It Started with a Secret had me hooked from page one. I don’t know what I found so compelling about the story; I don’t usually find chef heroes very appealing. Maybe it was the age gap romance? The heroine is 40 to the hero’s 30. Or maybe it was the bustling bread and breakfast setting where privacy in short supply. Whatever it was, I thoroughly enjoyed this book.

Jared, our hero, is having an identity crisis. Raised by his mother and step-father, he hasn’t always felt that he fit in. Jared’s father, Louis, was Filipino, but he’s never had contact with his dad or his Filipino heritage. He feels that lack most acutely after a Filipino inspired dish he created for a TV segment is lambasted by a fellow Filipino chef for lacking authenticy. Jared is now questioning everything about himself, and he’s lost his confidence in the kitchen.

Though he’s resisted knowing anything about his birth father, who was killed in action, he suddenly feels the need to reconnect with his father’s family, the Espiritus. On his quest to discover himself, he meets Matilda Matthews, the manager of the Shenandoah B & B. Matilda is also facing confidence issues, after her disastrous marriage ended in divorce. Conflict adverse, Matilda stifled herself to keep her husband happy. After years of his gaslighting, she finally found the courage to leave him and return to her small hometown, where she rebuilt her life with the help of Jared’s biological family.

I love Tif Marcelo’s writing style. It’s evocative and emotional, and it kept me turning the pages. Jared and Matilda’s romance was complicated by the real reason for Jared’s presence in town. With a flurry of events at the B & B, Jared decides not to reveal his identity to the Espiritus until after a large wedding on the grounds. Every time Jared saw himself in his half-sisters or in his nephew, my heart gave a little squeeze. To think that all his life Jared had missed feeling grounded after seeing characteristics and mannerisms similar to his own in this family he had been denied space space in made me so sympathetic towards him.

Matilda, for her part, is really struggling with life after her divorce. She just can’t trust anyone enough to show her true feelings or share her deepest thoughts. Even her friends are held at arms length. As she and Jared become closer, she constantly throws up obstacles to keep some distance between them. I found the conflict so engaging and kept wondering how they were going to arrive at a HEA. Matilda was her own worst enemy here, turning her back on Jared instead of going all in with her emotions.

It Started with a Secret is the first in a series, and it looks like Eva, the Espiritus family matriarch, will be in the spotlight in the next installment. I am really looking forward to getting to know the side characters better, and after all of the heartache in Eva’s life, she definitely needs a happy ever after of her own.

I adored It Started with a Secret and am so happy to see Tif Marcelo join the Harlequin team.
This was a heartfelt, yet light in tone story from the perspective of the now secret baby and I loved that twist. Our hero has traveled to where his half-sisters and mother live and is hired on as the chef at their bed and breakfast. After a hot night with the b&b manager, she learns of his identity and what he's doing there, but the two keep it a secret understandably because that Is for sure something you have to find the right time to inform everyone of. Of course things get messy and chaotic and it's just such a wonderful read. I can't wait for the next book in the series.

My podcast interview with Tif Marcelo is linked below.

In "It Started With a Secret," Tif Marcelo introduces Jared, a character whose journey begins with a revelation: he's the product of a one-night stand, and his father has recently passed away. As we follow Jared from Louisville to the town where his late father's widow and daughters live, we see him join their family business—a bed-and-breakfast that has just lost its chef. Jared, being a chef himself, steps into the role, but he keeps his true identity hidden from the family. During his early days in town, he meets Matilda, and they quickly hit it off. Despite Matilda's hesitation due to their age difference—Jared is ten years older—their chemistry is undeniable, and they end up hooking up after a night at the bar.

Tif Marcelo takes on a heavy premise with a light touch, avoiding the potential heaviness that could have overshadowed the developing romance between Jared and Matilda. Instead of focusing solely on the weight of Jared's secret, the story remains centered on the evolving relationship between the characters. It's a beautifully told tale of two people finding love, meeting halfway, and dealing with the challenge of revealing a life-changing secret.

Overall, this was a good book. Jared is the result of a one-night stand; his father never knew about him. Jared wondered about him but didn't have much interest in connecting with him until he had a crisis of identity. Jared is a chef, and devastating criticism of his ethnic cooking sent him looking for his Filipino roots. He arrives in his family's town with no plan of action. The first night, he connects with a beautiful woman.

Matilda loves her job managing the B & B. The owner gave her a job and a chance after Matilda left an unhappy marriage. Her organizational skills are unparalleled, and she has a finger on every pulse of the business.

Jared chickens out of confessing who he is when he arrives in Peak. Instead, he takes a job as a fill-in chef at the family B & B, using the time to get to know his father's family. He connects easily with his half-sisters and is sweet with his nephew. He feels guilty about keeping his identity secret but can't decide the best way/time to come clean.

