This is my first Synithia Williams book and I enjoyed it!!If you like books with family drama, political intrigue, and a little mystery suspense in your romance then this is the book for you. There are trigger warnings that I wanted to note: domestic violence and kidnapping.

This book follows Byron Robidoux who his running for senator. He is on the right path to victory however, he is being threatened by someone who knows a secret that could damage his campaign and also someone he cares deeply about as he did something to protect a friend. Our heroine in the story is Zoe Hammond who is a strong and devoted mother to her daughter. A long time ago Byron saved Zoe by claiming that he was the father of her baby and when she finds out this secret is being threatened to come out she wants to help Byron in any way she can.

I really enjoyed this second chance romance as Zoey and Byron have a lot of chemistry. My heart definitely broke for both of these character as they truly loved each other but so many things were in the way. As I mentioned this book has a lot of family drama which is introduced in the first book in the series. Although, this book can be read as a standalone I felt quite disconnected from these characters and the history of the Robidoux family. Which is why I would say reading the first book will help, as you'll be familiar with the family as other characters from the first book are mentioned in this story. I also enjoyed the politics as that is something I enjoy, the scandals and campaigning really interested me.

I also want to mention how much I truly enjoyed Zoe. This book talks about domestic violence a lot as she is still healing from the trauma she experienced. I loved seeing Zoe's growth and development as a character as she started to let Byron truly love her. Her daughter was also a fun character and it was so sweet how she and Byron bonded, they truly developed a father and daughter relationship.

Overall I enjoyed it and I'm looking forward to reading Elaina's story! Thank you so much to Netgalley for allowing me read this arc in exchange for an honest review.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/49567672-scandalous-secrets

Actual Rating: 4.5 stars

If you are looking for a good soapy romance series, these are fantastic! Scandalous Secrets puts a very different twist on the secret baby trope, plus a second chance romance.

It follows Byron Robidoux (brother of India from book 1) who is running for Senate with the backing of his wealthy and very complicated family, not to mention his fiancee who is a great match politically if not romantically. But his past comes back when he is threatened with blackmail. Thirteen years earlier, he lied to protect a friend he was in love with from her abusive boyfriend. When Zoe got pregnant, he said the baby was his. Now to save his image, Zoe and her daughter are coming back into his life, but does he still hold a torch for her?

There is plenty of drama and scandal, with family members who are ruthless in pursuing what they want. But it's a great romance that is really about building trust between Zoe and Byron, especially as she is still dealing with the effects of being in an abusive relationship and seeing abuse as love growing up. The book does a great job of tackling the wrong idea that "real love" is controlling or can be violent. And while Byron is engaged at the beginning, he and his fiancee are both very explicit that their relationship is not a love match, and she bows out before anything with Zoe really starts.

Zoe is an incredible character and we see the strength and independence of the life she has built for herself and her daughter, and how she is determined to hold onto those things and not allow a man to become her everything again. It's a nuanced approach to real issues that is handled really well. I'm loving this series, and can't wait to read a book about the final sister from this family! I hope we get to see that. I received an advance copy of this book for review via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

Content warnings include talk of physical & emotional abuse, ptsd, threatening emails, kidnapping of a child, and arson.

This was kinda "meh" for me. Perhaps it's because the hero Byron is running for senate and I'm just not into a politician right now. Perhaps it was because Zoe has a stalkery ex and I'm a little over that trope. I'm not sure what didn't work for me here. The writing was decent the book over all just didn't quite grab me.

Friends to lovers and second chance romance of a sort! Byron and Zoe were friends in college but they've been apart for a while. Now, though, he's running for office and she's seeing him in a different light. They both have a secret (not a bad one but I'm not going to tell you what it is although it's pretty obvious). Zoe, a single mom, suddenly finds herself being stalked and Byron once again steps up. He has to make a few serious decisions and you'll be pleased with what he does. They are both good characters you will root for. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. A fast, entertaining read.

While I liked the ending and the overall character arc in the end, this was a somewhat disappointing, sort of lackluster story. There is so much going on with the drama around Zoe’s ex and Byron’s senate run that the main characters have very little time to actually connect beyond revisiting the past. Nostalgia seems to outweigh the romance in the present. That’s especially problematic since this isn’t even a true second chance for them. It’s the first time they’ve kissed, the first time they’ve actually explored something beyond friendship. So I think they could have used more time on the page exploring that. Or maybe it’s more of an issue with the quality of the connection. For most of the time they‘re together, Zoe is attracted to Byron but she doesn’t really appreciate him or even see him clearly. There’s a life threatening event involving both lIlah and Byron and even after Lilah is found to be fine thanks to Byron, Zoe is basically not that interested in or concerned with him. That’s a moment of truth and she was almost indifferent. I know she had a protective core around herself, but at the moment the guy has just been in real danger maybe someone with feelings for him would want to have a look. It’s odd.

