The Best Kept Secret by Tawna Fenske: When Nyla brings soup to her best friend (and ex-brother-in-law) after his dental 
surgery, the last thing she expects is for him to confess a huge family secret… especially when Nyla is known for not being able to keep a secret. Nyla goes through great lengths to keep the secret from her loved ones, but especially her sister.
After confessing to Nyla, Leo questions how long she’ll be able to keep it for. After regrouping with Nyla, they find a spark that simmered for years. The spark continues to grow while they spend time together until they finally give in. That just adds to the secrets that Nyla has to keep. Leo and Nyla have to figure out the best way to divulge the others in their life to the multiple secrets they have before Nyla blurts it out.
Nyla is a very dynamic character throughout the book. She may not be able to keep a secret, but she does it out of the goodness of her heart. Over the course of the book, she learns how she wants to be treated and what she deserves. Her relationship with Leo brings a part of her out that had been dormant since her past relationships. She knows that Leo is someone that she can be herself around and who accepts her for how she is.
Leo never got to put himself first, so he wants to take some time for himself. He is a great friend-turned-lover to Nyla, but he wants to know what life is like as himself only since his dad never had the opportunity. When his relationship turns romantic with Nyla, he questions all of his plans that he had made. He wants to be her person and be there for her in the long run, but does that mean he gives up the dreams that he had originally had with his dad?
There were many times where I literally laughed out loud at parts of this book. Nyla was a highlight for me. The internal struggle that she had from any secret in her life was comical and you knew how bad she struggled. Overall, the book had steam that was well balanced with the other moments. It would be very interesting to have a follow up story about how Mandi’s life has changed between the end of the book and the epilogue. She had a lot of things happen to her and a lot of different emotions over the course of this book that she deserves to find love in a follow-up book.
Book Info:
Publication: February 22, 2022 | Entangled Publishing, LLC (Amara) |
Nurse Nyla Franklin knows three things to be true. Taking care of others brings more joy than a basket full of kittens. A triple-fudge sundae can cure just about anything. And no good ever comes from keeping a secret… So when her best friend spills his biggest one ever, Nyla knows she’s not just holding a secret. She’s holding a ticking time bomb.
Mr. Always Does the Right Thing Leo Sayre knows three things to be true. Piloting smokejumpers over burning forests is the best job in the world. His best friend Nyla is the smartest, funniest, and okay, sexiest woman ever. And pain meds are apparently his truth serum. Now his post-surgery confession has everything flipped upside down and turned inside out… including his relationship with Nyla.
Secrets have a way of piling up, and it’s just a matter of time before someone lights a match. Because while the truth can set you free, it can also burn completely out of control…
