Winner in the 2016 RUBY awardsA birthday card out of the blue from his estranged father sends successful Seattle marketing man Alex Chernoff on a detour to Sweetheart in search of answers about his past. A day, maybe two, to tie up loose strings and he’ll be out of there, heading for Mexico, margaritas and blondes in bikinis.Emma Stanhope is all too familiar with hot, rich, entitled guys like … rich, entitled guys like Alex. They never hang around for long, especially not for a Plain Jane like herself. No problem. She’s smart and logical, like any good scientist, and knows better than to lose her heart.
What Emma doesn’t count on is chemistry—of the romantic kind. What Alex doesn’t count on is meeting the girl who’ll make him want to change his ways. But when he learns that he’s a secret from his father’s real family, he can’t stay in Sweetheart… even if he wants to.
Will love be enough to convince Alex to stay… for good?
Previously titled “The Montana Son” – Book 2 in the Secrets of Cherry Lake series
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Good read.
Great book beginning to end!
Enjoyed this story very much!
This was an excellent read with a story which rang true. I hope others will read it. It’s worth your time.
It is about a timely topic especially with the sudden interest in DNA testing.
Very different boy-meets-girl story. Really sweet and realistic.
This was a book that was a little bit predictable, but not certain. I truly enjoyed the great story and the characters. I loved the ending!
Good character motivation, much better than average, feeds a satisfying plot line. Not a cliff hanger but motivated me to buy the next in the series.
I loved this book!
Leaves you wanting more
Different twist than usual. Enjoyed it very much.
Good characters, a bit slow sometimes but interesting story
Good book. Good characters and story line. A very nice read.
The Secret Son was an ok story. The situation was real enough, but the characters seemed to be a bit shallow. Quick, easy read with an HEA.
Very thought provoking! Good storyline. Great characters!
Different premise, fairly well-developed characters, quite realistic in many ways. Felt like I could be right there along with everyone in the story. Really enjoyed that it was much like real life can be.
Fantastic story with great characters, couldn’t put it down!
The Secret Son is a heartwarming and very touching story. It gets one to think about how our choices cause so much damage to innocent people. It lets you actually feel the hurt and pain that someone’s selfishness brought upon those innocent people. See below for how I observed things and what I would wish could happen.
OBSERVATIONS:
… Robert: it’s not easy putting lipstick on a pig. He made very questionable choices and refused to own up to the repercussions of those choices. Yes, I know, he finally turns a page but just look at the pain, the hurt, the loneliness his rejection caused.
… Alex: My heart went out to him. He received all the backlash from his parents’ selfishness. He wanted to belong. He outdid himself to become successful. He competed against a ghost, a father who abandoned him, who denied him. He always made sure he was ‘good enough’ by being at the top of every endeavor. It was Alex who suffered the most from rejection and buried secrets.
… Emma: Fiesty, spunky and confident on the outside but not on the inside. She was self deprecating. Loved how Alex helped her with her self esteem issues. Her own dad abandoned her. She would know first hand just how Alex felt with the pains of rejection and abandonment. They were good for each other even though on the outside, they were worlds apart.
… Linda: Hard to describe her. She comes across a loving and kind. But it just seems unlikely that she didn’t pick up on something wrong. Surely all those fishing trips would cause her to question something! How about money going out for child support? And, was she any better than Robert? She kept her own son a secret for six years.
This ‘very loving’ family lived in denial, false pretenses and way too much pride. Secrets may be buried, but over the years erosion has a way of digging them up.
WISHES:
Wanted to know Robert’s inner thoughts, how he justified what he did. He said he loved his son but he sure didn’t fight for him. He gave him up lickity split. I didn’t buy his excuses or his reasons. I’d love to know his inner reflections, inner thoughts. Did sending support money ease his conscience?
Robert’s heart attack was too easy… I would much rather have seen and heard him FINALLY acknowledge Alex as his son to his family. But nope, he kept on denying him. He hadn’t seen Alex in 23 years. When he finally does see him, he still refuses to accept him. He pretends like he’s a stranger His pride meant more to him than his own son. He had a lot of questions that needed answered by the children he didn’t reject. (It’s funny how clear things become when you realize there may not be a tomorrow.)
How did Robert feel when he found out he had another son that was six years old? When he discovered Will was about the time he abandoned Alex….tsk, tsk.
What did Robert say to Nate at the bar-b-que when he pulled him away from talking to Alex? Why did Nate avoid Alex all those years too? He knew about him. So many unanswered questions that I’d like to know. And how about the paternal grandmother? Did she not even try to see her grandson? Did she not even want to know him?
Emma’s dad needs is own comeuppance in his own story.
I enjoyed reading The Secret Son. It was very well written and held my attention as he dealt with his family that he didn’t know about. His love interest in a family friend was a special twist also.