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Secrets (Serenity #1)

by Dawn Kirby (Goodreads Author)

4.21 of 5 stars 4.21 · rating details · 24 ratings · 13 reviews

It is said that the truth will set you free, but for Leah it kills.

Leah always knew she was different. From her extreme light sensitivity, to her ability to read people by their auric scent, she kept these differences secret.

Not even Mia, Leah's mother, knew the fullness of her daughter's differences, but she held even greater secrets to Leah's past - the truth about her...more

Paperback, First edition, 319 pages

Published July 29th 2012 by Dark Dragon Publishing Company (first published May 31st 2012)

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Aug 16, 2012 The Library Mouse rated it 3 of 5 stars

As a reader I try to live by the saying "don't judge a book by its cover", and without wanting to sound too cliche' this is definitely a book that should not be judged that way; so readers and bloggers do not be deceived!
Having seen it I confess I became a little reticent, and the wise words of the old saying began to become just a nagging voice at the back of my head. However I was far too intrigued by the secrecy of the synopsis to let this book go, so I decided to plough ahead and keep an ope...more As a reader I try to live by the saying "don't judge a book by its cover", and without wanting to sound too cliche' this is definitely a book that should not be judged that way; so readers and bloggers do not be deceived!
Having seen it I confess I became a little reticent, and the wise words of the old saying began to become just a nagging voice at the back of my head. However I was far too intrigued by the secrecy of the synopsis to let this book go, so I decided to plough ahead and keep an open mind. And you know what? I am so glad that I did!
Secrets by Dawn Kirby truly and very pleasantly surprised me in more than one way!

As per most books, Dawn Kirby's Secrets started by introducing me to Leah and hinting at the mysteries that ruled her life. She has extraordinarily developed senses but not a clue as to why and how. When she presses her only parent for information, her mother reveals nothing and delays any explanation to a later date. Untold danger was hinted at straight from the beginning and like many characters Leah doesn't take it entirely seriously; and neither did I, expecting that it would be a while before she was in any true immediate danger.
Dawn Kirby though had other plans. She hit Leah's life very early and hard into the story. The pace quickly picked up as dramatic events, realities and secrets gave Leah a rude awakening to what was truly going on.

But hers aren't the only secrets Dawn Kirby is talking about. Leah not only has to uncover and come to terms with her own, but also those of others with particular regards to Raine; a boy who smells like the rain in a storm and who's hidden truths are about to further disrupt her already torn world.

Learning the truth about Leah and her past, and then watching her absorb the new information, whilst juggling her feelings for Raine and the reality these secrets have thrown her into, was gripping and had me quickly turning the digital pages of this debut novel. Despite the elements of paranormal romance and twist upon twist, what I enjoyed the most was how Dawn Kirby faced Leah with very real events and feelings, that do not require a magical element to be experienced.
The way in which she struck grief, pain, shock, love, joy and happiness into Leah's story was different and refreshing. Although at times she was a little naive of the extent of the cruelties of her new reality, Leah was a very kind and selfless character; and I really felt for her where her journey got shaken and stirred by the mind of the clever author.

With a steady pace, that speeded up when needed, and an easy going and simple style of writing, this was a very nice beginning to a new series for Dawn Kirby.

For someone who's life is one big secret and who's existence itself is an unexplained mystery, Leah was ironically a very honest and frank character, and I look forward to the sequel to her story.

Readers should be aware that this book is a New Adult genre (18-26) and does contain some adult content.(less)

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Aug 09, 2012 Marie Malyon rated it 4 of 5 stars

A gem for fans of the supernatural fantasy genre, whilst bringing something new to the table. Secrets has everything you could want and more besides!

Cover

This cover does not represent this book. This is a YA with some adult scenes but nothing like the erotica the cover suggests, and is so much better for it. Don't judge a book by its cover has never seemed more correct a statement!

Review

This new offering on the teen/adult supernatural fantasy genre will be a real treat for fans of the genre. I c...more A gem for fans of the supernatural fantasy genre, whilst bringing something new to the table. Secrets has everything you could want and more besides!

Cover

This cover does not represent this book. This is a YA with some adult scenes but nothing like the erotica the cover suggests, and is so much better for it. Don't judge a book by its cover has never seemed more correct a statement!

