Trading Secrets

by Louisa Valentine, Louise Wilson

Nicola Pearson is a new recruit to the Federal Bank in Sydney, hired to devise a new system to manage the trading risks of the bank. It is the mid-90s and she has to prove herself professionally and intellectually to win over the dealers, especially their boss Tom Forrester. He has recently returned from a three-year stint in London to run the Federal Bank’s financial trading operations.Nicola has been left in the lurch by her ex-husband and does not trust men, lacking confidence in her judgment of them although she is confident of her workforce skills. She lives quietly, keeping her private life to herself and worrying over a secret.Tom is also divorced, following a marriage experience which left him very disillusioned. The world sees him as living in the fast lane and Nicola is not his usual ‘type’ but something about her calls to him.He gradually recognises she is bottling up a secret. Does he hold the key to relieving her worries and changing her life?

245 pages, Kindle Edition

Published February 14, 2021

About the author

Also writes under Louise Wilson

Reviews

[Craig and Phil · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you Louisa for giving us a copy to read and review.
Connecting with authors and fellow readers is indeed a bonus silver lining to the joys of reading.
Last weekend at an awesome Readers festival #NBRF2022 we were approached by a friendly lady who was intrigued with our reviewing platform.
She then said she was an author and returned with 3 books for us to read.
I have just finished the first of these independently published books and I got a lot of joy from the story as it took me on a journey from the corporate finance boardrooms to the world of fertility clinics.
Nicola is passionate about her career in banking and starts at a new bank.
As a single parent to a toddler she does the daily juggle act to sustain both roles she has.
A back story of betrayal and hurt acting a shield for future protection.
Tom is a divorcée, scarred from a marriage that was tainted with narcissism and secrets.
A perfect specimen that knows he is a drawcard to female world.
Meeting Nicola in the boardroom lights a fire in his heart.
Protective shields removed and corrosive secrets revealed pave the way for a romance if both are willing to forge through their own issues.
I reflect on the pleasure it was to have this meeting with Louisa and reiterate how much I enjoyed the book set in a world I’m familiar with.
I am glad options and networks exist to allow stories to be told.

[Nigel Stokes · Rating 5 out of 5]

In Louisa Valentine’s novel Trading Secrets, Nicola Pearson faces formidable challenges. A new job in a big bank where her role is only partly written – she has to define her job (setting risk-management rules to be applied throughout the bank to all levels of management) and establish where she fits in the management hierarchy. Despite her strong track record in finance, there are battles over status in her new job, complicated by the fact that she is dealing with men with no previous experience of taking directions from, or even listening to, a woman in a work environment. The novel is set in the 1990's when there were no established paths for a female banking executive – no corporate policy, few legal or cultural precedents. The challenge is increased by her recent divorce, a two-year old daughter, little family support. Her caution about any romantic entanglement is increased with the possibility of one with another bank executive. The efforts of her male work colleagues to undermine Nicola’s status are met by her own shrewd countermeasures. Many of the characters and events in Nicola’s bank are familiar to anyone who worked in the industry in the 1990's and are clearly based on the author’s own work experience. Trading Secrets gives the reader an insight into the strange world female banking executives entered 1990's as background to an engaging and very readable romantic story.

[ForestGardenGal · Rating 4 out of 5]

Adorable fated HEA

I admit I was a bit worried after the first chapter that I might not have enough financial background to get into this book (derivatives are scary to me!), but happily that wasn't an issue. While the story was centered around business in the financial district as a workplace, financial knowledge was not necessary and had no bearing on the story itself.

Did I guess the exact HEA scenario in the second chapter? Yes. There was no real mystery in this story, although there was always the possibility of a surprise ending. That said, the storytelling quite simply was intriguing enough to allow me to enjoy the entire book through to its inevitable conclusion. It was a pleasure to sit back and allow the story to unfold before me. Sort of like watching the Titanic... You know the conclusion, but the story is still worthwhile.

PG13 for fairly non-explicit sex scenes. No language, no violence. Themes include fertility issues, workplace sexual harassment, artificial insemination by a donor.

[Valmai Trainor · Rating 5 out of 5]

In "Trading Secrets", Louisa Valentine wrote of things I knew about in such delightful detail(eg. bringing up a toddler or walking the pathways near the northern end of the Sydney Harbour Bridge) that it brought a lot of happy memories flooding back.
Therefore, I felt issues I was not so familiar with, such as working in an all-male environment and dealing with risk management problems, were equally believable. The totally unfamiliar world of the problems faced by an infertile couple and the traumas of artificial insemination was of a more sobering interest.
The great attraction between the two main characters was very well described, culminating in the added bonus of a pleasingly satisfactory ending to this really enjoyable read.

