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Secrets and Lies
When everyone else is lying to him, she's the only person he can trust. But how can he be honest with her when his lies are the only thing keeping her safe...?
Ambitious middleman Conor Baxter is determined to become his own master. He's done being an enforcer for the worst scum of London's gangland scene. This world is all he's ever known, but he has plans. Big plans. But pulling it off will mean partnering with some very scary people indeed...
He's just getting started when he meets beautiful barmaid Ella Dawson. Ella's a good girl, but there's something about Conor that catches her attention. Maybe it's his bright blue eyes, his confident, charming swagger, or that he's a bit older and treats her like a princess. Whatever it is, there's one thing for certain: falling in love with a man like Conor is dangerous.
And when Ella gets tangled up in Conor's shady deals, it's not just her heart that's at risk...
Perfect for fans of Caz Finlay, Martina Cole and Jacqui Rose.
Ambitious middleman Conor Baxter is determined to become his own master. He's done being an enforcer for the worst scum of London's gangland scene. This world is all he's ever known, but he has plans. Big plans. But pulling it off will mean partnering with some very scary people indeed...
He's just getting started when he meets beautiful barmaid Ella Dawson. Ella's a good girl, but there's something about Conor that catches her attention. Maybe it's his bright blue eyes, his confident, charming swagger, or that he's a bit older and treats her like a princess. Whatever it is, there's one thing for certain: falling in love with a man like Conor is dangerous.
And when Ella gets tangled up in Conor's shady deals, it's not just her heart that's at risk...
Perfect for fans of Caz Finlay, Martina Cole and Jacqui Rose.
385 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 2, 2021
78 people are currently reading
33 people want to read
About the author
Stephanie Harte
20 books41 followersStephanie Harte was born and raised in North West London.
After leaving school, she trained in Hairdressing and Beauty Therapy at London College of Fashion. Stephanie went on to teach beauty workshops at a specialist residential clinic for children with severe eating disorders for ten years. She also previously worked as a Pharmaceutical Buyer for the NHS and an international medical export company.
While taking a break to raise her two children, Stephanie began writing as a hobby. She signed a contract in March 2019 with Head of Zeus. Stephanie wrote seven crime novels for the publisher before signing a contract with Boldwood Books in June 2023. She is currently writing a new series, The Kennedy Twins. The first book, Double Trouble, will be released on 10th April 2024.
After leaving school, she trained in Hairdressing and Beauty Therapy at London College of Fashion. Stephanie went on to teach beauty workshops at a specialist residential clinic for children with severe eating disorders for ten years. She also previously worked as a Pharmaceutical Buyer for the NHS and an international medical export company.
While taking a break to raise her two children, Stephanie began writing as a hobby. She signed a contract in March 2019 with Head of Zeus. Stephanie wrote seven crime novels for the publisher before signing a contract with Boldwood Books in June 2023. She is currently writing a new series, The Kennedy Twins. The first book, Double Trouble, will be released on 10th April 2024.
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Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
August 14, 2021
Ambitious middleman Connor Baler is determined to become his own master. He's done being an enforcer for the worst scum of London's gangland scene. This world is all he's ever known, but he has plans. Big plans. But pulling it off will mean partnering with some very scary people, He's just getting started when he meets beautiful barmaid Ella Dawson. Ella's a good girl, but there's something about Connor that catches her attention, and he treats her like a princess. When Ella gets caught up in Conor's shady deals, it's not just her heart that's at risk.
It took me a few chapters to get into this book. It's quite predictable and full of double crossing. The pace is also quite slow for this type of read. The pace did eventually pick up nearer the end. I wasn't keen on Connor or Ella. This story showed more potential. I did like the book but not as much as the others that I've read by the author.
I would like to thank #NetGalley #AriaAries and the author #StephanieHarte for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.
