“Helena Hunting delivers a smart, funny, emotional story that grabs you from page one.”
— Ilsa Madden-Mills, Wall Street Journal bestselling author
A Secret for a Secret, an all-new
must read forbidden standalone romance that is sure to have you swooning from the start by
New York Times bestselling author Helena Hunting, is available now!
From New York Times bestselling
author Helena Hunting comes a new romance about trading secrets, breaking the rules, and
playing for keeps.
My name is Ryan Kingston, and
I’m a rule follower. I’ve never been in a fistfight. I always obey the speed limit. I don’t get drunk,
and I definitely don’t pick up random women at bars.
Except the night I found out that
my whole existence has been a lie.
I got drunk. And picked up a
stranger.
Her name was Queenie, and she
was everything I’m not: reckless, impulsive, and chaotic. We did shots and traded secrets. And
ended up naked at my place.
She left me a thank-you note in
the morning and her panties as a parting gift. But no way to contact her.
Six weeks later I’m sitting in the
first official team meeting of the season, and there she is. I neglected to mention that I’m the
goalie for Seattle’s NHL team.
And Queenie? Turns out she’s
the general manager’s daughter.
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Excerpt:
“You think our GM got himself an assistant?”
I follow his gaze to the front of the room. Standing at the desk
with her back to us, arranging papers, is a woman with wavy chestnut hair that nearly reaches
her waist. “Maybe an intern?”
She’s wearing a navy dress that conforms to her very feminine
form. I trace the dip of her waist and the curve of her hip, skimming down to where the hem of
her dress hits the bend in her knee. Her calves are bare, athletic, and toned, and her heels
boast a little bow on the back. Classy, yet sexy. “Possibly.”
“I hope the eye candy is gonna be permanent,” someone at the
table behind us says, loud enough for everyone close by to hear.
“I wouldn’t mind if she helped me with my jockstrap,” one of the
other guys chimes in, eliciting a loud chuckle from the rest of the table.
I glance over my shoulder and pin them with an unimpressed
glare. I recognize Foley from Tampa, and Dickerson is an LA trade. They’re notorious
womanizers. “Watch your mouth and have some respect. That’s someone’s daughter.”
“Take it easy, King. It’s not like we’d actually say that to her
face,” Foley says.
I don’t have an opportunity to reprimand him further because
the GM, Jake Masterson, and our head coach, Alex Waters, enter the room through the side
door. The GM crosses over to the woman, whose back is still turned to us, and he gives her a
smile that seems . . . overly warm. He leans in and squeezes her shoulder as he says
something with his mouth close to her ear.
“Maybe she’s not his assistant. Maybe she’s his new
girlfriend, ’cause that looks pretty damn friendly to me.” Bishop jams a sausage link into his
mouth.
“Maybe,” I agree.
She turns slightly, giving me a glimpse of her profile. Her
cheeks are flushed pink. I blink a couple of times, because she seems incredibly familiar.
“I think I know her,” I mumble, more to myself than to Bishop.
“Not as well as our GM does, by the look of things.”
It hits me like a puck in the chest without pads on. I do know
her. Queenie. My one-night stand who bailed the next morning and left a Post-it and panties hanging
from my doorknob. Destroyed
panties. “Oh God.”
Did I sleep with the GM’s girlfriend? Memories come barreling into my brain, and I want to sink into the
floor. My behavior that night was highly atypical. Everything about that night was. I chalked it
up to the alcohol, the family drama, and the fact that she seemed to be a very eager and willing
participant in our adventures. Do not think about the
things you did to her.
I’d be lying if I said I haven’t thought about Queenie and our
night together. I’ve even considered driving by the bar where we met, but I don’t know if she’s
likely to show up there. And it’s not as if I can ask the bartender about her without looking like a
creep. Besides, if she wanted me to have her number, she would’ve left it.
“Are you okay? You look like you’re about to hurl,” Bishop asks.
I cover my mouth with my palm, not because I’m going to be ill
but to hide the fact that it’s hanging open and I can’t seem to close it. Although my stomach is
starting to do those awful somersaults that will soon turn into full-on nausea. The kind I used to
get when I’d first hit the ice for a game.
