Release Blitz + Review: "The Secret" by Kristen Proby

I'm pleased to participate in today's release blitz promoting "The Secret" by Kristen Proby, book #1 of the Single in Seattle series. It's a spinoff of the With Me in Seattle series featuring the children of main characters from the earlier books, but does work as a standalone.

 

Growing up, Olivia Williams's famous actor/producer father sheltered her from the spotlight, raising her and her younger siblings in Seattle. Despite growing up so far from the glow of Hollywood, she was fascinated by the movie business and became a costume designer for her father's production company as an adult. She's excited to be working on a new project starring Vaughn Barrymore, the scion of a family of Hollywood royalty and exactly the opposite of the kind of man her father wants her to date. Their first meeting goes badly but Olivia and Vaughn can't help being strongly attracted to each other, and it's not long before they're dating in secret. When the press finds out about their relationship, will Olivia be forced to choose between her family and the man she loves?

I should preface this review by stating that I am generally not a fan of the insta-lust/insta-love trope, and Olivia and Vaughn's romance was very much an example of both. At first, Olivia seemed to genuinely dislike Vaughn because of his attitude, though the physical attraction was obvious. I can't blame her for her feelings, but it made the jump to them hooking up and from there almost immediately into a relationship hard for me to swallow. I wasn't a huge Olivia fan, either. I appreciated that she always stood up for herself and refused to accept less than she deserved, but the way she chose to do so sometimes came across as abrasive and bossy to me. She also had a tendency to overreact and blame Vaughn for things that really weren't his fault. Bottom line, I had a tough time connecting with either the main characters or their relationship, and that made it tough for me to completely enjoy this book.

Overall, "The Secret" was not a terrible book, but it's not going to be a keeper for me, either. I'd recommend it for readers who enjoy the insta-lust/insta-love trope as well as fans of the original With Me in Seattle series, who will enjoy the updates on characters from past stories.

 

*Review copy provided by the author via Valentine PR. All opinions expressed are my own.   

 

 

About "The Secret"

From NYT and USA Today Bestselling author Kristen Proby comes a forbidden romance. The Secret is the first in the Single in Seattle series!

Vaughn is everything I'm supposed to stay away from. Sexy. Cocky. And famous.
Ultra-famous.
I grew up in a family full of wealthy celebrities. My father, Luke Williams, is the celebrity of them all. A superstar actor and producer, my father knows the downside of living in the spotlight. And because of that, he sheltered my siblings and me from everything Hollywood entailed. We didn't attend premieres. We weren't photographed. There were no friendships with other celebrities' children.
The limelight couldn't touch us.
But now, at twenty-five, I'm ready to start my life, working for my father's production company in downtown Seattle--until Vaughn Barrymore walks through the door.
He can't keep his hands off me. He's completely forbidden, but I can't help falling for the sweet, complicated man.
When--and it's when not if--my family finds out that I've been keeping this secret, will I have to choose between the man I love and those who mean the most to me? Or, by some miracle, can I have both?