From New York Times bestselling author Helena Hunting comes a new romance about trading secrets, breaking the rules, and playing for keeps.My name is Ryan Kingston, and I’m a rule follower. I’ve never been in a fistfight. I always obey the speed limit. I don’t get drunk, and I definitely don’t pick up random women at bars.Except the night I found out that my whole existence has been a lie.I got … existence has been a lie.
I got drunk. And picked up a stranger.
Her name was Queenie, and she was everything I’m not: reckless, impulsive, and chaotic. We did shots and traded secrets. And ended up naked at my place.
She left me a thank-you note in the morning and her panties as a parting gift. But no way to contact her.
Six weeks later I’m sitting in the first official team meeting of the season, and there she is. I neglected to mention that I’m the goalie for Seattle’s NHL team.
And Queenie? Turns out she’s the general manager’s daughter.
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Attention all sports romance lovers, this is the series for you! If you love a heroine who’s a bit of a chaotic mess and a hero with an alpha outside and a soft, squishy, big-hearted inside, you’ll fall helmet over hockey skates for Queenie Masterson and Ryan “King” Kingston. These two had a brief encounter, and it’s quite the shock when King reports in to start pre-season training and learns that the girl from his very out of character one night stand is his general manager’s assistant and daughter.
Queenie is one of my favorite types of heroines. Her internal dialogue, influenced by some pivotal people in her life, has made her believe that she’s a worthless human being and will never amount to anything. So it’s no wonder she leaves a lot of things unfinished and runs when things get hard. Why bother trying to succeed when she feels set up to fail?
Then King sweeps into her life and, other than her father, he’s the only person who sees down to the heart of her and realizes what an amazing person she is and how much she has to offer. And this guy, he encourages her, cherishes her, sticks with her through everything, and helps her see herself through his eyes. *swoon* Isn’t that the kind of guy we all wish for?
I love this book so hard, and everything about it! From King’s outrageous family and the bickering and bantering between teammates, to an anti-hero you’ll love to hate, it’s all amazing. (And I can’t help wondering if Mr. Anti-hero will get his own book, because that redemption would be epic!) With perfect comedic timing and a nice dose of steam, it’s the heart of this book, and the way it will manipulate and play yours, that makes this book such a phenomenal, memorable read.
If you’ve read this author, you’re already one clicking this one and, if you haven’t, you’re going to want to fix that. You need King and Queenie in your life! Fun and flirty, sexy and sweet, and hilarious and heartfelt, you absolutely don’t want to pass this one up!
This book came at a time when I really needed cheering up, and Hunting’s narrative did just that. Warning: drinking hot tea while reading is risky. I spat mine over my PJ bottoms from laughing so hard! But seriously, A Secret for a Secret isn’t all laughs and giggles, it’s a standalone opposites attract hockey romance with just the right amount of angst, swoon-worthy moments and loveable characters. And of course, as it’s book 3 in the All In Series, I got to meet up with my favourite players and their ladies again.
I confess that Bishop Winslow stole my heart in A Favor for a Favor, but now he’s running a close second with Ryan Kingston better-known as King to his mates. This guy is perfect! Not only does he have a calming influence on the entire Seattle NHL team, but he’s also a damn good goalie. Ryan likes to live an orderly life and goes out of his way not to the break rules. I chuckled to myself when he got behind the wheel and ooh my, he surprised the pants off me in the intimate scenes. Naughty man!
“Dude, Jake is going to shit his fucking pants if he finds out about this.”
“He already knows.”
But I loved his selflessness, the rapport he has with Bishop and even when a family member rocks the boat, he’s still forgiving. An unforgettable scenario that creased me up was his drink of choice. It isn’t exactly what caused the unexpected and although he liked the flavour, it had its consequences! You’ll see why I saluted Ryan for his reaction to a bombshell dropped, too.
“…I want all your dark secrets to be mine to keep. I want all your pieces, all the things that make you who you are…”
I adored the pivotal part of Ryan and Queenie’s story at the beginning of the book…a little embarrassing for them both, their astonishment was tenfold when they met up again. Queenie’s between a rock and a hard place. Poor past decisions and an uncertain future have made this young woman a little bit anxious. Who better than Ryan to give her encouragement, especially seeing she’s everything he isn’t. To her negative, he’s positive. She’s disorganized, he’s quite the reverse. However, she does have a mean sense of humor and watching her come into her own was a pleasure to read. I do so appreciate solid character development, Hunting hitting the nail on the head with everyone’s personality traits, their shortcomings and attributes.
“And I’m still sorry about . . . how overzealous I was.”
