HER OTHER SECRET by HelenKay Dimon-a review

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ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date June 25, 2019

Is it the perfect escape?
Whitaker Island is more than a getaway. For Tessa Jenkins, the remote strip of land in Washington state is a sanctuary. Fleeing from a shattering scandal, she has a new name, a chance at a new beginning, and a breathtaking new view: Hansen Rye. It’s hard not to crush on Whitaker’s hottest handyman. At six-foot-three and all kinds of fine, he’s also intensely private—and the attraction between them soon simmers dangerously out of control.
…or a private trap for two lovers?
After a devastating family tragedy, Hansen finds the pebbled shores of the faraway island to be an ideal refuge. Letting down his guard for the sexy, impulsive Tessa is an unexpected pleasure. But there’s another newcomer to Whitaker. He’s no stranger to Hansen. And when he’s murdered, the crime casts a threatening shadow. As suspicion falls on Hansen, all his secrets are about to collide with Tessa’s. Now the pasts they were determined to outrun are catching up to them. So is a killer who’s putting their love—and their lives—on the line.

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REVIEW: HER OTHER SECRET by HelenKay Dimon is a contemporary, adult story of romantic suspense focusing on  twenty-six year old, manual and guide creator Tessa Jenkins, and handyman Hansen Rye.

Told from dual third person perspectives (Tessa and Hansen) HER OTHER SECRET follows in the wake of a murder on Whitaker Island. The residents of Whitaker Island all have secrets: from political scandals to murders, blackmail to affairs, Whitaker Island is the island of misfit toys. When a well-dressed man mysteriously walks out of the water, only to be found murdered the very next day, all suspicions fall onto our leading hero when he reveals his connection to the people involved. From a badly beaten woman to the murder of the town’s most likable old man, Whitaker Island’s secrets are about to be revealed. What ensues is the building relationship and romance between Tessa and Hansen, and the fall-out as our couple find themselves on the receiving end of more attention and accusations than they could have imagined.

Like most of the residents, Hansen Rye moved to Whitaker Island to get away from his past, a past that has now drawn the attention of law enforcement and the political elite. Tessa Jenkins knows what it is like to keep her own dark and dangerous secrets but with the continuing drama, our couple’s individual pasts are about to be exposed.

The relationship between Tessa and Hansen is one of immediate attraction but neither one is in a place for romance or love. When the local ‘law enforcement’ has eyes for our heroine, Hansen steps up to claim Tessa as his own. As one another’s alibis for the on-going investigation, our couple find themselves the target of island gossip, innuendo and talk. The $ex scenes are intimate, erotic and intense without the use of over the top, sexually graphic language and text.

There is a large ensemble cast of colorful secondary and supporting characters including many local island residents. We are introduced to the island’s lawman, thirty-four year old, former military MP Ben Clifford; council member and island ‘queen’ Ruthie Totttenridge, and her son Doug; lodge owner Sylvia Sussex; vacationers and busy bodies Ellis and Arianna Wells; old man Cliff; brother/sister duo Allen Bernard and Kerrie Ross; as well as Tessa’s father senator Charles Michaelson. I am hoping the author has plans for future stories involving the island residents.

HER OTHER SECRET is a story of power, betrayal, greed and murder; a story of secrets and lies; of romance and love. The premise is entertaining and intriguing; the romance is steamy and hot; the characters are eclectic, charismatic and energetic. HER OTHER SECRET is a thrilling and edgy ride into the world of romantic suspense.

Copy supplied by Edelweiss

Reviewed by Sandy