Aside from the generic title and the presence of a Big Secret, this was a wonderful romance that places the author firmly on my radar.

Maggie Sullivan is a television reporter who is good friends with her cameraman, Sean O’Reilly. Previously Sean’s womanizing ways were an automatic turn-off, but strangely enough, Sean has recently stopped dating, they’ve become closer friends than ever, and their growing sexual tension is now the elephant in the room that they both avoid discussing.

But even as they’ve become better friends and Sean wants to take their relationship to another level, he senses that Maggie is not willing to go down that road with him. See, Maggie has a Big Secret that she thinks eliminates the chance for a successful relationship with Sean, but of course she’s not going to tell him why or what that secret is. Maggie would rather look for love online than with Sean, a fact that outrages him, but more importantly, also motivates him.

And so Sean begins his pursuit while his prey is oblivious, and their relationship develops with both hilarity and heartache. In a short amount of time, Wylie packs a great deal of punch and feeling into this relationship. The book opens with sparks already beginning to fly, and the author skillfully expresses the frustration of both characters – the hurt that Maggie carries because of her secret and the pain that Sean feels because Maggie won’t consider him. It never gets too depressing, however, because in between Sean provides a lot of entertainment as he stalks Maggie. Through it all, the author builds on their strong attraction to each other, and I was satisfied with just about every moment.

The author’s writing style is smooth and enjoyable, and I very much admired how in so few pages, she creates a strong and convincing romance. There is very little “fat” in this book; it’s simply a good read from start to finish. What kept the grade from being higher was the use of the Big Secret in the plot. Everyone knows that once the hero finds out, he’s not going to have a problem with it, so it’s all much ado about nothing, but, to the author’s credit, she really does the best job possible with this often-abused concept. Maggie gets a serious lecture detailing all the reasons that she should not allow the Big Secret to prevent her from getting together with Sean and it’s the kind of lecture that every reader has wanted to give every TSTL heroine with a Big Secret since the beginning of time. Of course, it doesn’t work, but at least the author made me understand and empathize with Maggie, instead of thinking that she should just die now.

The ending is a bit too dramatic as well, but all in all, this is a story well worth a quick look. Wylie is an author whose name I will definitely remember.