Born and raised in West Palm Beach, it’s time for Kate to move to Miami, spread her wings, and have the time of her life. Wings are easily broken. Deception masks itself as love while it slowly consumes every inch of her world. Lies spin into a web, trapping her in a nightmare she believes to be a fairy tale. Fairy tales only live in fables. Soon, her body will be painted in a truth she can’t … be painted in a truth she can’t deny but is too scared to face, so she runs.
A person can only run so far.
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Great story….very intense!!! This is definitely one of those books that will make you want to throw your reading device but it will also make you want to keep reading!!! Bring on book 2!!!
EK has a flair for making you feel in the toughest of scenes and stuns you with shocking truths she hides within.
This story starts with bunch of young college goers, who are living their carefree life, attending school, facing tough home assignments, playing sports and partying
And their top passion is surfing. Especially Kate, who’s quite talented and adept. Her and Micah and Ady and a newbie Trent are a team, laughing & frolicking in sun & sand on Miami BeacheS
Trent is a surfer, player and a schmoozer. Very hard to resist him and equally tough to pin down.
Kate doesn’t want to be another notch on his bed post, so she safeguards her heart.
“He’s too into his own thing to make a good boyfriend, and you’re too good to sell yourself short just to get the satisfaction of hooking up with him.
Then Caleb joins them
He’s hot, charming, sweet, attentive and caring…a perfect boyfriend!
The story has a youthful appeal, very light and frothy, full of flirtatious banter and easy laughter.
Then Purpose takes the wheel and the story starts to come together. I could sense the direction EK was taking us towards and I was yelling at the characters to – Don’t Go! don’t Go! there’s a chasm ahead, but alas, They never listen to reader
“I need to let go of the idea that couples are always perfect and that relationships don’t come with flaws. But the flaws we do have hold no sway over on the foundation of love our relationship stands on.”
EK winds it up with a very important message about self worth and corrosive power of debilitating love
Her writing is as always superb and goes straight to the heart. Pace is expansive and slow in the beginning but gathers up speed towards the end.
Her trademark cliffy is planted firmly at the crucial juncture and now I’m waiting to see who is behind the door!!
4 stars for Things we do for Love
Wow… The Secrets We Held… that was an intense and wild ride. I loved this story… a story about a young woman, Kate, who finds love.. This is a story about what we are willing to do for love, rationalizations, justifications…. I don’t want to give anything away but this book was incredible! The way EK Blair is able to truly let you see why Kate does what she does is amazing! You get into her thoughts and while sitting on the outside reading you may want to yell at Kate, but the way it is written, you feel her. I loved this book and cannot wait for the conclusion in The Truths We Told!!!
E K Blair is back with a coming of age story that is as emotional as it is thought provoking. The book started slow for me I had a hard time connecting wih the characters, it felt like I was bombarded with so many characters. Once all the factual information was done we start to discover more about this ragtag group of friends. The main focus is Kate as she navigates her way through friendships and love. Trent is the surfer who catches her eye they form a relationship that never gets out the friendzone even if Kate wanted more. Caleb is new to the group, he’s sweet and caring the perfect boyfriend in fact.
The story has a young vibe to it, a young group of friends living life to the max, surfing drinking and falling in love. Then it’s not so much a twist but the purpose of the story becomes clear and the reader realises that the author has left the clues the little breadcrumbs that point to a devastating conclusion. This is only book one so of course there is a cliffy and it’s one that leaves the reader with a big question….
The Secrets We Held is that book!!! That book that you find yourself wanting to put down and walk away from because it is hurting to read, BUT, you cannot put it down. You can’t walk away because it is written so well. It is so powerful. The themes in this story are so prevalent right now in this world. It’s dark, it’s scary, and it shows with haunting truth, how quickly one who “would never” becomes “the one who did”. The Secrets We Held is an incredible story. I literally could not put it down even though some parts were difficult to read. The writing kept pulling me back, the story kept dragging me back, in a powerful way!! E.K has written an emotional, intense and heartbreaking story, a story that must be read!!!! Highly anticipating part 2!!!!
