Micah
Constantine Ross is a cocky, provoking little…yeah.
And I swear, I’d think that even if his family’s business wasn’t my biggest competition.
It’s time someone taught the man a lesson or two about life.
At least that’s what I tell myself when I offer him a job.
Call it my good deed for the year… maybe the century.
And how the hell am I supposed to resist him?
But now he’s in my shop.
In my space.
In my every damn thought.
In. My. Bed.
Constantine
I’ll be the first to admit I’ve royally screwed up, but what can I say?
I was a stupid teen who lost his dad and spiraled out of control.
Almost a decade later, I’m still trying to make amends.
The last thing I need is my family’s arch-nemesis wading into my life like he’s got all the answers.
Except… I really need money, and the arrogant jerk offered me a job.
I can deal with Micah’s attitude.
My attraction to him? That’s different.
He’s my boss, not my boyfriend.
And he’s way too old for me.
But God, he’s gorgeous.
Dominant.
Compelling.
I don’t want to want him…
But I can’t turn away.
[I received a digital arc for an honest review]
The Secret is the newest addition to May Archer’s A Love in O’Leary series. If you have read any of them before, this books leading men made appearances through, so you are probably familiar with them. If you haven’t and are new to this series no worries, they are each a standalone, but I guarantee once you read one you’ll want to read them all!
Micah recently moved to the little town of O’Leary to grow his florist business but that’s proving to be difficult when everyone has been buying from the same florists since forever. His biggest and only competition sits across from him at the farmers market ever Saturday, and it doesn’t help his mood that the charming man running the booth is always pushing his buttons.
Constantine comes off as carefree, childish and dramatic. His motto is to focus on the good and ignore the negative things in his life. This causes people to not take him serious, yet he works his butt off working multiple jobs for little pay. The town still sees him as the angry teenager who made mistake after mistake, and he doesn’t bother to correct them.
When Micah and Constantine find themselves working together, they have to remind themselves that this is business only. The attraction and sexual tension between them grows the more they get to know each other, and they find it hard to deny their feelings. However, the lack of communication and the inability to open up might ruin them before they even begin.
“He kissed me the way he’d touched me, the way he’d looked at me, demanding and pissed off and searching for something I wasn’t sure how to provide“
The Secret was the perfect story for Constantine and Micah. It was filled with inner struggles, emotion, and self growth. Constantine was lovable, goofy and absolutely adorable. It was sad that he didn’t see himself the way Micah saw him. Mature and responsible Micah who fought his attraction toward Constantine and only wanted the best for him. Even with the age gap between them, their opposite personalities complimented each other. The sexual chemistry between them was hot, with their role-play and teasing in the bedroom. The story itself was almost perfect to me, except I was a little disappointed in the final conflict but it all wrapped up beautifully. From beginning to end I was invested in their happy and I rooted for them to figure their sh*t out.
Overall, The Secret was a fantastic MM, age gap, small town romance. If any of those sub genres appeal to you than I definitely recommend give this book a chance. May Archer’s writing is fun, steamy, and she makes you feel a part of the little town of O’Leary.
“He’d razed me to my foundations and built me back up again all at the same time.“
“He kissed me. No games, no hesitation, no questions. Just his lips on mine, his fingers wrapping around the back of my neck, and the tiny, needy moan coming from the back of my throat.“
4.5/5 ⭐
OnceUpon_A_BookDream 