Meanwhile, he and Matilda continue spending time together. Matilda is wary of getting involved after losing herself in her marriage. She doesn't want to risk the same thing happening again. She tends to keep tight control of her emotions, feeling that is her only way to protect herself. She is also a bit of a control freak when running the B & B. She, too, begins to feel guilty about keeping Jared's secret and the effect it could have on her relationship with the family.

I liked the development of the relationship between Jared and Matilda. Jared is upfront about his interest in her. Matilda is more hesitant, as she is bothered by the ten-year age difference between them. I liked seeing Jared and Matilda spend time together and discover their compatibility. But when the secret comes out, the reactions are all over the place, and Matilda and Jared must deal with the fallout. I ached for them all as everyone came to terms with the revelations. The ending was emotional and well done, and the epilogue was sweet.

This is a Romance, and this is the first book in the Spirit of the Shenandoah series. I have a ton of issues trying to get into this book. I also found the characters in this book to be boring and I could not connect to them. I found this book to be very slow moving, and I did not really get into this book until after more than 50% through this book. Even after that I did not really connect to the characters in this book. Overall, I found this ok after 50%, and before that it was boring. I was kindly provided an e-copy of this book by the publisher (Harlequin Special Edition) or author (Tif Maecelo) via NetGalley, so I can give an honest review about how I feel about this book. I want to send a big Thank you to them for that.

I am a Tif Marcelo fan. I enjoyed every word of this book. I liked that Jared came to Peak, Virginia to escape his life. He needed a break and found it. He also found Matilda. Matilda is the perfect distraction that quickly turned into more than just a distraction. That distraction turned into a job, a relationship, and a family that he did not know how much he wanted.

It Started with a Secret is a fun and easy book to read. The characters were relatable, with histories and futures. I love the storyline. I felt myself cheering on Jared and Matilda with their jobs, choices, and love life. Jared’s family were wonderful and so accepting. I love that they had a family business, which I could relate to easily since my family had a restaurant business also.

Goodness, I adored this cozy with a bit of spice romance between B&B manager Matilda and chef Jared. They are both at places in life where they are searching for something more.

Themes of belonging, family, and love are weaved throughout this start to a new series by Tif Marcelo. Secrets are a huge part, as well, if you couldn’t tell by the title! I very much enjoyed reading about Filipino food and really wish I could try some of the amazing dishes described in the book. I recommend this to fans of contemporary romance with family - including found family - at the core.
I Received an advanced reading copy, receipt of which did not impact my review.

It Started with a Secret by Tif Marcelo is a fantastic romance that I really enjoyed.

Some great tropes in this novel are small town, found family, age-gap (YES) and family secrets!

We meet Jared who is in search of his biological family. Jared finds them and they own a B&B that needs a chef and Jared is a chef and he is hired but keeps his identity a secret.

He meets Matilda rather quickly and they have an amazing night together.
Matilda does a good job pushing Jared away because of the age difference.
The chemistry between these two is fantastic and I love their banter.

The characters are so well written. The topics addressed are heavy, but the author does such an amazing job dealing with them in such a gentle yet honest way.

The secondary characters are anything but secondary. I am excited to see that Eva will get her own story in the next book in this Spirit of Shannondoah series by Tif Marcelo.

Fun bonus fact: There is an eclipse in the book which is really fun and timed so perfectly as the Total Solar Eclipse is on April 8, 2024. Kudos to the author for including this.

I loved this short & sweet (less than 300 pages) romance about Jared and Matilda!

Quick tidbits about this:
~small town romance
~workplace romance
~close proximity
~age gap: she's 10 years older at 40, he's 30!
~divorcee finding love again
~biracial MMC exploring his mixed identity
~finding and connecting with family in your adult life
~hidden identities & a dramatic third-act conflict!
~closed-door romance

Tif Marcelo writes such cozy romances, and I highly recommend her writing!

a sweet romance with lots of family issues. I loved the book, characters were great as was the setting.

This first installment in the Spirit of the Shenandoah series follows Jared, a budding chef in the midst of a bit of an identity crisis over not knowing his birth father and his entire half-family. In order to get to know this side of himself more, Jared travels to Peak, Virginia and meets Matilda, who manages the B&B that Jared's entire family owns and works at. A connection immediately sparks between Matilda and Jared but things are complicated when they try to mix love, family secrets, and work.

It Started With a Secret is a very relaxing and picturesque romance with the setting at the forefront of the story. You can almost breathe in the mountain air as Jared and Matilda walk the B&B grounds, and it really adds to the reader's experience. Jared's interactions with his newfound family are very heartwarming and the relationships between friends and family in this story feel so real. Fans of Hallmark will definitely enjoy this book!

A charming romance with heavy family issues. Intriguing back stories and interesting characters' growth. I am eager to read about the next family member's search for their significant other. Thanks to the publisher for providing a copy via NetGalley. My review is voluntary.