Kate McAdams and Marc Calends had grown up together and had fallen in love and then one day Kate just left and told Marc she didn't want to be with him anymore. Marc was brokenhearted but what he didn't realize was that Kate was also had a broken heart and agonized over the fact that she had left Marc but there were dark forces at work to keep them apart. Marc's dad was not a good man and he had made sure that Kate would leave and never return. But, now he was dead and Kate had come back for her grandmother's funeral. She hadn't planned to see Marc but when she did, those same feelings came rushing back. But, there was never a possibility that they could ever be together. She had deceived him he would never be able to forgive her if he knew the truth. Right?

I really enjoyed this story about love, second chances and family relationships. Both Marc and Kate had large meddlesome families. I liked that the sex scenes were fade-to-black rather than highlighting every detail. And, I liked that there was a happy ending even though you were left wondering throughout the book if there would ever be a happy ending.

I was given an arc copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Am a sucker for 2nd chance romances and this one was no different, Kate and Marc were childhood sweethearts who suddenly broke up with Kate leaving her hometown, She returns for her grandmothers funeral and bumps into Marc and the fun begins from there. Am definitely looking forward to the next in this series.

I received a free copy of the book from Carlex Ruby Press via Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

Lakeshore Secrets by Shannyn Leah is a romance novel and the first in the By The Lake series. It stars Kate Mcadams, a young lady who manages to break away from her past. Six years ago after graduating college Kate manages to leave home, her family and her old boyfriend Marc Caliendo. As much as she loves Marc, she realizes at the time she has to escape the drama between them. Thinking she would never go back home, she discovers that her grandmother has passed away and must return for the funeral. When she returns she feels nostalgic but also at times feels immense horror, as secrets she thought she left behind keep haunting her. Most importantly, she realizes the connection between her and Mark never fizzled, and she does not know how to carry on. Will she be able to dodge her deceit and secrets, resist Mark and move on with her new life? Or will she realize that Mark is the man who she is supposed to be with forever?

Your inner romantic will swoon over Kate and Marc in Lakeshore Secrets. Both characters are rounded out enough so that you know their backstory, and come to understand why they act the way they do. Kate is an admirable character, although deceiving at times, she does eventually learn her place and understands what it means to treat people with respect. Marc is also mature and I was glad to see him mature even more by the end of the novel. The element of drama is what really won me over in this novel. With every page there is a new secret that made me anxious enough to hold my breath. Their story is messy as it ends up going much deeper than their relationship. You figure out their families are heavily involved in their past and at points it seems like these two are doomed by secrets. These secrets always seem to hold Kate and Marc back but I was happy to discover that eventually they overcame all of their troubles and got their happily ever after.

All in all, I found this book to be really entertaining. I had a hard time putting it down once I started to read it. Shannyn Leah’s writing is admirable, I love the way she manages to create such great characters and uses an authentic voice. You’ll never get bored of this story because it manages to pull you in and never really lets you go. There were some flaws here and there, one I noticed especially was parts of the plot. Although I thought some parts of the plot carried on for too long, I still believe it to be an original and fun story. Also, there were grammatical errors throughout and although it did not bother me, it could potentially bother other people while reading. I would definitely go on and read the other books in the series because I am now attached to Kate and Marc as well as their families and would love to see how their story will turn up. I suggest this story to any person who wants to read a good romance, or is searching for a book filled with lots of drama. This book teaches you that even when it seems like there is no chance of reconciliation, as long as you surround yourself with the people who love you, you will always be able to move and be forgiven.

This story was entertaining to a certain extent and I liked the family dynamic in the story. I will not sugar coat it and pretend that this story blew me away because it did not. I am going to start with the positives first. I liked Marc, his personality, and his loyalty towards his family. I like Katherine and her…….um……her relationship with her sisters, I guess???? There were a couple of grammatical errors, but I am no English professor, so it did not bother me. This story starts with Katherine visiting home for her grandmother's funeral and during her visit, she decides to stay at a resort. First off we find out that Katherine had just gotten out of a relationship after finding her "fiancée" in bed with another woman. Katherine and Marc are childhood friends and high school sweethearts and once they run into each other in a sauna, the story picks up. The story jumps around and basically, I am trying to figure out the big secret that cause Katherine to leave the love of her life.