Review

This new offering on the teen/adult supernatural fantasy genre will be a real treat for fans of the genre. I can seen teenage readers of series such as Twilight, True Blood and the House of the Night who have now grown up loving Secrets for its similar themes of romance mixed with secrets, danger and adventure - just like me.

Leah is the extraordinary protagonist who has supernatural powers coming out of her ears. Super hearing, being able to view people auroras, smell their personality (yes I do mean smell) and withstanding, and enjoying extreme heat at times seem like a little too much. But her weaknesses balance her out to be a character I grew to love through-out the book. Fans of supernatural and fantasy fiction will recognise the signs of different fictional races common within the genre, which I really enjoyed. Yet Leah's predicament in my reading experience still presenting something unique.

Discovering Leah's secrets as the book progresses became an really enjoyable read for me. With my habit of reading more than one book at a time, it was great to have to read only two sentences to be absorbed back into narrative. With dramatic and shocking scenes holding a serious tone, the personalities and relationships growing between characters provided light release, delivering the romantic domestic scenes I really enjoy.

I did feel like more than a few of the events throughout the book were rather rushed, in particular the romantic developments between characters. Alongside this, the constant addition of characters, often with similar names, sometimes required some hard concentration to keep up with (yes I am speaking to you David, Donovan and Declan). The enemies were often just as numerous and their intertwining motivations becoming clear eventually.

Despite my mixed feelings about the character developments and rushed narrative, I truly enjoyed going to bed every night to just read a bit more before I went to sleep. The writing style is effortless to read providing much needed escapism into another world where vampires, werewolves and everything else in-between exists.

My main gripe about the book however is its price. With £6 for the Kindle version and over £15 for the print, I hope its not out-priced for the YA audience, because I don't think any parent would by this book for their child with this cover! Having said that I will be seeking out a copy of the second book in the series, but maybe in sale!

On the bloggy I gave this 7/10(less)

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Aug 05, 2012 cupcake rated it 4 of 5 stars

First, let's address that cover. I'm not sure what we're going for here, other than some type of barely legal porn. I can assure you that this cover does not begin to tell you the truth about Secrets, and it is unfortunate that this book was saddled with such a lame cover photo.

Having said that, let's dish about the book.

As I have mentioned previously, I am over the whole vampires and werewolves thing. And by "over" it, I mean I beg - I plead - I am ON MY DAMN KNEES, pleading for writers to dip...more

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Aug 02, 2012 The Haunted Rose rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Paranormal Romance lovers

Recommended to The Haunted Rose by: Annabell

Shelves: serenity-series

Cover Thoughts-
It is one I'm not used to. To be honest my blog is focused all around young adult novels and the cover seems a little bit misleading. There is a couple erotic scenes but I do believe the book is appropriate for teens. Also if the boy on the cover is Raine then he looks nothing like I pictured.

First Thought-
Secrets. :) Every good book holds a secret and this one holds plenty! I can't wait to read about the romance, adventure, and of course the maze of secrets.

What I liked-
I usuall...more Cover Thoughts-
It is one I'm not used to. To be honest my blog is focused all around young adult novels and the cover seems a little bit misleading. There is a couple erotic scenes but I do believe the book is appropriate for teens. Also if the boy on the cover is Raine then he looks nothing like I pictured.

First Thought-
Secrets. :) Every good book holds a secret and this one holds plenty! I can't wait to read about the romance, adventure, and of course the maze of secrets.

What I liked-
I usually don't read alot of adult novels or ya know books for mature audiences *wink wink*. I decided to give this tour a try and I am sincerely glad I did. From the start you are captivated by Leah's special talents. All of her senses are magnified and she has no idea why. It's just her and her mother because her father died years ago. Recently her mother is extremely tense with worry. Every year about this time the accountant David comes to look at financial business but Leah has her suspicions. Now with her heightened senses she figures out the secrets but she is already too late. There was not a single scene or page that bored me. There is plenty of action, plenty of the paranormal, and plenty of action just like I love! I read it all in one day. But it was the ending that really blew me away. It is a very beautifully written novel that adds some of its own ideas to the paranormal world. I seriously can't wait where Leah and Raine take there romance and how Leah will survive constantly being wanted by the vampire world. My favorite scene in the whole book is the one where Kale challenges Mark for leadership of the pack. It is very suspenseful and full aggressive werewolf power. Serenity may be the name of the series but the book was far from peace and serenity. It was a roller coaster full of adventure and of course secrets.

