This book was intense and twisted and I found myself flying through the pages. Such a unique and thrilling story. highly recommend to any psychological thriller lovers!

I received an advanced copy of this book from the publisher through netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This book is well written and the characters are described well. I absolutely enjoyed this fast paced domestic thriller. This thriller has great twists and turns. This book will keep you on the edge of your seat from the first page trying to figure out what will happen next. If you love domestic psychological thrillers then this is the book for you. This was my first and I absolutely loved it. I highly recommend this book to anyone and everyone. This ebook is in stores for $4.99 (USD).

How far would you go for the thing that you want the most? Brooklyn & Peter can't wait for the birth of their baby it has been a long time coming. Brooklyn knows that her life will be complete once she hold her baby as he has lost so many in the past. But they both have secrets that they are hiding can they keep them hidden forever?
They hired a young woman to be their surrogate and now Kristine has gone missing and someone wants the truth to come out. Where has she gone? Is she okay? Is the baby okay?
Brooklyn knows that she did things that make her look guilty but all she wanted was to make sure that Kristine was okay as the baby is the most important thing right now.
So it is a huge shock when Kristine is found bust she is no longer pregnant and the worst thing is that the baby is gone. Everything has fallen apart and Brooklyn & Peter will need to prove that all the lies are just that?
Kristine wants justice for what happened to her but will this trial bring her peace?
Everything is falling apart and Brooklyn has no choice but to take matters into her own hands but it has dire consequences for everyone.
A gripping suspenseful read. A very intense story. A mother would do anything for her child but I don't know if everyone would do what Brooklyn has done. I was lucky enough to receive a copy via Netgalley & the publisher in exchange for my honest review.

I struggled with this book. The description sounded good but the book didn't live up to it. Sorry, this one wasn't for me.
Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review

3 for neutral. Wasn’t able to finish this one, I did yet a few times, but it never grabbed me. Will update if able to finish at a later date, as I am quite the moody reader!

This was a fantastic mystery and very suspenseful and it kept me guessing, I was on the edge of my seat from the beginning until the end.

Wow wow wow what a debut I always get excited when a debut is this good as it means that hopefully there will be plenty more to come in the future from an author.

This thriller was so fast paced and had so many unexpected twists and turns in it that every time I thought it couldn’t get any better it did.

Brooklyn had the perfect life, the perfect husband and the perfect job. The only thing that is missing in her life is a baby. Having tried many times but failing to carry a baby full time Brooklyn decides to use a surrogate however what with running her own adoption centre and not wanting to look like a hypocrite Brooklyn decides to keep it a secret. The only people that know are herself, her husband and the agency.

Everything seems to be going well for Brooklyn and her surrogate. The pregnancy is just about to reach full term then bang the surrogate disappears. With so many people in the frame for the disappearance no one knows who they can trust or who it could be. I won’t say any more as I don’t want to spoil anything but this book is so fast paced and so unexpected you never know what to expect next and when the next unexpected twist does come you’re left not being able to believe how clever and creative this author is. It’s absolutely brilliant.

This book went down a completely different path to what I was expecting. I also liked the fact that it was an authentic thriller I’ve read a lot of thrillers and have never come across one with a storyline and a plot like this one which was great as it’s always nice to try something a bit different.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for an advanced readers copy in exchange for an open and honest review.

Brooklyn has it all. Her life was seemingly perfect. When she decided to get pregnant and hire a surrogate, everything was falling into place until her surrogate vanished. What happened? Who can she trust?

Such an interesting read. A bit of a slow burn if you'd ask me. Sometimes, I like a story with a little bit of less urgency in them. Something I could take in slowly. And I think this book is one of those few books that I could spend days reading, without putting too much effort.

The premise was interesting. I didn't like the character for a reason I couldn't quite put my finger into. I just couldn't relate to her in any way. But, I think that her character was written that way. Overall, this book is pretty tolerable. Not totally enjoyable but something you can bring with you and read while on a trip or just commuting to work.

Cheers to Netgalley and Alter Ego Publishing, Inc. for the ARC!

Wow. This was incredibly good. Her surrogate has disappeared along with her unborn child.
Thank you Netgalley for allowing me to read this advance copy.

Excellent writing. I feverishly tore,through the pages to see how it all panned out. I figured out some Of it early in, but the author kept presenting new bends and twists in the story line that were unexpected. Devious, deceptive, cold, and calculating. A thriller at its best.

Brooklyn is a very successful philanthropist who runs her own business, lives a a beautiful home, has a handsome husband, but lacks the one thing she always wanted - a baby.
She chooses a surrogate, but wants to keep it all very secret as it could interfere with her successful business. The pregnancy goes well, but then just a short while before her surrogate is due to give birth, she disappears. Only then do we learn the secrets that Brooklyn did not want anyone to discover.
I enjoyed this book and it did have a somewhat surprise ending.
Thanks to the author, publisher and Netgalley for my ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I struggled with this book. The description sounded good but the book didnt live up to it. Sorry, this one wasnt for me

This ARC was provided to me via Kindle by Alter Ego Publishing Inc. and #NetGalley for my honest opinion. Opinions expressed are completely my own.

I had a difficult time getting into this one. It wasn’t a bad book I didn’t find it engaging or entertaining.

Thank you Netgalley and Alter Ego Publishing, Inc. for the arc of this book! I thought the story was great and had some real surprises. I didn't like any of the characters, and could not connect with any of them. I didn't like the writing. I'm not sure why, but I ended up skipping many parts because they just went on and on. an one 'surprise' was obvious to me early on, which ruined what was supposed to be a big reveal at the end. 2,5 stars rounded up to 3.

