I loved how Joe treated baby Emmaline.
This provided a great escape on a snowy day in Denver.
Recommended.
Hmmmm. Time to rethink that whole bit, evidently.
What a sweet and smart book! It had been waiting for a day (week, month...) when I needed cheering up, and it was what the doctor ordered.
It's a paced-just-right love story, between commitment-adverse Joe, who needs a house-sitter, and Tess, a single mom who needs a home. Set on the coast of North Britain, the story offers a sweet look into the manners and life of those exotic Brits, and there's also a nice amount of sensual build-up. It explores how secrets get in the way of love, and how forgiveness is so crucial - including forgiving yourself. One of my favorite insights was how empty living without loving leaves a person, on down the road, how we have to open up and to trust.
Saints' stories once were used to show people how to live; sometimes fiction does that too. Secrets does.
I loved that Tess was OK just as she was, as a mom and homemaker. She didn't need to be a "professional" in order to deserve respect. I loved how Joe treated baby Emmaline.
This provided a great escape on a snowy day in Denver.
Recommended.
June 7, 2020
What did I like about it is easier than what I didn't like about it. The female protagonist is annoyingly stupid, albeit in a nice way. However, she is what makes me cringe to be put into the same group of people called "Women". She annoys me because despite her terrible financial situation she does very little about it, giving her time and resources away to paint nails at an old people’s home free of charge despite having been offered money for it by the institution. Stupid, to say the least, impractical in every way. Although she is painted to be the "renovating" practical girl, she shows little aptitude for living life in a practical way.
The book has some factual errors which I am not sure are due to ignorance by the author of her wish to bandy around fancy words. Nathalie from France would most certainly not have need for a lymphatic drainage massage to look svelte. If she needed one of those Joe would most definitely not be with her for hot sex.
The male protagonist is a dill. He is untrustworthy in his sexual behaviour and a control freak.
He doesn't share about the most important things, i.e. putting the house on the market without telling his Tess.
The whole book is full of unnecessary fillers, almost as if the author got paid by the page and tried to make the book as long as possible. At times I found myself bored.
Then the book ends and as if "Oh, I forgot to tie up some loose ends" an epilogue the size of another chapter is added to take care of things.
Sorry, I didn't like this book.
The book has some factual errors which I am not sure are due to ignorance by the author of her wish to bandy around fancy words. Nathalie from France would most certainly not have need for a lymphatic drainage massage to look svelte. If she needed one of those Joe would most definitely not be with her for hot sex.
The male protagonist is a dill. He is untrustworthy in his sexual behaviour and a control freak.
He doesn't share about the most important things, i.e. putting the house on the market without telling his Tess.
The whole book is full of unnecessary fillers, almost as if the author got paid by the page and tried to make the book as long as possible. At times I found myself bored.
Then the book ends and as if "Oh, I forgot to tie up some loose ends" an epilogue the size of another chapter is added to take care of things.
Sorry, I didn't like this book.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 13, 2012
I am a fan of British authors who write contemporary fiction. Having visited my English Granny, British books give me that warm fuzzy feeling akin to tea and biscuits, just so comforting. I was not familiar with the setting in SECRETS, Saltburn-by-the-Sea. I dove into it expecting a fun adventure.
In the opening chapter of the book, Joe (the house owner) and Tess (the prospective house sitter) jump into an employer-employee situation without much thought. Both seemed to throw caution in the wind because Joe needed a house sitter and Tess needed a job (as well as an escape from London). The next few chapters describe how they settle into a routine of Joe in the house, Joe away from the house, and Tess in a new town with a baby. It was not quite the adventure I was expecting but a satisfying read just the same. It was a peek into "small town” North Yorkshire where the locals welcome Tess into the fold.
As Joe and Tess grow attracted to each other, their comfortable routine grows awkward. There are hits and misses, secrets revealed and problems solved. The story is neither fast paced or snail slow but just right as a realistic relationship develops over time between a committed bachelor and a single mother. North interjects some of her trademark sensuality that is not as common in American mainstream books, but it did not distract me from feeling comfy in the lives of Joe and Tess.
