Scan barcode
lore_1703's review
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
emmaeinfachmagisch's review
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
ashreadsalott's review
4.0
This book is what I needed for make myself happy. This is the book you read after a book rips your heart out. Like say, after reading Exiled or The Boy Who Loved Wicked. This is the happiness you desire.
sharshell's review
3.0
**I received a free copy of this book to read and review for Wicked Reads.**
Secrets & Lies is a complete standalone by Brooke Blaine and Ella Frank.
Ryder and Ash first meet at a Sunday night art class. The sparks are immediate between them. Ryder seems very mature but we come to find out he is indeed in high school. He seems more mature than Ash as the story unfolds. The story in itself becomes somewhat predicable without any surprise.
I am a huge fan of these authors but for me this one just missed the mark. It isn't up to the Blaine/Frank standards I've come to love. It was very well written just not one of my favorites. I did shelve it as a "taboo subject matter" just for the fact Ryder is in high school and Ash is the teacher which may be off putting for some readers.
Secrets & Lies is a complete standalone by Brooke Blaine and Ella Frank.
Ryder and Ash first meet at a Sunday night art class. The sparks are immediate between them. Ryder seems very mature but we come to find out he is indeed in high school. He seems more mature than Ash as the story unfolds. The story in itself becomes somewhat predicable without any surprise.
I am a huge fan of these authors but for me this one just missed the mark. It isn't up to the Blaine/Frank standards I've come to love. It was very well written just not one of my favorites. I did shelve it as a "taboo subject matter" just for the fact Ryder is in high school and Ash is the teacher which may be off putting for some readers.
andreapiquer20's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
javalenciaph's review
4.0
The air outside may be nippy, but Brooke Blaine and Ella Frank's newest standalone M/M romance is bound to get fans and readers hot and bothered. Secrets & Lies is a forbidden romance between a thirty-six-year-old art teacher and his eighteen-year-old student. When Ash Delaney and Ryder Ellis first meet, the attraction isn't just mutual, it's momentous. The next time they see each other leaves them both stupefied. A line is drawn, one that Ash is determined not to cross, but Ryder proves to be an irresistible temptation. Ash knows better than to act on his feelings, but lust--and something that feels like...more--doesn't play by any rules, and maybe Ryder is worth breaking every single one of them. The question is: What could it cost them?
If you're a reader who's sensitive about age gaps and relationships that may be looked upon with disapproval by many, then here's your heads-up because those two things are very much a part of Ash and Ryder's story. That being said, theirs isn't a tale that's only focused on sex and the physical, which is what I love most about this book. Yes, there are deliciously dirty and passionate moments between the main characters, but their relationship isn't "just" about that. This was a romance, with heart and heat striking that wonderful balance alongside a pinch of angst and loads of wit.
I wouldn't be surprised if there were readers who thought that Ash was older and should have stood his ground and that Ryder shouldn't have pushed. Here's the thing, though: love and lust are powerful forces and trying to tame either one, especially when it's as true and encompassing as Ash and Ryder's, would have been foolhardy. If I had to nitpick, I would've liked actual on-page interactions between Ryder and his dad, and maybe that would've given a deeper dive into who Ryder was away from Ash, just like we got to see glimpses of Ash with his son, Sam, as well as an artist and teacher. Even so, Secrets & Lies is still a wickedly awesome 4.5-starred read.
If you're a reader who's sensitive about age gaps and relationships that may be looked upon with disapproval by many, then here's your heads-up because those two things are very much a part of Ash and Ryder's story. That being said, theirs isn't a tale that's only focused on sex and the physical, which is what I love most about this book. Yes, there are deliciously dirty and passionate moments between the main characters, but their relationship isn't "just" about that. This was a romance, with heart and heat striking that wonderful balance alongside a pinch of angst and loads of wit.
I wouldn't be surprised if there were readers who thought that Ash was older and should have stood his ground and that Ryder shouldn't have pushed. Here's the thing, though: love and lust are powerful forces and trying to tame either one, especially when it's as true and encompassing as Ash and Ryder's, would have been foolhardy. If I had to nitpick, I would've liked actual on-page interactions between Ryder and his dad, and maybe that would've given a deeper dive into who Ryder was away from Ash, just like we got to see glimpses of Ash with his son, Sam, as well as an artist and teacher. Even so, Secrets & Lies is still a wickedly awesome 4.5-starred read.
razzlet83's review
5.0
Hot for teacher romance.
When a chance encounter, at an adult painting class, leads to an unforgettable evening with a charming new artist, Ash doesn't expect the guy to show up in his art class at the local high school the next morning. Even if he is an adult, he's now strictly off limits. But their chemistry is rediclous, and Ryder isn't giving up that easily.
An artistic scorcher.
When a chance encounter, at an adult painting class, leads to an unforgettable evening with a charming new artist, Ash doesn't expect the guy to show up in his art class at the local high school the next morning. Even if he is an adult, he's now strictly off limits. But their chemistry is rediclous, and Ryder isn't giving up that easily.
An artistic scorcher.