Now let me address the negatives in this story. Katherine did not have much of a personality to me and I feel like her character was not developed fully. I could not connect with her, even after the "big" secret was involved. Katherine and Marc together was cute and I wanted them to sort out the mess to kiss and make up. I was kind of confused throughout the book because I was not sure if they really loved each other or what. Both of the characters make the decision throughout the story to leave the other alone because obviously, that person could not be with them. Instead of the author showing us the conversation and allowing me to sit at the table with Marc and his mom or to see the intensity of Katherine and Marc's first time hooking up after six long years apart, the author just says "they made love" or "the mother revealed the big secret". Marc handled the "big secret" to well for me and it took forever to get to it. There are a number of situations that does not make sense, but I will not spoil it for you. Overall, the book was interesting and I enjoyed seeing their love bloom again, but this story lacks emotion and intensity. If these two elements were done better, then the story would have touched me in a good way, but instead, I am taken away from the story and I am just reading words on a page.

a solid read

Only something drastic or desperate would bring Kate back home to Willow Valley. The death of the grandmother she loved with all her heart was enough of a desperate, heartbreaking event to warrant facing her past and the love, the pain she’d left in her wake when she left almost six years ago. Secrets are ugly things, always there to ruin something wonderful – when you yourself are full of secrets it’s difficult to face the past and emerge with a whole heart. But Kate owed Gran the respect and love of being present at her funeral. Perhaps she needed her family at this time as well. She’d come home, pay her respects and get out of town quickly before any more pain could be added to lives she’d protected, including her own. But fate is often cruel before she becomes kind once again, and Kate’s quick trip is going to open up wounds… and maybe heal them if she’s very lucky.

Kate and Marc’s story is one where that old saying of “makes your heart bled” seems very, very true. Marc was devastated when the girl he’d loved beyond reason up and left him without a word, with no contact since. He’d loved her with everything he had to give, she was his future – until she made the decision for him, against his love to simply walk away and not look back. So when Marc ran into Kate again to say there was bitterness mixed in with the sadness would not be an understatement at all. Kate had her reasons for leaving, ones that were very good ones to her mind. Secrets had made her run before. Now she had to make the decision as a more mature woman whether letting those secrets continue to rule and ruin her life was worth the loss of the man she’d never stopped loving, and the family she’d longed to reunite with.

When you read reviews or comments on stories by readers, you’ll often hear the phrase “roller coaster of emotions”… I cannot tell you just how true that feeling is for Lakeshore Secrets. It often seems that happiness is almost in reach for Kate and Marc only to see it snatched away by yet another twist or turn. It’s difficult to find a decent break for this couple. I was emotionally swept up in this romance, kept on the edge of nervousness by the secrets revealed and hopeful for an honest resolution to the past by two grown up lovers. I found this story very satisfying, very engaging and it definitely teased me enough to want to follow the rest of the series.

As a personal rule, I delete ARCs from my Kindle once I’ve finished reading and reviewing them. For those stories or series that touched me and I want to continue the journey of the rest of the story – those I will go and purchase the released e-book. I’ve purchased Lakeshore Secrets and picked up the next in the series. That’s probably the best indicator of how good I think this story is, and how this series will be entertainment wise.

*I received an e-ARC of this novel from the publisher via NetGalley. That does not change what I think of this story. It is my choice to leave a review giving my personal opinion about this book.* — I’ve also purchased the released Kindle edition.

I liked this book because it was an easy read, the author has a very nice flow in her writing style and sometimes you just want something with a happy ending. My only complaint was the fact that one of the characters was a real jerk off to one of the main characters and Ms. Leah just seemed to let that interaction slide with no real follow up on his threats or behavior.

The dialogue was easy to follow and believable. I honestly didn’t see the ending coming but felt it fit with the context of the background she set up as well as the character development. It was just a nice book to read and forget how hard the world can be. I liked how she developed the relationship between the sisters; having one myself I felt she did their interactions justice.

It’s the first in a series so I’m definitely going to read the next because I’m very curious to see where she’ll be taking this family.

Wasn't quite sure how this story would play out, and expected more angst than was there (not a bad thing), but also felt a few too many shockers were thrown in (Marc's real father, long lost brother, etc.) were thrown in over a short page or two. Never really felt like I got to know the characters in-depth either. At times, very superficial, especially with the siblings, so never really learned to care about them. Still have no clue who Emma is, and why she was forcing the unlikable Melissa on everyone. The author kept hinting about her dark side, but never explained what that was. Would still recommend, but would most likely not read more in the series.

This book takes you to on an emotional ride. The characters are all well developed and realistic.
5his story is about Kate who has too come home because her Grandmother has passed, but it not only her she has to bury. Secrets of the past are dug up & her affections for the boy (now a man) have to be buried. With so many deceptions and family ties, you are sucked right in to this book.
I literally could not put it down & read in it one day.