*Review of eARC received via NetGalley*

Well... that went different than I expected.

The last three books in this series have been mostly about situations that directly affect the protagonist. What kind of person the protagonist marries, what station in life does the protagonist want, what will the protagonist do with her newfound freedom - but this one is about how the protagonist is going to help people she loves. How does she deal with the fallout of someone else’s choices.

Nicole is a wonderful character. Her strengths also become her flaws in each scenario she’s presented with. I love how her options all seem so small at first, but the consequences are huge as each scenario plays out. Everything else around her changes (that’s the premise of the story), but she remains constant.

This series is unique and interesting, though not without its flaws. I question why this imprint packages itself the same as most indie/self-published books do, yet it is part of a tradpub company (Kensington, you’re fooling precisely no one). True, that has nothing to do with the story itself - but as someone who reads indie and wants to support indie authors, what in the seven hells are these shenanigans? Are they that threatened by indie publishing? It’s just weird to me.

Again, nothing to do with the story. Just something I noticed. Kind of obvious when you pick up one of these Rebel Base books - whether in print or electronic format.

I received an e-ARC of this book from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
A Choice of Secrets was my first foray into Hendee's Dark Glass series. A was captivated by the story line and read it in one go. I found the premise to be original and all of the characters to be fully developed. I will now go hunt down the first 3 books in the series ;o)

Lady Nicole Montagna knows a secret. And now she is faced with a choice, she can either tell her older brother and get his insight; stay silent and let events unfold; or inform her entire family so they can deal with it together. In her moment of indecision a mirror appears and allows her to live through the consequences of each scenario. Once she has lived through the three possible futures she must then make her choice. Who will she tell? Each future has its own terrible and wonderful moments; will she chose love, family or duty?

Each time I read one of the books in the Dark Glass series it becomes my favourite. I can’t help it every single book has been excellent. The books take a sheltered young woman and throw an extreme life changing situation at them then allow them to live out the consequences of their choices. For me, what makes this unique format even better is that there is never a “best” choice. Each one has its unique challenges and triumphs. The heroine may find love, but at the detriment to those she cares about. Or, the heroine may gain power and influence, but never know love and care. This means that as a reader you can’t always predict what the heroine will chose when the crucial moment comes.

A Choice of Secrets did a great job of showing you each of the possible futures. The danger with a book formatted like this, where essentially the same time period is told three times, is that it will be repetitive and boring. However, I didn’t think this was the case. Each of the futures were different enough that boredom was never an issue. In fact it was the opposite. Once I got started I was completely enthralled, and intrigued to see which future Nicole would pick.

This was a great book and one I highly recommend, each of the books can be read as a standalone. None of the stories are connected, the thread through the series is the mirror that shows the heroine the outcome of her trinity of choices. I don’t know if the Hendee is bringing out any more books in this series, I certainly hope so as I definitely plan on reading them.

Barb Hendee spins a tale of an impossible three choices of secrets. Should the heroine tell that her sister has betrayed her betrothed with another man and thus gain him for herself? Should she keep silence and allow the marriage that would end with the secrets coming out? Or should she choose a third option. The heroine sees the outcomes of all these choice in a mirror and lives out each one before she chooses. Which will she choose?

I have read every book in this series, and I really like the format. However this is my least favorite book in the series. Like the last book instead of the heroine focusing on what would be the best choice for her, she focused on what would be the best choice for another character. Which wouldn’t be as bothersome if that character wasn’t selfish in every outcome. Honestly that character should’ve been the lead since every choice was about her more than the heroine, and that person never took into account how their decisions affecting others around them negatively. I also didn’t like that the last two choices outcomes were so similar, based on the heroine’s personality it was easy to see which way things would go. I also missed that unlike the first book the heroine didn’t get to see her whole life play out, decades down the line. I wonder if she would’ve made the same choice if things didn’t work out the way she assumed. I will read the next book, with the hope that the focus is on the heroine’s life not other people.

Thank you to netgalley for giving me an e-ARC for an honest review.

"Keeping a secret was one thing, living with it was another"

A Choice Of Secrets is the 4th book in the Dark Glass series of Barb Hendee and is a standalone novel. The story follows Nicole, a daughter of a lord whos father has made an marriage alliance with a neighbouring lord of her older sister in exchange for soilders to defend their lands. When Nicole learns a big secret she is at a cross roads of a choice that will change the lives of all those she loves. Suddenly a 3 way mirror appears and a witch trapped inside tells her she will show her what will come of her choices. She is forced to live out each choice and in the end must decide what path she will take. This is a story of family, love and sacrifice.

