*I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*

I was disappointed with this book. When I read its synopsis I expected an exciting romantic thriller but the truth is... it's not that exciting. I mean, we do have the troubled hero, the police detective with a sad past and the helpless heroine whose world crumbles down, but I just could not engage with the characters or the story.

Suzy came across as someone with very little personality, that went around life on the whim of other people. She didn't love her husband and didn't really wanted to marry him but did it anyway when he asked her. Then she knew the marriage was not going well but went along with his idea of having a baby. And it just seemed like too much of a match made in heaven for Nick to get a wife and a son all at once.

Plus there's some problems of continuity with the story. One example (but there's more): one scene where Suzy has to leave the house undetected she decides to escape through the back and then get in a cab but on the next chapter she's in her car.

Another thing I didn't get was the title cause this widow had no secrets, guilty or otherwise... Her dead husband was the one with the secrets!

Then there's the fact that we don't get full closure, since we don't get to know who's behind the murders and even the why is not fully explained. And there's the kidnapping victim whose faith is also left unexplained. But since this is the first in a series, and I already saw that the next one will focus on the third murder victim, I'm expecting all will be revealed then.

A fast and easy read that had potencial to achieve much more but sadly just doesn't really reach it. ( )

Good book. I liked both Suzy and Nick. Suzy felt that her marriage has been over for a long time. Her husband has been keeping secrets, is withdrawn and hardly ever home and she's had enough. She is ready to ask him for a divorce when she learns he's been murdered. The detective who comes to tell her also has a lot of questions for her. At first she is angry with him for treating her like a suspect, but when they move on from that she realizes that she is attracted to him. As they work together to try to find out who murdered her husband that attraction only gets stronger. Nick suspects Suzy of the murder at first, but soon realizes she had nothing to do with it. He is disturbed by his attraction to her but tries to ignore it as he works to find the killer. The more he and Suzy find out about her husband the more they realize that this is a bigger mystery than they thought. Nick's feelings for Suzy grow quickly and he works to protect her and her son and sister. There are several interesting plot twists and I'm looking forward to seeing how the series goes on. ( )

Widow's Guilty Secret by Marie Ferrarella
3 STARS
A Widow's Guilty Secret(Vengeance In Texas)
I don't know if this is first book in the series. But I think it is.
In the Prologue Professor Melinda Grayson is kidnapped. Then we hear in a few sentences later in the book mentioned about her is all.
Then this story is about a Suzy Burris brand new mother of two months waiting for her husband Peter the Sheriff to come home because she wants a divorce. Suzy thinks her cheating on her, keeping secrets, hardly talking or sharing anything with her.
In the quiet town of Vengeance three dead bodies each buried in thier own grave have been murdered. One body is the Sheriff, another a Senator & a third man. each have a card with liar on it in thier pockets.
Nick Jeffries has moved to this small town after working in Houston. He gets to tell the Sheriff's wife that she is now a widow. He interviews her at her house.
I felt like I was missing a lot and maybe I missed a book I know that the next book in the series is written by a different author.
I just have a tough time with Suzy. She just gets told her husband is murdered and the next day is feeding the detective two meals. Some other things happen that I don;t want to give away the book but she sleeps with Nick. It just was hard for me to believe that they were acting like that at that time.
Nick sleeping with a murdered Sheriff's wife just days later. Just could not buy the story. I know when I was told my husband was dead it was a stressful time.
I usually really like Marie's books and will continue to read her work. Maybe with the next book in the series it will all tie in better.
Thier are some love scenes,funny scenes and was cop's gag scene.
I was given this ebook to read in exchange of honest review by Netgalley.
Publisher: Harlequin (December 18, 2012) 288 pages ISBN-10: 0373278063 ( )

A Widow’s Guilty Secret
By Marie Ferrarella
★★

Suzie Burris is waiting for her husband to get home so she can ask for a divorce. Having agreed to have a child to try to connect with each other she is now the new mother of a two month old baby and has had enough of her philandering husband. As Suzie is anxiously waiting for her husband Detective Nick Jeffries shows up to inform her that her husband has been murdered.

I usually like what Harlequin releases, this is one of those instances where it was a miss for me. Granted Marie Ferrerella is a great author, she does a wonderful job in bringing her story fully to life. The problem is the story itself. First off you have a woman who has just given birth and whose husband has just been murdered but she is constantly taking off and leaving her two month old son with her sister. Then you take into account that this is a romance novel and she will inevitably fall in love with the detective, again I see what the author is trying to say that the marriage has been over for a while but her husband died what a few hours ago and she is falling for someone else? I think that if the author had switched Suzie and her sister Lori characters with each other she would have had a much better novel. The third problem I have follows the not so subtle:
**Spoiler Alert**
The absolutely biggest problem I had was when as you may have predicted her son and sister are kidnapped. And what does a grieving widow whose child is in danger do? You guessed it, have passionate sex with the man who is supposed to be working on her husband’s case. Wait what?
**End Spoiler Alert**

Unfortunately I did not like this book which is rare from me as I said I usually like what Harlequin puts out there, this one was just too much. There’s drama then there is “You’ve got to be kidding me!”

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