WICKED AS SECRETS (Matt & Madison Pt 1) by Shayla Black -review

WICKED AS SECRETS (Matt and Madison Part 1) (Wicked Lovers: Soldiers for Hire 7) by Shayla Black-review tour

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ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date May 16, 2023

He’ll do anything to protect her from danger…but it will cost her everything.

Security specialist Matt Montgomery has never forgotten—or forgiven—Madison Archer for walking away and ripping out his heart. Three years later, she crashes back into his life, terrified that her wealthy husband is trying to kill her. Matt vows to protect Madison…but there’s a price. He’ll have revenge by making her submit to his every sexual demand.

Part of a powerful, ruthless political dynasty, Madison’s soon-to-be ex has deep, dark secrets. When uncovering them nearly proves fatal, she turns to the one man she knows can protect her—the lover she’s never been able to forget. Matt’s ultimatum is both shocking and intoxicating. But if she wants to keep herself and her ailing father alive, he’s her only option.

As the danger escalates, so do Madison and Matt’s feelings. But navigating their rocky past while trying to stay one step ahead of her deadly husband proves perilous. Will their forbidden love survive the danger and give them a second chance at happiness?

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REVIEW: WICKED AS SECRETS is the first instalment in Shayla Black’s contemporary adult WICKED LOVERS: SOLDIERS FOR HIRE erotic, romantic suspense duet focusing on thirty-three year old, security specialist Matt Montgomery, and twenty-seven year old, primary school teacher Madison Archer.

Told from dual omniscient third person perspectives (Madison and Matt) using present day and memories from the past, WICKED AS SECRETS follows in the aftermath of a murder Madison Archer witnessed her politically connected husband Todd Pershing, kill his cousin , and was now on the run for her life. Three years earlier, having met security specialist Matt Montgomery, thinking she had fallen in love, Madison’s heart was broken when our hero ghosted the woman he would never forget. Fast forward to present day, Madison battled between head and heart, knowing the only person who might be able to protect her was the man who had broken her heart. In hiding, Matt and Madison would have to remain one step ahead of the powerful Pershing family, a step that is about to close fast with conditions applied. What ensues is the rebuilding relationship between Madison and Matt, as our couple must come to terms with what happened in the past, and the terms present to our heroine in an effort to move on with her life.

The relationship between Matt and Madison is one of second chances. Matt broke Madison’s heart three years earlier, sending her into the arms of a man she could never love but nothing is as it appears to be, and Madison’s life is not the picture present to the American public. Matt was destroyed the day Madison married Todd Pershing, and has never forgotten about the woman who got away. In hiding, Matt begins to consider his Dominant side in respect to Madison’s submission, and begins to act on his need to control the woman with whom he is falling in love but the Dom/sub plot line comes out of left field, and feels awkward in contrast to their current situation. The $ex scenes are intimate, numerous and erotic.

There is a large ensemble cast of secondary and supporting characters many of whom we have met in the numerous Wicked Lovers instalments. Everyone is willing to help keep Madison Archer safe but they seem to take issue with Matt Montgomery’s involvement.

WICKED AS SECRETS is a story of betrayal, murder and vengeance; second chances and forgiveness. The fast paced premise is intriguing, engaging and suspenseful; the characters are determined and dynamic; the romance is seductive yet struggles in the face of history and hurt. WICKED AS SECRETS ends on a cliff hanger-you have been warned.

Reading Order and Previous Reviews
Wicked as Sin
Wicked Ever After
Wicked as Lies
Wicked and True
Wicked as Seduction
Wicked and Forever

Copy supplied for review

Reviewed by Sandy

Shayla Black is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of more than forty novels. For over fifteen years, she’s written contemporary, erotic, paranormal, and historical romances via traditional, independent, foreign, and audio publishers. Her books have sold well over a million copies and been published in a dozen languages.

Raised an only child, Shayla occupied herself with lots of daydreaming, much to the chagrin of her teachers. In college, she found her love for reading and realized that she could have a career publishing the stories spinning in her imagination. Though she graduated with a degree in Marketing/Advertising and embarked on a stint in corporate America to pay the bills, her heart has always been with her characters. She’s thrilled that she’s been living her dream as a full-time author for the past seven years.

Shayla currently lives in North Texas with her wonderfully supportive husband, her teenage daughter, and a very spoiled cat. In her “free” time, she enjoys reality TV, reading, and listening to an eclectic blend of music.

➣ Follow Shayla Black on Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/shayla-black

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