I was beyond excited when I learned E.K. Blair was releasing a new duet and could not wait to get started. The Secrets We Held is the first book in the new duet and can be read as a standalone but is from the same world as The Crave duet. I absolutely devoured this story and could not stop reading. It was an emotional roller coaster that touches on some difficult topics and had me captivated from start to finish. The thing about E.K’s writing is she makes you feel the story. It’s like you are right in the middle of it and this one will leave you in pieces! I want to share so much, but this is one you just have to experience. This is a must-read and I cannot wait to get my hands on the second book! Especially after that ending!
Read and and reviewed for Sultry Sirens Book Blog.
Happy reading!
I was truly captivated by The Secrets We Held from E.K. Blair. This book truly broke my heart into pieces and I’m waiting for book two to hopefully put it back together!
This story is exciting, emotional, and heartbreaking and you will feel every single emotion right along with the characters in this story. There is definitely some heavy subject matter that will not be for all readers.
It’s been quite a while since I’ve read E.K. Blair and I have to say that I am so glad she’s back! What an amazing start to the Secrets and Truths duets!
Warning: this book may make you throw your kindle across the room!
The Secrets We Held starts out as a fun romance story with college aged characters. Kate is an excellent surfer who truly loves what she does. The sound of the waves, the sand beneath her feat, and the thrill of a good wave all speak to her soul. She’s a serious student but she doesn’t mind smoking weed to relax. She’s from an upper middle class, sweet family and is excited about starting college.
Kate soon meets Trent who is new to the area. He moved from Tampa but is also a surfer. They have an instant connection, even if that connection is full of sarcasm and insults. Kate and Trent have the best banter! Kate has a serious crush on Trent, but he’s not interested in any kind of relationship that isn’t a one night stand. I love that even though Kate desires Trent, she doesn’t give in and settle for being a beach bunny for him. Trent definitely wants Kate, but he isn’t willing to be in a serious relationship to get her.
One day on the beach, Kate and Trent meet a beginning surfer from Chicago named Caleb. He’s a terrible surfer, but a sweet guy with a great personality. He and Kate start dating.
Without saying too much more, this book quickly becomes much more serious and dark. We see Kate slowly change and how easily it can happen. I felt like even though Kate changed drastically from the beginning of the book, every choice she made was understandable. I could relate to those choices, even though I wish she didn’t make them. This book really makes you see why people stay in toxic relationships and that it isn’t always easy to end them.
I couldn’t put this book down. I stayed up late because I was so connected to these characters and this story line. I truly cannot wait for the end of this duet. It’s such an emotional, moving story and I can’t wait to see how it all comes together.
I wish I could give this one more than five stars, I loved it that much! It was raw. It was a rollercoaster of emotion. I couldn’t get enough! I fell in love with these characters…but that’s what E.k. does, she writes in a way that never fails to leave you feeling emotionally connected to her characters. It was so good to reconnect with some of my favorites from her Crave Duet that I loved so much! I cannot wait to read the second half of this duet!
E.k. Blair is back!!! And she doesn’t hold anything back with this powerful story. The message is so very important. We’ve met many of the characters already from the Crave Duet. Kate, Trent, Micah & Brody. I liked them all in Crave and feel a deeper connection to them through The Secrets We Held. Kate is trying to navigate her first year of college, classes, friends, and maybe romance. She recognizes that she has developed a crush on Trent, but Trent is keeping a wall around his heart to keep any more heartbreak from happening and quickly adds Kate to the friend zone. He does hint around to playing to keep in line with his Player status, but Kate wants a commitment and a real relationship so she passes and they develop a friendship instead.
And then comes the new guy, Caleb. He’s a senior who seems to have it all. Caleb is sweet, considerate, patient, comes from an affluent family but does not want that to define him. Kate & Caleb naturally develop a deep relationship. As perfect as things are between them, Kate can’t ignore some nagging feelings she is having. This book is about love and losing yourself in a relationship. This story pushes you to think about things that affect relationships. It evokes a lot of emotions, fear, anger, sadness, hope. The cliffhanger at the end is a big one and I’m so excited to find out what happens knowing that The Truths We Told will be amazing!!! – By Lulu
Secrets We Held is the first book in the Secret and Truths Duet. A new adult romance spoken in dual perspectives. An emotional read that will completely draw you in and end in a way you won’t be prepared for.