“I happened to enjoy your overzealousness.”
Am I asking too much for Jake’s book because he really deserves one? I wonder if it was only me who felt something in the air. Queenie’s father is a real charmer and the woman who catches his eye plays such an important role in Ryan’s life, that this would be the bomb.
“You have blinders on when it comes to me, Dad, and I love you for it.”
Lavender, River, all the kids–there are a lot of them in this story, are adorable. Their lives and that of their parents is like a lush voyage. With an imagination like the author’s, I’d dance on the spot if there were a second generation series.
“Queenie is a partner. She’s the olive to your pineapple.”
“That sounds awful.”
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Hunting’s captured all the feels, giving her readers a couple of excellent plot twists which I hadn’t bargained for, but were certainly welcomed and I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend not just this novel, but the whole All In Series. Bravo!
I did receive a free advanced readers copy of this book from Helena Hunting (Netgalley) in exchange for a fair and honest review.
This is book three in the All In series. If you’ve read the other series then you have a rough idea of how Kingston is. He’s the goalie, someone who colors within the line, a super safe driver, and loves instead of fighting. Queenie, she is all things creative, messy, and a bit lost. Kingston and Queenie; they are a perfect pair, Yin to Yang, control to disaster, etc but you get the idea.
We start out with Kingston and Queenie each dealing with their own difficult situation. This book is filled with humor, patience, and self growth. Both King and Queen kick start the book with great chemistry. One thing I do appreciate is the gentle way King went about how he approach Queen with his feelings and reassuring her that she was perfect the way she is. King is definitely the swoon worthy and charming man we saw in the other book. Our Queen really shines with his adoration and also brought life to the rather safe way of life that Kingston has been living.
Their book is everything sweet, funny, and a bit of angst mixed together. We do get their HEA and the book is written in dual POV. For those of you who miss the cast or are worried, dont be worry, we still see them in this book (yes, Rook and Bishop are still going at it like a couple of toddlers).
Helena did an amazing job with this book. The King found his perfect Queen. Don’t pass up this book; it’s worth it.
Helena Hunting’s A Secret for a Secret is the perfect combination of chemistry, humor, and emotion, and is an apt conclusion to her All In series.
NHL goalie Ryan Kingston is the epitome of a rule follower, from his overly cautious driving, to his perfectly pressed khakis. Queenie Masterson is a free-spirited ball of chaos who is trying to figure out her life. After a hot night of hooking up, both are sure they won’t see the other again. That is, until they both realize that Ryan plays hockey for Queenie’s father’s team. Can they attempt to be friends? Or will the overwhelming pull they feel toward each other be too intense to ignore?
One of Hunting’s greatest skills as a writer is her ability to incorporate witty humor and over-the-top laughs into a story that also has layers of emotional depth. There are so many moments where the interactions between Kingston and Queenie are downright hilarious (strawberries, anyone?), and others that tug at your heartstrings. Even though Kingston and Queenie hook up at the beginning of the book, you still feel the slow burn of chemistry as they both try to be friends without the benefits. It’s a satisfying narrative unraveling that has a great payoff. The reader also gets to know these two characters in an intimate way: they’re flawed, they’re insecure, they’re genuine. It’s very compelling to read.
Another Hunting hallmark is her intricate world-building. All of the characters contribute to the narrative arc in an essential way. No character feels superfluous, and you find yourself becoming invested in their stories as well. This is especially evident with Alex and Violet’s daughter, Lavender, with Queenie’s father, Jake, and with Kingston’s “momster,” Hanna. There are so many narrative threads to mine in this book, which is why I think Hunting is so adept at creating series. There are just too many stories to confine to one novel.
In all, A Secret for a Secret is a novel that will put a smile on your face, perhaps give you a few tears, and leave you feeling wholly satisfied. Add this to your TBR stack immediately, and check out the rest of the All In series (and the Pucked series) if you haven’t already.
Thank you to the author, Montlake Romance, and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review!
It took me longer than I’d like to admit to notice the epic name play between Kingston and Queenie. It’s embarrassing. I’ve been so excited to see what a guy like him in love looks like. I mean he’s so straight-laced, always level headed, drinkin milk instead of shots. What kind of woman would be good for him?
Enter Queenie. Kind of an artistic storm cloud. Her life isn’t all figured out or settled, and they definitely have some hurdles to get past, but she brings Kingston ALIVE. ESPECIALLY behind closed doors. Their chemistry is so good. And even though it isn’t easy, I loved reading about them. Especially an unfortunate but hilarious scene in a hotel! Every Helena Hunting book has at least one CRAZY funny moment and the one in the hotel is it for me this time. Awkward!
