A quick and suspensful read that I read in one sitting! Fast paced with great characters, highly recommend!

Public Relations firm, Ovid Blackwell, and its top smoozers, Addison, and firm partner Peter, are pros at making less-than-perfect clients appear as models of society with glistening reputations in Elle Marr’s novel, “Your Dark Secrets.”

However, when patrons start dying, fingers seem to be all pointed towards Addison for their murders—although she typically has solid alibis during the times of the murders.

No one’s fool, sassy, strong-willed, and truth-seeking Addison, along with her former colleague and boyfriend, Connor, a private detective, take matters into their own hands investigating. What they uncover is a long history of corruption and abuse that taints the very foundations and integrity of Addison’s world.

JoyReaderGirl1 graciously thanks NetGalley, Author Elle Marr, and Publisher Hyperion Avenue, an adult imprint of Disney Publishing Worldwide, for this advanced reader’s copy (ARC) for review.

Wow this was unexpected and it took me completely by surprise over and over again!! I gasped, i was shocked and I was hooked. Plus, THE TWIST!!!!! Holy Cow, that twist!!! Total shocker but I LOVED it. This book was perfect from cover to cover.

Addison is an overachieving, stop at nothing PR specialist who will stop at nothing to earn the title of partner at the elite LA firm she works for. Connor is a has been PI who is down on his luck, out of money, and running from a bookie, battling the desire for love and revenge against the woman who took everything he had worked for. When one of Addison's clients if found dead (by her) she becomes one of the prime suspects. Connor is given one more chance as a PI to try and find out if his client's daughter is being cheated on. We quickly learn of the past love life of Addison and Connor, which ended badly. They keep crossing paths and leaning on each other for information, when they realize there a few too many coincidences in their very different scenarios.

Overall, I enjoyed this read. I liked the ebb and flow of the relationship between Addison and Connor and the alternating points of view. It made things interesting to see how differently their minds and experiences worked for them (and against them) to solves some tricky puzzles. There did seem to be a lot of characters to keep track of, but it was fun getting to know them and how they were all connected in one big web.

Thank you, Netgalley and Hyperion Avenue for my first ARC!

Super engrossing story about two deeply flawed characters that you can't help but root for in their quest to solve the mysteries around them, salvage their careers and rekindle their relationship. It had a little bit of a slow start, but once it got moving, it was hard to put down. Well written, engrossing twists and turns and an ending I didn't see coming.
For those who love a true enemies to lovers story and a second chance romance with the mystery/suspense front and center and not a sub-plot, you will dig this one!

Slight spoilers ahead!!!!!!!
At first, I didn't love the way the book ended. Seeing the book tagged as romantic suspense, I wasn't expecting the HEA to take the turn it did at the very end. BUT after thinking more about it (the book was THAT good that I was still thinking about the next morning), it's kind of poetic justice for Addison's story arc. Was I cheering for that ice queen to thaw a little and have her HEA? Yes. However, it makes sense that she wasn't able to outrun the choices she'd made to get where she was.
I will also throw it out into the universe that the ambiguous ending could leave it open to a sequel! :) Could we see Addison and Connor come back again to solve another mystery while still trying to figure out how to trust each other???

Your Dark Secrets

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for this eARC.

I tried to read this one five times, as I have never met an Elle Marr novel I haven't been able to finish and enjoy, but for some reason although I enjoyed the individual characters, and the relationship between the two primary people, I just couldn't get into the story. Perhaps it was too "socially oriented" with the thinly veiled social media, Tic Tok (Boom Boom) references, or focus, or the lightweight reasons the main characters decided the other was being deceitful, I am just not sure. Personally, I have to say I found it a bit lightweight for an Elle Marr novel...

I was so disappointed in this book. It began with an interesting premise, and a couple of potentially interesting characters and kept me reading until about the halfway mark. After that it began to get muddled, over complicated and sloppy. The ending was a mess. If the author has to try that hard to wrap up the novel, and add a shocking twist, I’m out. 2 stars.

I hoped for a lot more from this book but didn't get it. I found it to be boring at times and I think I normally would have given up. Thanks to NetGalley for the arc.

3.5 rounded up. I loved the general storyline and the book was well written. I would definitely read more by this author!

My only complaint was that it was a bit jumpy. If you’re not reading the book in one sitting, it is hard to keep track of who is who and what they have contributed/are contributing to the story. As I was approaching the final chapters I was wondering to myself why it was still dragging on after the mystery was solved. With that being said, I did lovingly hate the ending as it was not expected until the very last moment. I don’t like super predictable endings and I did not guess this one!

Thank you to NetGalley and Hyperion Avenue for this ARC!

Very much thought I'd love this one, but sadly a little too farfetched for me!