From West Palm Beach and now living in Miami, Kate attends the University of Miami. She loves to surf. She’s a natural. Her father is her biggest fan and the one who taught her. Most of her friends are guys who surf. Other than Piper, her roommate, she doesn’t have many girlfriends.
Trent is a surfer and a player. He doesn’t let anyone get close to him. Avoids commitments and when it comes to girls, he’s only after one thing. Kate has a crush on him but keeps him in the friend zone to protect her heart.
Van, a friend of Brody’s introduces Caleb who came to his shop for surfing lessons. Kate’s attracted to him. He’s hot. A smooth talker. He makes her shiver and cheeks blush. She instantly falls for him. As they spend more time together, she spends less time with her friends. Their relationship becomes serious. Caleb wants to bring her home to meet his parents. What happens next is shocking and hard to grasp. What you see isn’t always the truth.
3.5 stars.
This was a new to me author and had heard great things about her so was a bit gutting that I struggled to find the actual point of plot for most of the book. Especially with how the author has done her chaptering with the characters. I’m hoping we’ll get all the answers in second half, but for now 70% of the book had me feeling disconnected.
Once the actual plot started developing I got more invested, especially being a survivor of what the heroine goes through myself.
The last 30% really hit home to me that red flags are red flags for a reason, and to trust your gut and loved ones
The Secrets We Held is book one in a duet and this author has once again hit our hearts over and over. Wow! The twist and revelations that come out are shocking, but realistic. There are some triggers in this book, but we wouldn’t expect anything different from this author. She writes on sensitive topics, that leaves us with a message (positive) in the end. One thing I loved if you have read her other duet, The Crave you will see that this story runs concurrently with the last book and has you smiling if you missed those characters (I sure did). You by no means have to read that duet to read this duet, but you will sure be adding this to your ever growing TBR list, trust me!Kate an avid surfer, has some close friends. There is one that comes into the crew that she has a connection to, but friends it is based upon that she is a relationship gal and he is no relationship person. Trent, you will love and see why his actions are this way, but oh boy! I am patiently waiting to find out his response on something that was huge in this story. We met a new learner surfer, Caleb and you will be left with your mouth open is all I will say to avoid any spoilers. WTH!!! We seriously need the conclusion to this duet to release all the Secrets and get the Truth to prevail.
My emotions were really out there with this book. At first I didn’t see this taking a 180 spin until I got to the middle of the book and started noticing the changes on where this was going. Not that I was happy with this but this is something that does tend to happen in the real world and sometimes we (the ones going through it) don’t want to address it with others or don’t want people to see inside you.
Kate has a very go-lucky and easy life with her little pack of friends. She loves hanging out with them and just shooting the sh*t until Tent (a newbie) starts hanging with them and she starts crushing on him hard. But once the lines start blurring, she starts distancing herself because they both want different things and Kate doesn’t want to settle for what Trent is offering.
When Kate meets Caleb, he starts swooning her and takes her to meet his parents but she finds out a truth that she either doesn’t approve of or is to afraid to address. As time continues her relationship with Caleb just keeps getting more and more complex to the point where you just want to jump into the book and knock some sense into these people.
I’ve always wanted to read Ms. Blair’s books but have not had the pleasure of doing so and I knew I had to jump into this one because I just knew that it would hit hard in the heart and chest.
One emotional roller coaster that will leave you wondering what we can expect next in the Secrets and Truths (#2).
5 nerve wracking stars for this bravely, honestly written book about an incredibly important subject. Written with a clarity and deceptive simplicity, it sums up the steps that can lead any one into a situation/relationship, in which one person’s trusting, kind and loving nature can be used and misused. I am reluctant to write anything else about the book as I feel it deserves to be read without detail from me. My heart was in my mouth, particularly in the last half of the book as the plot developed along lines I hadn’t anticipated, but which is totally compelling. Well done!
