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…

Titles in the Where There’s Smoke series include — The Two Date Rule – Just A Little Bet – The Best Kept Secret –

Although a series, each story can be easily read as a standalone title.

This is an adult 18+ story that may contain language, possible violence, and/or sexual situations geared to an adult audience.

Title:  The Best Kept Secret
Series:  Where There’s Smoke #3
Author:  Tawna Fenske
Genre:  Contemporary Romance
Published:  March 1, 2022
Publisher:  Entangled Publishing
My Rating:  4.5 stars

The Best Kept Secret is a complex, intriguing, sexy, and emotional ride between now friends who once were extended family (Leo was married to Nyla’s sister but now divorced) that takes a sharp turn into territory that neither ever expected to come to light.  Although Nyla and Leo’s story is the third in the series, they can all easily be read as standalone titles with a slight character-based connection.

Nyla and Leo have gone from friends to family to back to friends to something far more complicated thanks to Leo’s reaction to a needed dose of pain medication.  He lets a tightly held secret loose, of course, he can tell his friend Nyla anything… but everyone knows that she cannot keep a secret to save her life.  This secret is going to compound an already complicated situation as they are also letting the attraction between them finally be acknowledged and acted upon.  How do a former sister and brother-in-law now face a sizzling attraction between them… plus that secret that will change so much within Nyla’s and Leo’s family if the truth becomes known.

I’ve enjoyed this author’s work over the years, but this one holds a special spot for me as it addresses a touchy, complex issue with humor, tears, and acceptance.  I’m sure there are reviews out there that have already given that secret away – I do not intend to be one of them, however.  I think it holds more impact if you come upon it naturally, but that’s my opinion.

I loved every moment spent with The Best Kept Secret.  There is a fun, loving couple falling for each other, building a future, there are tears of anger and frustration, there is acceptance of situations that cannot be changed but taken at face value, and there are very real people in all the roles who bring this story alive with humor, sexiness, sadness, and that special touch that I can never explain but know when I read a good story that touches me emotionally.  I liked this couple and their story is emotional and complex.  I had fun here and really, that’s all that matters.

*I received an e-ARC of this novel from the publisher via NetGalley. The opinions expressed in this review are my own – good, bad, or indifferent. I was not financially compensated for this review and no expectation of a positive review was promised.*

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