Assessment:
Plot/Idea: Secrets and Truths features an interesting and intricate plot regarding vampires, elves, humans, and the general magical world depicted. With danger at every corner and sexy moments in between, it will keep the reader hot and interested.
Prose: Hill has a talent for describing people and scenery. She can place the reader into a setting and make it feel very real and tangible. The dialogue can be a bit cheesy, but this is also charming. The sex scenes are naughty enough without being overtly raunchy.
Originality: While the vampires and werewolves tropes are pretty tired, Hill has been able to make them feel new and interesting with her dark world of bounty hunters, clubbing, and intricate storytelling arcs.
Character Development/Execution: Hill's main characters are sexy with dark backstories. The reader will be compelled to find out more about them as the story goes on.
Date Submitted: April 14, 2022
Hill has created a lived-in world in this spin-off to her Shadows of the Otherside series, using the background of North Carolina to create a structured society of “othersiders” and “mundanes.” She manages to keep the plot engaging and tightly-written, with adequate detail in her worldbuilding, and the themes of powerlessness, class, and race are handled deftly without dragging down the story’s pace—and still increase the stakes in a satisfying way.
Cade and Lya’s dynamic bond is complex and exciting. Readers who prefer a slow burn might feel that the two get together too quickly, but others will be relieved that Hill has avoided a protracted will-they/won’t-they lead-up to the relationship. While Cade and Lya aren’t quite enemies-to-lovers, fans of the trope will enjoy their banter and eventual team-up against a greater foe. Secrets and Truths offers a few spicy sex scenes, but some moments feel less natural, including stilted conversations between Lya and Cade during steamy interactions. At times, Hill sacrifices more powerful language in favor of the explicit, but fans of smoldering romance will look forward to more stories to come.
Takeaway: Paranormal romance enthusiasts will enjoy Hill’s fast-paced, steamy contribution to the genre.
Great for fans of: Jennifer L. Armentrout’s Blood and Ash series, Nalini Singh.
Production grades
Cover: A-
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A-
Marketing copy: A-