What do you think?
Rate this book
Legacy of Secrets
One fiery rescue
Sparks danger for a hero
On a routine job, firefighter Sean Harrington feels less heat from the blazing building than he does from rescuing the red-hot woman trapped there. She’s ATF Special Agent Casey Anderson and, at first glance, almost a double for his missing sister, Sylvia. Unbeknownst to Sean, his sibling disappeared after discovering criminal activity at the Harringtons' winery. As Sean and Casey team up, their hunt for Sylvia plunges them into a deadly world of cartel conspiracies, betrayals and murder. But it’s their own histories of burned relationships—familial and romantic—that threaten what's building between them.
From Harlequin Romantic Danger. Passion. Drama.
Feel the excitement in these uplifting romances, part of the Fairfield First Responders
Book 1: Legacy of Secrets
Sparks danger for a hero
On a routine job, firefighter Sean Harrington feels less heat from the blazing building than he does from rescuing the red-hot woman trapped there. She’s ATF Special Agent Casey Anderson and, at first glance, almost a double for his missing sister, Sylvia. Unbeknownst to Sean, his sibling disappeared after discovering criminal activity at the Harringtons' winery. As Sean and Casey team up, their hunt for Sylvia plunges them into a deadly world of cartel conspiracies, betrayals and murder. But it’s their own histories of burned relationships—familial and romantic—that threaten what's building between them.
From Harlequin Romantic Danger. Passion. Drama.
Feel the excitement in these uplifting romances, part of the Fairfield First Responders
Book 1: Legacy of Secrets
272 pages, Mass Market Paperback
Published July 1, 2025
2 people are currently reading
3284 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
April 25, 2025
“We never see ourselves fairly. Sometimes it takes someone else to remind you that you’re amazing.”
This is one of my favorite quotes from Legacy of Secrets by Kenna Scott. Sean is the perfect counterpart for Casey. In so many ways they are different—especially when he roots for her to be more loving to herself— and in so many ways they are the same—such as their downtime hobbies and dislike of the pretentious world he was born into.
Okay enough on the romance, the story was faced paced, and I enjoyed the blend of ATF investigations and firefighter action woven into this romantic suspense. This is my first book by the author but it definitely won’t be my last.
I was given a complimentary copy of this book from Netgalley and the publisher. All words are my own.
This is one of my favorite quotes from Legacy of Secrets by Kenna Scott. Sean is the perfect counterpart for Casey. In so many ways they are different—especially when he roots for her to be more loving to herself— and in so many ways they are the same—such as their downtime hobbies and dislike of the pretentious world he was born into.
Okay enough on the romance, the story was faced paced, and I enjoyed the blend of ATF investigations and firefighter action woven into this romantic suspense. This is my first book by the author but it definitely won’t be my last.
I was given a complimentary copy of this book from Netgalley and the publisher. All words are my own.
May 18, 2025
2.5/5 ⭐️
Legacy of Secrets is Kenna Scott’s debut novel set in a small town where everyone is closely knit and interconnected. Thanks to NetGalley for providing me with an e-Advanced Reader Copy!
Something that I really enjoyed about this read was how action packed the plot was, which made it very fast-paced. I’ll be honest, I’m not a huge fan of the third person multi-POV narrative, and I found myself occasionally having to backtrack and reread paragraphs to figure out what exactly was happening. I think with some additional editing this story has major potential; I mean who doesn’t love an action/suspense first responder getting the girl? I wished this storyline of the romance between the FMC and MMC would’ve been invested in more, as there was very minimal build up/falling in love/banter/fluff moments. Honestly they kissed like three times and then this girl up and abandons her whole career for a guy she’s known for like 5 days?
Like I said, this story and series has a ton of potential with a little more bulking up of some aspects of the plot line. The suspense/crime writing of it all was really captivating, but I feel like the romance part of “romance suspense” was definitely missing. I’m excited to see where this author goes next and how she grows into her style!
Legacy of Secrets is Kenna Scott’s debut novel set in a small town where everyone is closely knit and interconnected. Thanks to NetGalley for providing me with an e-Advanced Reader Copy!
Something that I really enjoyed about this read was how action packed the plot was, which made it very fast-paced. I’ll be honest, I’m not a huge fan of the third person multi-POV narrative, and I found myself occasionally having to backtrack and reread paragraphs to figure out what exactly was happening. I think with some additional editing this story has major potential; I mean who doesn’t love an action/suspense first responder getting the girl? I wished this storyline of the romance between the FMC and MMC would’ve been invested in more, as there was very minimal build up/falling in love/banter/fluff moments. Honestly they kissed like three times and then this girl up and abandons her whole career for a guy she’s known for like 5 days?
