The Neighbor's Secret by Kimberley Montpetit {Review}

The Neighbor's Secret (A Secret Billionaire Romance)
by Kimberley Montpetit

Kindle Edition, 244 pages

Published December 2nd 2016 by Spellbound Books

    

After being left at the altar on her wedding day, businesswoman banker Allie Strickland returns to her hometown of Heartland Cove on a leave of absence to recover and regroup. Heartland Cove County in New Brunswick boasts a population of 899 people, a small town of Victorian homes, quirky citizens, and a booming tourist industry where people flock to see the longest covered bridge in the entire world.
Grieving the trauma of her ex-fiancé’s betrayal and overwhelmed by her clingy mother and the fry truck family business, Allie rents the first available house she can find. But on the very first night, Allie’s peace and quiet is violated by an unexpected intruder who breaks into the house while she’s taking a bubble bath. An intruder with an alias and old ties to Heartland Cove.
Forced by unusual circumstances to share the same rental house, Allie’s suspicions of the man grow—even as she finds herself attracted to him. But is Ethan Smith merely a freelancer on a magazine assignment taking photos of the famous Heartland Cove bridge—or is he an undercover spy for the mayor who wants to ruin the charming town by running a new highway through for his own profit?

Is Ethan Smith friend or foe? Enemy or lover?

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My Review: 4 Stars

I would absolutely DIE if I was left at the alter on my wedding day and that's just where Allie finds herself. Sean Carter deems his work as a lawyer as more important than getting married. Seriously--there were red flags all over that relationship, but a plan is a plan. Once he leaves her hanging, she runs back home to regroup, but still wants her freedom. She decides to rent a place in town and ends up having one of the most embarrassingly humiliating first meets ever with Ethan Smith.

I was swept away by the first 3/4 of the book. I thought that Allie's grieving process was normal and the feelings of guilt and attraction towards Ethan were natural. I still think she was a little clueless for not realizing the kind of man Sean is, but who isn't blinded by love sometimes? I love how the romance in this one was gradual and almost spelled out, instead of having a sudden rebound feeling, although there are certainly some sparks flying. However, that last 1/4 of the book was so fast-paced that it lost the realistic feel for me. But because I was invested in the characters, I was happy with the final conclusion.

I loved unraveling Ethan's secret and adored him! A sweeter, more patient man can't be found. I think I enjoyed his character more than Allie's because through her grief, she was a little gruff and almost rude at times. I couldn't figure something out though: If he's from the same small town that Allie is, how is that Allie has no idea who his grandmother is and who he is? He is a few years older, but don't younger girls usually have crushes on the older boys? That's how I always was.

Overall, this is a fun romance set in Canada and I did enjoy the plot, for the most part.

Content: mild language (more towards the beginning, but nothing too offensive); mild violence; mild(ish) romance (kissing, innuendo, talk of waiting/not waiting for intimacy before marriage).

*I received a copy from the author with no obligation for a favorable review. All thoughts are my own.*

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About the Author:

Kimberley Montpetit once spent all her souvenir money at the La Patisserie shops when she was in Paris—on the arm of her adorable husband. The author grew up in San Francisco, another swoon-worthy city, loves all things Parisian and chocolate and lives in a small town along the Rio Grande with her family.

Kimberley has won many awards for her work, including the Southwest Book Award, the Whitney Award, the Arizona/New Mexico Book Award, is a Crystal Kite Finalist (SCBWI) and included in the Bank Street College Best Books of the Year.

She once stayed in a haunted castle tower room at Borthwick Castle in Scotland, sailed on the Seine in Paris, walked the beaches of Normandy, eaten in numerous French cafes, ridden a camel in Petra, Jordan, sunbathed on Waikiki, shopped the Grand Bazaar in Istanbul, and spent the night in an old Communist hotel in Bulgaria.

She adores all baked goodies; brownies, éclairs, donuts, tarts, and pie, and makes a lot of chocolate chip cookies while revising.

Kimberley is, of course, hard at work on her next novel(s).