✅Interesting story concept, reminds me of the choose your own stories I read as a child.
✅The main protagonist is a strong female charecter
✅Easy and Fun read
✅Standalone Novel, you dont need to read the others in the series to under stand what was happening

❌Got a little repetitive, i ended up skimming those paragraphs but it didnt effect the main story too much.

I really enjoyed this read! If was fun and easy and i finished in only a few hours because i needed to know what was going to happen. I really liked how the choices affected everything that would happen, and that it wasn't always in the best interest of Nicole. It was interesting to read the same life played out over and over though (as i mentioned above) it did become a bit repetitive and i feel like it could have just been summarised and skipped over instead of reading word for word the same sentence. All in all though i liked Hendee's writting style and will deffinatly be picking up the others in the series when I'm in the mood for a light easy read 😊

🌟🌟🌟💫/5

Unique, different, out of the ordinary are all words that I would use to describe this book. I was almost half afraid to start the book, hoping that it wouldn't be less than expected. It wasn't but I wasn't exactly sure what to expect. It was pretty darn good story though.
Nichole was the one that the mirror appeared to and she had some heavy responsibility at the end of the 3 paths that she could take. Nichole herself was a good main character. And as the book showed, she cared deeply for her family and also her sister Chloe's fiancee, Christophe. She wanted to honorably for both of them but there are some pretty tough choices to make. And on top of that there is the safety of her home and townspeople that add to the weight. If this marriage between Chloe and Christophe doesn't happen, many could lose their lives. Why? Because with the marriage comes the guarantee of military protection from the groom's side. They need that because of all the raiding going on by some ruthless people, who would sweep in, take what they wanted and leave. They left destruction and stole people and Nichole's family just didn't have trained men to guard against them. We also got to see differing reactions that Christophe had on each path. Chloe also has different outcomes with each choice.
Each "path" that the mirror showed Nichole kept my interest and had an interesting conclusion as well.
There is also a preview of Barb Hendee's book " Through A Dark Glass". I just might have to follow up on that one. It's another book about the 3 possible futures shown to a woman through that special mirror.

A Choice of Secrets is the Fourth installment in author Barb Hendee's Dark Glass series. Each of the books in the series offers up new protagonists, a beginning, and a wrap-up. You don't have to read the previous three novels in order to read this book. This story follows 17-year old Lady Nicole Montagna who is the sheltered younger daughter of the Lord and Lady of the White Deer Lodge. Nicole's father still treats her as a little girl where she can't attend major parties that are too much fun.

While Nicole is given no chance of having her own future, or family, or path, her sister Chloe is betrothed to Lord Christophe de Fiore who has promised her father up to 200 soldiers to help protect them from invading raiders who steal women and destroy villages. Then one day, Nicole overhears her older sister, Chloe talking with Julian Belledini, third son of a minor baron.What she hears will change her destiny. Can Nicole keep a secret?

Or, will she tell her family what she overheard, and therefore destroy Chloe's reputation and any chance that Christophe will follow through with his promise of helping protect Lord Montagna's shoreline. This is the point where the infamous 3-way mirror appears. The witch in the mirror tells Nicole that she is at a crossroads. She will live out 3 outcomes, 3 different choices, 3 paths, 3 actions that will have major implications for everyone involved.

~Should she tell her soldier brother Erik who will take swift, ruthless action to ensure the family’s safety? Or,

~Should she remain silent, let her sister deceive her husband into believing the child is his, then hope Chloe can get away with the lie? Or,

~Should she tell her family, hoping they will know the right thing to do?

Each of these choices are truly unfair to Nicole. She hasn't done anything wrong at all. She is happy taking after her mother learning how to use various herbs, & raising chickens which provide eggs. But, it lands on her shoulders to make the right choice for everyone involved including her brother, Christophe, Chloe, and yes, even Julian. If she tells her brother what happened between Chloe and Julian, will the marriage between Chloe and Christophe last, or will the secret come out?

Then you have a third factor, and that would be Christophe's sister Mildreth who rules Whale's Keep and never leaves the island. What happens if she finds out the shenanigans and that Nicole has kept her mouth shut and not told anyone what happened? It's fair to say that I wasn't happy with the choice that Nicole makes. But, it's hard to say what I would do if I or anyone else I knew was in the same situation where once choice, one path, can determine what happens to so many people.

