What drew me in was the premise, and the fact that I'd liked the first two books in the series but with this one I couldn't get on board with it.

Light-hearted fun that will warm your heart! I got so much joy while watching Nyla epically fail at keeping secrets. She has such an honest heart, it makes you want to take the burden off her shoulders.

The struggle of family dynamics will put your heart through the ringer, and Seth is the ultimate scene stealer.

With a perfect mix of humor, mild drama and steam, this is definitely one won't want to put down.

The Best Kept Secret, by Tawna Fenske, brings the reader in to the Franklin family of Northern California. Second daughter Nyla, a registered nurse, is well known for her inability to keep a secret. She is too worried about the possible ramifications of keeping the secret, not the secret itself.

When her good friend and former brother-in-law Leo Sayre discloses a huge secret while under the effects of pain medication from dental surgery, Nyla doesn’t know what to do with it. Then, when Nyla and Leo find sparks flying between them, she has even more secrets to keep.

Nyla’s sister Mandy, along with Leo, come up with a plan, including mimosas, to keep the lid on it at a family brunch. However, their plans go awry when a very tipsy Nyla blabs all.

This partly comedic, somewhat tragic, tale is told with humor and heart. I very much enjoyed this book and I do recommend it!

THE BEST KEPT SECRET is the third instalment in Tawna Fenske’s contemporary, adult SMOKEJUMPER romance series. This is nurse Nyla Franklin, and pilot/firefighter Leo Sayre’s story line. THE BEST KEPT SECRET can be read as a stand alone without difficulty. Any important information from the previous storylines is revealed where necessary.


NOTE: Not wanting to give away too many spoilers, I am going to have to be as vague as possible in my review.


Told from dual third person perspectives (Nyla and Leo) follows the building romance and relationship between nurse Nyla Franklin and pilot/firefighter Leo Sayre. Leo and Nyla have danced around their attraction to one another for as long as they can remember but when the side affects of pain medication find Leo revealing a shocking secret that leads to the potential for more heart breaking news. Nyla is caught in the middle of a potential family fall-out, a fall-out that leads to more secrets of her own…but Nyla has a bigger issue…she is unable to keep a secret, and her inability to withhold the truth is about to backfire when her sister Mandi, and her best friend Leo ply our heroine with lots of booze. What ensues is the building romance and relationship between Nyla and Leo, and the potential fall-out when secrets are revealed, possibly breaking the hearts of everyone they love.


Nyla Franklin struggles with secrets. She cannot tell a lie, and withholding the truth is like a volcano waiting to explode but not only does she battle between head and heart with someone else’s secrets but with secrets of her own.Falling for Leo was never in the cards-a betrayal of sorts to someone else-but her love for Leo is matched equally by Leo’s love for our story line heroine.Leo Sayre is a single father; a divorcee who has big plans for his future including a solo cross country motorcycle trip, but once again, more secrets are revealed , making Leo question everything about his life going forward.


The relationship between Nyla and Leo is a best friends to lovers; a secret affair kept from family and friends but a relationship predicated on friendship and love. As Nyla and Leo’s relationship turns into something more, our couple must navigate a possible betrayal, and their own future going forward. The $ex scenes are intimate and passionate without the use of over the top sexually graphic language and text.


We are introduced Nyla’s sister Mandi who plays a major role in our couple’s life; their parents Ted and Laurel; Leo’s mother and her husband Bob, and Leo’s son Seth. I hope the author has plans for Mandi’s story.


THE BEST KEPT SECRET is a story of family, friendships, relationships and love; a story of secrets and betrayal, revelations and acceptance; of understanding and love. The character driven premise is captivating and entertaining; the romance is seductive; the characters are energetic, charismatic and real. The ‘smokejumper’ aspect of the story is minimal, only mentioned or alluded to on a couple of occasions.