Like I said, this story and series has a ton of potential with a little more bulking up of some aspects of the plot line. The suspense/crime writing of it all was really captivating, but I feel like the romance part of “romance suspense” was definitely missing. I’m excited to see where this author goes next and how she grows into her style!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 26, 2025
Let me start by telling you that Legacy of Secrets is a first novel by a new author, so while my instinct was to give this romantic suspense novel 2 stars, I am giving it 3 stars instead, making allowances for some of the major and minor issues I had with this novel.
If ever a novel needed a prologue, this one is it. So many characters are introduced to the reader so quickly that I spent a lot of time backtracking just to keep these characters and their inter-relationships with one another straight, and I didn't always succeed.
Since this is a Harlequin Romantic Suspense novel, I expected some romance and was again disappointed because it never really went beyond a couple of hugs and kisses between the hero and heroine and a lot of mental gymnastics from both of them before and after those kisses. Should she relocate and give up her job with the ATF? Was he willing to relocate and lose his status as Captain of a small town fire company? Will this attraction end when the case(s) are over? It's as if these two characters while attracted to one another, couldn't bring themselves to express their feelings. As character development goes, there wasn't a lot of it, and so I never really connected with any of these characters. Each of the two main characters have trust issues, yet they've never really dealt with those either, and these are adults, not shy teenagers.
The pacing of this novel was also a major issue because the author kept jumping around from scene to scene, and place to place, so much so that between multiple kidnappings, fires, missing characters--including one of the main ones, estranged family members, shootings, explosions at a winery, an Argentinian cartel, a local militia group, marital infidelity, broken friendships and broken engagements, injuries and hospital visits, broken and/or missing family bonds, and so on. Half the time it was hard to tell which characters' thoughts we were reading. All of these issues, and more made the plot of this novel hard to follow, rather ponderous and boring.
This being billed as a romantic suspense novel also led this reader to expect a HEA ending, and there is one, but the HEA ending of this novel was so short and so abrupt, it seemed like an afterthought. I even paged ahead expecting to see an epilogue, which sadly, wasn't there.
As a first novel, the author isn't poor or bad writer, but I feel that she really needs to work out more plausible and easier to follow plot lines, and explain the inter-relationships between her characters more clearly, and she also needs to work on character development, especially when it comes to her main characters.
I voluntarily read an advance reader copy of this novel. The opinions stated are my own.
If ever a novel needed a prologue, this one is it. So many characters are introduced to the reader so quickly that I spent a lot of time backtracking just to keep these characters and their inter-relationships with one another straight, and I didn't always succeed.
Since this is a Harlequin Romantic Suspense novel, I expected some romance and was again disappointed because it never really went beyond a couple of hugs and kisses between the hero and heroine and a lot of mental gymnastics from both of them before and after those kisses. Should she relocate and give up her job with the ATF? Was he willing to relocate and lose his status as Captain of a small town fire company? Will this attraction end when the case(s) are over? It's as if these two characters while attracted to one another, couldn't bring themselves to express their feelings. As character development goes, there wasn't a lot of it, and so I never really connected with any of these characters. Each of the two main characters have trust issues, yet they've never really dealt with those either, and these are adults, not shy teenagers.
The pacing of this novel was also a major issue because the author kept jumping around from scene to scene, and place to place, so much so that between multiple kidnappings, fires, missing characters--including one of the main ones, estranged family members, shootings, explosions at a winery, an Argentinian cartel, a local militia group, marital infidelity, broken friendships and broken engagements, injuries and hospital visits, broken and/or missing family bonds, and so on. Half the time it was hard to tell which characters' thoughts we were reading. All of these issues, and more made the plot of this novel hard to follow, rather ponderous and boring.
This being billed as a romantic suspense novel also led this reader to expect a HEA ending, and there is one, but the HEA ending of this novel was so short and so abrupt, it seemed like an afterthought. I even paged ahead expecting to see an epilogue, which sadly, wasn't there.
As a first novel, the author isn't poor or bad writer, but I feel that she really needs to work out more plausible and easier to follow plot lines, and explain the inter-relationships between her characters more clearly, and she also needs to work on character development, especially when it comes to her main characters.
I voluntarily read an advance reader copy of this novel. The opinions stated are my own.
April 4, 2025
A disjointed, convoluted, PG-Rated romance that makes Hallmark Movies look spicy.
——
This is such an odd read. There’s a ton of plot and conflict, as I’d expect and want in this Harlequin line and the Romantic Suspense sub-genre. There’s a good story concept in the bones of this but the execution didn’t work and the romance itself was flat and uninspired. The scenes lack flow and often basic cause and effect. Whole parts feel contradictory, where characters are one way at the start of the story and are totally different with mismatched feelings and motives at the end.