It is fair to say that all three endings give Nicole a measure of fulfillment in life, but it would also cause people she cares about to suffer. She has to learn that complications will arise no matter how hard you try to protect the ones that you love. Normally after the end of each story, there's a chapter that looks forward to the next book in the series. This is not the case for this book. I am curious if this is the final installment, or whether the author will continue to write books in this series.

Lady Nicole Montagna is the latest to see three choices and to decide which one she will choose. I have enjoyed this series from the first book. Lady Nicole discovers her sister's secret and has to decide to keep silent or tell. If she tells she has to decide who to tell. Keep quite, tell her brother or tell her entire family. Three choice and which will she choose. All are interesting and all have very different outcomes. I loved the plot and the characters. Hope more Dark Glass stories will be around in the future.

I received a free copy of the book in return for an honest review.

"Ever since raiders from the north began attacking villages, Lady Nicole Montagna has known that defending her people would come at a cost. The betrothal of her sister Chloe to a neighboring lord seems the perfect solution, forging a powerful alliance. But shortly before the wedding, Nicole is shocked to discover that her sister is with child - and not by her husband-to-be. Now she must make a choice. She has just hours to decide...

Should she tell her soldier brother - who will take swift, ruthless action to ensure the family's safety?

Should she hold her tongue, let her sister deceive her husband into believing the child is his - and then hope Chloe can get away with the lie?

Should she tell her family, hoping they will know the right thing to do?

With the help of a magic mirror, Nicole lives out each path, fighting to protect herself and those she loves with the weapons she has: wits, herbs, and fortitude. But no matter her cleverness, neither she nor her family can escape unscathed - for there are repercussions she could never have foreseen, involving her own heart..."

The newest book in Hendee's A Dark Glass series.

So I have to confess that I have not read the first three books of the series, and do not know how much they interconnect, beyond the overall premise of the lead being given 3 choices to solve a dilemma. It is an interesting weave of a couple of different fairy tales that always gets me intrigued, but this story just fell a little flat to me.

So, Nicole is an extremely naive second daughter of a household who just found out that her sister had an affair and is now pregnant. Chloe, the sister, is also betrothed to a neighboring lord, and if word gets out that she had the affair and the child is not his, then all hell could break loose. Nicole is also a bit blindsided by Christophe - the aforementioned lord - has feelings for her and wants to break the marriage contract with Chloe in order to marry her. It's all very dramatic, and Nicole is overwhelmed until she sees a mysterious woman in her mirror who grants her three choices and promptly whisks her into the first timeline.

I think that's kind of what got me down about this book. Nicole, despite being very intelligent is played off in the beginning of the story as being clueless. She gets manipulated into the drama with Christophe while they are at a ball. She sees all the signs that Christophe might have more romantic designs on her, but just allows herself to have fun at the ball without clarifying that she saw Christophe as a friend only. That just rubbed me the wrong way, especially since Nicole is shown to be so damned smart.

It does get better from there, with each of the timelines having some really interesting consequences, and some of the characters revealing their true selves. The pacing is methodical, but it would have to be as messing with timelines can be a little tricky.

I am a fan of Hendee's work, but this book is not my favorite. Again I have not read the first three books, so I might have jumped into a series a little late. That said, I enjoyed most of the characters and thought it did well in handling its messy timelines. If you're a fan of the series, this book will be fine. If not I'd suggest going to the first book (maybe it explains how the lady got in the mirror in the first place). Or trying out Hendee's other stuff.

<i>I received this ARC from the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for my honest opinion.</i>

I read and liked the first book in this series as well as I liked this one.
The series keep on being interesting and well written. i love the characters and their choices.
This book is entertaining and fun to read.
Even if this is the second in the series it can be read as a standalone.
I look forward to reading other books by this author.
Recommended!
Many thanks to Kensington Books and Netgalley for this ARC

I love the concept of this book and getting to look at getting to look at the consequences of three different choices and then the person has to choose which path to take. And this book started off so strong and had me engaged from the beginning. However, the story lost steam at about the 30% mark for me and I think it was because we got the same story in every choice with just minor tweaks. I found myself a bit bored and would skim the stories. I also felt like the choice was too obvious, which made me the thing anticlimactic.

I really enjoyed reading this novel from the first word because although it touches on some seriously deep topics, the comedy throughout it all was quite refreshing. From the very beginning I was laughing constantly. Ms. Hendee paints an excellent picture of this noble family and how they all react to life changing events with vivid mental images.