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Oh my - The best Kept Secret - book 3 in Fenske's Smokejumper series was packed with a tangle of family secrets and lies. It's a known fact in the family that Nyla can't keep a secret to save her life. This puts her in a very sticky situation when she goes to check on her ex brother in law after a minor surgery - because pain meds make Leo ultra loopy. So, when he spills his guts, Nyla goes into a tailspin.

Strategizing how to to move forward, knowing Nyla can't keep this secret log term. But what really blows them of their minds is the attraction that's brewing between them. This is Nyla's sister's ex husband. Neither of them have ever considered the possibility of a relationship. They've known each other most of their lives, and Leo has always been, well, her sisters, despite the divorce.

But eventually, the two realize fighting the attraction their feeling is virtually pointless. Which adds one more layer to the web, and Leo just know's that Nyla can't keep it in.

I loved this story, watching the relationship build between Nyla and Leo, unwinding the past and build between them, and dealing with the repercussions their actions will result in. The Best Kept Secret is both full of the drama around them dating on top of unwinding years of secrets, including determining the best way to let their families in on the most recent developments along with the convoluted past.

Leo and Nyla were built for each other, supportive of each other's dreams and insuring plotting the best way to share the history between Leo and Nyla's sister. And of of course, the comedy was so funny, Nyla managed to get herself into some crazy situations that had me just cracking up. I definitely recomend you grab this book today!

3 It's Complicated Stars
* * *
This story had a theme that would normally be a bit awkward. It seems the fella use to be married to a sister. They divorced seven years ago. The other sister is the object of his secret crush, love. So he was married to one sister and now wants the other one.

It all comes out when he is under the influence of pain killers and the sister who is Now his hidden focus finds out when he starts running his mouth. She is his nurse and hears EVERYTHING.

The hook for this tale is that the sister cannot keep a secret if her life depended on it so she starts doing things with the fella to hide their "getting along".

This was ok but this family complication was something I had to think about.

This is book 3 in the Where There's Smoke Series. Nyla Franklin is a nurse and she knows that helping others brings her at lot of joy. When her best friend, Leo Sayre, tells her his biggest secret, her world kinda blows up. When she learns that the secret is that he finds her absolutely HOT, she's not sure what to do. Will this information change their relationship for the good, or will the whole thing blow up?

I received an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I've long loved Fenske's books, and this one did not disappoint. Nyla and Leo have been friends forever, but since Leo is Nyla's sister's ex, she never thought he'd be anything more than that. This isn't just any friends to lovers story though, the twists and turns on family dynamics, and one massive secret will keep the pages turning. I finished this one in one night.
This book has all of Fenske's trademark humor, witty banter, and perfect chemistry. The raw, real emotions play out beautifully across the page and you can't help but to root for these two. The family dynamics are interesting, to say the least, but I found them to be written in a completely believable way. Nyla is funny, strong, smart, and honest to her core. Leo is the best dad a kid could ask for, and I ached for him as he revealed his heart breaking secret.
This one is a stand alone novel, but the characters were briefly introduced in the two previous smoke jumper books, and I would whole heartedly recommend all three!

I really enjoyed the characters in The Best Kept Secret. Nyla, poor thing can't keep a secret to save her life and even after making a colossal slip, Leo still forgives her and supports her as they all navigate what the secret meant and the changes it means for the family. This book was funny at times, cringe-worthy at others, and fun. It's a light, sweet, easy read.

On the surface, The Best Kept Secret by Tawna Fenske explores the impact an accidentally revealed secret has on two best friends’ relationship. Digging deeper, Fenske explores the motivations for keeping secrets, how secrets never stay that way forever, and the devastation keeping secrets can cause. The secret is not what I expected. It’s more serious and not as exciting as I hoped? I won’t reveal the big secret since it’s central to the plot. But I feel the blurb, which piqued my interest in the novel, is misleading. Fenske’s intriguing characters and lively storytelling, however, drew me in, investing me in the characters and story. I love Nyla’s and Leo’s relationship and how the secret’s revelation sparks an evolution in how they see and interact with each other. Fenske excellently develops her characters’ relationships, especially Nyla’s and Leo’s, which is emotionally and sexually intense, rich with intimacy, well balanced, and healing for both. When the wall that keeps their attraction at bay comes down, things get hot, heavy, and seriously steamy. Fenske's narrative and description are vibrant. Her

