This is a total Lifetime Movie of a book--melodramatic and over the top, but also fast paced and completely engrossing! It's told in first person by Josh, whose partner, Grace, dies suddenly. What Josh discovers after Grace's death leads him to believe that she wasn't completely honest with him about where her son, who Josh has parented for the last five years, came from. This leads Josh on a search for the truth, which of course puts him in the midst of secrets and danger. I don't think this will end up being very memorable, but it was enjoyable and just what I was in the mood for.

Talk about a twisty domestic drama! Josh knows that he's Logan's dad in fact if not in biology- he raised him with Grace for the last formative five years. Her death, though, opens a HUGE can of worms. First and most importantly, Josh can't locate a birth certificate for Logan. Why not? Well, that the part I can't tell you and what makes this so interesting. Some of it is, perhaps, a bit farfetched but what echoes through is that Josh loves Logan and is committed to him. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. Well written and plotted, it will pull at your heartstrings .

Grace has shared next to nothing about her past before she met Josh. She had a son Logan who Josh considered himself to be the father as there was no one else in the picture. Grace dies in an accidental fall and Logan and Josh are left on their own to struggle through their grief. Josh cannot find anyone in Grace's family to contact about her death Josh would like to adopt Logan or at least have librarianship , but there was no trace of his birth certificate, let alone his birth to be found. This was a problem. that Josh was bound and determined to solve. and went to great lengths to do so. A real page-turner!

After Josh's partner, Grace, dies in a tragic accident, he has custody of her seven year old son, Logan. And, as if it weren't difficult enough that Josh and Logan are reeling from grief, Josh now has to prove that he should be Logan's legal guardian. During his search for Logan's birth certificate, he instead uncovers mysteries, lies, and secrets, making him wonder ... how well did he really know Grace?

Even though I thought the conclusion was a bit far fetched, it was definitely twisty and surprising. The writing was good, and I definitely felt great emotion for Josh as he battled for custody of Logan. It also made me think ... what would I have done in a similar situation? If I'd been raising a son as my own for 5 years, what lengths would I have gone to secure his safety and future? The thought of handing him over to strangers, even if they were his biological parents, was heart wrenching. If you enjoy suspenseful family dramas, then give this one a try!

The authors' previous work, The Neighbors (4 stars), remains my favorite of hers.

Location: Albany, New York

3.5 stars

I received an advance copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

Hannah Mary McKinnon, Author of “Her Secret Son” has written a captivating, compelling, intriguing and thought-provoking novel. The Genres for this Novel are Mystery, Suspense and Fiction. The timeline of the story is set in the present and goes to the past when it pertains to the characters or events in the story. Some of the unsettling questions would unnerve any parent. The author describes her characters as complex, complicated and confused.

When Grace, Josh’s significant other has a tragic accident, Josh finds himself in the difficult position of being a single father to his son Logan. As Josh tries to find legal answers that involve Logan, he realizes that Grace had deep dark secrets that can cause terrible consequences. Josh wants to become Logan’s legal guardian so he can adopt him. At every inquiry, there is another problem. There is no birth certificate. Now Josh is starting to doubt his relationship with Grace.

As Josh tries to unravel all the secrets to finding the truth and make the pieces of the puzzle fit, he doesn’t realize the danger he and Logan are in. I would highly recommend this suspenseful and complex novel.

2.75*
I may not have been the best match for this novel.
Hannah Mary McKinnon's previous novel The Neighbors was brilliant! It’s sitting pretty and proudly on my favorites’ shelf. Let’s just say this one fell short of that same magic (for me).

Josh’s life goes sideways after the sudden death of his partner of five years, Grace. He’s now left with the responsibility of raising Grace’s son Logan alone. It seems they never had the fore-sight to discuss guardianship or adoption. No arrangements were ever made.
For Logan’s well-being, Josh immediately begins the lengthy ordeal of securing guardianship. It’s during this process that troubling questions arise regarding exactly who Grace and Logan really are.

