Secrets definitely do have a cost. For me, the cost was two stars on this rating as I felt like too many secrets were being kept from me as the reader. Even at the end of the book, I was unclear on many details. I couldn't figure out if this was a sequel. Or if the author plans to tell me more in another book. All I know is that I was lost.

I liked parts of the book. The diverse cast of characters. The loyalty. Even the basic setting.

But parts did not ring true. For one thing, the fact that someone was given so much access without a background check. That the main character would do that with his background didn't make sense to me at all.

The woman who is introduced in the beginning of the book also had a lot of secrets. We were never given insight into her motivation. So she came off as purely unlikeable to me.

Parts of the suspense element worked for me. There were a few surprises. But overall, I struggled to finish the book and thought it was only okay.

I did read a copy of this book through NetGalley. I was not required to write a review. All opinions are my own.

Every now and then it's nice to step away from the romance books that I typically read and go for something completely different. This book definitely fit that bill. I'm thinking it's part of a sequel, because there are so many unanswered questions. I'm not sure if there was a book before this one or not, but it seemed like the reader should know more of the back story than we learn about in this book.

This was an entertaining read and I enjoyed that it was set in the Superstition Mountains, since I went on a hike there several years ago and loved it. It's always fun to read books that are set in locations I'm familiar with.

#thecostofsecrets #netgalley

I had a really hard time getting into this book, it just wasn't my usual genre and didn't grab my attention.

THE COST OF SECRETS: ⭐️⭐️
I’m just confused. I found this to be filled with ideas to move the plot, however they are never fully explained or referred to again. It reminded me of the writing exercises where you pick three pieces of paper from a hat and then write a story about them.

NOTE: I was provided an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The mystery in this book was fresh and exciting. The combination of old and new, the secrets of the past and crimes of the present. I loved the voice of the main character and narrator. It was like listening to him tell the story.

I was drawn into the mystery very quickly and felt like I was there with them. I only hope to see more from this author, perhaps a continuation of this character. I also feel like there are answers yet to be discovered and the mystery only continuing. I am usually one that likes answers tied up, but this one feels like it ended well with so much more to uncover...later.

I received an early copy through netgalley and this is my honest review.

The plot was really good. I enjoyed. I had a hard time with the writing style. I struggle with first person narratives and this story is told in first person.

This book kept me engaged, as I was trying to figure out how all the characters were tied together; a cousin’s, husband’s, brother’s, wife’s, brother being casually mentioned as he is caught in the middle of something he shouldn’t, comes to mind. The mystery did keep me guessing as I was trying to piece all the stories together. The book starts in the middle of a story, so there is not a slow start at all. From the first page you are introduced to people at a breathtaking speed and teased with parts of the different back stories with each new character and their relationship with the main character. However, it’s not really until you get to the end of the book that things start to make sense.

Ray Peralta is a ranch owner and the curator/director of the Superstition Mountain Museum. He is trapped by the Superstition Mountains and the secrets found within. He is the mountain’s secret protector, but seems to tell at least part of the secret to quite a few people he shouldn’t. Most of the time Ray is stumbling around getting in the middle of everything and getting into even more trouble.

This book is very fast paced and honestly would probably take a few reads to gather all the pieces together. The story jumps around a lot and is hard to follow at times. It has the feel of a cozy mystery, but Ray is a bit clumsy as an amateur detective. The police presence is sudden and yet insignificant for a murder case. Overall, the story is good, but seems like it needs a bit of polish and flushing out.

#TheCostOfSecrets #Netgalley

The Cost of Secrets, is a suspense set near the Superstion Mountains of Arizona. When a dead body is brought to Ray Peraltas home on New Year's Eve. Ray heads next door to his cousins home to celebrate. When he arrives home later he discovers that the body has gone missing from his garage.Ray is a museum owner turned detective trying to find out the mystery behind the dead body. Ray heads to the Superstition mountains to find answers. This book was a little confusing at times, but held my interest a I tried to figure out who was behind it all.

This book is full of intrigue and mystery. I couldn't put it down. The setting is beautiful and the twist and turns of the story are amazing.

I lived in Apache Junction for years so I couldn't wait to read this book!! Unfortunately, I was disappointed. The book seemed disjointed to me. As another reader stated, "It is written with very little resolution" and I felt exactly the same way. There was too much that was not explained. Getting to know the characters in books is difficult when everything about them and their background is a mystery. It seemed as though every time something was about to be explained, the character would elect to close his or her mouth and decide to stop talking, which drove me crazy. I found myself wishing SOMEONE would continue to speak and explain SOMETHING! Also, the book was sometimes well-formatted for my Kindle Fire, and sometimes it wasn't, which was odd. I apologize for writing such a discouraging review. Honestly, I wanted to love this book!

I had hopes of a good read but didn’t get it.
I went into this book hoping for a good suspense/mystery. Unfortunately, this was not it. Ray lives within the shadow of the Superstition Mountains. He has lost an ear (we don’t know why or how) that itches when there is danger. His mother appears on horseback New Year’s Eve and drops a dead body on the ground in front of him, no info only the body (which apparently, was not an uncommon occurrence for her to have a body or information on where there is a dead body which was not really addressed). His mother belongs to a secret group hiding in the mountains but we don’t know why or who they are. The group is only referred to as her group or Ray’s group. To get into the group you must go to Seville, Spain (no idea why). This group is responsible for protecting rocks or artifacts (they are referred to using both terms) and is not above violence to protect them. Mix in all kinds of facts like Ray is a multi-millionaire from rewards (that’s all we’re told), that he was to some level responsible for the death of his friend’s parents (never explained just put out there) and people are dying by arrows but because the arrows are removed the police can’t seem to be able figure out how they are dying. Mix in all this, and you have a book that I simply could not enjoy. It is written with very little resolution that makes me think there could be plans for a second book. I doubt I will read it. I was given a free copy in exchange for an honest review.