The secondary characters were a mixed bag. Two things I liked— Zoe’s daughter Lilah was great and Byron’s sister Elaina made a major comeback/glowup in terms of her character, making her a much more attractive potential heroine for book 3. I did not appreciate whatever was happening with Byron’s stepmother in waiting, Patricia however.

Overall somewhere between 2 and 3 stars.

I loved this impressive romance!

This exemplary romance addresses the protective hero trope in a fresh, new way that is both empowering and thought-provoking. Their secret from years before is about to blow wide open, so Byron and Zoe decide to get out in front of it to control the narrative. Just how much control can, and should, be exerted becomes a central issue between the two.

Byron's personal journey involves his steps to finally deciding to be his own man, stepping out from his father's plan for him and standing up for his own decisions. He acts exactly as we hope he would, until we hope he doesn't. He's a hero with a quiet strength and low-key confidence that never comes off as arrogance.

Zoe has a complex history with men and relationships, so she doesn't interpret Byron's actions the same way that he intended them. This is not necessarily a bad thing, as her viewpoint causes them both to examine exactly what love really means between them. The whole book is so well written that the reader really feels both points of view and can sympathize with each side. I was truly impressed with the way this dichotomy was presented and ultimately resolved. By itself, it makes this book a winner.

The romance is complicated by both her unknown stalker and his political campaign, in addition to the usual family complications. The ending was quite surprising, yet not at all out of place. Again, I was impressed with the author's choices and applaud her not taking the easy, predictable route. This was the first book I've read by this author, and I'm beyond impressed. I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book.

Every time I read a Synithia Williams book I think "I just don't read enough Synithia Williams!" I fell IN LOVE with this book the moment I saw the cover. I didn't even read the blurb. Cover + author = this is going to be good and it WAS. So, I love that the romance was obviously there, loved the pull between them, I even loved the 'we want each other but it's not to be' conflict. What I loved more was the hint of suspense and mystery that I did not expect but as a rom suspense/ thriller reader, was delighted to find. This is a good read, can't wait for everyone else to enjoy it.

Trigger Warning/Content Warning: Abuse and Kidnapping

I really enjoyed this book by Synthia Williams. This is my first time reading a Harlequin Romance and it did not disappoint! We have Zoe who escaped an abusive relationship and has a child whom she raises on her own. Her ex is incarcerated, however, he is about to be released from prison. Then there is Byron, who just became elected into a North Carolina office. Byron has this "superhero" persona, and I love that about his character. His ability and need to want to protect Zoe is so refreshing and sweet.

Zoe absolutely was a woman to be reckoned with. She was strong and powerful and she had this outlook that she can do for herself and every way. However, she begins to receive emails that are threatening and she looks to Byron for safety and comfort, which he does not refuse to give.

This is my first time reading a second-chance romance and it definitely is also friends to lovers and involves a child, which is completely new for me. It was very endearing and the love was sweet but I didn't really feel the passion between the two characters. Overall, I did enjoy the fact that this story was not just a fluffy perfect story, and even included some outside conflict that Byron and Zoe had to work together to overcome while also trying to fix and put together the pieces of their past. It was a well written romance that I think a lot of people will enjoy because it is something different than a typical romance story.

Received an advance digital copy from Netgalley.

I adored this novel for many reasons!
(TW: Domestic abuse, kidnapping)
Outside of the electric chemistry between our couple, we have a twist on a single parent romance that I personally hadn't ever seen before in a novel. And the child was written pretty close to the appropriate age for me. Sometimes they are written far too young, or far too old. This one felt great to me.
Williams knows how to come at a story, and make it their own for sure. They also know how to write layered and dynamic characters that you root for. Byron is risking his political dreams to protect his college best friend Zoe, and her child of a man who wasn't good for her, or her child.
This family we are following in the series make for an interesting background to an already interesting plot. I am excited to see how the next book will play out!

Always

Bryon Robidoux and Zoe Hammond have been the best of friends since college. Thirteen years later Bryon is running for a Senate seat, as so is vying for a job in a man's world; life is good, or is it? Synithia wrote strong, no-nonsense characters who butt heads at every turn but stand together when lives are threatened. What leads to the threat? Who is threatened? Read and see.

Received a digital copy from NetGalley for an honest review.


#SandalousSecrets
#Netgalley
#Cillasbookmaniacs.

Yes, it is hard to review an excerpt, but I loved it and look forward to availability of the full text. Politics, romance, family. Featuring a strong female character!

Advance digital copy provided by NetGalley. Thank you!