Thank you to Harper Collins and Mira for a free copy of this book for review. This is another great book by this author. This an interesting domestic suspense story. Josh and Grace are in love and are happily living their lives together with Grace’s seven year old son Logan. When Grace unexpectedly dies Josh starts the process of legally adopting Logan. Something that he thought would be relatively straight forward becomes a mystery when he can’t find Logan’s birth certificate. After checking with authorities where Grace said Logan was born there is no record of him. However there are two boys that were reported missing in the area that would now be the same age as Logan. As Josh tries to find out the true identity of Logan he is heart broken that the woman he loved had lied to him about so many things. I liked the character development and the relationship between Josh and Logan is wonderful. This book kept me interested and anxious to find out more about Logan and why Grace would lie. I would recommend this book if you like family drama with a mystery.

I really love Hannah Mary McKinnon’s books, but this one was my least favorite of hers. I still really like the story, but I didn’t have the usual emotional reaction to this story that I generally have to her books.

I thought that it was slow-moving in the beginning, it took me until about 60% in for the action to start and afterwards it felt like the ending was rushed.

Having said all of this, I still love Hannah Mary McKinnon’s writing and the second part of the book was really intriguing as I wasn’t sure where the story was going anymore, which is always a good sign! There were some twists and turns, as would be expected, and I really appreciated that!

Overall, good story from an exceptional author! Every Hannah Mary McKinnon book must be read.

Thank you MIRA Books for my copy of Her Secret Son in exchange for an honest review.  This title released May 28, 2019.

When his partner of 5 years, Grace, dies in a sudden and tragic accident, Josh is left to care for their son Logan and navigate single parenthood. But Logan is not Josh’s biological son and questions quickly arise after Grace’s death when Josh has no documentation for Logan’s birth.  As Josh frantically tries to keep his family together, he uncovers some truths about Grace and begins to question the reality of their life together. A fantastic domestic suspense told from a father’s point of view as he chases the truth behind a 5-year lifetime of lies that were thrown at him without warning.

All the stars for this incredible read.

This was my first McKinnon book and let me tell you it will not be my last!  Her writing is incredibly addictive. I devoured this book; it was unputdownable! It kept me guessing right until the end - and what an intense ending it was!

I loved the pace this story took and I felt that the author really knew how to keep you engaged throughout.  With short chapters and a storyline you think you have figured out, this was a quick and engaging read.  I thought the characters were a solid cast and had well-developed storylines.  I love that the author gave you enough about each character and didn't go into overdrive on that aspect.  I could not help but fall for Josh's character, and his struggles broke my heart with every revelation.  I couldn't imagine discovering what he does and having to question the last 5 years of a life he thought he knew and loved.

I love that the story was told from the father's perspective, you don't see that much in family dramas - I thought it was a nice touch and a fresh take in this genre.

I have no doubt that this book will hit everyone's top summer reads lists this year.  I highly recommend this book to all suspense and thriller readers alike.  There is enough intrigue in this story that will deliver on all fronts of this genre.

So do yourself a favour and grab a copy of Her Secret Son and add it to the top of your TBR this summer!

This book! I can’t put into words how much I LOVED IT! Hannah Mary McKinnon is an amazing author that everyone should know! She has written 5 books! Her 5th one is about to come out this summer and I am always so excited because they are gripping and filled with suspense and you never know what is going to happen! I love when authors can hold the readers attention like that. Her Secret Son doesn’t disappoint! It will have you asking would you hold on to your secrets to keep the ones you love safe?

The Neighbors was my absolute favorite book from last year, so when I discovered that Hannah was writing another book, I couldn't wait to get my hands on it. This one is about a woman who dies and leaves behind a son and her partner of five years. The man starts the process of trying to adopt the boy that he considers his own son and starts to discover secrets about the woman he loved. The ending of this book was just as explosive as the ending of The Neighbors, so get ready! Another winner from HMM.

Author note: I hope readers will enjoy this novel as much as I did writing it. Thank you for choosing to spend time with my characters.

Thank you Suzy Approved Book Tours, Harlequin & Hannah Mary McKinnon for providing our copy in exchange for an honest & fair review.