The end is sweet and happy, I fell in love with these characters- his calm waters and her stormy seas. And now I’m dying to know where we go from here.
This was such a great series and the addition of this book made it that much better. I had hoped after reading Bishop’s book that we would get to see what made King tick. King did not disappoint and I felt that they pairing of him and Queenie proved that opposites attract. At times, Kingston was a little too good to be true in his boy scout ways but he was perfect for the cyclone known as Queenie. The pair brought together by a secret kept from Kingston by his family and a one night stand the pair come back together by complete chance and attraction enter a relationship that has chemistry that is off the charts. Secrets from Queenie’s past make an appearance and throw the pair a few curve balls, but they weather the storm and are better and a stronger couple in the end.
I loved this book and this series. I enjoyed the return of the characters from the previous books in the series as well as the return of Alex and Violet Waters from the Pucked series. I hope this is not the last time that we see these characters because they were so well written and a joy to read. When I started this book, I was sorry that real life got in my way of being able to just sit and read it from start to finish in one sitting since I was so hooked on the story. In the end, this was such a great read that I definitely recommend this book as well as the other in this series to others
If you have been following this series, you will know that Ryan Kingston, or just King to his friends and team mates, surfaced in book two as Bishop’s best friend. In Bishop’s words, Kingston is super straight-laced, the straightest arrow he has ever met, and is extremely literal. Kingston gets along with everyone, is a milk loving, early nighter and a rule follower. Based on this description, I wasn’t all that sure that Kingston was going to be my new BBF, but…… I should have trusted HH wholeheartedly as she delivered, and delivered BIG TIME!!
Don’t get me wrong, I love a rule follower, I am one of them. It helps keep things organised and also eliminates some surprises. Kingston isn’t big on surprises, and he gets a doozy in this novel. I was worried that maybe King wouldn’t be as loveable as the other two heroes as he was extraordinary sensitive and heading into the dorky arena, but actually, all these qualities and his dirty bedroom talking makes him my favourite in this series to date. He had manners in spades and was very intuitive to Queenie’s needs and wants. He encounters a few twists and turns along the way to achieve his HEA with Queenie but it is the way he handles things that made me want to hug the crap out of him. If I had a daughter, this is the man I would want her to marry.
Queenie meets Ryan in a bar, after another bad day and they seem to be adding up for her. But I feel she finally lucked out that night with Ryan. She had made some humdinger mistakes in her short twenty-four years, but nothing unsolvable. She was raised by her dad, Jake and her mother hasn’t been in the picture since the beginning, so she has an amazing relationship with her father. Not having a female influence might cause her some indecisions or missteps but it also builds to her character of trying to do better. I loved her, not as much as I did Kingston but that might be because I was envious!
If you are only going to read one of these book in this series, this is the one I fully recommend but I have loved them all so far. I get a feeling we are going to see Jake finally move on and find his other half, with a certain momster?!! I hope so! If I am not making myself clear, I am loving this series, and this book especially. Go ahead and read them all!
Finally!!! A Goalie gets some love’n!! LOL; One of my favorite hockey sports romance series is back with Ryan Kingston. After sharing secrets with a stranger at a bar & a wild and fun night with a girl named Queenie Masterson, he was ready to go back to work as Seattle’s hockey team’s goalie. Everything is going great right? Well, maybe not when the new general manager’s daughter just happens to be his last hookup!! Oops! Can they keep it professional with the “no dating policy?” This gave me a huge smile from the very first page. These characters are so well written, relatable and funny. King is so sweet and has semi Vi vibes going on with getting flustered. These two are magic together. If you love romantic comedies you’re gonna love this one! Oh and Queenie’s dad, Jake, might be my favorite parent ever!!! LOL we also get our favorites too in this book. Told in dual POV
This whole series is great. This book is everything. I love Kingston. He is just the best guy ever. I love how encouraging and supportive he is. I hope we see more from these characters….. I really do
I am so very much in love with all the men from this series (and the women too)! I have enjoyed each and every second of the three books. Now onto King, OMG I never expected him to have such a dirty mouth but I love it. Queenie is one lucky girl. I needed a long cold shower after this book. King was everything I expected and so much more and Queenie, as much as I have loved Stevie and Lainey, Queenie is my girl. So many wonderful moments in this book but I won’t give any away, but I do want to say how much I loved the relationship between Queenie and Lavender. It was so special and I can only hope we get to see more of it in Lavender’s book.
*** I did receive a free advanced readers copy of this book from Helena Hunting in exchange for a fair and honest review***