A natural-born nurse, because of her sweet, nurturing nature, need to help others and fix problems, Nyla Franklin discovered the hard way—at a young age—that keeping secrets is more trouble than it’s worth. Since then, she’s been unable to keep secrets. Valiant, thoughtful, and kind, smokejumper pilot Leo Sayre always does the right thing and has spent his adult life putting everyone in his life first, sacrificing his own desires, dreams, and needs in the meantime. The person with whom he feels most comfortable letting down his guard and sharing his true thoughts and feelings about life and his dreams and future plans is Nyla, his best friend. She’s reliable, intelligent, and funny, but the last person with whom he would share his biggest secret. Unfortunately, a drug sensitivity/reaction to pain meds post-surgery causes him to drop truth bombs and secret confessions on Nyla when she comes over to check on him. In response to Leo’s confession, Nyla quietly freaks out. Knowing the truth eventually will come out, she doesn’t want to be the one that lets it slip. Sharing and keeping this massive secret from everyone changes everything between Nyla and Leo. Leo and Nyla grow even closer, and new feelings suddenly set free between them. Leo can’t stop thinking about how sexy she is and how attracted he is to her, and he’s not alone in those feelings. A sexual and romantic relationship between them feels inevitable given their closeness, shared interests, etc. Things only get more complicated when they add their attraction and deepening feelings to the many secrets kept within their family circles.

The Best Kept Secret is a quick and entertaining read featuring a nice mix of humor, steam, angst, and sweet and sexy banter recommended for steamy contemporary romance fans who enjoy family-centered steamy romance.

This is the third book in a series that has taken Ms. Fenske to some new heights as a writer. As you know, I greatly admire writers that work on their craft and The Best Kept Secret is a good example of that. Part rom-com, part family drama, this book made me reflect on family dynamics, and how love can be found in the most unexpected moment, with the most unexpected person.

This book carries some heavy themes very well, without tear-jerking moments. What I remember the most while reading this book was asking myself, what if? How would I react if all of this were happening?

Both protagonists are genuinely good people, dealing with imperfect humans and situations.

This book is real, is raw, and yet, very enjoyable. This journey was fantastic and definitely recommend it. I love books that make me think!

Nyla is a nurse, so when her best friend Leo has some dental work he calls her when he has a reaction to the pain killers. What she wasn't expecting was him to babble a secret that would change everything.

The secret is something she promises not to share but it does cause a problem with her family. Since her sister is Leo's ex-wife. Nyla is also not a good secret holder. She is too honest, and can't lie well.

I really liked the chemistry between Leo and Nyla and had the familiar relationship not been what it was I would have probably liked this more. The sister seemed a little too blasé about catching them together. Even when the shock wears off she still doesn't seem to react all that upset, especially considering how close they are to each other.

Had I known the relationship was between her sisters ex I would have not requested this one as it was too hard for me to get over that part of the story.

Nyla and Leo are so perfect for each other. Too bad it’s bad form for them to get together. Nyla’s pretty surprised when she shows up at Leo’s house and pain killers have him telling her things she’s not sure how to feel about but knows others won’t understand. The worst part, the two cannot avoid each other. (I don’t want to spoil so I’ll leave that little teaser there,) Once the cat’s out of the bag, things progress between the two. Secrets are not Nyla’s strong point but must be kept.

I liked both of these two. Their relationship provides plenty of stressors to add to the story. It was fun watching them navigate their budding feelings, their family and find their future. Another fun installment in the Smoke Jumper’s world.

Thanks to Entangled Publishing for the ARC.

Nyla and Leo are ex-brother and sister in law and are still very close, Leo is still close to the entire family of his ex-wife actually. There is a lot going on in this book and it all didn't sit the best with me. It was not a bad book, the characters especially Nyla were strong and the scenes were well written but I dont think the subject matter worked for me.

