LETTERS TO A SECRET LOVER

Author: Toni Blake ISBN: 9780061429880 6/2008 CONTEMPORARY Publisher: AVON

The last thing she needs right now is a man . . . Lindsey Brooks had it all—an awesome job doling out advice to the lovelorn, a fabulous high-rise apartment, and a to-die-for fiancé. But then she got dumped—wearing nothing but a "Kiss the Cook" apron—and desperate to escape, she retreats to a tiny Montana town to reclaim a family treasure. She never dreamed anyone would try to stop her—or that he'd be sexy as sin. Too bad she finds such a hot one . . . Rob Colter isn't into relationships—but Lindsey sees Rob as the perfect guy to help her "get back on the horse." The sex horse, that is. Unfortunately, he comes complete with a mysterious past, which gets even more mysterious when she finds his passionate letters to another woman—whose name happens to be tattooed on his chest. And too bad he has so many secrets . . . Now Rob's dangerous past is about to catch up with them both. And if that's not horrible enough, Lindsey is falling for him—hard. For a girl who usually has all the answers, Lindsey is up to her neck in trouble.

RRAH's THOUGHTS AND PONDERINGS:

LETTERS TO A SECRET LOVER by Toni Blake is the story of a woman searching for more in life, crossing paths with a man hiding from the world because of his past.

In trying to seduce her fiancé with a fabulous dinner cooked in flagrante, advice columnist Lindsey Brooks only succeeds in causing them both some embarrassment as a picture ends up in all of Chicago's tabloids. With a broken engagement and heart in tow, Lindsey packs up for Moose Falls, Montana, the place where her now deceased Aunt Millie called home. Aunt Millie had wanted to leave her home and business in Moose Falls to Lindsey a year prior, but Lindsey had turned down the woman, not knowing how much she had given up for her busy life in the city.

Lindsey intends to buy back the business from its current owner, Rob Colter, but quickly learns that he wants nothing to do with that plan. Rob has had a hard life and is keeping some secrets close to his chest. He moved to Moose Falls to get away from it all, and has made a fresh start with a new home and work for himself in the small town, even if he is known as somewhat of a loner by the locals. But Lindsey quickly changes that as she seeks to learn more about her Aunt Millie and the life she lived in Moose Falls, with Rob being the one to provide her with those memories as he formed a close friendship with the woman in the months leading up to her death. What neither one of them counts on is the strong attraction they feel for each other, almost from the beginning.  But both Rob and Lindsey are wary of the fast building attraction and neither really wants to build a relationship, though they have different reasons for not wanting to get too close.

Blake's newest novel was enjoyable, as Rob and Lindsey tried hard to ignore their attraction to each other and failed miserably. They spend much of the novel in flagrante themselves in some very sexy scenes, but neither seems to mind too much. That is the case until both start to have feelings for each other. Lindsey has just come out of a long term relationship and Rob is supposed to be her rebound guy. But as she gets to know more about him from the time they spend together, she finds herself falling very much in love with Rob, with his surliness and all. Rob even calls her Abby—as in "Dear Abby" because of Lindsey's job as an advice columnist—for most of the book, which I think bothered me more than it ever did Lindsey.

As the book progresses, more of the locals of Moose Falls become part of the story and add to the feeling of small town life, where everyone knows your business before it even is business. Rob's past plays an important role in the story as well, and it's interesting the way that unfolds and the dynamic it adds to his relationship with Lindsey. It is the one thing he wishes he could have kept from her. The only bad thing I could really say about this novel is that it seemed to drag on at times, becoming a five day read instead of an overnighter. But if you can stick with it like I did, I'm sure you will enjoy Toni Blake's LETTERS TO A SECRET LOVER.

Maame Kanbi