The story-line is absolutely outstanding. I adored it! The main character, Lady Nicole, is faced with some extremely tough choices when she learns by accident a major secret that her sisters is carrying her lover’s child and is engaged to another prominent young noblemen. This marriage is needed for an alliance that will allow more protection for her families lands and their people. The matter is complicated further by the affection Lady Nicole shares with the girls’s intended future husband. There is quite a love triangle.

The novel has a very unique twist that is rather hard to explain. Lady Nicole is given three choices. Does she tell her brother? Does she say nothing? Does she reveal the entire scheme to her family? It is one of the hardest decisions she faces as a protected young woman who hasn’t faced many trials and struggles in her young life.

Every action has unforeseen consequences and the author does a well job driving that point home to the readers. The main character is forced to live out the results consequences for each of the three choices by a magic mirror. This was quite entertaining because despite reliving the same events three times, as a reader, I never did become bored. Each time you do over the scene, it is different and told entirely in a different pattern that you are able to focus on the hilarity of it all.

The best part is that Lady Nicole has no idea during each time that she is has been reliving these moments. All her actions are genuine and based off of who she is a character trying to find her way in a very difficult world. The book takes you through these scenes three times and yet as a reader I loved how this is set up. I became invested in the choices and what would be Lady Nicole’s decision in the end and how everything is going to turn out. The adventure of it all is had me engrossed for hours as I sat captivating by the story. I finished this book in one sitting. That is how much I enjoyed reading this authors work. I know this is a book in a set series and believe me when I say that I will be purchasing and reading more of this author’s other work.

I loved the setting and characters quite a lot.

The other leading characters in the story were all quite relevant to the plot and I found them very interesting. They fit the story quite well. I became engrossed with each other throughout the book. Nicole’s sister was easy to relate with because I grew up as the younger sister and honestly, how Nicole views and sees her sister is often how I felt about my older sibling. Bottom line, I love her very much and nothing will change that.

The most fascinating characters outside of Nicole and her sister Chloe is Lord Christophe. He is a lovely and admirable man. He has a family of his own that are not perfect just like Lady Nicole’s family. Lord Christophe’s sister and her two children live at his keep after being abandoned by her husband. The sister is a rather complicated and hard human being but as the novel progress, this changes. It was awesome to witness.

I highly recommend this book because it covers some really deep moral issues and human nature in such a comedic and compelling way. 5 out of 5 stars from me!

What should Lady Nicole do? Her sister Lady Chole is betrothed to Lord Christophe. He owns a rich island called Whales Keep. He wants to marry into an old bloodline and in exchange, he will give enough troops to keep White Deer Lodge and the lands surrounding it safe. Lord Christophe had rather marry Lady Nicole but will it be possible? Chole is in love and pregnant by Julian, one of the soldiers. This is something that only Nicole , Julian and Chole know. There is a mirror that has been enchanted by a witch, which will help Nicole make a decision as to what she should do. It shows what happens if she makes a certain choice. Her choices are if she tells their brother, he may kill someone. If Nicole doesn't tell anyone, her sister will deceive Christophe in to thinking the child is his or she can tell their family and Chole will take whatever punishment the family decrees.. There are so many choices and after she picks, the memories go away and she will not be able to change the future. When I first read the description, I had doubts about whether I would like it. No doubts now. I absolutely loved it and bought the rest of this series. It's a new type of story for me. It's well written and I liked the characters. I received this book from Net Galley and Kensington Books for a honest review and no compensation otherwise.The opinions expressed are my own.

If you hit a major point of decision in your life, wouldn't you like to be able to see how each choice would play out before you made that fateful selection? This is the 'gift' granted by an enchanted mirror that suddenly appears before Lady Nicole.

To cement an alliance of protection from coastal Raiders, her sister, Chloe, is betrothed to Nicole's beloved friend who has just confessed his love to her. Reeling from the revelation and eager to help her sister, she goes into Chloe's closet to fetch a soiled dress to be washed. While in there, she accidentally overhears her sister reveal to a man of her father's court that Chloe is pregnant with that man's child.

What should Nicole do? Should she tell someone? Should she keep her silence? Should she be loyal to her sister or her dear friend? The mirror appears and shows her the three different paths she could take.

The premise of the Dark Glass series is fresh and enjoyable. The use of language is brilliant. I have been a fan of Barb Hendee since her Noble Dead series, and this installment of Dark Glass does not disappoint. I love following the various storylines and then enjoying the final reveal of Nicole's choice. She even managed to surprise the spirit in the mirror.

