Review: Sins and Secrets by Jessica Sorensen

Lies. Betrayal. A double life.

Lola Anders isn’t who she seems. Two years ago she ran away from a dangerous life she’d been living since she way born in order to stay alive. She changed her name and reinvented herself into a good girl… at least part of the time anyway. A secretary by day and an escort by night, Lola lives a double life in order to maintain balance and survive. And things are going well, until a ghost from her past shows up out of nowhere.

Sexy and dangerous Layton Everett enters Lola’s life again without warning. Not only does Layton know who Lola really is but he also used to work for her family’s sworn enemy . Lola worries he’s shown up to finish the hit put on her two years ago, so she tries to stay away from him, but it’s difficult when he seems to be everywhere. Plus, she’s attracted to him more than she likes to admit.

The closer Lola gets to Layton, the more her life gets turned upside. She ends up getting caught up in Layton's dangerous world and ultimately the life she ran away from catches up with her again.

**Mature Content Warning** 17+ for language and sexual content.

4 Star Review by Jen Skewes

This review is for Sins and Secrets as well as the prequel novella Seduction and Temptation, which I recommend that you read first.  I love Jessica Sorensen’s writing.  I love the emotions that she always brings out in you and her ability to write these broken characters.  Sins and Secrets is different than most of her books.  While it is certainly filled with drama and angst it is not the usual sad story that we have come to love from Ms. Sorensen.  It was filled with mystery, suspense, lies, and secrets which made for a really great read that had you on the edge of your seat and questioning what would happen next.

Lola and Layton grew up together in a world filled with murder, betrayal, secrets and lies, even if this was not something that they realized at a young age.  Their families were both in the mafia. They were best friends who understood each other and the world around them.  They were always there for each other just as best friends usually are.  But when Lola’s mother dies, something changes between them.  It’s now 7 years later and her and Layton have grown apart over the years.  Lola is now faced with a situation where she needs to make a decision.  A decision that will either kill her father or save him.  This situations also bring Layton back in her life. and in the end causing her to go on the run to escape the life that she has lived and start new.  This is where the prequel ends and the Sins and Secrets begins.

Lola has been on the run for the past two years.  She has a new name and is trying to move on her from her past and what happened two years ago.  Somehow, Layton finds her and is back in her life.  It seems that there is some sort of danger when Layton is present.  Lola and Layton were best friends once but Lola is not sure who he is any more and if she can even trust him.  Is he here to save her or kill her?  Why is he all of a sudden back in her life.  That is the mystery and suspense that continues through this story. 

I loved Layton and deep down saw how much he cared for Lola.  But at times even I was unsure of his motives.  What role did his still play in the mafia family and how does that affect his relationship with Lola, if there even is a relationship.  I don’t blame Lola for some of her actions.  She was on the run and had to look out for herself and only herself.  It was her father who had gotten her into this mess as it was.  But Layton has always meant something to her.  You feel and understand the connection between them and want to believe that he has her best interests at heart and wants to save her.  What I loved about this book is the mystery and suspense.  Not knowing what would happen next.  Who could you trust, who was telling the truth and who was still keeping secrets.  Sins and Secrets is filled with both mystery and suspense and just the right amount of both.  There are still so many unanswered questions that I am looking forward to finding out the answers to in the next book. 

While this book may be a little different than what we are used to from Ms. Sorrensen.  I have to say that I really enjoyed it.  It was a very interesting read and I cannot wait to see what happens next.