What I disliked-
Really I didn't dislike a single thing. The story went exactly how I could want it. I do wish there was a bit more romance going on and a little less action. It sucks when Leah is constantly being hunted down and almost torn to pieces. Leah just needs a scalding hot shower and a hot cup of coffee to calm her and that almost reminds me of well... me. Except I don't have the ability to find extreme heat comforting. I wonder if there are any secrets left for the series though? So many were exposed its hard to keep em coming.

Overall Readability-
An absolute must read. If your into paranormal romance I strongly recommend this book. It's like a mash-up of Twilight and Shiver if you read young adult books. Secrets is a book you will get caught up in and forget about the outside world. I lost track of time easily and enjoyed every second of it.

My Final Thought-
Poor Leah can't catch a break! I hope her and Raine both make it out of this mess okay.

5 out of 5 Haunted Roses
(less)

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Jul 30, 2012 Krista (CubicleBlindness Reviews) rated it 5 of 5 stars

I found this novel to be incredibly entertaining. The main character Leah, really has to go through a lot in a very short period of time. She discovers that there are more than just humans in the world. She also experiences both the loss and gain of family members and friends.
Leah and her mother are very close, she does not know who her father is and they both work and run a local store together. Both her and her mother have extra sensitive senses. Leah has the ability to hear really well, her s...more

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Aug 13, 2012 Kimberly rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012-bookshelf

This was sucha delight to read! Right from the first page the author Dawn Kirby had me hooked. For those who have read it you'll know what I mean when I say the opening scene is rather intense and for those of you who haven't had the pleaure of reading Secrets yet you'll just have to go buy it to find out what I'm talking about.

I really liked how Dawn Kirby wrote Secrets because the whole novel was full of twist and turns as more and more things came to to light and more facts were revealed abou...more

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Aug 14, 2012 Samantha Weck rated it 5 of 5 stars

The Storyline…

This book was amazing! It is definitely my second favorite book. I was never bored and I was gripping the edge of my seat. I couldn’t put it down. I was going to read this book over vacation, but then I started it and couldn’t stop. I was supposed to be packing since I was leaving the next day. It was that good. I love how the author wasn’t afraid to die off characters. Even characters that I didn’t want to die. I would have liked to have seen Raine’s point of view. It would have b...more

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Aug 24, 2012 Anncleire rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: from-the-author, july-2012, paranormal

“Secrets” si distingue dalla massa di altri libri che si trovano in giro, perché in un certo senso è un ibrido. Innanzitutto la protagonista non è una ragazzina, ma una ragazza di 22 anni, si uniscono mondi diversi in cui il paranormale la fa da padrone e si accumula la tensione del mistero in modo esponenziale finché tutti i segreti non vengono a galla. Sicuramente l’intreccio di base è già stato visto, non c’è nulla di troppo rivoluzionario ma in un certo senso tutto assume un gusto diverso pe...more “Secrets” si distingue dalla massa di altri libri che si trovano in giro, perché in un certo senso è un ibrido. Innanzitutto la protagonista non è una ragazzina, ma una ragazza di 22 anni, si uniscono mondi diversi in cui il paranormale la fa da padrone e si accumula la tensione del mistero in modo esponenziale finché tutti i segreti non vengono a galla. Sicuramente l’intreccio di base è già stato visto, non c’è nulla di troppo rivoluzionario ma in un certo senso tutto assume un gusto diverso per la bravura della Kirby.

Si dice che la verità rende liberi, ma per Leah uccide.
Leah ha sempre saputo di essere diversa, dalle sua ipersensibilità alla luce, alla sue straordinarie percezioni olfattive che le permettono di leggere le emozioni dal profumo dell’aurea, ma ha sempre cercato di mantenerle segrete.
Persino sua madre Mia non conosce appieno la sua diversità. La madre nasconde anche lei dei segreti sul passato di Leah, sul padre e sul suo concepimento.
Quando fa la sua comparsa un vecchio nemico Mia non ha tempo per rivelare la verità alla figlia prima che Judith possa scatenare la sua vendetta in un bagno di sangue e morte.
Gettata in un mondo di cui non conosce niente Leah scopre che non è sola nel suo mantenere dei segreti e che ci sono delle persone dal passato dei suoi genitori pronte a morire per lei.
Raine a cui è stato assegnato il ruolo di suo protettore ha segreti pericolosi anche lui. Attratti l’uno dall’altro Leah e Raine devono scoprire la verità prima che entrambi vengano uccisi.

E ora eccoci con il mio commento. Il libro non è particolarmente lungo e ci ho messo poco a entrare nella storia. La Kirby che scrive in prima persona dal punto di vista di Leah è molto particolare soprattutto per Leah che è una ragazza in gamba, indipendente, che lavora nel negozio della madre e che deve fare i conti tutti i giorni con la scomparsa del padre. La sua vita è piena di segreti ma questo non significa che lei sia debole anzi. Anche gettata in uno dei momenti più terribili del libro lei mantiene il suo sangue freddo e riesce a conservare la lucidità mentale che le serve per trovare il colpevole e aiutare le persone che le sono accanto. Avendo 22 anni poi non è la classica ragazzina stupida, le sue scelte sono consapevoli e anche quando agisce lo fa con cognizione di causa, sa scegliere cosa è giusto e cosa è sbagliato ma è pronta per sacrificarsi per chi ama.
Il caleidoscopio di personaggi secondari è vario e molto intenso e ne voglio citare solo Drew che come ho scritto alla scrittrice è il mio preferito perché è uno spirito libero, è una che non ti manda a dire niente, è una amica leale, fedele e sincera, pronta a farsi in quattro per Leah senza chiedere niente, senza farsi domande ma buttandosi a capofitto nelle situazioni con la forza di un uragano e proprio questa la rende un’amica unica.
Raine naturalmente è super hot, protettivo ma è capace di ascoltare le idee di Leah e tirarsi indietro al momento opportuno, quando in effetti è il ragazzo ideale, capace di affiancare davvero la ragazza anche nei momenti in cui vorrebbe nasconderla.
David poi è un altro dei miei personaggi preferiti, anche se avevo capito da subito il suo ruolo, mi sono davvero emozionata quando finalmente ha rivelato la verità.

Il particolare da non dimenticare? Una macchina super veloce. Di chi è? Leggete e scopritelo.

Leggete “Secrets” è un libro meraviglioso in cui si uniscono più generi, la verità è un’arma potentissima e i personaggi sono strafighi.
Buona lettura guys!

Sul mio blog trovare l'intervista con la scrittrice Dawn Kirby e la recensione completa!
http://pleaseanotherbook.tumblr.com/p...(less)

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Aug 17, 2012 Tee loves Kyle Jacobson rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012-summer-must-reads, july-2012, blog-tour-review

I just want to give Illuminated Tours a HUGE THANK YOU for allowing me to be on this tour. Without them I would have never known about this book. Secrets is one of those books that needs more air time. I have to tell you I love my wolves and vampires so when I started to read a found that they were in this book I was jumping for joy. Secrets is a great title for this book to because there are so many secrets it is hard to keep up with them. At every turn I was like no way why would they do that....more

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Nov 04, 2012 Haven Thorne rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: reviews

Well now, if the cover doesn't get your attention the book surely will. Dawn Kirby introduces us to Leah, a girl on the brink of discovering she isn't as alone in the world as she thought she was. Leah is one hell of a strong character with quite a few secrets in her past and future. Then enters Raine, a man with some secrets of his own and I can only say dear Leah meets her match with this hottie.

Dawn provides us with plenty of hot scenes, adventure, and killing suspense. Please make sure you h...more

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Dec 02, 2012 Kami rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: debut-still-needs-refining, serious-editing-and-grammar-issues, intriguing, love-stories-romance, miscellaneous-paranormal, vampires

In the end, I decided this book did deserve 3.5 STARS

First off, let me get this out of the way. There are A LOT of errors in this book. They are incredibly FRUSTRATING and DISTRACTING because you will find yourself pausing to make sure you didn't miss something. There are missing words, misspelled words, tense agreement issues and at times, character mix ups (though this one doesn't occur like the others, just a few times during dialogue and you'll have to stop and think "that doesn't sound li...more In the end, I decided this book did deserve 3.5 STARS

First off, let me get this out of the way. There are A LOT of errors in this book. They are incredibly FRUSTRATING and DISTRACTING because you will find yourself pausing to make sure you didn't miss something. There are missing words, misspelled words, tense agreement issues and at times, character mix ups (though this one doesn't occur like the others, just a few times during dialogue and you'll have to stop and think "that doesn't sound like it was being said by the right character").

