4.5 stars.

A Song of Secrets (The Hana Trio #1) by Jayci Lee is a story full of music. The Chamber Music Society urgently needs its new season to be a success, and the money to flow like the musical notes that are heard in the place so it could remain open, because the pandemic hit the society hard. To do this, Angie Han has found the perfect solution: she would ask the composer of the moment, A.S., to make a piece for The Hana Trio (Angie and her sisters’ group), which would premiere the night of the beginning of the season. The anonymous composer keeps his identity top secret, but Angie has discovered it. A.S. is none other than the vice president of Riddle Incorporated, Joshua Shin. And her ex!

I loved the way the author has written this book. With vast knowledge of the subject, she presents a love story filled with emotional music. We can also see that the plot’s rhythm follows the composition Joshua writes to Angie at some point in the book.

“The rhythm grew faster and faster, then screeched to an abrupt halt. There were three bars of rest but the quiet was filled with the beating of her heart. Then poignant, tender notes filled the silence, and she heard the sound of hope.”

That said, the events sequence is a bit slow in the first half of the book, which makes the reading a little inconsistent. Once we get into the second half, everything flows like the harmony the sisters have when they’re playing.

As a music lover, I have been fascinated by this book. And its cover, like its ending, is splendid. With a plot that grabs you from the first page, this story has been a great start to this series.

This book gave me everything I needed from it. It distracted me thoroughly. Well-written and enjoyable to read. All the glamour and drama a girl could wish for!

I’ve read a few of a books and always enjoyed them. Her new book is no different. This hot 𝘀𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗱 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗥𝗼𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 will melt your heart. ⁣
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A terrible secret tore two lovers apart but years later, they find themselves having to work together. The tension, love, anger and regret beautifully fill the page. Family and trust also play an important part in this book. ⁣
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The author truly brought the characters to life and created 𝗮𝗻 𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗼𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝘀𝗶𝘁𝘂𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 for them. This romance definitely has some steam to it and doesn’t feel forced. The characters will need to 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗻 𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗿𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗮𝗴𝗮𝗶𝗻 𝘄𝗵𝗶𝗹𝗲 𝗳𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗺𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀. Overall, I really enjoyed the story and the characters. ⁣
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Publication Day: January 25, 2022⁣
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Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

When I think of romance, I think of books just like this one, that gives all the feels and satisfies every romance junkies' heart. This is a perfect books to snuggle up with on any day.

I really enjoyed this read, both as a classical music lover and a romance novel fan. Also it was a second chance romance which is always nice. The third act confusion was one that was expected and the ending seemed a bit too rushed in how quickly they got back together but then again they were both also at a point where they didn't want to waste more time, having lost ten years already, so I could understand it a little bit. Can't wait for the other two in the series!

World-renowned cellist Angie Han and Joshua Shin, Vice President of his family’s electronics components corporation, are ex-college sweethearts bound by passion, music, and secrets—hers and his—in Jayci Lee’s A Song of Secrets, Hana Trio #1. Lee’s beautiful writing style and storytelling drew me into this emotional story about conflicted and relatable characters whose love story I couldn’t wait to see unfold. I love Lee’s writing and her use of language. Her prose is rich in detail, emotional depth, and vibrant description. Lee wonderfully develops Angie and Joshua and their interactions, which are sweet, intense, steamy, intimate, passionate, and sometimes filled with desperation and pain. I love how she uses music as another character in the novel. Angie’s and Joshua’s passion for music is fundamental to their connection. Their love for music and one another drives the evolution of their characters.

A cellist in Hana Trio, a string trio with her younger sisters, Angie is desperate to keep their chamber music society open by helping with their fundraising efforts. After realizing that Joshua is the highly acclaimed anonymous composer “A.S.” setting the classical music world afire, she asks him for his help. Joshua, still bitter and hurt from their breakup after all this time, wants nothing to do with Angie. Nonetheless, he agrees to help her if she plays for a family member. As they begin an uneasy alliance, smoldering desires and feelings resurface as intensely as before. Ten years ago, Angie’s secrets separated and tore them apart. Can Joshua’s secret bring them back together? Will it matter if he cannot forgive or trust Angie again?

Because it's a passion that creatively inspires them both, music is profoundly part of Angie’s and Joshua’s relationship. It keeps them intertwined even while they're apart. When all else is lost, they can communicate and connect through music. He composes, and she performs, but it’s more profound than that. All that he’s unable to express comes to life creatively in his compositions—even subconsciously. And because of their connection and her intimate knowledge of him, she hears and understands what he’s saying to her.

A Song of Secrets is a beautifully written, steamy, intimate, and achingly poignant second chance romance about overcoming fear to trust and open your heart to love and fighting for what you’re passionate about.

I really liked Angie and Josh, she with all her strength and love for her family and music and he with his tough and serious but passionate way.
This series promises many emotions and sighs.