It took me a few chapters to get into this book. It's quite predictable and full of double crossing. The pace is also quite slow for this type of read. The pace did eventually pick up nearer the end. I wasn't keen on Connor or Ella. This story showed more potential. I did like the book but not as much as the others that I've read by the author.
I would like to thank #NetGalley #AriaAries and the author #StephanieHarte for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.
September 6, 2021
Secrets & Lies is a compelling London-based gangland thriller with psychological elements which begin appearing around mid-way through. 19-year-old Ella Dawson is a university student working part-time at the Riverside Tavern to financially support herself and pay her tuition fees when in swaggers Conor Baxter. Immediately they both feel the electricity in the air between them; if there really is a such thing as love at first sight then this is most definitely it. He tells her he is a supplier and seller of IT equipment but little does she know, he has ties to the local gangland underworld. He is a former enforcer for one of London’s most prominent gangs turned middleman after he got fed up with following orders and now enjoys being his own boss. He still has ambitious plans for himself that he soon will put into motion, but he knows it will mean partnering with some extremely dangerous individuals. Ella had been living a fairly normal life until she met Conor and a mere few weeks after their first encounter, and despite her being 10 years his junior, he moves her into his extravagant home much to her parent's dismay.
His job as a middleman entails sourcing and distributing cocaine for small-fry London drug lords and the money he earns goes towards lavishing Ella with meals - dining at Michelin star restaurants, opulent holidays and a wardrobe full of designer gear. He treats her like a Queen, but she is starting to question exactly what her beau does to make so much dough. Sadly, as soon the honeymoon period is over, Conor's behaviour turns from protector to a possessive, controlling and jealous boyfriend. To make matters worse, he has managed to get Ella caught up in his business negotiations with the Spanish cartel which has Ella terrified and feeling completely isolated. Can their relationship survive? This is gritty and enthralling gangland crime fiction with buckets of suspense, excitement, terror, thrills, twists and an underfire romance at its centre. The slow-burning story unfolds from the perspectives of Ella and Conor and is delivered in alternating chapters. The action never ceases and the short, snappy sections make it easy to fly through the pages.
His job as a middleman entails sourcing and distributing cocaine for small-fry London drug lords and the money he earns goes towards lavishing Ella with meals - dining at Michelin star restaurants, opulent holidays and a wardrobe full of designer gear. He treats her like a Queen, but she is starting to question exactly what her beau does to make so much dough. Sadly, as soon the honeymoon period is over, Conor's behaviour turns from protector to a possessive, controlling and jealous boyfriend. To make matters worse, he has managed to get Ella caught up in his business negotiations with the Spanish cartel which has Ella terrified and feeling completely isolated. Can their relationship survive? This is gritty and enthralling gangland crime fiction with buckets of suspense, excitement, terror, thrills, twists and an underfire romance at its centre. The slow-burning story unfolds from the perspectives of Ella and Conor and is delivered in alternating chapters. The action never ceases and the short, snappy sections make it easy to fly through the pages.
September 9, 2021
Living in a fabulously large house in London with all mod cons Conor Baxter has it all, a flash car, designer suits, exotic holidays, and a great and charming personality. But how does he make his money? He's involved in gangland crime, being the middle man that dealers turn to when they need to sell or buy drugs, working for drug barons all over the world he works alone and is his own boss. Then he walks into The Riverside tavern and immediately is met with the girl of his dreams.
Ella Dawson is 19 years old and a language student working part-time at the tavern to pay her fees.
She is immediately attracted to Conor and they start an unlikely relationship her being 19 him 29. At first, he doesn't let her into his world claiming to be an IT rep.
He wines and dines Ella treating her like a princess.
Much to her parent's horror she soon moves into his luxurious home. But life with Conor isn't all Ella expected, firstly he has OCD, nothing has to be out of place and he buffs his kitchen worktops until they shine. Secondly, he keeps disappearing for days on end, and she is lonely.
This book wasn't bad, but there was a lot of repetition to it which I felt the author used to bulk out the story.