The Secret Son by Hannah Mary McKinnon is an emotional ride & I can't put it down. I really liked seeing the characters develop. Josh is left to care for his longtime partner (Grace’s) child. Josh goes through a huge arc of emotions: anger, grief & resentment as he tries to uncover the truth about Grace’s son, Logan.

Every time he thinks he is getting closer to the truth, he just gets deeper into the secrets. We see him go on this emotional journey as his trust and love is tested. I’m rating this one 4 to 4.5 stars. You can’t help but feel empathy for Josh as you ask yourself, “What would I do in this situation?” Josh seems to find himself through the search.

THE VERDICT

I am Really Into This book! 4 to 4.5 stars from me!

I seem to have a thing for domestic dramas, and Her Secret Son was just the family drama!

I loved the secrets that start to unravel as Josh tries to get to the bottom of what was going on with Grace. Why so many secrets and what wasn’t she telling Josh?

I felt sympathetic towards Josh, and I really enjoyed seeing his interactions and bond with Logan. Overall, I enjoyed this compelling read!
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5 stars!

*thank you to the author and netgalley for this free copy for review. All opinions are my own

Her Secret Son is a deep dive into what you will do to keep some secrets buried and how loved ones will go to uncover those secrets after tragedy l. It is equal parts family drama and suspense.
I loved the writing and the flow of this books. It was my first book by @hannahmarymckinnon but definitely wont be my last.

From my blog: Always With a Book:

This is the first book I've read by Hannah Mary McKinnon and it definitely will not be the last. I love finding new authors to read, especially ones that have backlists where I can read their older books while waiting for their next one to come out!

I love a good family drama and this one delivers in spades! This was such a compelling story that had my heart racing a mile a minute as right away things start unraveling for Josh as soon as his partner, Grace dies unexpectedly. It's like opening Pandora's Box once Josh begins the process of obtaining legal guardianship of Grace's son, Logan, and once he starts digging into things, he uncovers more than he ever bargained for.

This book is incredibly addictive and once you start reading it, you will be hard-pressed to put it down. I become invested in this story and totally loved that it was told from Josh's point of view. It was easy to feel his pain, grief and struggles with each road block he faced.

I'm always a sucker for family dramas, especially ones riddled with secrets and this one delivered that and more. The tension slowly builds as Josh gets closer to the truth. I do think that the very last part was a bit over the top, but all in all, this was a great read. I very much enjoyed it and will definitely be picking up Hannah's other books soon. Have you read this one yet?

I enjoyed "The Neighbors" but this one just wasn't good for me, especially the ending.
The first 1/2 was very good- Josh's long time partner who won't marry him dies tragically and he is left with raising her son. Even when the details about the child's father are revealed, the story is still interesting. But the ending, really, it was just to unreal to believe. Such a let down for a great author. Hopefully, her next book will be better.
Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC for my Kindle.

Two quotes from this awesome book that stick with me.
1) We get comfortable, believe nothing else can go wrong because fate has already played with us the most, seen how far we can be stretched and bent, twisted into the shape of a pretzel before becoming brittle and shattering into a million pieces.
2) A boy named Logan came into my life one stormy afternoon...

This book had me going all over the place in so many parts. I thought of so many things that could have happened. When Grace died it was devastating. It tore Josh’s world apart. It tore Logan’s world apart. Neither of them knew what to do and I felt so sorry for them both. I was upset with Josh’s boss for not being more understanding under the circumstances. She should have been way more giving and forgiving. He lost his partner in a horrible way and blamed himself and had a boy to take care of who lost him mother for goodness sakes. It was beyond sad. It was earth shattering horrendously weepy eyed sad. My heart broke for Josh and Logan.

I have no idea what I would have done in Josh’s shoes but what he did do was nothing short of awesome in my book. This was a story of so much love. So much loss. So much happening that you won’t know what is coming next. It’s full of surprises and the ending will totally stun you, or it did me. I did not at all see it coming. I had plenty of guesses but not that one.

Hannah Mary McKinnon is a wonderful storyteller. Her books take you by the heart and don’t let go. They pull you into the story and keep you going until the dramatic ending and you won’t just don’t know what hit you. I absolutely loved this book. The happy, the sad, the thriller, the all of it. The whole book was done perfectly in my opinion. The characters were wonderful, well developed, likable and even lovable. This book has a bit of it all. Even laughter.