Special thanks to Netgalley and Entangled Publishing LLC (Amara) for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is a new to me author and I really want to read some more from her. I really enjoy her story telling. She brings in humor, drama, romance, and even cringe worthy moments and puts it all together in an entertaining story.

Nyla can not keep a secret if her life depends on it and oh boy does she she get some whoppers of secrets that come her way. She ends up falling in love with her ex brother in law, Leo, who shares a child with her sister. Their romance felt real and something that just happened upon. Leo is a smokejumper who is always doing things for others and would like to take some time to find out who he is. They soon fall in love with one another but not sure where they want to take their relationship.

I really liked watching or reading their relationship come together. They definitely belong together and when that secret comes out everyone else seems to know it as well. I liked how they supported each other throughout this story and wanted only the best for each other and making their dreams come true.

This is book three in the series but it is a stand alone. It makes me want to read the other two books as well. It's a light read but does have some serious content in it that I think was handled very
well. Great romance read!!

The synopsis is misleading, which isn’t the fault of the author. This story is more a soap-opera-like setup with an ex brother-in-law love interest, infidelity, blood tests, and awkward drama. It just wasn’t what I expected. And maybe if I knew all that going in, I would have enjoyed it more OR wouldn’t have chosen it to begin with ‘cause it’s not my scene.

What did lie with the author was the overly fast insta-love and the desperate need to make no-one the “bad guy” and have everyone be too well-adjusted immediately. There were some good things sprinkled in, but overall, it just didn’t work for me.

This was another fun and sexy story in the Smokejumpers series by Tawna Fenske. Nyla was adorable in her struggles to keep secrets and Leo was a strong, steady presence. I loved their friendship and ease with each other. It seemed a bit odd that neither of them had previously admitted any attraction to each other, but I can see how Nyla learning Leo's secret could become the catalyst to both of them seeing each other in a new light. The secret involves Leo's ex-wife (who is Nyla's sister) so it causes Nyla to re-evaluate that relationship also.

Although the title and the plot revolve around secrets, I liked that once Nyla knew about it, she didn't hesitate to tell Leo she knew, both of them didn't hesitate to consult with Leo's ex, and they all ultimately agreed that the secret would have to be revealed sooner rather than later. However, the one thing that bothered me was that Leo had been married to Nyla's sister. It seems to me like that would always be somewhat awkward and uncomfortable for all three of them. This is a matter of personal taste and doesn't affect the fact that otherwise, I thought the book was fun and sexy, and I really liked both Nyla and Leo. My thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an advance copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions in this review are my own.

This is the latest book in Where There’s Smoke series by Tawna Fenske. I loved getting know the main characters Nyla and Leo. I loved the interactions between the two of them from the very beginning. It is a bit of an odd dynamic with Leo being her sister’s ex husband, but they were so good together and had a lot in common, and the chemistry between them jumped off the page. I loved this romance so much, I didn’t want it to end. It had me laughing out loud a couple of times at some of the crazy things that would happen to both of the main characters. I have read several books by the same author before and have loved most of them, but this is the only one that I have read in the Where There’s Smoke series. I highly recommend this book to any romance lover out there.

What ridiculousness did I just read or try to read to then give up reading then again due to the utter frustration of the stupidity I kept reading. Then I kept saying stick with it I am woman hear me roar, because this will prove me wrong and it will get better, darn it, and i sigh, it didn't in fact it got worse. So, in my infinite wisdom, I advise you my dear friends don't do it, don't. I care for you. I do.

rcvd an ARC at no cost to author...(Netgalley), Voluntarily reviewed with my own thoughts and opinions

I love me some Tawna Fenske books! I love this series and how she interconnects all them. My only complaint with this one is it seemed to have a lot of ideas throughout the story that just didn’t flow as well for me. Leo was the quintessential book boyfriend that anyone would want!!! He definitely stole the book! As always it ends with a HEA and an epilogue!