It had its twists and turns but wasn't as good as the previous book by this author.
Ella Dawson is 19 years old and a language student working part-time at the tavern to pay her fees.
She is immediately attracted to Conor and they start an unlikely relationship her being 19 him 29. At first, he doesn't let her into his world claiming to be an IT rep.
He wines and dines Ella treating her like a princess.
Much to her parent's horror she soon moves into his luxurious home. But life with Conor isn't all Ella expected, firstly he has OCD, nothing has to be out of place and he buffs his kitchen worktops until they shine. Secondly, he keeps disappearing for days on end, and she is lonely.
This book wasn't bad, but there was a lot of repetition to it which I felt the author used to bulk out the story.
It had its twists and turns but wasn't as good as the previous book by this author.
August 1, 2021
Ella Dawson is a struggling Uni student, so she pays her way by working as a barmaid at a local bar. Her parents always told her to do what is right after her parents having her at a young age.
In comes Connor Baxter an enforcer for a London gang now turned middleman. Even though Connor is older by ten years to Ella there seems to be an attraction. But instead of telling Ella what he does for a living, he tells her that he supplies I.T. equipment.
The pair have a whirlwind relationship, and they care for each so much that they decide to move into together. But against Ella’s parents wishes. Her parents think that Connor is too old for her and will lead her astray.
I have read the authors previous books, so I was looking forward to reading Secrets and Lies. This was a great story about Ella and Connor and their lives for fancy clothes, fast cars and holidays and the secret life that Connor led. But just felt that the Ella was quite naive that she didn’t have any idea about Connor as she lived with him after all. Great story for fans of Gangland crime. 4 stars from me.
In comes Connor Baxter an enforcer for a London gang now turned middleman. Even though Connor is older by ten years to Ella there seems to be an attraction. But instead of telling Ella what he does for a living, he tells her that he supplies I.T. equipment.
The pair have a whirlwind relationship, and they care for each so much that they decide to move into together. But against Ella’s parents wishes. Her parents think that Connor is too old for her and will lead her astray.
I have read the authors previous books, so I was looking forward to reading Secrets and Lies. This was a great story about Ella and Connor and their lives for fancy clothes, fast cars and holidays and the secret life that Connor led. But just felt that the Ella was quite naive that she didn’t have any idea about Connor as she lived with him after all. Great story for fans of Gangland crime. 4 stars from me.
August 31, 2021
I am a big fan of UK gangland crime fiction however this is the first book by Stephanie Harte that I have read.
Generally I enjoyed the book however I feel unsure as to what genre it wanted to be. It started off as gangland crime, then morphed into more of a psychological thriller (which is fine as the genres appear to be merging more recently) but then I felt it went more into something else that I cannot think of a way of describing without spoiling things. Having said that, as a whole, it was a totally readable, interesting book which gave the author a chance to address many subjects that we hear about and live with such as OCD, mental abuse within relationships, how an image of what appears to be an ideal life can sometimes turn out to be something completely different and how items of monetary value can sometimes sway our judgments.
Many thanks to NetGalley, Aria & Aries and the author for providing me with an electronic advanced copy of the book in return for an honest, unbiased review
Generally I enjoyed the book however I feel unsure as to what genre it wanted to be. It started off as gangland crime, then morphed into more of a psychological thriller (which is fine as the genres appear to be merging more recently) but then I felt it went more into something else that I cannot think of a way of describing without spoiling things. Having said that, as a whole, it was a totally readable, interesting book which gave the author a chance to address many subjects that we hear about and live with such as OCD, mental abuse within relationships, how an image of what appears to be an ideal life can sometimes turn out to be something completely different and how items of monetary value can sometimes sway our judgments.
Many thanks to NetGalley, Aria & Aries and the author for providing me with an electronic advanced copy of the book in return for an honest, unbiased review
August 15, 2022
Really seem to have my reading mojo back at the moment, so i'm thouroghly enjoying catching up on the books i've been meaning to read for a while.