I highly recommend this book. This is one that will stay with you for a good long time. I could see parts of this book playing out as I read it. Felt like I was there. Felt the pain, the tears, the sadness and the happiness.

It’s a huge 5 stars from me.

Thank you to #NetGalley and #Harlequin-MIRA for this ARC in exchange for my complete and honest review. I truly loved it.

When Grace tragically dies, her boyfriend, Josh, is left to pick up the pieces and care for her son, Logan. Josh is perplexed to find no baby pictures or birth certificate for Logan and soon goes on a quest to learn the truth about where Logan really came from.

The first part of this flew by for me. I loved the whole premise and was eager to find out more. The second half was ok, but a little far-fetched at times for me. The outcome was not entirely plausible and I did not feel like there were any of the major twists that I find so appealing in psychological fiction. Still, a good, entertaining read overall.

Many thanks to Netgalley, Mira and Hannah Mary McKinnon for my complimentary e-copy ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Josh has been living with his partner Grace for five years, and is the only father that her son Logan has ever known. When Grace dies suddenly in an accident, amidst his grief, Josh must begin to apply for guardianship of Logan. While looking into this process with a lawyer, he realizes that he has never seen Logan’s birth certificate. Grace had been estranged from her family and he has no way to contact her parents. Digging deeper into Logan and Grace’s past leads to secrets, reveals, and dangerous moments!

Her Secret Son is a very addictive suspense/domestic drama. I was hooked right from the beginning, and had to know what the deal was with Grace and Logan! Aside from the mystery, the characters are relatable and engaging as they each deal with the grief of their loss, and begin to learn to move on. Josh struggles with different emotions as he misses Grace, but is also angry with her for not being honest with him. I also loved Josh’s relationship with his sister and his best friend Ivan.

The pacing of this story varies throughout the novel. Some of the sections during life with Josh and Logan are a bit slower, but it really picks up near the end. There are many twists, and I don’t think anyone will guess where this ends up! This is the first book I've read by Hanna Mary McKinnon, and it was a lot of fun! I couldn’t put it down, and I will definitely be reading more of her work.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin MIRA for providing me with an electronic version of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book was absolutely amazing!! All the twists and turns I wasn't able to put this book down. I am so excited to read more of Hannah's books!!

McKinnon does it again and in her third book she presents us with a third very different story, but one that will definitely please those who liked The Neighbors. Like me.

Josh has very suddenly lost his beloved wife Grace and needs to assure he has the guardianship of her son—whom he treats like his own. In the middle of gathering documents for that purpose, he notices how little he really knew Grace and embarks on a journey to figure it all out and, above all, accept it.

This could still be called a psychological thriller like The Neighbors was, but it feeds on a different fear. I think The Neighbors was more hectic, as stuff kept happening in your face. For Her Secret Son, it is up to Josh to go find it all out, he's the one who has to take the steps and I was there with him, telling him to give up because I really didn't want to know what was behind each of the numerous door Grace kept locked.

And right because of that, there's also a bit of an investigative thriller feeling from a point, which was welcome excitement. Josh has no detective experience, so it was just as if I were there, going after every lead.

I think the most important aspect was the family drama. It's not everyday you find out your soulmate hid a dark secret (and you don't even know what that secret actually is, you just see the consequences of it), but it's still something anyone could end up facing one day. That's what was the most scary thing about this read, how even husband and wife are ultimately two strangers. And this book goes on about still loving your family for what they are despite what they may be hiding. Josh is confused about Grace but he never stops loving their son.

I feel that fans of Belinda Bauer will enjoy this thriller for its dramatic appeal. I can't wait for the surprise Hannah Mary McKinnon will bring us for her next novel!



Honest review based on an ARC provided by Netgalley. Many thanks to this lovely author and to the publisher for this opportunity.

Her Secret Son was an interesting story of Grace, Josh and their son Logan. When Grace dies unexpectedly, Josh is thrown into a mess when he tries to begin proceedings to legally adopt Logan.

Suddenly things Grace has said about Logan and his birth are being checked into and nothing is making sense, nothing's checking out as it should. So Josh starts trying to figure out what has happened.