The house is named Resolution in honor of Captain James Cook's ship during his second and third voyages to the South Pacific. Saltburn-by-the-Sea is located in the heart of "Cook" country - Captain Cook was born in nearby Middlesbrough. The house becomes a resolution for Joe and Tess as they build a life together.
An extra bonus of SECRETS for American readers - it provided a glimpse into British customs and mannerisms. Highly recommend to romance readers who can appreciate an unusual courtship.
I requested to review an ARC from the publisher.
In the opening chapter of the book, Joe (the house owner) and Tess (the prospective house sitter) jump into an employer-employee situation without much thought. Both seemed to throw caution in the wind because Joe needed a house sitter and Tess needed a job (as well as an escape from London). The next few chapters describe how they settle into a routine of Joe in the house, Joe away from the house, and Tess in a new town with a baby. It was not quite the adventure I was expecting but a satisfying read just the same. It was a peek into "small town” North Yorkshire where the locals welcome Tess into the fold.
As Joe and Tess grow attracted to each other, their comfortable routine grows awkward. There are hits and misses, secrets revealed and problems solved. The story is neither fast paced or snail slow but just right as a realistic relationship develops over time between a committed bachelor and a single mother. North interjects some of her trademark sensuality that is not as common in American mainstream books, but it did not distract me from feeling comfy in the lives of Joe and Tess.
The house is named Resolution in honor of Captain James Cook's ship during his second and third voyages to the South Pacific. Saltburn-by-the-Sea is located in the heart of "Cook" country - Captain Cook was born in nearby Middlesbrough. The house becomes a resolution for Joe and Tess as they build a life together.
An extra bonus of SECRETS for American readers - it provided a glimpse into British customs and mannerisms. Highly recommend to romance readers who can appreciate an unusual courtship.
I requested to review an ARC from the publisher.
July 23, 2010
This was my first Freya North, and I quite enjoyed it. Even though I didn't neccessarily like the characters that much (she was a bit wet, and he had questionable morals), I did care enough to want them to have their happy ending. I enjoyed the journey that the female lead went through as she learned to come to terms with her past and her various issues. A somewhat unbelievable change of personality for him though...sleeping around with various women and then he's suddenly monogamous...too much of a stretch of the imagination for me.
I did feel that perhaps the author got a bit fed up of writing this, as the 'secrets' seemed to come out in a few contrived floods.
Something that was a bit annoying was the overuse of the words 'latter day troubador' which are obviously fashionable words within Freya Norths own vocabulary. I read another of her books soon after this one, and lo-and-behold, there they are again. Along with a new annoyingly overused word - 'Halcyon'.
I will read more Freya North, but if I see these overworked words again - I swear I am marching around to her house and forcing a thesaurus into her hands!!
I did feel that perhaps the author got a bit fed up of writing this, as the 'secrets' seemed to come out in a few contrived floods.
Something that was a bit annoying was the overuse of the words 'latter day troubador' which are obviously fashionable words within Freya Norths own vocabulary. I read another of her books soon after this one, and lo-and-behold, there they are again. Along with a new annoyingly overused word - 'Halcyon'.
I will read more Freya North, but if I see these overworked words again - I swear I am marching around to her house and forcing a thesaurus into her hands!!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 30, 2014
I didn't finish it because I was so bored by the story, it seemed like a waste of time. The female protagonist tries to be a strong woman but concentrates her whole being on the male protagonist who is unable to have a serious relationship.
I hoped that there was any tension and excitement in this book but I was disappointed.
Not to forget the annoying style of the author with a lot of jumping and imaginary talks you could hardly detect.
I won't try a book of her again
I hoped that there was any tension and excitement in this book but I was disappointed.
Not to forget the annoying style of the author with a lot of jumping and imaginary talks you could hardly detect.
I won't try a book of her again
September 10, 2009
very dull. no real plot to speak of.
December 31, 2011
Full review can be found here.