It feels as if this was a bunch of scenes written out of order and then hastily glued together. A good editor should have been able to smooth out these issues and this would have likely been an exciting, fast-paced story. Instead it’s a confusing mess. There are extra POV characters we don’t need, because they aren’t meant to be the focus of the story. Why are we in her boss’s head? The only time we’re not in the sister’s head is when we should be to make any sense of her actions.
The ending of this is so abrupt it feels like the publisher hit the approved page count and just lopped it off instead of tying up any loose ends.
The Romance was about as spicy as glass of milk. They fall in Instalove, I guess, and then just kiss before deciding to uproot lives for each other at the end. I would swear this was a Love Inspired book instead of the RS line. Do I believe in this HEA? Sadly, no. Because we were told they were in love but were shown none of the actions that mark people falling in love. The emotions lacked any real substance. Not to mention, they’d say things in a chapter that directly contradicted what they’d said in the previous chapter. Yes, real couples may have hesitation or doubts but in this case it felt like whole conversations were missing and plot points left out.
I hope the next installment of this series nets better editorial support because I’d like to see where it’s headed - but this was tough sledding.
———
Harlequin Romantic Suspense (July 2025)
Series: Fairfield First Responders #1
LEO: FMC is an ATF agent. MMC is a fire captain.
Setting: Some western mountain area that’s a wine growing region
BIPOC Characters: no
Steam/Spice Level: only kissing, as steamy as the Arctic circle in January
POV: third person, past tense, multi-POV
Standalone or Series: series, but the first so can be read standalone
__________
[Note: For some reason Harlequin sent my monthly box that was supposed to be March’s books and they were all July 2025. Hence why I’m reading them early.]
——
This is such an odd read. There’s a ton of plot and conflict, as I’d expect and want in this Harlequin line and the Romantic Suspense sub-genre. There’s a good story concept in the bones of this but the execution didn’t work and the romance itself was flat and uninspired. The scenes lack flow and often basic cause and effect. Whole parts feel contradictory, where characters are one way at the start of the story and are totally different with mismatched feelings and motives at the end.
It feels as if this was a bunch of scenes written out of order and then hastily glued together. A good editor should have been able to smooth out these issues and this would have likely been an exciting, fast-paced story. Instead it’s a confusing mess. There are extra POV characters we don’t need, because they aren’t meant to be the focus of the story. Why are we in her boss’s head? The only time we’re not in the sister’s head is when we should be to make any sense of her actions.
The ending of this is so abrupt it feels like the publisher hit the approved page count and just lopped it off instead of tying up any loose ends.
The Romance was about as spicy as glass of milk. They fall in Instalove, I guess, and then just kiss before deciding to uproot lives for each other at the end. I would swear this was a Love Inspired book instead of the RS line. Do I believe in this HEA? Sadly, no. Because we were told they were in love but were shown none of the actions that mark people falling in love. The emotions lacked any real substance. Not to mention, they’d say things in a chapter that directly contradicted what they’d said in the previous chapter. Yes, real couples may have hesitation or doubts but in this case it felt like whole conversations were missing and plot points left out.
I hope the next installment of this series nets better editorial support because I’d like to see where it’s headed - but this was tough sledding.
———
Harlequin Romantic Suspense (July 2025)
Series: Fairfield First Responders #1
LEO: FMC is an ATF agent. MMC is a fire captain.
Setting: Some western mountain area that’s a wine growing region
BIPOC Characters: no
Steam/Spice Level: only kissing, as steamy as the Arctic circle in January
POV: third person, past tense, multi-POV
Standalone or Series: series, but the first so can be read standalone
__________
[Note: For some reason Harlequin sent my monthly box that was supposed to be March’s books and they were all July 2025. Hence why I’m reading them early.]
August 9, 2025
Good book that grabbed my attention quickly and kept me turning the pages. It is both the debut of a new author and the first book in a series. As the author's first published book, there are a few rough spots in the narrative, but nothing that impacted my enjoyment of the story. The world-building is pretty intense at the start, with many characters introduced in quick succession. As the series is about first responders, I expect most of them will be featured in future books.
Casey is in town with her ATF team, investigating reports of suspicious activity at a local winery. Casey's contact at the winery, Sylvia, disappeared, and Casey is worried about her safety. While conducting surveillance at the winery, Casey is abducted and left in a burning cabin. Fire Captain Sean and his crew extinguished the fire and rescued Casey. Sean is Sylvia's brother, and when he learns of her disappearance, he is determined to help find her.