Is this... a second chance romance I actually liked? Maybe I was so excited about a cellist protagonist that I became overwhelmed in a good way. But actually, I think it was the thoughtful writing, raw emotion, and steamy tension that led me to this unusual, wondrous place. This read is pure escapism in its finest, distilled form. It's about Angie and Joshua, who were forced apart in college by Angie's father, who gave her an impossible decision to make. They are thrown together in the present because of the classical music that once connected them. Angie discovers Joshua is secretly a well-known, mysterious composer that could save the local chamber music society if he wrote a piece for her and her sisters to play in their string trio. Meanwhile, Joshua's grandfather is recovering from a heart attack, and Joshua asks Angie to come play for him a couple times a week to bring some joy to his convalescence. Despite Joshua's antagonism due to the past breakup, something starts to spark to life between them.

I appreciated the depth and range of feelings between the two characters. I also thought the level of intensity in the present made it less bothersome to me that there was a history between them where I'm not privy to all the details (a struggle I have whenever the second chance trope rolls around). My only complaint has to do with the second half. While the first part had a nice buildup of tension and a natural feeling of progression, the latter part feels like waiting for the other shoe to drop. The conflict between the two is ultimately about their insecurities, and they start winding up to their big separation moment early by privately worrying about their inevitable but unnecessary breakup. They fight their feelings and ignore the potential for something more.

This is a light, frothy, classical music-driven romance. I enjoyed the two main leads and their growing bond. If you aren't bothered by this style of angst, I think this is the perfect book vacation for you. Thanks to Harlequin for my copy to read and review.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for my ARC copy in exchange for my honest review.

I was excited to get this copy since I’ve enjoyed her previous book. This was a very short length, steamy, second chance love story between two people who deserved a second chance at love. My only complaint was that I wish there were flashbacks to their love 10 years ago. Reading about their newfound love was great, but I needed the background information on why it took so long for them to trust each other. Otherwise, it was a sweet story. Looking forward to to book number 2.

A good second chance love story, and opener for the Hana Trio series. The book opens with an emotional scene where Joshua and Angie see each other again for the first time in ten years, at a fundraiser for the local chamber music society. Angie and her sisters are among the performers, and Joshua is one of the attendees in place of his sick grandfather. Joshua is swamped by the memories of their college romance where they bonded over their music and gave in to the attraction that burned between them. He also remembers her walking away from him, his heartbreak destroying his ability to make music. When they come face-to-face, Joshua hides his still-simmering attraction to her behind anger and coldness when Angie asks him if he's happy.

Two months later, Angie receives the devastating news that the chamber music society may have to close. Their operating funds are dangerously low due to the pandemic, and their fundraising efforts have not kept up. After her estranged father refused to donate without Angie giving up her hard-fought independence, she was at a loss on how to help. Then, while listening to a piece from an anonymous new composer, Angie heard a musical phrase she never expected to hear again. I loved her determination to take what she knew and ask Joshua to compose a piece for the Society season-opening and ached at his stubborn refusal. But when Joshua's beloved grandfather has a heart attack, Joshua offers to write the piece in exchange for Angie playing her cello as music therapy for him.

Spending time together with his grandfather and working on his composition rekindles the attraction that still burns between them. Neither can resist the pull and decide that they can satisfy it with a no-strings affair. Each is determined to keep emotions out of it, but we all know how well that works. I loved seeing the quiet times they spent together and their collaborative efforts for his contribution. It didn't take long for Joshua's anger to fade, though he fought hard against acknowledging the love that had never gone away. Angie begins to feel the strain of pretending she doesn't want more than the affair they agreed to.

The emotional intensity ramped up when the secrecy failed. Joshua and Angie's world began to implode. I hurt for Angie, who faced the double pain of Joshua rejecting her love and believing her capable of revealing his secret. The depth of her pain dripped off the pages, and I was grateful for the closeness she shared with her sisters. I loved their support as she tried to overcome her heartbreak. I wanted to be mad at Joshua, but he faced his own Armageddon. Not only had he lost Angie through his stubborn blindness, but he also ran the risk of losing his promotion to CEO of the family business. I loved seeing him realize the truth of his feelings for Angie and her place in his life and how he used that to prepare his fight for his job. To my delight, he rocked the scene in the boardroom. Even better, I loved how his focus moved on to finding a way to win Angie back. I wasn't surprised by his method, but the details showed how well he knew her and how much she meant to him. The openness and honesty of Joshua's confession to her were intensely emotional and went a long way toward making up for the hurt he caused. I loved the ending and hope to see more of them in her sisters' books.

Thank you Netgalley and Harlequin for access to this arc.

This is a quiet and thoughtful story. When the penny dropped for Angie, I had visions of what she’d do with the information but instead of the usual, she went another route. Joshua can be forgiven for initially shutting her down but his need also turned out to not be what I expected. Both actually thought of the needs of others before their own feelings.

What Joshua wants from Angie introduces a charming character from his family: his Halabuji who sees and understands a lot more than Joshua is comfortable with. Joshua’s beloved grandfather could have been a stiffnecked old coot but instead he takes Angie to his heart and treats her like a beloved relative while Angie throws herself into her part of the bargain and charms him right back.

This is a Harlequin Desire book so I was expecting sexy times but to see Angie take charge of what she wanted in her new and different relationship with Joshua was fun. Thank goodness the two of them don’t hem and haw but go right for what they’re comfortable with. The story is actually longer than it feels like as days at a time are skipped giving Angie and Joshua time to be together off page. A surprise occurred when something that had been a misunderstanding was revealed way before I thought it would be and in a way that I usually can only long for in a romance book.