***Warning: some spoilers concerning the relationship.***
The thing that hit me the most with this story is that throughout it all, Joe is such a hypocrite! He really rubbed me the wrong way. It’s established within the first few chapters that he has women in all the foreign cities he regularly visits and that he enjoys no-strings-attached sex with each of them. Fair enough. It is then established that he is attracted to Tess, does not really act on it then goes abroad to one of his broads. Again, fair enough. Then he starts sleeping with Tess and when he next goes abroad, he goes straight to his f*** buddy (‘scuse my French.) Not cool. Not only this, but he keeps it from Tess and then has the nerve to get all high and might when she keeps a secret from him. He really wasn’t a male character after my own heart and with lines like: “His head was full of Tess but his face is full of Nathalie”, I kept hoping that Tess would wake up, smell the coffee, dump this two-timing twat and find someone who recognises that she has a good heart and deserves to be more than just ‘sex at home’ as opposed to the various women who make up ‘sex abroad’.
What’s more, whenever they fight, Tess is always the one who ends up apologising profusely even when she’s not the one who was in the wrong. The dynamics of their relationship just didn’t work for me and in a romance that’s never good. The balance was all wrong and Joe’s revelations, when they finally come, don’t get addressed properly and he never has to atone for his sins while atone is all Tess ever seems to do!
What I did like:
- Wolf: A big lummox of a dog, you can never go wrong with that! Plus, I liked his characterisation.
- Em: very cute and a bit too well-behaved for a baby. Often I found the tags that accompanied her actions would leave me smiling. She might have been too quiet for a toddler (in my experience) but she made for a very cute non-speaking character.
- Seb: I suspect that I transferred my like to him when I decided that I really couldn’t bring myself to like Joe. I just wish he’d had a bigger role.
- The girl chat: now this was a relationship where the dynamics really worked for me, though I think it would have been better to have Tamsin and Lisa as two very different personalities rather than Lisa just basically being Tamsin’s northern, and present, clone. Despite this, I enjoyed the scenes where Tess and Lisa were letting their girly sides run wild.
- Mary, the home, and Em’s stardom there: these amounted to very cute scenes often reminiscent of a sad reality of the forgotten elderly that is all too present in our society.
- The feeling of solitude: this practically oozed from the pages when Tess was yearning for the company of someone who can actually talk.
What I didn’t like:
- Joe: for the reasons previously mentioned.
- The bridge comparisons: I get why they’re there but they’d just go on for far too long and I’d find myself zoning out.
- The descriptions of the town: again, they weren’t that frequent but when they did appear I felt like I was being whacked over the head with the big, long descriptions. I would have preferred them to have been more interspersed in the narration.
- The ending: the climax came at least 50 pages before the end and everything tacked on after that was essentially to ensure that the reader fully grasped that this is how it’s going to be from now on! Eat it up! Really, it was unnecessary and just prolonged the book. With careful editing I’m sure this thing could have been at least 100 pages shorter, if not 150.
However, I do have to give credit where credit is due and admit that despite my reservations, I did find myself drawn back to Secrets each time I put it down.
***Warning: some spoilers concerning the relationship.***
The thing that hit me the most with this story is that throughout it all, Joe is such a hypocrite! He really rubbed me the wrong way. It’s established within the first few chapters that he has women in all the foreign cities he regularly visits and that he enjoys no-strings-attached sex with each of them. Fair enough. It is then established that he is attracted to Tess, does not really act on it then goes abroad to one of his broads. Again, fair enough. Then he starts sleeping with Tess and when he next goes abroad, he goes straight to his f*** buddy (‘scuse my French.) Not cool. Not only this, but he keeps it from Tess and then has the nerve to get all high and might when she keeps a secret from him. He really wasn’t a male character after my own heart and with lines like: “His head was full of Tess but his face is full of Nathalie”, I kept hoping that Tess would wake up, smell the coffee, dump this two-timing twat and find someone who recognises that she has a good heart and deserves to be more than just ‘sex at home’ as opposed to the various women who make up ‘sex abroad’.
What’s more, whenever they fight, Tess is always the one who ends up apologising profusely even when she’s not the one who was in the wrong. The dynamics of their relationship just didn’t work for me and in a romance that’s never good. The balance was all wrong and Joe’s revelations, when they finally come, don’t get addressed properly and he never has to atone for his sins while atone is all Tess ever seems to do!
