MY SECRETS TO SURRENDER

A quickie marriage results in dangerous complications in Juniper’s small-town romantic thriller.

Byron Averill is ready for a brand-new start. The 28-year-old recovering heroin addict with a shady past has settled in the sleepy Oregon burg of Wylde, washing dishes at his older brother Griffin’s bar. Early on New Year’s Day, Byron heads to Reno, Nevada, with Katie MacNair, a lifelong Wylde resident with whom he’s fallen in love. Although they haven’t known each other long, the pair are thrilled with each other’s company and have decided on a secret wedding. So what if Byron hasn’t exactly been truthful about where he got Katie’s ring? The honeymoon is still underway when he learns that breaking out of his previous life of crime—which involved seducing women before stealing and reselling their high-end goods—is going to be tougher than he originally thought. Once the happy couple returns to Wylde and moves in together, Byron must work hard to get away clean before his new spouse finds out about his history—not realizing that Katie has secrets of her own. Will a last-minute plan result in a happy ending or a body count? The second entry in Juniper’s Wylde Hearts series is ostensibly a standalone, although the various characters and backstories make it wise to consult the first book as well. The author creates a small town full of vivid personalities, such as Katie’s best friend (and Griffin’s girlfriend) Delilah; Katie’s playboy brother, Lawson; and Byron’s wealthy, wisecracking former paramour, Hypatia. Byron’s criminal history and his plot to escape it once and for all gets a bit convoluted; some readers may find this aspect of the story distracting, more often than not. However, Byron’s reformed-bad-boy charm, and the sensual and playful love scenes between him and Katie—the novel’s true highlight—are consistently surprising and delightful.

A sexy and suspenseful read with a satisfying ending.