Secrets and lies felt a little different to me after reading 'The Risking it all series of books by this author.
Secrets and lies is told from the different perspectives of the two main characters. Ella and Connor. It takes us on a journey of lies, crimes and deception. Filled with tension this is a gripping read that is easy to get lost in. It seems an unusual romance between the characters, a romance that is fraught with lies. I had mixed feelings throughout this book, although i really did enjoy it, at times i wanted to scream at the characters and bang their heads together.
It felt a mixture of gritty gangland crime and romance. a tale of two halves as they say. A different yet enjoyable easy read.
Secrets and lies felt a little different to me after reading 'The Risking it all series of books by this author.
Secrets and lies is told from the different perspectives of the two main characters. Ella and Connor. It takes us on a journey of lies, crimes and deception. Filled with tension this is a gripping read that is easy to get lost in. It seems an unusual romance between the characters, a romance that is fraught with lies. I had mixed feelings throughout this book, although i really did enjoy it, at times i wanted to scream at the characters and bang their heads together.
It felt a mixture of gritty gangland crime and romance. a tale of two halves as they say. A different yet enjoyable easy read.
July 20, 2021
Conor Baxter is a enforcer for some of the worse London gangsters it's all his known but his got big plans.
He meets barmaid Ella Dawson she's 10years younger than him and a good girl but his caught her attention and he treats her like a queen.
They fall in love and things are going really well but then Ella learns what Conor does for a living the hard way can their love survive?
I was looking forward to reading this new book by Stephanie Harte as I liked her previous books but I found this story slow paced and a bit humdrum.
Thank you to Netgalley and Aria and Aries for the ARC.
He meets barmaid Ella Dawson she's 10years younger than him and a good girl but his caught her attention and he treats her like a queen.
They fall in love and things are going really well but then Ella learns what Conor does for a living the hard way can their love survive?
I was looking forward to reading this new book by Stephanie Harte as I liked her previous books but I found this story slow paced and a bit humdrum.
Thank you to Netgalley and Aria and Aries for the ARC.
July 28, 2021
Ella is a struggle Uni student that works in a bar in London to pay for her tuition fees.
While working Ella serves Connor and there is an instant attraction, Ella and Connor seem to fall in love instantly with Ella jumping into living with Connor almost immediately.
Unbeknown to Ella, Connor isn't the IT equipment seller he claim's to be and then the relationship seems to unravel.
I had high hopes for the story but it seemed very repetitive and really unrealistic and the story didn't keep me gripped.
While working Ella serves Connor and there is an instant attraction, Ella and Connor seem to fall in love instantly with Ella jumping into living with Connor almost immediately.
Unbeknown to Ella, Connor isn't the IT equipment seller he claim's to be and then the relationship seems to unravel.
I had high hopes for the story but it seemed very repetitive and really unrealistic and the story didn't keep me gripped.
October 15, 2023
Ella is a struggle Uni student that works in a bar in London to pay for her tuition fees.
While working Ella serves Connor and there is an instant attraction, Ella and Connor seem to fall in love instantly with Ella jumping into living with Connor almost immediately.
Unbeknown to Ella, Connor isn't the IT equipment seller he claim's to be and then the relationship seems to unravel.
I had high hopes for the story but it seemed very repetitive and really unrealistic and the story didn't keep me gripped.
While working Ella serves Connor and there is an instant attraction, Ella and Connor seem to fall in love instantly with Ella jumping into living with Connor almost immediately.
Unbeknown to Ella, Connor isn't the IT equipment seller he claim's to be and then the relationship seems to unravel.
I had high hopes for the story but it seemed very repetitive and really unrealistic and the story didn't keep me gripped.