What I did like:
- Wolf: A big lummox of a dog, you can never go wrong with that! Plus, I liked his characterisation.
- Em: very cute and a bit too well-behaved for a baby. Often I found the tags that accompanied her actions would leave me smiling. She might have been too quiet for a toddler (in my experience) but she made for a very cute non-speaking character.
- Seb: I suspect that I transferred my like to him when I decided that I really couldn’t bring myself to like Joe. I just wish he’d had a bigger role.
- The girl chat: now this was a relationship where the dynamics really worked for me, though I think it would have been better to have Tamsin and Lisa as two very different personalities rather than Lisa just basically being Tamsin’s northern, and present, clone. Despite this, I enjoyed the scenes where Tess and Lisa were letting their girly sides run wild.
- Mary, the home, and Em’s stardom there: these amounted to very cute scenes often reminiscent of a sad reality of the forgotten elderly that is all too present in our society.
- The feeling of solitude: this practically oozed from the pages when Tess was yearning for the company of someone who can actually talk.
What I didn’t like:
- Joe: for the reasons previously mentioned.
- The bridge comparisons: I get why they’re there but they’d just go on for far too long and I’d find myself zoning out.
- The descriptions of the town: again, they weren’t that frequent but when they did appear I felt like I was being whacked over the head with the big, long descriptions. I would have preferred them to have been more interspersed in the narration.
- The ending: the climax came at least 50 pages before the end and everything tacked on after that was essentially to ensure that the reader fully grasped that this is how it’s going to be from now on! Eat it up! Really, it was unnecessary and just prolonged the book. With careful editing I’m sure this thing could have been at least 100 pages shorter, if not 150.
However, I do have to give credit where credit is due and admit that despite my reservations, I did find myself drawn back to Secrets each time I put it down.
April 9, 2012
I couldn't finish this book (that's quite a rare thing for me) I don't often want to give up on a book because I usually trust my original instincts in starting to read something in the first place. I just couldn't continue with this because it just didn't read well. Pretty boring subject matter. The big secrets turned out to be rather lame and not all that exciting. More like draining.
Couldn't really work out why the couple seemed to like each other either.
I'm also the last person to shy away from sex scenes in fiction but this was just gratuitous nonsense. Literally whacked in there for a little titillation and when I say little I mean none.
Couldn't really work out why the couple seemed to like each other either.
I'm also the last person to shy away from sex scenes in fiction but this was just gratuitous nonsense. Literally whacked in there for a little titillation and when I say little I mean none.
October 14, 2013
I should really stop reading sort of trashy books like this. The bright pink cover and the title give it away entirely.
It's certainly EASY to read - but it just isn't satisfying. I guess it isn't BAD particularly - not notably so - it's just not good either. The writing is pretty poor, the plot is banal and predictable and I don't care that much about the characters.
I need to make sure I have a stock of "proper" books to save myself from stuff like this. Particularly after making my way through the Man Booker Shortlist, this just seems like such a waste of time.
It's certainly EASY to read - but it just isn't satisfying. I guess it isn't BAD particularly - not notably so - it's just not good either. The writing is pretty poor, the plot is banal and predictable and I don't care that much about the characters.
I need to make sure I have a stock of "proper" books to save myself from stuff like this. Particularly after making my way through the Man Booker Shortlist, this just seems like such a waste of time.
August 28, 2016
Why do writers/publishers insist on stringing out a story? The story concluded around page 400 but then there are 80 extra pages full of waffle. The main characters don't have to overcome each of their hurdles within the space of a few months just because they've met 'the one'. I might have given it more stars if it wasn't so drawn out.
January 30, 2024
Started off really well and full of promise but really sorry to say I got a bit bored half way through, I carried on with it as I hate not finishing a book but very lack luster ending. I will read Freya North again as I have enjoyed other books she's written.
April 2, 2013
I read half of it..
It was kinda intresting at the begining.. But it turned to be boring so I just left it..
It was kinda intresting at the begining.. But it turned to be boring so I just left it..
March 13, 2017
A light-hearted and entertaining read. I liked the characters (especially Wolf) and the sea-side setting!