I recommend this book for fans of fantasy, romance, Sharon Shinn, or Mercedes Lackey.

*Special Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a free digital ARC in return for an honest review.*

A Choice of Secrets by Barb Hendee is the fourth book in the historical fantasy Dark Glass series. In each book of the series the main character will be shown the outcome of three different paths from one choice they need to make in order to decide what to do. Each book features an all new story and characters so they could be read as a standalone if choosing to do so.

Lady Nicole Montagna is the youngest of the three siblings in her family and is very close to her brother and sister. With their lands in danger Nicole’s father has arranged a betrothal between her sister Chloe and Lord Christophe in exchange for protection of their lands but Chloe has shown little interest in the Lord.

When Nicole happens to overhear a conversation between her sister and another man she realizes her sister is with child out of wedlock. At that time the mirror appears to Nicole to show her the three different paths to choose from depending on her action after hearing her sister’s news.

Reading the first book of this series I thought the author got a bit repetitive with the three choices but decided to continue onto the second and since then I’ve actually become quite a fan of the series. These are definitely more on the historical fiction side than the fantasy as it’s only the seeing three outcomes before choosing but it’s certainly an interesting premise.

Again with this fourth installment readers will see the choices are not all fun and games and the character has to make a tough call at the end which always gets my mind turning at the possible choices and anxiously awaiting the outcome. I will definitely be continuing on if there are more books added to this series.

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

These Dark Glass book are a lot of fun and oh so easy to read. I've been extremely lucky and been approved for each of the books in the series so far through Netgalley and it's been a pleasure to read and review each of them, it's also given my love for Barb Hendee as an author a boost to boot.

Each of the books give the main character the chance to live out three different paths in which their future could go, three choices.... some are great ad some not so much, each choice has it's merits and it's flaws and it's been exciting to read each and every one of them regardless of their outcomes and then to see which choice each of the girls have made, which path they are planning to take for the rest of their lives.

A Choice Of Secrets gives Nicole three options after she finds out a distressing family secret that could ruin multiple lives if it comes to light. Each decision is marred in some way by tragedy but each gives a more positive turn too but ultimately will Nicole do what's best for herself, her family or for a close family friend.

This is great series that is fun and exciting, intriguing with the different choices and a good solid yet simple read. Barb Hendee is a great writer and while I have read books that are fundamentally even better written by Hendee these books are still great reads and easy to recommend.

First off, the covers for this series are awesome. Second, I'm really liking getting to explore three different outcomes for the characters. I keep wishing that the books continued after the choices were made so we could follow them to their conclusions. I get that that's not the POINT of the book, but I feel like any book where you go - I want more story! - is pretty good in itself. One thing that's a little odd, is that I feel like each character ends up being SUPER good at figuring out the politics of things. I don't always feel like that's necessarily in character. In this one, the first time we meet her she is VERY much a teenager, with childlike ideals. But, as we keep going she suddenly knows EXACTLY how to do these intrigues. It seems a little odd for her character. It also seems a little weird that she can assess a situation so quickly (although that's probably just because the book has three stories in it.) But, that's a minor quibble really. I still liked it.

Ever since I've read the first book in this series I have become addicted to these stories. Who wouldn't want to see the future and choose the best one?

What I love most about these books is the fact that no possible outcome/future is perfect. The characters are not presented with a choice that is obviously better and faultless. Each one comes with sacrifices and struggles.

Until now only the outcome of the second book has managed to surprise me, and only because I would not have made the same choice.

'A Choice of Secrets' presents us with the story of Nicole. When she overhears her sister's secret, a secret that could ruin her family and her people she has three options. Should she tell her older brother? Should she keep silent? Should she tell her family?

Personally, I admired the love and devotion that Nicole has for her sister. But I can't say I would have been so understanding. Her sister got herself into that mess. She knew what was at stake, she knew what would happen if people found out. And she still did it, because she didn't care. She was selfish.

I think that was the major difference between Nicole and Chloe. Chloe was too selfish and Nicole was too selfless.

But that is a great message that the author is trying to send, in all these books. That sometimes is good to sacrifice your personal happiness for the sake of the ones you love.

Each of the main characters in the 'Dark Glass Series' showed great compassion, honor and bravery when they were faced with such difficult choices. Some of them even realized that those futures are not set in stone, that there is a chance they could change the outcome.

I have greatly enjoyed this book and I will continue to read any that follow in the series.