I struggled through this one. The story-line and characters never held my interest. I found myself putting it down in favor of another book more than once.

I am definitely in the minority on this one (with Susanne). There are many fantastic positive reviews so I hope you’ll enjoy.

Will this stop me from reaching for Hannah Mary McKinnon's next novel? Absolutely not! My love of her previous book will keep me looking for that magic once again.

A buddy read with Susanne!🌸

Thank you to NetGalley , Harlequin-Mira and Hannah Mary McKinnon for an ARC to read and review

A powerful novel of suspense, grief, and an edge of your seat domestic thriller. The best kind!
"When Josh’s longtime partner, Grace, dies in a tragic accident, he is left with a mess of grief—and full custody of her seven-year-old son, Logan. While not his biological father, Josh has been a dad to Logan in every way that counts, and with Grace gone, Logan needs him more than ever."
The story flows out nicely and takes a quick turn into secrets, lies and more twists that had me glued to the pages. The characters are fantastic and McKinnon nails the male point of view masterfully.
The unraveling of the truth will leave you wanting more and you'll be thining out this amazing novel for a long time. I love it. 5-star fab!

An enjoyable book, especially the first half but then I thought it slowed down . Still worth reading though and worth four stars

This is my first book by this author and it won’t be my last .
I enjoyed this book and I was turning the pages long into the night

Let me start out by saying how much of a fan I am of Hannah Mary McKinnon!

My goodness did I devour her first novel The Neighbors. I was SOOO excited to read her next novel Her Secret Son.

I once again devoured this novel within a few days and was desperate to find out what would happen between Josh and seven year old Logan after the death of his wife/mother.

So, unfortunately this one didn't work as well as The Neighbors for me. I felt it was a tad bit far fetched for me... especially at the end. I found myself rolling my eyes a bit too much and just couldn't wrap my head around the reveal of the whole story.

But, Hannah Mary McKinnon can write for days ladies and gentleman! That's what grabs me in with her! I also love her characters. I couldn't get enough of Logan, Josh, Logan's sister Lisa and Josh's best friend.

I do have to say that once again I thought I had the reveal figured out but once again Mary knows how to pull her readers in and add that final twist/reveal.

I may be in the minority on this one because I have seen many 4-5 stars for this one. I would definitely check this book out! :)

3.25 stars rounded up :)

Thank you so much to Hannah Mary McKinnon, Netgalley, and Harlequin/Mira for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

Publication date: 5/28/19
Published to Goodreads: 4/22/19

Thank you netgalley, the author, and publisher for an advanced readers copy. I loved this book and did not expect the ending!

This is one of my favorite suspense books that I have read in a while. It had me guessing and I would find myself thinking what if it happened this way, It isn’t very often you read a book and don’t see what is coming a couple of chapters in, but this book kept me guessing.
Make sure you have plenty of time to read this book when you start because you are NOT going to want to put it down

This will be one of my favorite books this year. The Neighbors was one of my favorite books from last year. I am probably one of Hannah's biggest fans. She gets us from the beginning and does not let us stop reading until the last page!! You will love Josh and of course, Logan. This is one of the most unique stories I have read in a long time.

2.5* Stars rounded down.

A Campy Suspense.

Remember those shows we used to watch in the 70-80’s after we got out of Junior High and High School? Those Afterschool and Schoolbreak Specials? Well “Her Secret Son” by Hannah Mary McKinnon reminded me of those. It was campy and far-fetched, yet I tore through it in a matter of hours desperate to find out what was going to happen to Josh and seven year-old Logan after everything in their lives fell apart. It was an interesting ride and while I thought I had it figured out, I will say that I guessed wrong.

I grabbed this book because I remembered loving the author’s prior novel, “The Neighbors.” Unfortunately for me, this one didn’t work quite as well. Where “The Neighbors” was compelling and suspenseful, “Her Secret Son” was overly dramatic. Admittedly my eyes couldn’t help but roll from time to time. What I enjoyed about this novel was the characters: I just adored Josh’s love for Logan and the lengths he went to for him. I also liked Josh and Logan’s relationship with Josh’s sister and best friend. Talk about tugging at my heartstrings! Note that I am in the minority here as other reviewers liked this one more than I did thus I encourage you to check out other reviews for this novel in addition to mine.