I enjoyed most of the characters and the descriptions of the small town in Maine where Josh went for a short while. I had difficulty with Josh's character because it was almost like he expected the world to stop expecting him to meet his commitments once Grace died.

The story was interesting and kept me turning pages, wanting to find out just what had happened, but the ending disappointed me. It's almost as if the author decided everything needed to be tied up in a big, red bow no matter how implausible that might be. Other than that, I would definitely recommend this book to people who enjoy this genre and to anyone that wants a good read.

Thanks to Netgalley, the author and publisher for an ARC at my request. My thoughts in this review are my own and freely given.

It was “love at first sight” for Josh when he met Grace, and her baby, Logan. And, Grace loved Josh too.

So why wouldn’t she accept his marriage proposals or allow him to formally adopt Logan?

Josh is about to find out.

When Josh goes in search of Logan’s birth certificate, after Grace dies in a tragic accident, he gets answers to questions he didn’t even realize were questions he should’ve been asking?

Let me start by saying that “The Neighbors”, was a 4 star read for me, and I was really looking forward to reading another book by this author. The book captured my interest immediately, and was ALWAYS eager to get back to reading it.

I found all but one of the characters to be likable, and loved that Josh was willing to play amateur detective to do right by the boy he considered to be his son.

But then the book, COMPLETELY FELL APART.

Implausible scenarios. Only one possible villain. Characters that just dropped out of the story, never to appear again. And, a “final reveal” which will allow the story to be wrapped up, a bit too CONVENIENTLY for me...a reader that prefers books with a solid plot to books that require me to suspend disbelief.

Will I reach for Hannah Mary McKinnon’s next published book? You bet.

Since I enjoyed the majority of the story, and was only disappointed by its conclusion, I feel 3 stars is about right for this one.

I would like to thank Netgalley, the publisher and the author for the digital ARC, I received in exchange for a candid review! This book will be available on May 28, 2019!

The Secrets Don't Stop. I'll be honest. The opening of this book is *sad*. The entire premise is that a man's partner and mother of his son dies, and we get that in the first 10% of the book with McKinnon doing possibly *too* good a job of conveying the emotions of both guys. So it is difficult to get through (not helped by the apparent fact that my brain needed a bit of a break from reading for a bit, honestly). But once I got through that... I read the remaining 88% of the book within 12 hrs. Yes, after that sequence the rest of the plot shapes up, and as good as McKinnon was at conveying the devastation initially, she is equally adept at keeping the plot moving along with secrets unravelling into more secrets that unravel into more secrets. Everything is eventually revealed... but there are still secrets being kept through the very last page... Excellent work from a new-t0-me author, one I'm very much looking forward to future work from.

I think my expectations for what this book would be weren’t accurate at all and it unfortunately made this one not the best for me in the end. I always talk about how having the right expectations about a book before picking it up helps me SO much and I really wish I would’ve known before I started this that it’s not a thriller at all, the authors last book, The Neighbors was a thriller and I stupidly assumed this would be as well. At best I would say this is a suspense, but really it’s more of a family drama with a mystery. All of that to say, had I known all of this beforehand I think I would’ve enjoyed this one more so take my thoughts knowing that my expectations affected my opinions.

Through the first half of this one I was totally sucked in, it begins when Grace dies and Josh is left to pick up the pieces. I loved the premise, the idea that after his girlfriend dies he begins to find out there is much that he didn’t know about her past and how the secrets she was keeping would effect their son as well. When Josh began to search for answers I was invested, I too was interested in what Grace had been hiding and how this would all make it harder for him to become Logan’s legal guardian. I wouldn’t necessarily say this was fast paced, but it was steady and engaging enough to keep me flipping the pages.

The second half of the story is where things started to fall apart a little for me. I can’t say too much for fear of spoilers but the direction it took was far fetched and a touch dramatic. I was still on board though, I figured the ending would be strong and it would all make sense for me but then that ended up being a little off for me as well. Was it surprising? Sure, but in a ridiculous way that just didn’t sit well with me. Look, it wasn’t incredibly stupid or anything, it just didn’t totally make sense to me, that’s all. I will say the author is a great writer and I’ll definitely be reading anything else she comes up with next, I just don’t think this was the right one for me.