January 1, 2012
Originally posted at: http://longandshortreviews.blogspot.c...
This story features a slow simmering burn that starts in Tess and Joe's hearts until it eventually consumes their entire being. This is not the type of love story that would traditionally interest me but the notion of an Englishman falling in love with his housesitter piqued my interest. I'm very thankful that it did. While this type of story may not be something I would normally read, Secrets is definitely a book that I would read again.
Tess and Joe seem to have much similarity, yet many differences as well. Both seem to have a stubborn streak in them, and a quick wit that makes their banter truly entertaining. They both harbor secrets they are not willing to relinquish while still seeking to learn what the other is hiding. Tess has a stronger inner strength within this story than Joe does. She is willing to throw caution to the wind and see where it takes her. It is one of the reasons she took the housesitting job in the beginning. Joe however, seems to be a little more reluctant to change, and clearly has demons in his past that continue to taunt him.
The love story between Tess and Joe is not the immediate mind numbing attraction that many love stories have. I actually appreciated this different type of growth and it made this story stand out from many others I have read. I like that Tess and Joe start off as acquaintances who eventually grows into a friends that graduate to becominging lovers. While this may sound like it may be a little too slow or drawn out it actually read very well and keep me interested and wanting to find out more. Even after I completed the book, I remembered the characters' names, which with the amount of books I read is a feat within itself.
This is a story that I would recommend to anyone who loves a good love story whether it be a traditional romance or a more contemporary one. I think that all fans of romance could really curl up on the couch or in the bed and loose themselves for hours while learning Tess and Joe's secrets.
This story features a slow simmering burn that starts in Tess and Joe's hearts until it eventually consumes their entire being. This is not the type of love story that would traditionally interest me but the notion of an Englishman falling in love with his housesitter piqued my interest. I'm very thankful that it did. While this type of story may not be something I would normally read, Secrets is definitely a book that I would read again.
Tess and Joe seem to have much similarity, yet many differences as well. Both seem to have a stubborn streak in them, and a quick wit that makes their banter truly entertaining. They both harbor secrets they are not willing to relinquish while still seeking to learn what the other is hiding. Tess has a stronger inner strength within this story than Joe does. She is willing to throw caution to the wind and see where it takes her. It is one of the reasons she took the housesitting job in the beginning. Joe however, seems to be a little more reluctant to change, and clearly has demons in his past that continue to taunt him.
The love story between Tess and Joe is not the immediate mind numbing attraction that many love stories have. I actually appreciated this different type of growth and it made this story stand out from many others I have read. I like that Tess and Joe start off as acquaintances who eventually grows into a friends that graduate to becominging lovers. While this may sound like it may be a little too slow or drawn out it actually read very well and keep me interested and wanting to find out more. Even after I completed the book, I remembered the characters' names, which with the amount of books I read is a feat within itself.
This is a story that I would recommend to anyone who loves a good love story whether it be a traditional romance or a more contemporary one. I think that all fans of romance could really curl up on the couch or in the bed and loose themselves for hours while learning Tess and Joe's secrets.
June 26, 2015
Secrets was a good choice for a nice summer chick lit read. A sort of soft sweet read, this one didn’t blow me away but I enjoyed it enough to make my way through 485 pages to get to the end.
I think that what I liked most about Secrets was the setting…a small seaside town in England, it’s very essence so unique and different from all the towns around it. I loved Wolf beyond words…easily my favorite character in this tale. If I wasn’t a crazy cat lady…I’d want a dog just like him:) I was also charmed by all of Joe’s talk about bridges and the metaphors woven throughout. Amazing imagery both literally and figuratively.
As with most small town tales, secondary characters add so much to the fabric of this story. I loved the realistic friendships that this one portrayed both between female friends and also the friendship that developed between Tess and Seb. To be honest a small part of me was actually rooting for Seb all along….
Which leads me to the things that I didn’t like so much. Joe. I am so torn about Joe…parts of him, I fell in love with right along side Tess, but even larger parts completely turned me off. Maybe it is just that Freya North really got into the male mind and it’s not a place I enjoy! lol But I found that I could not tolerate Joe’s mindset in so many instances…it just completely turned me off to the point that I had to ignore huge parts of him to actually enjoy the “Happy Ending.”
