Secret Surrender by Priscilla West | Rating: ★★★★☆

As a note, an e-galley of this novel was sent to me via NetGalley by the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not effect my opinions in any way.

Just as steamy as the previous installment, Secret Surrender dishes out the sex and the drama in a way that is very soapy and entertaining. If ever you’re looking for what one may call a “guilty pleasure”, I promise you: this series is it. I can’t tell you how much I want to put on my best silks and lace and just relax while reading this series. There’s something about it that just screams me-time followed by a glass of wine and something sweet.

Priscilla West truly outdoes herself as we follow the romance of Kristen and Vincent; leaving us in a hazy and intriguing twist of love that readers are quite familiar with. But what else would you expect? Secret Surrender picks up right where we left off in Forbidden Surrender, barely giving us a chance to breathe before picking up with the flirtation and chemistry that follows our lead pairing and Kristen’s day-to-day life.

I enjoyed the more vulnerable side to this one. While it retains something dramatic and smoking hot, it also has a sweet edge to it.


SS fleshes the characters out as we learn a bit more of their backstory and are given the promise of exploration. We are given a glimpse of what their life together will be like, too, in the future.

There’s something that is very lovely about it and it differs from our previous book in a way without completely changing the course of things. Whatever it is, maybe the character growth and the depth of their feelings, I certainly loved it. We get to know these characters a bit more and once again we are able to travel along with them into a beautiful, romantic setting as the two take a private trip with one another.

Vincent and Kristen’s relationship has taken a sudden serious turn to it as the feelings are shown to grow beyond the lust we saw instantly. They’re tender with one another. And Vincents protective side? Phew. We’d already gotten a view of that side but it’s really come out to play. Readers will have a front row seat to all that these two would be willing to do for each other and I just can’t get enough of their connection.

Their relationship is dramatic and predictable but it’s so easy to get invested in these two. I haven’t had a fictional relationship, let alone a heterosexual one, destroy me in the way that these two did since…

Well, I don’t know when. And don't worry, readers, there's still PLENTY of that hot-as-fire-chemistry you've come to expect and West certainly doesn't slack when it comes to the smutty goodness that is her sex scenes.

It’s just so damn good.

What makes it good is that you know what the outcome will be by following different hints, you know just what will happen in the final installment. With all this romance, you know that both K and V have flaws. There are plenty of kinks in the relationship that need ironed out that can make things all the more difficult given how short of a time they’ve been together; making things all the more messy and complicated.

But you still want to continue reading it because it’s just impossible to put down. It’s a wild ride that makes all its flaws seem mediocre because no matter what it’s enjoyable.

In different ways, their pasts sneak out in this installment and leave room for resolution, mystery and more. Can they overcome all the bumps in the road? We see more than one obstacle cut into Kristen and Vincent’s budding romance and chemistry and readers notice that sometimes danger comes in different packages.

Everyone knows the path to happiness can be tricky and that things can’t always change over night, but in the briefest of moments you can see what their ending will soon be. There's a ton of foreshadowing in this one when it comes to their future as a couple, as individuals and what will come out of the shadows in the next book.

Unfortunately, we're left with a cliffhanger and I will say this, no spoilers involved, it's intense.

I just can’t get enough. Erotica fans out there, if you’re looking for something short and fun to read in between breaks of what you’re already reading, this series is completely for you. I finished all three stories in just a few days and if I had had more time, I would have certainly finished them all in one sitting. They’re short but hotter than hell and I would recommend them to anyone.