As I waited for a few shoes to drop, Joshua finally got to work on his part of their bargain and I enjoyed how music – which they had once enjoyed together – brought him back together with Angie. The final conflict between them was what I was expecting but again, it was handled in a way I wasn’t expecting. Which was good! But the original conflict that tore them apart ten years ago never really felt as if it was resolved or explained to me. I can only assume that more will be shown in the next two books but it was disappointing here. I also thought the professional challenge that Joshua faces was over and done fairly quickly.

I look forward to the next two books with Angie’s younger sisters. Some information was revealed that ought to shake up the Han sisters but based on how they were written here, I think they’ll be more than up to the challenge. B

4.5/5* A Song of Secrets by Jayci Lee, book one in the Hana Trio series, is a second chance story filled with secrets and regrets. Angie Han and Josh Shin were college sweethearts, creating beautiful music together before they were torn apart by Angie’s controlling and manipulative father. Eight years later, they cross paths again, and while they are still attracted and affected by each other, neither is certain that Josh can forgive Angie for breaking his heart. Angie asks Josh for his help in saving her chamber music society and in exchange, she will help his grandfather heal from health problems, playing music on her cello for him. Spending time together reignites the flames that still burned between them. Their chemistry is off the charts, and the electricity between them could light up a concert hall. As secrets are revealed, Angie decides she need more than just a fling with an old flame and Josh must decide if he has enough room in his life for his family business, creating music, and Angie; not necessarily in that order.

Ms. Lee wrote an emotional, steamy romance, with all the right notes, that is the perfect introduction to her new trilogy. She provided a tale rich with emotions, sizzling chemistry, clever banter, and authentic characters giving Angie and Josh a chance at love and making beautiful music together. I highly recommend A Song of Secrets to other readers and I can’t wait for more from her sisters.

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book.

I liked this second-chance romance story. I loved seeing how music reunited Angie and Joshua together and the moments where they were falling in love with each other all over again gave me butterflies. This story was very soap opera-esq and I enjoyed it. If you like Second chance romances and the Forced Proximity trope . Then I recommend this quick read.

I don't read Harlequin Desire for the billionaire heroes. I read it for the smart, talented women who know what they want and what they deserve and are willing to walk away from a person they love because they love themselves, too. That moment in a romance where the heroine turns away from the hero because she knows she deserves better than what he can give? There's nothing better than that (including the moment where the hero makes his grand gesture to win her back). A Song of Secrets is a perfect example of this dynamic -- plus, I loved the music, the spice level, and the grandpa! Very much looking forward to the rest of the Hana Trio trilogy.

Many thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review!

Thank you so much to Harlequin for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I loved this story! This is the third book by Jayci Lee that I’ve read, the first two being A Sweet Mess and The Dating Dare, and I can definitively say that I enjoyed A Song of Secrets more. Even with this story being quite simple, the angst and tension between Angie and Joshua was really well done. I really love the premise of this series too and how enchanting the series feels with the Hana Trio being the center of all three stories as talented musicians. I think the only thing that surprised me in this story is the fact that no one from either Angie or Joshua’s family was aware that they had dated in college? Considering how important and significant Angie and Joshua’s relationship was to both of them, I was shocked that neither Angie’s sisters nor Joshua’s grandfather knew that the other person existed. Especially since Angie’s father had tried to interfere with their relationship by using the trust fund to get Angie back under this thumb. Otherwise, I really enjoyed this story and I look forward to the next two books in this series!

This was a pretty great romance, with well-developed characters and some solidly steamy scenes. I'll definitely be checking out the later entries in the Hana Trio series as they come out.

This was a fun romance based around the love of music. Second chance romance where a composer falls again for his muse. It was a lovely story with some high emotions and very little angst. Four stars.

College sweethearts Angie and Joshua were torn apart by chance. Eight years later, they cross paths again, and their emotions still run high. Angie knows he can't forgive her, but she makes him an offer he can't refuse in order to gain his help in saving her chamber music society. As they spend time together, the sparks between them turn into a flame. Is it just a fling, or can they find forever together?

This is a swoony story with a nice amount of steam. Angie and Joshua were both strong, likeable, and endearing characters who deserved their happy ending. Looking forward to more in this series!

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC I received. This is my honest and voluntary review.

This was a fast and light romance story with a second chance romance between Angie and Joshua. Joshua and Angie reunite as their two worlds coincide at a musical event. As a professional musician, I really appreciated reading about all the classical music references and pieces mentioned throughout the book. I love that we get to see what it's like for a professional cellist and a company executive (who sidelines as a classical composer) to find a path towards happily ever after that included music. I also enjoyed the side story with Joshua's grandfather throughout the story, as well as Angie's camaraderie with her sisters. Overall, this was a fun and fast romance read. Many thanks to netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy.

A Song of Secrets is a short book packed full of emotional rawness! I really enjoyed reading about Angie and Joshua's relationship and I can't wait to see what the rest of this series brings!