Also, this is a long one and I’ll be honest…I didn’t really feel as if all of that length was needed. The pacing was the second of my two main concerns with this read. I think this one could have been pared down and it would have made for a much more enjoyable read.
All in all this was a fair experience, I don’t think I would necessarily recommend this book, but I might try another of the author’s offerings in the future.
I think that what I liked most about Secrets was the setting…a small seaside town in England, it’s very essence so unique and different from all the towns around it. I loved Wolf beyond words…easily my favorite character in this tale. If I wasn’t a crazy cat lady…I’d want a dog just like him:) I was also charmed by all of Joe’s talk about bridges and the metaphors woven throughout. Amazing imagery both literally and figuratively.
As with most small town tales, secondary characters add so much to the fabric of this story. I loved the realistic friendships that this one portrayed both between female friends and also the friendship that developed between Tess and Seb. To be honest a small part of me was actually rooting for Seb all along….
Which leads me to the things that I didn’t like so much. Joe. I am so torn about Joe…parts of him, I fell in love with right along side Tess, but even larger parts completely turned me off. Maybe it is just that Freya North really got into the male mind and it’s not a place I enjoy! lol But I found that I could not tolerate Joe’s mindset in so many instances…it just completely turned me off to the point that I had to ignore huge parts of him to actually enjoy the “Happy Ending.”
Also, this is a long one and I’ll be honest…I didn’t really feel as if all of that length was needed. The pacing was the second of my two main concerns with this read. I think this one could have been pared down and it would have made for a much more enjoyable read.
All in all this was a fair experience, I don’t think I would necessarily recommend this book, but I might try another of the author’s offerings in the future.
April 17, 2012
Tess is running away from her old life. She's not even sure where Cleveland is when she hurriedly accepts a job as a housesitter in Saltburn-by-the-Sea, she's not even sure Joe offered her the job when she said she was on her way. She turns up at his old, large house with a baby in tow and her only possessions boxed up in her car. She's the best of a bad bunch of applicants so Joe lets her stay despite her having no idea what she's doing and she's quite obviously hiding something.
It's quite clear from the start that Tess has money problems and she's terrified of it catching up with her. As the title suggests, it's all about secrets and that it's often better to get them out in the open than letting them fester away. Tess is keeping a variety of secrets from Joe and her new friends but many of them seem quite inconsequential things to be scared about. This is often the way when someone keeps secrets for so long. Maybe it all seems a little too easy to sort things out once she starts confessing though.
Joe also has his secrets. He works abroad a lot, building bridges, and has women waiting for him in every country. Upon returning he doesn't feel like his house is home. The bridge building metaphor was perhaps a bit overdone in places and Joe's voice wasn't consistent. There's be the odd soliloquy or internal thought that didn't sound like him at all. I'll accept that he had a lot of thoughts go through his head when he has his relationship epiphany but the words on the page seemed unlikely.
I liked the setting of a Northern seaside town, it makes a nice change from London and the location adds to the story as well. Overall an enjoyable and undemanding read.
It's quite clear from the start that Tess has money problems and she's terrified of it catching up with her. As the title suggests, it's all about secrets and that it's often better to get them out in the open than letting them fester away. Tess is keeping a variety of secrets from Joe and her new friends but many of them seem quite inconsequential things to be scared about. This is often the way when someone keeps secrets for so long. Maybe it all seems a little too easy to sort things out once she starts confessing though.
Joe also has his secrets. He works abroad a lot, building bridges, and has women waiting for him in every country. Upon returning he doesn't feel like his house is home. The bridge building metaphor was perhaps a bit overdone in places and Joe's voice wasn't consistent. There's be the odd soliloquy or internal thought that didn't sound like him at all. I'll accept that he had a lot of thoughts go through his head when he has his relationship epiphany but the words on the page seemed unlikely.
I liked the setting of a Northern seaside town, it makes a nice change from London and the location adds to the story as well. Overall an enjoyable and undemanding read.