What would you do if you couldn’t carry pregnancies to term, but you ran a center for young women who are giving their babies up for adoption? One would assume you’d immediately get in line (or even skip ahead) to adopt a child from your own institution, but Brooklyn Taylor doesn’t want to adopt a random girl’s baby. She wants a biological baby, made with her husband, so she gets her aptly-titled “secret surrogate”, Kristine.

I’ve actually read stories about this happening - not getting a surrogate you hide from the world because of the optics around your business, but the thing that happens next - getting pregnant right after your surrogate. Brooklyn is shocked, scared of yet another miscarriage, but optimistic. Now she gets another chance to experience carrying a baby, hopefully successfully this time, and she’s basically having twins. (Bonus: she only has to give birth to one!)

As expected in a thriller about surrogacy, Kristine disappears one day late in her pregnancy. Brooklyn is desperate to find her, as her due date is approaching and nobody’s heard from her. When she goes to Kristine’s apartment, the place is dark and the locks have been changed. She’s hesitant to go to the police though, because she and her husband, Peter, have secrets (of course). Eventually, the police do get involved, but in a completely different capacity…

This was entertaining, but not super deep if that’s what you might be after (it doesn’t matter to me either way, as long as the entertainment is there). The plot is relatively original, despite many thrillers along this line having been done. The writing felt slightly stunted, and at times, this felt a little too dramatic (like a soap opera, or V.C. Andrews novel), but there were definitely plenty of twists and turns.

I’m giving this 3.5 stars, rounded up because this is a debut novel, and I see a really good thriller writer in the making. If the plot for a future book from this author sounded good, I’d definitely give it a try!

(Thank you to Xpresso Book Tours, Stephanie Mitchell and NetGalley for the complimentary copy in exchange for my review.)

This is a book that will definitely keep your attention! There is sooo much going on you really have to stay focused to keep up. The twists and turns just keep on coming and you don't know who or what to believe. After all of this the ending is the biggest surprise of all. Great book! Get it! You won't be disappointed!

Thank you Net Galley for allowing me to read this remarkable ARC for my honest review.

Awesome book!!! So many twists you don't see coming. My jaw dropped all the time while I read this book! The characters you side with in the beginning are not the characters you sympathize with by the end. I powered through this one. Can't wait for more by Stephanie!

This was a great book, I loved all the twists and turns. Even the things I knew would happen, still had an unexpected twist that I never saw coming. I would love to read more by this author!

What would you do if the only thing you wanted more then anything in life is a baby and that baby disappeared?

Brooklyn Taylor is desperate to have her own biological child and after numerous miscarriages Brooklyn and her Husband, Peter decide to hire a surrogate. Kristine seems like a perfect candidate and with an overly generous monthly payment offered, Kristine agrees to carry the Taylor’s child. The only catch is that Kristine is not to disclose to anyone that she is carrying the Taylor’s child. It’s a secret. No one but the Taylor’s, Kristine and the doctor know. Brooklyn runs a successful adoption and maternity centre so she felt it would not look great for her business if she used a surrogate instead of adopting.

Kristine’s pregnancy is going smoothly but suddenly about two weeks before she is to give birth, she disappears, with the unborn baby of the Taylor’s. Brooklyn is devastate. All she wants is to be a mother and now her hopes are dashed with the disappearance of Kristine.

Wow this book was intense. I kept wanting to read more to find out what was going to happen next. I really could not put it down. I love the way Stephanie Mitchell draws the reader in on the very first page, then continues to engage the readers mind with crafty plot twists and shocking revelations. I have to say this is one of the best, well thought out, completely unpredictable psychological thrillers I have read. Definitely a 5 star read for me.

Thank you Netgalley, Stephanie Mitchell and Xpresso Book Tours for my electronic arc in exchange for my honest opinions and review.

“The Secret Surrogate” by Stephanie Mitchell is, for lack of a better description, a wild, crazy, turn after turn revenge mystery with lots of twists to give one whiplash. In fact, at one point I ceased reading and actually said aloud “this book reminds me of [$name_of_another_book]” and a few pages later that book was actually mentioned, so I wasn't incorrect in having that thought.

However, the idea of the plot - fantastic. The suspense - well done. The mystery - a bit out there, a bit of a stretch for me - but possibly plausible. This was a quick read, so it was engaging and engrossing. This book is written in two parts - and I happened to prefer Part 1, where the set-up is given, we’re introduced to the main characters, and things are odd, but not crazy odd. Part 2 is where the action and unraveling of the twists and the “good stuff” happens - and while the two parts work together well, Part 2 was where I felt, well, time to get aboard the fast crazy train … or, to quote from the wonderful movie "All About Eve," "fasten your seat belts; it's going to be a bumpy night."

If you like a fast moving plot with a thriller mystery - this book is most likely up your alley. I am not a fan of unreliable characters and, alas, this book had tons of them. Additionally, at times I felt like I missed a key point because a character would have an “ah ha” moment, then I realized that I hadn’t missed the moment, but it would shortly be explained and expanded upon in the next chapter or two. I found one moment a bit too out there (our main character has an epiphany about something from her past in the middle of a rather dramatic scene) - but while, for me, these were annoying, I’m sure for most readers they’re possibly minor things to note.

A solid 4 stars for the first part. A solid 2.5-3 stars for the second part. I’d give this a solid 3.25-3.5 stars … and when Ms. Mitchell’s next book comes out, I’ll read that one too. Note - this book does contain some triggers, so be aware of that (I do wish they'd been listed at the end of the book because listing them here unfortunately gives away some of the plot twists).