Lots of action and multiple players kept me hooked on the story. Threads involving kidnappings, shootings, fires, explosions, family disfunctions, and broken relationships ran throughout the book. Casey and Sean teamed up to follow the leads and try to find Sylvia. The twists and turns of the investigation kept me guessing to the end with a resolution I did not expect. There are some hanging threads that I expect will be addressed in subsequent books in the series.
I enjoyed the development of Casey and Sean's relationship. Neither expected the sparks of attraction or the quick connection they felt. Both have been burned in past relationships and are wary of starting something with each other, especially since Casey is in town temporarily. I enjoyed seeing them together. They are supportive of each other's careers while still worrying about their safety. They also strive to maintain their professionalism while working together, ensuring they don't compromise the investigation. As their feeling for each other deepen, what happens when the case is over? Do they part ways, or can they find a way to be together? I liked the ending and look forward to seeing more of them in later books.
Casey is in town with her ATF team, investigating reports of suspicious activity at a local winery. Casey's contact at the winery, Sylvia, disappeared, and Casey is worried about her safety. While conducting surveillance at the winery, Casey is abducted and left in a burning cabin. Fire Captain Sean and his crew extinguished the fire and rescued Casey. Sean is Sylvia's brother, and when he learns of her disappearance, he is determined to help find her.
Lots of action and multiple players kept me hooked on the story. Threads involving kidnappings, shootings, fires, explosions, family disfunctions, and broken relationships ran throughout the book. Casey and Sean teamed up to follow the leads and try to find Sylvia. The twists and turns of the investigation kept me guessing to the end with a resolution I did not expect. There are some hanging threads that I expect will be addressed in subsequent books in the series.
I enjoyed the development of Casey and Sean's relationship. Neither expected the sparks of attraction or the quick connection they felt. Both have been burned in past relationships and are wary of starting something with each other, especially since Casey is in town temporarily. I enjoyed seeing them together. They are supportive of each other's careers while still worrying about their safety. They also strive to maintain their professionalism while working together, ensuring they don't compromise the investigation. As their feeling for each other deepen, what happens when the case is over? Do they part ways, or can they find a way to be together? I liked the ending and look forward to seeing more of them in later books.
July 1, 2025
Legacy of Secrets begins the Fairfield First Responders series with the intriguing romance of Casey (an ATF agent investigating Sean’s sister’s disappearance) and Sean (a fireman estranged from his family).
At its core, Legacy of Secrets by Kenna Scott is a good book. This is a debut novel, and the beginning of a series, so I expect some world-building. There are a lot of characters to be introduced to early on, and a whole lot of tensions and intrigue going on around them. Frankly, it wasn’t always easy to keep the characters (or their thoughts) straight as to whose voice I was reading. The romance is almost sweet, more what I would expect from the Love Inspired Suspense line than a Harlequin Romantic Suspense. It works, but I never really felt the passion between these two characters, more like insta-love, and then they move forward with their lives together.
I believe that Legacy of Secrets by Kenna Scott is a good start to the series. I’ll be following this series to see what comes next and to watch for any changes in the delivery of the story from the author. Frankly, I don’t want to be told the main characters are in love… I want to be shown it; hopefully, future stories will do that.
*I received an e-ARC of this novel from the publisher via NetGalley, and I sincerely thank the author or publishing house for their trust. It is my choice to leave a review giving my personal opinion about this book.*
At its core, Legacy of Secrets by Kenna Scott is a good book. This is a debut novel, and the beginning of a series, so I expect some world-building. There are a lot of characters to be introduced to early on, and a whole lot of tensions and intrigue going on around them. Frankly, it wasn’t always easy to keep the characters (or their thoughts) straight as to whose voice I was reading. The romance is almost sweet, more what I would expect from the Love Inspired Suspense line than a Harlequin Romantic Suspense. It works, but I never really felt the passion between these two characters, more like insta-love, and then they move forward with their lives together.
I believe that Legacy of Secrets by Kenna Scott is a good start to the series. I’ll be following this series to see what comes next and to watch for any changes in the delivery of the story from the author. Frankly, I don’t want to be told the main characters are in love… I want to be shown it; hopefully, future stories will do that.
*I received an e-ARC of this novel from the publisher via NetGalley, and I sincerely thank the author or publishing house for their trust. It is my choice to leave a review giving my personal opinion about this book.*
July 14, 2025
As a debut novel and series opener, Legacy of Secrets by Kenna Scott is a solid read. The initial world-building introduces numerous characters and layers of intrigue, which at times made it challenging to track individual perspectives. While the romance is sweet, leaning more towards an inspirational suspense style than a typical Harlequin Romantic Suspense, the passion between Casey and Sean felt more declared than developed.
