The Secret Sister by Brenda Novak Has Mystery and Romance

Maisie Lazarow returns home to Fairham, North Carolina, the island of her childhood after suffering the double tragedy of losing both her only child, Ellie, to SIDS and her husband, Jack, to an affair with another woman. But the island is not a refuge, she returns to help her brother, Keith, who is dealing with his own problems - the pains and the ups and downs of addiction and their cold, controlling mother, Josephine. Complicating the situation, Maisie discovers that her first love, Rafe Romero, is renovating the vacation cottages on her family’s property and is living right next door with his young daughter, Laney.

With The Secret Sister, Brenda Novak has written another wonderful and complex story of heartbreak, mystery, renewal, and romance. The characters quickly became real people to me, with lives and back stories all their own. Supporting characters are solid and help develop the complications and give completeness to the novel. The beautiful island gives us a perfect setting for mystery and romance. I found the little touches, such as the texts from Maisie’s ex-husband, gave the story another feeling of reality as well. The interplay between the mother and EVERYONE always had me holding my breath to see what she’d say next. Great!

I can easily recommend this book to my friends and family or anyone that enjoys a good family drama or their romance involved with a good mystery. This is a heck of a start for a new series.