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A review by eajohnston
One Little Secret by Avery Maxwell
5.0
The time has come for Ashton to get his happily ever happy. If you have read any of Avery Maxwell’s previous books, you know that his story is definitely the most hard fought happily ever after and emotional ending. Now let’s dive in…
Ashton has been through so much over the years. He was seriously injured and has never recovered mentally and emotionally. He has essentially been a recluse life and has avoided anyone and everyone, with the exception of Sadie (his niece). He has been harboring so much guilt over things beyond his control and we finally get a deep dive into Ashton’s mindset with what he’s been through.
Nova is Lochlan’s sister (Lochlan is the MC from Without a Hitch, who gets his HEA with Tilly, who is Colton’s friend). She has been through something traumatic recently and needs a hideaway. The Westbrook’s take it upon themselves to take on her trauma and have her live with Ashton until things get squared away.
While living together, Nova is able to chip away at Ashton’s walls and they form a hard fought friendship and for the first thing in 8 years, Ashton feels something bigger than his guilt.
”I need you, Super Nova. I need you and want you and am terrified that I’ll ruin you.”
Nova knows that she can’t solve all of Ashton’s troubles, she is there for him in a way that no one has been before. But will it be enough? Or will Ashton be stuck in his ways and not be able to be in a relationship?
There are so many things that happen and so many answers that we get (the big one - what happened/is happening with Pacen and where is she and why is Ashton harboring so much guilt over what happened with Loki years prior?). There is so much more and so many things that happen in this book, but I won’t spoil it for you.
As usual, we get so much Westbrook (family and adopted family) love. All of the characters and spouses show up in a real way for Ashton and Nova. They just prove that once you are accepted into the chaos, there is no going back.
This book was so much more than the romance between Ashton and Nova. While we see them grow closer and eventually gain their HEA, the trauma and guilt that Ashton went through and his journey with coming clean to his family and completely changing his life stole the show.
Ashton’s interactions with Sadie were my favorite. I also got choked up at his big interactions with Loki.
As expected, this was full of emotions on all fronts. I laughed; I cried: I smiled so big; and I sobbed. I went through the rollercoaster of emotions and feels, but I expected nothing less.
Avery wrapped up the Westbrook’s stories on a high note. All of the brothers and adopted brothers have their happily ever afters and are living their best lives. We even get a bonus epilogue that was ADORABLE and we get to see the future of all the families.
“Don’t cry because it’s over. Smile because it happened.” That’s exactly how I feel about this story and all of these characters. Farewell to the Westbrook crew and I hope to see you pop up in future books!
Ashton has been through so much over the years. He was seriously injured and has never recovered mentally and emotionally. He has essentially been a recluse life and has avoided anyone and everyone, with the exception of Sadie (his niece). He has been harboring so much guilt over things beyond his control and we finally get a deep dive into Ashton’s mindset with what he’s been through.
Nova is Lochlan’s sister (Lochlan is the MC from Without a Hitch, who gets his HEA with Tilly, who is Colton’s friend). She has been through something traumatic recently and needs a hideaway. The Westbrook’s take it upon themselves to take on her trauma and have her live with Ashton until things get squared away.
While living together, Nova is able to chip away at Ashton’s walls and they form a hard fought friendship and for the first thing in 8 years, Ashton feels something bigger than his guilt.
”I need you, Super Nova. I need you and want you and am terrified that I’ll ruin you.”
Nova knows that she can’t solve all of Ashton’s troubles, she is there for him in a way that no one has been before. But will it be enough? Or will Ashton be stuck in his ways and not be able to be in a relationship?
There are so many things that happen and so many answers that we get (the big one - what happened/is happening with Pacen and where is she and why is Ashton harboring so much guilt over what happened with Loki years prior?). There is so much more and so many things that happen in this book, but I won’t spoil it for you.
As usual, we get so much Westbrook (family and adopted family) love. All of the characters and spouses show up in a real way for Ashton and Nova. They just prove that once you are accepted into the chaos, there is no going back.
This book was so much more than the romance between Ashton and Nova. While we see them grow closer and eventually gain their HEA, the trauma and guilt that Ashton went through and his journey with coming clean to his family and completely changing his life stole the show.
Ashton’s interactions with Sadie were my favorite. I also got choked up at his big interactions with Loki.
As expected, this was full of emotions on all fronts. I laughed; I cried: I smiled so big; and I sobbed. I went through the rollercoaster of emotions and feels, but I expected nothing less.
Avery wrapped up the Westbrook’s stories on a high note. All of the brothers and adopted brothers have their happily ever afters and are living their best lives. We even get a bonus epilogue that was ADORABLE and we get to see the future of all the families.
“Don’t cry because it’s over. Smile because it happened.” That’s exactly how I feel about this story and all of these characters. Farewell to the Westbrook crew and I hope to see you pop up in future books!