Despite some initial navigational challenges, Legacy of Secrets is a promising start to the series. I'm keen to see how the series evolves and hope future installments will show the development of romantic relationships rather than simply stating them.
I win this book through a Goodreads giveaway. My review is that of my own opinion.
Despite some initial navigational challenges, Legacy of Secrets is a promising start to the series. I'm keen to see how the series evolves and hope future installments will show the development of romantic relationships rather than simply stating them.
I win this book through a Goodreads giveaway. My review is that of my own opinion.
April 10, 2025
I believe this is a first book by a new author. The story line is good, the characters are interesting but the pacing seemed a bit uneven.
The main characters Sean, a captain in the fire department and Casey, a special agent with the ATF, try to work together professionally despite their attraction to each other. Both are struggling to deal with their personal past while they face an ATF investigation into Sean's estranged family.
I will likely seek out this author's next book as I think practice will help with the pacing issue. Her storyline is good, and the back story of the main characters gives them a depth not often found in first books.
The main characters Sean, a captain in the fire department and Casey, a special agent with the ATF, try to work together professionally despite their attraction to each other. Both are struggling to deal with their personal past while they face an ATF investigation into Sean's estranged family.
I will likely seek out this author's next book as I think practice will help with the pacing issue. Her storyline is good, and the back story of the main characters gives them a depth not often found in first books.
April 30, 2025
If you love a good suspenseful romance story that is full of tension, action and secrets this is the book for you! I really liked the dynamic between the FMC & MMC - Casey and Sean. Casey being an ATF agent and Sean a fireman. This is a very fast paced story, so much so that I found myself struggling to keep up with some of the pacing and what was happening. I noticed I had to go back and re-read some sections and chapters again just to figure out how we got from point A to B. Overall, I thought it was a fun, quick read and was really good as a first book in a series. I'm excited to see what other stories the series will hold! Thank you NetGalley for this eARC!
April 2, 2025
Legacy of Secrets was fast-paced with twists and turns, secrets, family dynamics, and tension. The plot was engaging, the characters were great as Casey and Sean both faced betrayal in their pasts, and I'm hoping that the secondary characters will get their own stories. This is a clean read with no inappropriate content.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
July 28, 2025
Thank you NetGalley for a copy of this ARC. Soooo much happened in this story in the first 100 pages I started to get confused but also was left confused at the ending . There are so many loose ends and unanswered questions that I’m still unsure who the bad guy was and what actually happened. I wish things were explained a little more or just less happening that made it so crazy. I liked that they accepted each other and their faults though and that she wanted a new beginning.
June 4, 2025
Good attempt at a romantic suspense story. I've read better. I've read worse. I liked the characters. I look forward to reading the next one in this series. Thanks to the publisher for providing a copy via NetGalley. My review is voluntary.
July 27, 2025
I won this book in a giveaway. I'm not a romance genre person, but this romantic suspense book was REALLY good. It kept me wondering what would happen next. I recommend this book, even if you're not a romance reader.
Read
June 1, 2025Contemporary Romance, Romantic Suspense
Miniseries
Fairfield First Responders (Book #1)
Miniseries
Fairfield First Responders (Book #1)
May 19, 2025
Legacy of Secrets by Kenna Scott kicks of a brand new series, one I will want to binge read as soon as the next book releases. Sean Harrington is a firefighter, ostracized by his family. But when he is called to a fire at the family winery, he meets ATF Special Agent Casey Anderson, who is trying to track down his missing sister. Sparks fly, literally!
I love the character development between Casey and Sean. Both have troubled pasts, and have to learn how to let people in, which makes for plenty of relationship drama--especially when Sean's ex steps into the picture. But Kenna Scott is a master of building suspense. Lots of danger, action and bad guys makes this an exciting book to kick off your summer. I can't wait for more from Kenna.
I received an ebook review copy of this book through NetGalley. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.
I love the character development between Casey and Sean. Both have troubled pasts, and have to learn how to let people in, which makes for plenty of relationship drama--especially when Sean's ex steps into the picture. But Kenna Scott is a master of building suspense. Lots of danger, action and bad guys makes this an exciting book to kick off your summer. I can't wait for more from Kenna.
I received an ebook review copy of this book through NetGalley. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.
July 27, 2025
This is a Romantic Suspense, and this is the first book in the Fairfield First Responders series. There were parts of this book I liked, but there were parts that I found boring. There were times I just did not want to pick this book up. I received an ARC of this book. This review is my own honest opinion about the book like all my reviews are.
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews