Loved this one! It's a story filled with hope and forgiveness, doubts and insecurities, and in the end love. Great writing and characters make this one you don't want to miss!

Damon Brand is happy and content even if his family and friends are driving him a bit nuts. The last thing or person he ever expects to see is Jessica Palmer back in Cherry Lake. Back she is though and since he can't seem to say no to anyone, even Jessica, he ends up hiring her to work for him.

Jessica Palmer is back in Cherry Lake, hopefully not for long. Her Grandfather, however, has different plans. If she really wants the money she's asking him for she needs to prove herself to him. Get a job and stick with it for six months. Problem is she's a little lacking in the skills department. When she's sees a glimmer of an opportunity to work for Damon, she bulldozes her way in. Maybe in someway this will make up for the terrible way she treated him when they were younger.

Sounds good right? I definitely recommend this one.

The last thing Jessica wants in her life is to return to Cherry Lake, with her tail between her legs. Broke and homeless she turns to her Grandfather Nate for help. He is willing to help but only if she stays in Cherry Lake for six months and works during that time. Finding a job was a little bit harder than she though, she burned many bridges when she was younger. Damon, owns the town garage shop, whom is willing to hire on Jessica. They were so called friends in high school, until one night and that did not turn out well either, a secret.

During the six months, it was wonderful to see how Jessica redeemed herself and how Damon and Jessica grew together. This is a well written book and a great addition to the Cherry Lake Secrets.

I received this book from Netgalley for an honest review.

Jess isn't exactly the easiest person to like, what with her coming off as rather high maintenance and being something of a bitch and a bully when she was a teenager. I found myself thinking that Damon deserved someone better than her, especially after what she did to him all those years ago. He was the one person to see and accept her for who she really was and for her to treat him that way was just inexcusable. Fast forward to ten years later and he's just as nice a person as he was before. The way he sees his life is interesting and it just reiterates how worthy he is to be on the list of all-time best book boyfriends. But even with all of Jess's faults, the story really is her journey of trying to find her place in the world she's in.

I'm three books in and I can honestly say that I've loved each one and this series is quickly becoming a favorite this year. Maybe it's a case of insta-love. Haha. There are still two books to go and the bar's been set quite high by the three that are currently available. I have expectations and I'm going to keep my fingers and toes crossed that the two other books are going to knock them out of the park. I thoroughly enjoyed Jess and Damon's second chance romance and want to give a special mention to Nate Jackson, the family patriarch, whose presence is felt each and every time he appears. Her Secret Love gets five stars. ♥

This is a heartwarming second-chance romance with a feisty lady who has a secret difficulty that she always tried to hide by acting up whilst in High School. Damon was her sweetheart then, knowing about and helping her until she left without any explanation.

Failed actress Jess Palmer is returning to Cherry Lake after ten years. She has some happy memories about living there but some traumatic ones, too. She’s going there now to see her Grandfather after her much older partner, John, sadly passed away leaving her with her clothes, shoes and very little cash. The first person she renews contact with is Damon Brand - the one who declared his love for her shortly before she left him naked at the side of the road!

Although her grandfather agrees to let Jess have her inheritance early to make a fresh start on her life, he’s only prepared to do so after she’s found herself a job that she keeps working at for six months - and not with any of the family. What a challenge for her, it will certainly call on her acting skills to convince someone to give her a job especially as she was something of a wild child when in high school there! The only person who will give her a job is Damon… Will this be the chance for him to get revenge on her for ten years ago? How will they feel about each other now? Will they have any chance of rekindling their youthful love now they’re ten years older? What will Jess do once she has her grandfather’s money?

This is a story with great characters reconnecting in a small town situation. All the angst and turmoil of teenage relationships, maintaining personal images and denigrating those perceived as being more able are all revisited in this well written end engaging story. Whilst some of the characters from the earlier books in this series are also in this one, the book works well as a standalone, too. A great small community romance to escape into!

Secrets of Cherry Lake series

Prequel: Small Town Secrets by Roxanne Snopek Book 1: The Secret Son by Joan Kilby Book 2: Her Secret Love by Paula Altenberg Book 3: Her Secret Protector by Roxanne Snopek Book 4: The Secret Bride by Jeannie Watt

Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley, too, for letting me read an ARC of this book in exchange for this, an honest review.

Jess returned home to Cherry Lake a broke woman.. broke not broken. There was a huge difference in her mind, and perhaps in reality as well. She’d been so sure her career as an actress would take off. It hadn’t, mainly because of a learning disability that her parents had never acknowledged and she had learned to bluff her way through. Jess couldn’t read very well, so that the parts she’d read for would often have scripts handed to her on the spot she had no time to memorize the lines… so the parts that she might have been brilliant at were beyond her reach. Of course, it was just her luck to pull into a self-serve gas station with no knowledge of how to pump gas and it ate almost all of her remaining cash. It was also her luck to pull into the gas station where the one man she’d hoped to avoid was working. Damon. The one man she’d hurt the worst on the way out of Cherry Lake.

Damon reluctantly let Jess have a job at the cash register in his business. He didn’t consider himself a vindictive man, but he did manage to give Jess some pretty nasty duties as his daytime help. Like cleaning the restrooms. Yeah, not vindictive – much. Jess surprised him. She didn’t fuss, she put up with the cross examinations of the townsfolk who happened on purpose to drop by Damon’s place. With a smile and sheer guts she was polite and cheerful no matter how nasty the comments. She had matured beyond what Damon had expected, yet she carried a sadness with her that slipped through when she thought no one was watching her.

Her Secret Love is a charming tale of a woman who bluffed her way through her youth, desperate for her parents attention she did every outlandish thing she could think of and then some to catch their affection.. It didn’t work and in fact backfired on her. Back on that night when she had humiliated Damon she was scared. Scared about how he made her feel, scared at what he thought she was…perfect. She was so far from perfect and she knew it so she ran. It’s a story of a woman coming into her own, realizing her own worth and ability to take care of herself in a very difficult situation. And a tale of two people once in love working their way through the wreckage of the past to a possible future. It was touching, happy and sad combined so well that even when Jess was at her happiest, the veil of sadness could still be felt by the reader. Jess is a complicated woman attempting to rewrite herself in front of a town, family and a lover who don’t really expect her to succeed but will rally behind her when she proves them wrong.

Damon and Jess were such a heart wrenching couple. With their past there was a lot to overcome on both sides. And they both did that with dignity and laughter. A sweet love story, a little bit complicated with a satisfying ending that pulled all the past and present threads together. I enjoyed Her Secret Love and would not hesitate to recommend this addition to the Secrets of Cherry Lake series.

*I received an e-ARC of Her Secret Love from the publisher and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. That does not change what I think of this novel.*

The more I read of Cherry Lake the more I love it. This series is an absolute winner! This book is every bit as good as the first two and I am hanging out for more! This is the story of Jess Palmer, ostensibly the spoiled little rich girl, and Damon Brand, whom her family regarded as being from the wrong side of the tracks and therefore not good enough for her. Damon is a sweet, generous, caring man. Fiercely proud, he has a thing about not taking charity, having been on the receiving end of it after his father died when he was just a teenager, leaving Damon as the man of the house to care for his family. Damon loved Jess through her teenage years although he's not sure he can forgive her or trust her again. Ten years earlier they'd been making out in a cherry orchard when she drove off with his clothes, leaving him humiliated after being forced to hitch a lift home buck naked.
Jess has a reading disability which her parents would never acknowledge. They wanted her to be a perfect little princess who could be trotted out and put on display when it suited them. She's acutely conscious and ashamed of her disability. Jess spent her teens doing outrageous things, picking on people and generally making herself unpopular in a bid to get their attention, so she's hardly received with open arms when she returns to Cherry Lake as an adult.
I love Cherry Lake. It's a small country town with people in it who care about each other, others who want to know everybody's business and those who like to keep to themselves. I live in a similar community so I can relate and felt right at home from the first. I liked the character development. Damon's passion for his craft is described beautifully, but you also get an idea of the niggling insecurity he feels in case people don't like his work. He's been sending it to Missoula to sell so if it's not well received the failure won't be on his doorstep. He's struggling a little financially but is always there to help others.
I liked the way Jess was portrayed too. Her desire to please Damon and not be a burden to him is touchingly demonstrated through her willingness to clean up the disgustingly dirty men's toilets, and her anxiety about paying him for repairing her car.
The plot is believable and definitely a page turner. This is the first time I've read Paula Altenburg and I'm looking forward to reading more of her work. Recommended!

An emotionally charged story.

After a failed career as an actress, Jessica Palmer returns to Cherry Lake in hopes that she can claim her inheritance from her grandfather early. Her plan is to take the money and start over anywhere but Cherry Lake. But she is told she has to stay for six months and get a job.

Damon Brand hadn’t seen Jessica in ten years. He had a crush on her back then and he thought he was over her. But seeing her again brings back lots of memories.

In a small town, people aren’t so forgiving and no one wants to hire Jess. Damon decides to give her a chance and hires her to work at the gas station. He had one stipulation. Jess must wear shorts and a t-shirt to work. Hopefully he wasn’t serious. Jess knew it was payback for what happened ten years ago. Will working together rekindle what Jess and Damon once had or will Jess hightail it out of town the first chance she gets?

I enjoyed Jess and Damon’s story and Jess’s reunion with the people from her past and how she redeems herself.

Jessica left Cherry Lake because she never felt like she belonged. So when the chance presented itself she hightailed it out. Now ten years later she is back. Damon is the guy she left behind with a broken heart. I have to be honest at first introduction, I did not like Jessica very much. But as the story went on and explained some of the backstory I developed a better understanding of the character. In hindsight she had to leave to keep her sanity and maybe it helped her to grow up some. Her Secret Love is a story of finding your voice, speaking your mind, growing up and moving on. I liked it.

What an emotional, heartwarming story, that completely won me over.
I love Jess and Damon, both as individuals, and as a couple.
Damon is working hard, both with his art and with his service station, he is supporting his family, even at times his friends, and doing the responsible thing, so his family would never go without again.
Jess was a troubled soul in high school, she had no filter, said things that were harmful, to cover up her over insecurities, things she saw as a failure in herself.
What she really wanted, was some attention from her parents, and to be accepted, even though she made it difficult at times. Now she is back, and needing help like never before. And Damon is the only one, who accepts her, takes her in, and helps her out. Even after all the history they have together, that didn't end well at all.
There were so many deep issues here, the need for acceptance, Damon's family struggling and his sacrifices to make it all work out, and Jess, how her dyslexia had affected her all her life, how she had been misunderstood most of the time. No, she's not perfect, but then again, who is?!
Together Damon and Jess are adorable, they have passion, attraction, and also much deeper connection between them. They get each other in a unique way that only close friends do, and are there for each other when needed. I am loving this series so much, I think each story is just getting better, the more we get to know the folks of the town. They are genuine, honest to the fault, with the typical small town gossip. But what I love even more are the couples, how they respect, admire, and adore each other, and take their time to fall in love, without any big drama and angst beyond what life gives you anyway. These are stories that warms your heart, and makes you smile, and leaves you all in a happy state of mind. Jess and Damon are a great example of this, with their friendship, life goals, and the way they cherish each other
~ Five Spoons

There’s so much to like about Her Secret Love (Secrets of Cherry Lake Book 3) by Paula Altenburg. I think we all want to believe that the “mean” girl doesn’t get everything she wants in this life. But more importantly, we hope that she can change into a better person when she matures. Paula Altenburg has given us a story where Jess Palmer does both. Definitely she has had some hard knocks which seem along with her late mentor to have knocked some sense into her.

When she returns to Cherry Lake after a 10 year absence, it is seeking cash not forgiveness and restitution. However, that is what she finds along with love. While the journey is not easy, the author puts a hopeful and positive spin on it. Still it is honest in that not all forgive Jess for her former behavior. It is a down-to-earth romance with real people who need a second chance not just in love but in life too.

Ms. Altenburg did not rush the second chance romance between Jess and Damon. Instead it is a realistic look at renewing a failed friendship that develops into a mature love. As far as Damon is concerned, he is perfectly human in the kindest of ways. Not a mean bone in that man’s body, so no wonder Jess felt over her head with him.

I couldn’t find a single other book I have read by this author, but I will now.

4.5 Stars

She was trouble growing up and he was the only one who understood her.

Jess Palmer returns home to recover from a lost love and rebuild her fortunes. In doing so, she faces a town full of people that knew her when she did nothing but make problems for others. Even her one true friend from high school, Damon Brand, was left high and dry by Jess is not thrilled to see her. Slowly, Jess and Damon come to terms with their past and find the friendship they lost and a future together.

I love stories of the misunderstood bad girl trying to make amends and Jess is a fully realized character that manages to overcome others' expectations in her own way.

Likeable character and a good story makes this trip to Cherry Lake, Montana worthwhile.