THE SECRETS WE HELD is the first instalment in E.K. Blair’s contemporary, new adult SECRETS AND TRUTHS dark duet focusing on Kate Murphy, Caleb Bradford and Trent. The Secrets and Truths duet is a spin-off from the author’s CRAVE duet, and the timeline overlaps with some of the events in the aforementioned series.
WARNING: THE SECRETS WE HELD may not be suitable for more sensitive readers due to the numerous triggers.
Told from dual first person perspectives (Kate and Trent) THE SECRETS WE HELD follows the friendships and relationships of university of Miami college student Kate Murphy. Kate is an amazing surfer but an accident, years before, has left Kate struggling with debilitating migraines and waves of dizziness. Meeting Chicago native and college sophomore Caleb Bradford finds Kate slowly pulling back from her friends and family, as well as the sport she has loved most of her life. As the months pass, and Kate all but disappears from the lives of the friends she once loved, said friends become suspicious when Kate no longer behaves like herself.
We are introduced to Trent’s friends Micah, and Kate’s roommate Ady, as well as Caleb’s parents Rose and Conrad Bradford, and Kate’s father Steven , her mother, and her sister Audrina.
THE SECRETS WE HELD is an emotional, heart breaking, frustrating, raw and dramatic story line; a tragic story of power, control and violence; of first love, secrets, lies and the truth. THE SECRETS WE HELD focuses on a once strong and independent young woman whose circumstance and life changed when she met the man with whom she claimed to fall in love.
If you are familiar with EK’s The Crave Series Duet then you have been introduced to Kate and Trent. Trent is that guy: the player, the surfer, the chill down to earth guy that all women want to know and be close to. Kate is no exception to the magitism that is Trent. Kate quickly gets stuck in the Trent friend-zone and has to watch the up close and personal interactions he has with other woman.
“It kind of makes me want to laugh. I like him for who he is, yet here I am, trying to change him to make him something he isn’t.”
Kate is soon swept away by the new guy, Caleb. Caleb is different. Caleb is exciting and Caleb actually sees Kate. Their relationship happens fast and organically. Caleb is the only son of a wealthy family with obligations and pressure that weigh heavy on his shoulders. Kate wants to be that perfect girlfriend that she feels Caleb deserves, but at what cost?
“…women think it’s a bad thing to be simple, so they purposely complicate everything because, in a weird way, it makes them feel special.”
When a new relationship and a old friendships collide the waves become to high and Kate is forced under.
EK always gives her readers an exciting, heart pounding, true to life, heavy subject read. This book will take you places, make you feel, make you angry and most importantly make you smile.
5 Stars.
* A review copy was provided by the author *
~ 3.5 – 4 Stars ~
I have spent the past couple days trying to process my feelings about this book. Even after thinking on it for a couple days, I am conflicted about The Secrets We Held.
I have always thoroughly enjoyed E.K. Blair’s books and I did enjoy this one, but something just didn’t connect with me.
As always this book covered a really tough subject and may cause some triggers with readers. Her books are always filled with emotion, realism and are thought provoking. The Secrets We Held is no different. Just like her Crave Duet, this book touches on a subject matter that many will connect on a personal level with. If you loved her Crave Duet, I really think you should and will want to read the Secrets and Truths Duet.
The Secrets We Held is a companion duet to the Crave Duet. The books/story kind of overlap. This book takes place at the same time as the second book in the Crave Duet. You don’t have to read the Crave Duet to enjoy this one, but once you read this book, you will want to read the Crave Duet.
I don’t want to give anything away in this story, so I really can’t expand too much on why this book didn’t connect with me like E.K.’s other books. I will say that after reading this book, I am TOTALLY looking forward to the second book in this duet. I am hoping that book is more of what I was hoping this story would’ve been like. I did love both Kate and Trent’s characters. They both felt real to me and I loved the emotion they provoked in me.
I’m sorry this review is on the short and vague side, but I am having a hard time expressing my feelings without giving the storyline away. So I will just say, if you are a fan of E.K. Blair’s books then you should definitely read this duet.
As with every book E.K. writes, this book was so well written you couldn’t help but feel everything the characters felt. I felt their happiness, the sorrow, the anguish and of course their heartache. E.K. Blair is such a wonderful storyteller.