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Disclosure: I received this book to review; opinions posted are 100% mine.

Did she once have a sister? Has her mother lied all these years? Why?

Wouldn’t those words catch your attention? Yeah…..me, too!

Welcome to my tour stop for The Secret Sister by Brenda Novak. This is the first book in her Fairham Island series. It is a women’s fiction novel that released July 28th. The tour runs July 27- Aug. 7th. Check out the tour page for the full schedule.

My sister read this book, and immediately sang its praises when she brought it to me. She often plucks paperback titles from my bookshelf, returning them with a smile but without much applause. The Secret Sister, though, struck a chord with her.

Could it be the family drama, with which we’re so familiar? Was it the relationship between the controlling mother and the prodigal daughter who was still fighting for her independence? Since my sister didn’t tell me, I had to find out for myself! The book starts out feeling like a melodramatic TV movie. I felt sorry for Maisey, but glad that she was finally living her life and moving past the hurt she’d been feeling for so long. Around the midpoint of the book, things really started to pick up. I was thrilled to see that much more was going on this story. I sat on the edge of my chair, even holding my breath at times, just turning page after page to find out what would happen!

There were several characters that made The Secret Sister special. I had a soft spot in my heart for Keith, Maisey’s dysfunctional brother. He reminded me a bit of my own sibling, although he and I don’t share the same close relationship. Adorable Laney was a sweetheart, too! The setting of the story is also captivating; located along the coast, you can’t help but feel the ocean breeze flutter past when you turn the pages. The Secret Sister is equal parts mystery, romance, and drama. That is a recipe for success! I’d give this a 4 out of 5 rating. Those who enjoy meat with the sweet will love it!

The Secret Sister by Brenda Novak

Trade paperback, 400 pages

Published by Mira, July 28, 2015

Did she once have a sister? Has her mother lied all these years? Why?

After a painful divorce, Maisey Lazarow returns to Fairham, the small island off the North Carolina coast where she grew up. She goes there to heal—and to help her brother, Keith, a deeply troubled man who’s asked her to come home. But she refuses to stay in the family house. The last person she wants to see is the wealthy, controlling mother she escaped years ago.

Instead, she finds herself living next door to someone else she’d prefer to avoid—Rafe Romero, the wild, reckless boy to whom she lost her virginity at sixteen. He’s back on the island, and to her surprise, he’s raising a young daughter alone. Maisey’s still attracted to him, but her heart’s too broken to risk…

Then something even more disturbing happens. She discovers a box of photographs that evoke distant memories of a little girl, a child Keith remembers, too. Maisey believes the girl must’ve been their sister, but their mother claims there was no sister.

Maisey’s convinced that child existed. So where is she now?

Goodreads | Amazon | B&N

About the Author:

New York Times and USA Today Bestselling Author Brenda Novak has penned over 45 novels. A two-time Rita nominee, she’s won The National Reader’s Choice, The Bookseller’s Best, The Bookbuyer’s Best and many other awards. She runs an annual online auction for diabetes research every May at www.brendanovak.com. To date, she’s raised over $2 million. Brenda considers herself lucky to be a mother of five and married to the love of her life.