This was a buddy read with Kaceey. Thanks for keeping me company on this one Kaceey!

Thank you to NetGalley, Harlequin - Mira and Hannah Mary McKinnon for an arc of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

Published on NetGalley and Goodreads on 4.7.19
Publication date 5.28.19.

In this story, Her Secret Son by Hannah Mary McKennon, a man finds himselft with a 7 year old boy, the son of his girlfriend whose has died. Josh has a deep love for Logan as he has been "dad" to him since he was 2 years old. In the midst of his dispair and anguish over losing Grace he finds so many secrets about her and Logan. The chase is on, he must try to find answers so he doesn't lose Logan. This is a story of compassion and love; it is also a story of deception and a quest. I could not put it down! Thank you #NetGalley #HerSecretSon #MiraBooks

I really got into this book and was confident I'd be giving it a solid five stars by the time I got to the end. The first three quarters were absolute gold – I really fell in love with the writing and the characters – but I'm afraid the way all of the revelations came out and tied themselves up lost me. My disbelief was no longer suspended and, with that gone, the twists didn't have the same effect. Don't want to give any spoilers, but I didn't get caught up in the attraction two of the characters had. It felt a bit convenient to me and quite rushed.
Still, it was an enjoyable read.

Her Secret Son by Hannah Mary McKinnon is a suspenseful family drama about an individual who will go to any lengths to find the truth, even if it costs him everything. This is a fast-paced mystery that engages the reader from the very first page.

Josh, Grace, and son Logan are a seemingly idyllic family until tragedy strikes. A slip on the ice proves to be fatal for Grace, and Josh and Logan are left devastated, clinging to each other through the dark days following the accident. Although Josh is not Logan's biological father, he has raised him since the age of two, and is acknowledged to be his parent in all respects. Josh tries to secure Logan's future by formalizing his adoption, but faces difficulties because he and Grace had never married. While trying unsuccessfully to obtain Logan's birth certificate, Josh is stunned to learn that Grace has been keeping secrets, the magnitude of which he cannot begin to fathom.

This is a solid read, full of enough intrigue and suspense to keep me turning pages in a bid to uncover Grace's many secrets. I will read more from this author in future.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Harlequin-Mira for this ARC.

An engrossing story about what it means to be family and the lengths s father will go to for his son.
The characters were well fleshed out and plot was good.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for letting me review this book

Delicious!

I read Hannah Mary McKinnon’s second novel, The Neighbors, and was left absolutely breathless, mind spinning, replaying the book in my head for weeks after...its still running through my mind soooo when I saw McKinnon was releasing another novel, I knew I had to read it ASAP!

Her Secret Son was excellent, I was not disappointed. This book was totally different compared to other books I have read in this genre, I was continually kept guessing and was so wrapped up in the family drama I did not want to put it down. Hannah Mary McKinnon really knows how to write deep characters who you love despite their flaws.

Her Secret Son was 4.25 stars and I cannot wait to read her next book involving sisters!!!

Thank you NetGalley and Harlequin Mira for my advanced copy of, Her Secret Son, in exchange for my honest review.

This is one of my favorite suspense books that I have read in a long time. It’s exactly what I look for in a mystery thriller. It had me guessing and guessing and when I wasn’t reading it wasn’t far from my mind! I would find myself thinking what if it happened this way, or what if it went down like this. I absolutely loved every character from Grace, Josh, Logan and especially Lisa. Hannah Mary McKinnon you have outdone yourself with this one and if I could I would give it 100+ stars! Thank you again for giving me a chance to read an advanced readers copy! Oh what to do with myself now as I suffer from the worst possible book hangover! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️📚 #HerSecretSon #PurePerfection #May28 #Preorder