This is bad. Really bad. I’ve never had a one-night stand
before. I’ve always been in committed relationships, and I prefer to get to know my bed partners
before they actually get into bed with me. Teen pregnancy was pretty common where I grew up
in Tennessee, because there wasn’t much else to do apart from playing sports or getting into
trouble with drugs and alcohol—my brother, Gerald, went the latter route. I obviously fit into the
sports category. By the time I became a teenager, my parents had finally learned their lesson. It
was drilled into me to never become that kind of statistic, or to turn my girlfriend into a mom
before she was ready to take on more than senior-level algebra.
Ironic how my actual mother would’ve been one of those girls
had my grandparents not made the choices they had.
“King?” Bishop nudges me. “You’re staring, man.”
Jake whistles with his fingers, causing the woman beside him
to cringe but then quickly school her expression into an uncertain smile. “Who’s ready for a new
season?”
He’s rewarded with a chorus of cheers from the players. Waters
stands off to the side, clapping enthusiastically. He generally runs all team meetings, but Jake is
a hands-on GM, so he always manages first meeting intros before he hands it over to our
coach.
Jake waits for everyone to settle down and take their seats
before he continues. “Gentlemen, I’d like to introduce you to my personal assistant, Queenie.”
He throws his arm over her shoulder and pulls her into his side.
A hot spike of anger rushes down my spine—it’s a foreign
feeling. I’m usually very level headed. But not right now. It’s obvious by the way Jake and
Queenie interact that there’s a relationship there. Is
she a cheater? Did she make me one? There’s a
definite age gap. He’s young for a GM, but he’s in his forties, and I’m pretty sure she’s in her
mid twenties.
“She also happens to be my daughter, so don’t get any ideas,
boys.” He somehow manages to wink and glare at the same time.
And it just went from bad to worse.
My one-night stand isn’t my GM’s girlfriend; she’s his
daughter.
Review:
3.5-3.75 stars
***
This was a pretty good book. Queenie is the daughter of the general manager of a pro hockey team. She recently lost her job and is forced to move into her dad's guest house and get a job as his assistant. Ryan Kingston is a pro hockey player on the team. He and Queenie meet at a bar and don't know who each other are. They trade secrets with each other and get rip roaring drunk. They have a sloppy makeout session before passing out. They are shocked to later meet again at work. As they are forced to spend time together, they find a continued attraction, which leads to a relationship. They have a lot of drama and baggage to get through but eventually they get an HEA.
I liked this story. It was interesting and held my attention. But I will say I didn't connect as much with this book as I did with the others in this series. Queenie and Kingston were pretty good characters, but not my favorites by Ms. Hunting. I just found Kingston a little too odd. He always wore the same clothes - a white polo shirt and khakis. He was stammering and embarrassed around Queenie for much of the book. He did turn more alpha in the bedroom, but he was just one of those guys that's a little too nice, otherwise. He was a "boy scout" of a guy, perfectly nice and supportive. On the other hand, Queenie was a bit of mess. Her personal life and her home were often a disaster. I didn't feel a ton of chemistry between them, but I did eventually feel the love and sweetness between them. This book is full of drama from outside forces. Both of them had ex-BF/ex-GF drama. There is drama in the press. Both of them had mommy issues and Queenie had daddy drama. She also had past relationship baggage to get over before she could move on with Kingston. It was just a bit much all in one book. Still, I liked the book in general. There was a good story and good writing. Queenie and Kingston had some sweet, funny and sexy moments. I was glad that they weathered their problems and came out stronger together. I was happy with where they ended up by the end of the book. They were happy and in love.
Overall, this was a good book, if not my favorite in the series. I liked Queenie and Kingston's relationship progression. I also enjoyed the glimpses of other characters from the series. I look forward to more from Ms. Hunting in the future!
About Helena Hunting
New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of PUCKED, Helena Hunting lives on the outskirts
of Toronto with her incredibly tolerant family and two moderately intolerant cats. She's writes
contemporary romance ranging from new adult angst to romantic sports comedy.
Connect with Helena
Facebook Fan group: http://bit.ly/2kN5yCD
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