Damon has lived his whole life in Cherry lake he now owns his own garage and his life is crazy at times and he yet he still thinks back to his high school days and the fun he had with a saucy blond who just rolled into town and reminded him she once back in the day left him high in dry. He really is not to surprised to see her after all the gossip he has heard but he could careless about the what he wants to know is what happen 10 years ago that made her run. Jess is back in town and hopefully not for long she has literally lost everything and has no where else to go except back to one place she swore she would never go back to and she was sure she left enough burnt bridge in her wake. Now as she's home she needs to convince her grand father he needs to give her money and she will hit the road she just never expected it to come with rules. She is not stuck, no money and rules to follow and she has so deal with her high school crush and love of her life Damon. She knows he hates her and knows he will be the last person to help but she hopes and prayers she can start proving herself and mending those bridges but when she hears the gossip she is wondering if she should go ahead and leave and find another way for money or stay and face it. I have really enjoyed this series so far I love the crazy quirky of at least one of if not more then one character in each book it really sums up the small town of Cherry lake. I think is this book the only thing I had a hard time with was it dragged a little bit and seemed whiney sometimes. Over all I loved the story and it flowed well, , the slowness is really not that bad and it seems to be towards the beginning for only a few pages I would give this book a 3.5 star almost a four because of that. If you have enjoyed the other books in the series then you won't regret grabbing this one and following the fun characters through all of Cherry Lake.

Her Secret Love is part of Tule Publishings new series Secrets of Cherry Lake and like those other fantastic series, the stories centers around the people of Cherry Lake. Here we meet Jess Palmer whose driving back into town after ten years without anything to show for it except designer clothes and an old car about to give out any time. Unfortunately for her the first person she meets is Damon Brand, her former bestfriend, her almost first and the boy who she unnecessarily humiliated. Ten years has passed since he last saw Jess, but not everything has been forgotten nor forgiven. She's still the same snarky Jess but why is he seeing vulnerability rather than holding on to the hurt his suffered. Pretty soon, she's finagled a job off him and they're back to the rhythm of their old friendship. The only difference is will they be brave enough to acknowledge what they've always known ten years ago?

Oh how I love reading this novella. This was a short but oh so sweet friends to lovers/first love/second chances story that just tugs at your heart strings, makes you laugh and smile and just gives you all that feel good emotions. Its not fluffy, in fact what Jess and Damon had gone through is at the core very sad but this book is tempered with humor and self reflections that makes it a wonderful romance. Jess was just delightful, a mean girl with a heart of gold and Damon is always going to be the good guy who everyone apparently takes advantage of. But together they're just perfection.

Jess Palmer burned all her bridges on her way out of Cherry Lake. She had big dreams of being an actress and had no intention of ever returning. Now, with no career, homeless and down to her last few dollars, Jess limps back into town in a car not fit to be on the road. Hoping to get in and get out quickly with her inheritance, the last person Jess hoped to see was Damon Brand, the one person she hurt the most.
Damon spent his life in Cherry Lake and is finally on the verge of success. An artist, he bought a gas station for the job stability. He has finally gotten over Jess, too...or so he thought. When Damon is the only one to give her a chance at fulfilling her Grandfather's requirements, Jess rolls up her sleeves and surprises everyone, including herself. Maybe Cherry Lake wouldn't be a bad place to stay, especially if Damon is ready to forgive her. A heartwarming story of second chances, we also see how people's perception and acceptance can shape a person.
Jess was such a fun character, I loved watching her find herself and her place. She was so much more than people believed and I loved that, despite everything, Damon gave her a chance. Speaking of Damon, who wouldn't want a guy like him? A genuine good guy who cares about his friends. Put these two together, and they are a lot of fun to watch.
I also loved seeing the secondary characters, especially Pansy and Nate. This was a fun afternoon read!

I received this book from the publisher through NetGslley in exchange for an honest review.

I read the prequel Small Town Secrets and loved it. I'm usually not wild about novellas, but in this case I loved it and it got me to request the others on NetGalley. Each of the books is written by a different author, except for 2 of the books the prequel and the book following this book in the series.

I didn't think this book was as good as the 1st book, Small Town Secrets. I'm not exactly sure why. I wasn't as crazy about the characters as I was in the first book. I really wish I could put my finger on what I didn't care for, but I just can't figure it out.

It's not a bad book and the story is good; maybe it just was my mindset or something. If you enjoyed the previous book or books, I'd gop ahead and read it, but you don't necessarily have to read the others to understand this one.

A short and sweet friends to lovers novella, emotionally charged and delightfully perfect. Well done!

A well written contemporary romance, with a sassy believable characters!! Loved it!

I love everything about this entire series! #TRUTH