August 4, 2021
It took me a while to settle into reading this book and at the start, I wasn’t sure of the genre and found both Ella and Conor tedious and predictable. That changed when Ella started to realise that a perfect life without any financial worries isn’t all it seems and while Conor had his issues, he was gaslighting Ella whether he realised it or not. The pace picked up for me towards the end which I enjoyed .
September 3, 2021
I love the gangland genre, but unfortunately this book wasn’t for me. Connor is a 29 year old gangster who’s had a bad upbringing and trusts no one. Ella is a carefree 19 year old who is a social butterfly. Their relationship is fast paced and before she knows Ella is living with Connor and slipping into his dodgy lifestyle. The book is written in chapters looking at Ella and Connor’s point of view.
September 12, 2021
This is the first book that I have read by Stephanie Hart but I really enjoyed it. The story highlighted how important issues such as how easily a person can get sucked into a relationship and lose themselves and also how the experiences from your childhood can impact your future.
If you like books written by Kimberley Chambers and Martina Cole then this is definitely up your street and is worth a read.
Thanks to NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book
If you like books written by Kimberley Chambers and Martina Cole then this is definitely up your street and is worth a read.
Thanks to NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book
July 13, 2021
I started off with high hopes about this book but was left feeling a bit disappointed. with the predictability A typical tale of drug smuggling, ambition and double dealings but lacking in character depth and plot. The pace was slow, a bit repetitive throughout and it failed to interest me or excite me. Thanks to Net Galley for my ARC.
January 26, 2023
Good read
I took one star away because instead of using Connor or Ella's name she said boyfriend and girlfriend quite a lot. It was annoying it gave the impression she forgot their names. Apart from that I enjoyed the book.At first Connor kept his `job` as a drug dealer secret from Ella but when she found out and was dragged on to the murky world of drugs everything changed
I took one star away because instead of using Connor or Ella's name she said boyfriend and girlfriend quite a lot. It was annoying it gave the impression she forgot their names. Apart from that I enjoyed the book.At first Connor kept his `job` as a drug dealer secret from Ella but when she found out and was dragged on to the murky world of drugs everything changed
October 15, 2021
Not the best I've read.
I'm really sad to say that this book was so repetitive and a bit boring. It's not very often I give a bad review but I just can't find anything good to say. I'm sure the next one will be much better and I will look forward to reading it.
I'm really sad to say that this book was so repetitive and a bit boring. It's not very often I give a bad review but I just can't find anything good to say. I'm sure the next one will be much better and I will look forward to reading it.
October 19, 2021
SPOILER ALERT!!!
I really enjoyed reading this book and couldn’t put it down but found the ending a big anticlimax. No one died and there were no big twists or turns. Still worth a read though.
I really enjoyed reading this book and couldn’t put it down but found the ending a big anticlimax. No one died and there were no big twists or turns. Still worth a read though.
September 26, 2021
Awful
I am glad I got this book free on kindle unlimited as it is absolute drivel,,
How many times can you repeat what you have already wrote
I am glad I got this book free on kindle unlimited as it is absolute drivel,,
How many times can you repeat what you have already wrote
September 13, 2022
Secrets and Lies
Not for me, I read the whole book trying to get into it,unfortunately it didn't grip me at all definitely not on the same level as Martina Cole .
Not for me, I read the whole book trying to get into it,unfortunately it didn't grip me at all definitely not on the same level as Martina Cole .
October 7, 2022
Good
I enjoyed this book, it was an easy read. I'd be interested in a follow up of it to see how the characters are getting on
I enjoyed this book, it was an easy read. I'd be interested in a follow up of it to see how the characters are getting on
November 23, 2023
Strange story
The story started off good, but very strange
It just not for me.
I didmt like the way it was written.
The story started off good, but very strange
It just not for me.
I didmt like the way it was written.
May 12, 2025
Awful. Nearly stopped so many times not least for "my boyfriend /my girlfriend"... So irritating.. Don't waste your time.
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews