#Review: The Secrets We Keep by Jo Lambert @Jolambertwriter #newrelease #CornishCoastalRomance #Cornwall #romanticsuspense #romance #RespectRomFic

Apologies for absence – I don’t know about everyone else, but I find it really difficult to sit at the keyboard when we have some unusually gorgeous weather. But I’ve done some lovely walks, my garden’s now looking considerably tidier… and the really good news is that there’s nothing I enjoy more than reading books in a comfy chair, under the shade on a sunny day, so I really must tell you about the books I’ve been reading, with a review planned for every day this week. And where better to start than with The Secrets We Keep by Jo Lambert – published on 25th April, the third and final book in her Cornish Coastal trilogy, it’s now available via Amazon for kindle (free via Kindle Unlimited) and in paperback (the e-copy I read was my own, pre-ordered via Amazon). I featured this lovely book on publication day (you’ll find the post here) – you’ll find details there too of the other books in this series, which is one I’ve very much enjoyed…

After her father’s tragic death, abandoning thoughts of university, Hayley has supported her mother with the day to day running of the Estuary House Hotel in Kingswater. Now, she is ready to return to her studies, but before that there’s a summer to enjoy.

 

Hayley has no idea how much the two young men she is about to meet will influence her future. Adam Davenport, wealthy and entitled, arrives on his father’s luxury motor yacht, livening up the quiet town with his on-board parties. But it’s photographer Nick Pallister, staying at the hotel while working on an assignment for the Cornish Tourist Board, who captures her heart.

 

As the end of summer approaches, Nick unexpectedly checks out, taking steps to make sure he cannot be traced, leaving Hayley to face the fact she has merely been a summer fling. Days later, Adam takes a taxi into Truro and disappears. Despite an extensive police search, he is never found.

 

Six years later Hayley is settled and happy with a small daughter, Amelie. Nick Pallister’s unexpected arrival at the hotel, takes her by surprise, dredging up unwanted memories. Why did he leave so suddenly? And did it have anything to do with Adam’s disappearance? But there’s the danger Nick could have questions of his own, ones that might jeopardise the new life she has built for herself and her daughter.

Romantic suspense isn’t always a personal favourite – but my goodness, the author does it so very well. This story drew me in from the very beginning and kept me gripped by its many unexpected twists and turns.

Hayley’s plans to go to university were put off after the loss of her errant father – she’s been helping her mother run Kingswater’s Estuary House Hotel – but, when the summer is over, she plans to return to her studies. But the summer has some excitement in store – the arrival of a luxury yacht in the bay, with three young men on board who plan to make the most of their stay with a round of increasingly out-of-control parties. Adam Davenport becomes Hayley’s friend, introducing her to the high life – but not everyone is pleased about the way he constantly turns to her for advice, and she’s not entirely happy either with the way he expects her to be at his beck and call. There’s no romance there – she’s far more attracted to photographer Nick Pallister, staying at the hotel while on an assignment, who’s unfortunately been snapped up by pushy receptionist Scarlett. Life becomes difficult for everyone – there’s a real edge of darkness to the story, an undertone of threat and danger – that culminates in Nick’s sudden departure from the hotel just as a relationship between them begins to develop, followed by Adam’s unexplained disappearance.

The story then moves on six years. Nick is back in Kingswater, having been asked by Adam’s mother – police intervention and a succession of private investigators having drawn a blank – to help her investigate his disappearance given his familiarity with the community. Hayley – still at the hotel, now with a young daughter – is still hurting after Nick’s earlier abandonment. There are blanks to be filled, questions to be answered, secrets to be uncovered – and a lot of effort needed to put right the wrongs of the past before there’s any possibility of a happy ending.

I must say that I found this a really compelling story, very different, and with excellent characterisation – there’s a lovely focus on friendship and family (and there are certainly plenty of complications there…), and the book’s romantic content is beautifully handled. The book’s main villain really made me shudder – but he was never anything but entirely believable, desperately unstable and deeply threatening. But the other supporting characters are exceptionally well drawn too – I particularly liked Trystram, with his unwavering support for Hayley and his alliance with Nick as he moves closer to uncovering the full story.

The secrets that slowly emerge were perfectly handled, with the tension and mystery sustained throughout – it was one of those stories where you think you’ve worked everything out, only to find that you were looking in the wrong direction. The second chance elements were excellent too – emotionally engaging, and I really wanted things to work out for the individuals I’d rather taken to my heart. And I really must mention the perfect Cornish setting – vividly drawn, with a real sense of community, and a few familiar characters (something I always enjoy…) from the earlier books.

This was a book I really enjoyed – the author’s writing and story-telling has never been better – and one I’d very much recommend to others.

About the author

Jo Lambert lives on the eastern edge of the city of Bath. She is a member of the Romantic Novelists Association. She has been writing since 2008. Her first five books, a set of linked romantic sagas following the lives of several families in rural West Somerset, were followed in 2015 by Summer Moved On, a contemporary romance set in South Devon. A sequel, Watercolours in the Rain was published 2017,
In June 2018 Jo signed to Choc Lit and her debut A Cornish Affair, was published in 2019 under their Ruby Fiction imprint.

The first book of her Cornish Coastal series, Shadows on the Water, was published in 2020, followed by A Kingswater Summer in 2021. The Secrets We Keep has recently been published, completing the trilogy.

When she isn’t writing she reads and reviews. She also has an active blog. Jo loves travel – particularly Italy – red wine and music from the sixties and beyond…and she often takes the odd photograph or two

Website and Blog | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | Linkedin