[Squcha · Rating 4 out of 5]

Trading Secrets addresses the issues of our times: workplace romance and IVF from the perspective of a woman executive in the testosterone charged world of merchant banking. The characters display a range of strong emotions as the inevitable romance develops. An engaging read with messages that linger.

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well paced, entertaining read. I found myself picking the book up in any spare moment. We need a sequel please!

[Rachael · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nicola Pearson has a lot to prove. It’s the mid 90’s and she’s forging a career in the male-dominated banking world of Sydney. But one man, Tom Forrester, is different – and off-limits. Not just because he is her boss, but because once office hours are over, she becomes the loving single mum of her young daughter Thea.
Tom is intrigued by Nicola, despite the fact that she is a single mum, and goes against his usual caution, sending anonymous Valentine’s roses. When he bumps into Nicola one weekend with her daughter, the doors to his past and his first marriage swing wide open and questions resurface.
Nicola keeps Tom at bay, still hurt after her husband left her, but as Tom becomes friends with her young daughter, all Nicola’s insecurities surrounding her precious daughter come back to the fore.
This story will keep you turning the pages as Tom and Nicola’s pasts reveal themselves and their growing attraction becomes stronger until the answers they’ve each been searching for are uncovered.

[Peter Prineas · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought 'Trading Secrets' would be foreign territory, but the secrets traded in this novel are not those of the banking industry; they are personal ones, the kind that make and break relationships. The book does not start well, with the characters seeming rather wooden, especially the male lead, Tom Forrester. Tom and Nicola circle one another in and around the Federal Bank not like potential lovers, but more like gladiators looking for a weak point in their opponent's defence. I enjoyed being taken around Sydney as it was 30 years ago, but for a while the story seemed to be going nowhere. Then there came a point where a question arose in the story that made me want to read on. The characters came to life and their conversations more compelling and believable. I confess that the resolution of the big question moved me a little. Louisa Valentine demonstrates in 'Trading Secrets' the power of a good plot twist to draw the reader on to the end of the story.

[Frances · Rating 5 out of 5]

This cleverly titled book is a very "good read". The plot reflects a wide knowledge of the banking world which is the writer's background. Some aspects of that world immediately bring to mind the current revelations about the experience of women working in our Federal Parliament. I first thought that was uncannily prescient but on reflection it seems the behaviour is all too common.
The romantic relationship of the two main protagonists maintains momentum throughout with credible but fascinating twists and turns. This is not just a workplace romance but a much broader discovery of other interesting worlds of experience.
I always learn something unexpected from this writer's work and I strongly recommend her book.

[Louise Wilson]

I lead a double life as an author, writing novels as Louisa Valentine and non-fiction histories as Louise Wilson.

An excellent online workshop 'Creating Memorable Characters', delivered by Alli Sinclair last weekend at Geelong Regional Libraries, reminded me of the importance of a 'secret' in a novel. Whether it arises out of guilt, shame, exploitation, necessity or a ticking time bomb, a secret compels readers to turn the page.

As an avid reader, I heaved a sigh of relief that intuitively I already knew this and had explored this idea in my novel 'Trading Secrets' https://books2read.com/Trading-Secrets.

[Sandra Carmel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very much enjoyed this read. I thought Louise captured the Aussie vernacular really well especially how it pertains to the finance and economic area. And the storyline provided great insight from a female's perspective into a man's, boys-club world.

I also found the whole fertility treatment area fascinating.

It was so lovely to read about Sydney and The Rocks and surrounds and Manly ferry. I've been to those spots and done the ferry ride and it brought back some great memories. The way Louise described those areas and the ferry ride, totally resonated with me and my experience! Look forward to reading more from this author.

[Marilyn Thrupp · Rating 5 out of 5]

Having really enjoyed Louisa's first book Retreat into Paradise I was keen to read Trading Secrets.
It took me a while to do so but it certainly didn't disappoint. Louisa draws you in with her characters and storyline. Trading Secrets is also set in an area where I have lived for many years which added to the enjoyment of this book. I thoroughly recommend this book.

[Lilian Magill · Rating 5 out of 5]

Set is the fast paced world of banking, Nicola Pearson is a single mum, working in a mans world. Her boss Tom Forrester, finds her intriguing and wants to get to know her but Nicola is wary of men and has her daughter to consider. Will a secret that they are both hiding help bring them together?

[Ava Niall · Rating 5 out of 5]

Congratulations again, Loiusa Valentine: another page turner. So very Australian. I love strong female characters with a story to tell, challenges to overcome, with passion and courage to share.

[Virginia · Rating 4 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.