I don't want to spoil anything, but the summary says, "...[they] uncover a dangerous conspiracy led by the world’s most powerful people." So I was waiting the whole book for governments/higher-ups/a secret society (??) to get involved, but that was not what actually happened, at all. Everything remained very contained to their celebrity bubble, and even the international portions were only a couple chapters in the first half.

I'm torn because those were clearly just my misled assumptions, and I still had fun most of the way through, but I found the end reveal both extremely farfetched and underwhelming--so this just wasn't the book for me!

So sad about this one! Still, I'm very grateful to Netgalley and the publisher for the arc--it was one of my most anticipated's of the year!

"Your Dark Secrets" by Elle Marr is a captivating and pulse-pounding thriller that follows the enthralling journey of LA PR executive Addison Stern and her once-betrayed ex, private investigator Connor Windell.

The novel blends adventure, suspense, and romance. As Addison and Connor navigate the treacherous world of secrets and power, they find themselves entangled in a dangerous conspiracy led by the world's most influential figures.

From the glittering lights of the Vegas strip to the opulent beaches of Monaco, the story unravels a web of misplaced trust, conflicting motivations, and simmering sexual tension.

This book had so much more potential, but it just fell flat for me. It was drawn out and I found it hard to keep interest. I also found both the main characters, Connor and Addison to be unlikeable and immature.

I think I was expecting something different which had me feeling less invested on the journey or maybe because Injust couldn’t connect or really like any of the characters. It’s not bad wrtiting and the ending had a nice twist. Others will probably enjoy. Thank you for the chance to review an ARC.

Pros:
- intriguing storyline, kept me engaged and entertained
- artfully wove several plot lines together
- well thought out

Cons:
- I hated the ending
- a bit long winded- some of the plot lines could have been left out or shortened

Thank you so much Netgalley and Hyperion Avenue for this ARC of Your Dark Secrets !

I had such high hopes for this one and the cover alone was a stand out for me and the synopsis had me intrigued.

This was more of a mystery read to me that had multiple POV's and long chapters that never seemed to end . For me the story lacked the thriller edge that I am more attracted to, as it was more on the light side , but that could just be me so don't let my point of view steer you away from this read!

Who doesn't love a LA Hollywood back mystery story ?? Addison is a LA PR exec and her ex is a private investigator that needs her help, but she would rather die than help him, but when threats of past history are dangled in front of her she resorts to assisting Connor.

If you love murder , and rival to lovers then this is a read for you !

Solid 3/5 stars. I did love the general idea around this book however I do believe the execution could have been better! I had no problem with Addison and while her morals are definitely concerning, I didnt find her frustrating or unlikable as some have said. The timeline was hard to follow at times and jumped around a lot. I was very surprised with the true identity of the killer, which I personally love! Overall, I did like the books and would recommend the author.

I also have a bone to pick with the ending….super unsatisfying to me in my romance loving heart!

Anyway, thank you to Netgalley and Elle Marr for allowing me to read an advanced readers copy of Your Dark Secrets!

Had high expectations for this book, but it just didn’t do it for me. It had a solid plot and it had lots of potential. I had to DNF this one because it just didn’t keep my interest.

I liked the premise however the execution was bad, as I couldn't get invested in the characters, especially the main one, who I disliked. For most of the book, the elements were sparse and I felt lost multiple times, though the ending did a good job tying them together.

Plot : interesting at first, but confusing and hard to follow for most of the book
Characters : Unlikable

Overall 3/5. Would recommend it to someone who loves mystery & thrillers, but not to a reader who feels neutral about that genre.

This book made it feel like I was reading a story that came from a friend who had the best stories. You'll know it's gonna be great from the very first line.

2.5 stars out of 5.

This book had so much potential but it really feel flat for me. It was drawn out and I found it really hard to keep my interest. The characters were just meh and not interesting. I think if the book had a little less going on, it would have been a better read. There were so many pieces to the puzzle it got confusing and hard to keep everything together. The ending did tie mostly everything up but I was not expecting the final chapter from Addison and wow, was I surprised. That was a huge twist at the end.

Addison is popular PR executive who is great at her job. Unfortunately, one of her clients is found dead before a big event that leaves Addison as a potential suspect. Connor is a retired PI living in Las Vegas. He was asked by an old friend, who he has worked for before, to help dig up some dirt on her daughters fiancé. Addison and Connor once dated, but both hate each other now. Connor and Addison end up working on the same case, to find her clients killer.

Thank you Netgalley and Hyperion Avenue for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

While the plot of this book was intriguing for me, it unfortunately fell flat. The characters felt very one dimensional, and I didn’t find myself able to connect with them at all. I usually enjoy reading complex characters, but these characters were a bit too unlikeable for me. It was also a bit hard for me to follow with so much going on and so many different POV’s. I did enjoy the description and could clearly envision myself in the atmosphere/setting of the novel, which added some entertainment points for me.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC of this book!