March 21, 2011
Secrets by Freya North is a page turning romance set in Saltburn-by-the-sea in the UK. If you like chick-lit, you'll love this.
Joe has a great house, great job and no committments and he likes it like that. Tess is a troubled young mum that falls into the life of Joe and changes it forever. Each has a secret past but sparks fly every time they meet.
Life as a single mum is hard but Tess does a great job raising her daughter and manages to create a new life for them. Joe trys to ignore his growing feelings and continue with his life of easy sex and no ties but as Tess and he send more time together their feelings for each other grow.
Secrets is a great read. I just couldn't put it down! Although this is the first book I've read by Freya North it won't be the last. She has me hooked!
Joe has a great house, great job and no committments and he likes it like that. Tess is a troubled young mum that falls into the life of Joe and changes it forever. Each has a secret past but sparks fly every time they meet.
Life as a single mum is hard but Tess does a great job raising her daughter and manages to create a new life for them. Joe trys to ignore his growing feelings and continue with his life of easy sex and no ties but as Tess and he send more time together their feelings for each other grow.
Secrets is a great read. I just couldn't put it down! Although this is the first book I've read by Freya North it won't be the last. She has me hooked!
January 25, 2012
Thought this was going to be a light-hearted romance book. It was about a romance, but, I thought it was kind of a stupid one. The plot was narrow, characters were superficial and shallow, but interacted with other characters as though they were not.
I read the book completely, although I did not find it compelling. I read it because I received it as a giveaway through goodreads and felt like I needed to give it a chance.
The ending was predictable. I felt the dog was the most lovable character in the book.
I read the book completely, although I did not find it compelling. I read it because I received it as a giveaway through goodreads and felt like I needed to give it a chance.
The ending was predictable. I felt the dog was the most lovable character in the book.
November 16, 2012
A wonderful light literary jaunt about a young single mom escaping reality by moving to a new town and starting a new life, with a warm and sexy romance thrown in too. I enjoyed the dog and the baby too, and the jet-setting lifestyle of the homeowner - well characterised and intimate in approach. House-sitting is an unusual theme in a novel, and I felt as though I was transported into a parallel reality, almost like sitting in a movie house and drinking in the sounds, sights, smells of the seaside where the story is based. Great holiday reading.
January 14, 2013
I really enjoyed this to start with, the description of moving to a new town and house, and the development of relationships with people there. But when the main couple got together I found myself getting irritated by all the stupid behaviour, and the "secrets" weren't really that shocking and there was no good reason to keep them hidden for so long! I do like Freya North and have read others, but this isn't one of her best!
May 9, 2025
Too much gratuitous, very descriptive, sex for my liking e.g. her landlord going into her room, smelling her knickers, then having to masturbate. What’s with the going into her room too?
Too long a book also, with a lot of padding out.
As lots of reviewers said, the secrets weren’t that awful, though the really big turnoff for me was
Too long a book also, with a lot of padding out.
As lots of reviewers said, the secrets weren’t that awful, though the really big turnoff for me was
March 21, 2012
I thought that this book was really good as it had a very interesting plot and great chracters but there were many parts that were a bit too full on and saucy for me hence not giving it the full 5 stars
August 8, 2012
I always love Freya North's books and this one is no exception. It really was a delight to read. The main characters Tess & Joe were great and was really lovely to see there relationship blossom from friendship to more. Brilliant!!!
June 19, 2015
The 2 main characters got together very quickly which was slightly disappointing. To be honest I didn't really enjoy the book, I may research the author more to find some other stuff of hers I may enjoy
July 19, 2019
This is the first of her books I read and had me hooked. It was a lovely pull on your heart strings story, where you desperately wanted the main characters to get together, overall a perfect love story
May 20, 2009
A good background story, very racy in parts, not for your maiden aunt.
August 10, 2022
Yep. not a bad one. I liked that it was set by the sea. An easy read with lovely, warm characters. An endearing story.
April 12, 2023
A nice easy read. I expected something to go wrong but I’d didn’t, it had a happy ending 😊
November 29, 2021
I don't know if I have enough words to describe how much I don't like this.
I'm about 8 hours into the 17 hour audiobook. 17 hours, yes... And if you expect those 17 hours to be due to an abundance of content, you are totally wrong.
Whenever something even somewhat important happens, the narrator reflects on it. Then character A reflects on the same thing. Then character B reflects on the same thing AGAIN. And sometimes, we get the perspective of another character too, because why not. It's so frustrating, hearing the same exact thing being regurgitated over and over again. After 8 hours - enough for most full length audiobooks to have wrapped up a complete plot line - very little of note has actually happened so far. A few uninspiring and unnecessary love triangles, a ton of angst, but no character development, or actual story progression.
If after more than 8 hours, your protagonists are still completely unlikable assholes with no visible redeeming qualities whatsoever... something must've gone terribly wrong. Seriously: 8 hours should be more than enough, to fully and exhaustively introduce your characters.
Joe is untrustworthy, because he literally only cares about himself. He is also, depending on your definition, A. a cheater, or B. a cheater waiting to happen. In either case, he is a controlling narcissist with psychopathic tendencies. In all of his monologues so far, he only ever thinks about himself and what he wants. Should he be faithful to the woman he keeps stringing along, or should he have another week-long sex vacation? Which one would yield him the best results? When things with Tess go wrong, he decides he should fire her and throw her on the street with her infant daughter, while he spends another week, again, having sex in France... literally the same night Tess tells him how much his sex-excursions make her feel jealous. And he doesn't even feel slightly bad about it, not even a LITTLE bit. I can't make this up: he is completely, irredeemably evil. He always has the power in their relationship, and he uses and abuses that fact whenever it suits him.
The art of giving a character flaws without making them a complete piece of shit, is not one the author managed to master in this book.
The female protagonist isn't very likable either unfortunately. She is also a cheater, only with less ego and without the issue of literally being a psychopath - which kind of makes it worse.
I had no interest in the two main characters getting together, until it turned out they were both irredeemable pieces of garbage. At which point, all I can say is: those two deserve each other, but I really really don't want to have anything to do with them.
An uncomfortable read.
I'm about 8 hours into the 17 hour audiobook. 17 hours, yes... And if you expect those 17 hours to be due to an abundance of content, you are totally wrong.
Whenever something even somewhat important happens, the narrator reflects on it. Then character A reflects on the same thing. Then character B reflects on the same thing AGAIN. And sometimes, we get the perspective of another character too, because why not. It's so frustrating, hearing the same exact thing being regurgitated over and over again. After 8 hours - enough for most full length audiobooks to have wrapped up a complete plot line - very little of note has actually happened so far. A few uninspiring and unnecessary love triangles, a ton of angst, but no character development, or actual story progression.
If after more than 8 hours, your protagonists are still completely unlikable assholes with no visible redeeming qualities whatsoever... something must've gone terribly wrong. Seriously: 8 hours should be more than enough, to fully and exhaustively introduce your characters.
Joe is untrustworthy, because he literally only cares about himself. He is also, depending on your definition, A. a cheater, or B. a cheater waiting to happen. In either case, he is a controlling narcissist with psychopathic tendencies. In all of his monologues so far, he only ever thinks about himself and what he wants. Should he be faithful to the woman he keeps stringing along, or should he have another week-long sex vacation? Which one would yield him the best results? When things with Tess go wrong, he decides he should fire her and throw her on the street with her infant daughter, while he spends another week, again, having sex in France... literally the same night Tess tells him how much his sex-excursions make her feel jealous. And he doesn't even feel slightly bad about it, not even a LITTLE bit. I can't make this up: he is completely, irredeemably evil. He always has the power in their relationship, and he uses and abuses that fact whenever it suits him.
The art of giving a character flaws without making them a complete piece of shit, is not one the author managed to master in this book.
The female protagonist isn't very likable either unfortunately. She is also a cheater, only with less ego and without the issue of literally being a psychopath - which kind of makes it worse.
I had no interest in the two main characters getting together, until it turned out they were both irredeemable pieces of garbage. At which point, all I can say is: those two deserve each other, but I really really don't want to have anything to do with them.
An uncomfortable read.
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