THAT BEING SAID, IT'S A REALLY GOOD STORY, IF YOU CAN PUSH THROUGH ALL THE EDITING SNAFUS. I usually can't get past really aweful editing but I tried really hard because this story was interesting and found I was glad I won the battle. This would have been 4 stars had someone taken the time to really edit and fix the issues.

Leah is a really great character albeit a little too selfless at times which borders on stupidity (view spoiler) I understand what the author is doing with her character and it's admirable but sometimes, justice should be dealt out fairly too. Leah is extremely tough while also being very compassionate and aware of others. What Michael, Dane and Mark did to her was ABSOLUTELY UNFORGIVABLE! which is why I found it so difficult to accept her defense of them at the end. (view spoiler)

Raine. I like Raine more than I thought I would. He and Leah really fit together being that they're both uniquie creatures. I truly thought Leah was going to be a wolf or animal half breed of some sort given her impressive senses but I was wrong (and a little suprised by what she actually is because part of it felt like it should have dawned on me and the other part of me was just going, "huh, guess that makes sense" and accepting it). Raine is also unique with more than one paranormal anomaly in his gene pool. His abilities blend better than Leah's which is why he hasn't been killed yet. He's genuinely a good guy. And I could even get on board with Leah and Raine's insta-love because of how mating works with wolves. Otherwise, their relationship would have bothered me more than it did (and it did bother me a little, but I got over it).

Kale and Drew were GREAT CHARACTERS! I absolutely love these two and hope there will be a lot more of them in book 2. Drew is firey, loyal and fierce. This girl knows how to stand up for herself and her best friend. She is Kale's perfect match. Kale is a great guy with a fun loving, arrogant attitude who doesn't commit when it comes to women. He kinda thinks of himself as irresistable to women- but, in and endearing way. So, when he gets unexpectedly stuck with Drew, it's the perfect offset of personalities.

There really isn't a dull moment in the story. There is a lot of action, mystery, tragedy and eventually romance. It has a little of everything. I admit that I was getting frustrated at the beginning when Leah kept being put off regarding the truth about herself and the danger she was in. I remember thinking at one point that it was being a little too dragged out and to just get on with it. Once the truth is out, the book moves fairly quickly from one action to the next.

It will be interesting to see what revenge Dane and Mark will dream up in the next book, how Donovan will try to use Leah for her blood (or maybe, he'll prove me wrong and just protect her without ulterior motives- but that almost never happens), if Raif will succeed in getting his hands on Leah and turning her over to the mysterious vampire boss he works for or keep her to himself. Everyone wants Leah for something - mostly her blood- and it'll be interesting to see how well she is defended or capable of defending herself in the next book.

I sincerely hope the next book is edited better because the story would be much better with some serious refinement. (less)

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Aug 24, 2012 Brenda Demko rated it 4 of 5 stars

Secrets was full of surprises! This is a story that has vampires and werewolves both good and bad.

Dawn Kirby is a master story teller. I didn't want to put the book down and the few times that I did, I hurried back to it. I would explain better but I truly feel that the secrets and surprises are best left for you to figure out on your own. The plot has a lot of mystery (many secrets), some romance, and action. Lots of action!

I will say that there are some adult moments in the book so be warned!...more

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Feb 13, 2013 R. Hannah rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: dark-dragon-writers

I'll admit, when I saw the cover I was really expecting chick lit...but I gave it a shot. Wow, was I surprised! the book is great! Dawn weaves a tale that drags you in and will not let you go. As the title states, everyone has a Secret and just when you think you know what is going on, more secrets take you in a different direction. You will sympathize with the characters, be immersed in the settings, and find yourself wanting to get in on the action. A very good debut from a talented author. Ke...more

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May 11, 2013 Ronald rated it 5 of 5 stars

May 10, 2013 Emna rated it 5 of 5 stars

Apr 25, 2013 Alyse Gardner marked it as to-read

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Shelves: for-the-love-of-vampires-dracula

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