The Calm to My Chaos

Overall 4.5 stars
Performance 4.5 stars
Story 4.5 stars

I have been in a bit of a reading slump with everything going on in the world, but when the opportunity to read and listen to A Secret for Secret came up, I couldn't resist. I have been waiting to get my hands on Kingston's story from the moment he was introduced in the series, and he was everything I hoped he would be and more! I know that some readers love the bad boys and others can't get enough of the alphaholes, but there is no hero I love more than the all around good guy with the heart of gold. I don't think that there could have been a more perfect hero written for me than Ryan Kingston.

I loved everything about King and each new quirky thing I learned about him, from his geriatric driving skills to the OCD dishwasher loading, just made me love him more. On paper, Queenie couldn't have been more different than King, but I loved how they challenged and also supported each other. I do wish that Queenie would have gained her confidence a little sooner, but given her history, I understand why things played out the way they did. King and Queenie each learned a thing or two from the other and they complemented each other very well. Plus, their chemistry was amazing and scorching hot! I thought that I was going to burst into flames from all of the anticipation and build up. Having King be the opposite of a boy scout in bed was a fantastic bonus ;) What I love best though, is that Helena Hunting can write an insanely sexy scene and follow it with one of the most hilarious and awkward moments ever. Strawberries will never quite be the same for me. LOL

The story was fairly low on angst, but there was a little too much OW/OM drama going on around our characters at times for me. I did appreciate that it was never a question of where King or Queenie stood in that drama though. The series and characters definitely live up to the "All In" name. Catching up with Pucked series favorites, Alex, Violet, and their family was wonderful and I loved getting to see what the future holds for them. I'm excited to see where these Lavender and River story bread crumbs lead and I definitely have my fingers crossed that momster and a certain GM might get their own HEA. A Secret for a Secret was a wonderful book to finish this series!

The audiobook casting was amazing! I have to say that Jason Clarke was a million percent the perfect choice to voice Kingston. He has just the right amount of boyish charm and sexy growl to bring the character to life. Stella Bloom was equally fantastic as Queenie and I was very impressed by their ability to voice numerous characters (male and female) distinctly and believably. This was a truly enjoyable listening experience.

6 people found this helpful

Hockey Romance 🏒

If you have been following this series, you will know that Ryan Kingston, or just King to his friends and team mates, surfaced in book two as Bishop's best friend. In Bishop's words, Kingston is super straight-laced, the straightest arrow he has ever met, and is extremely literal. Kingston gets along with everyone, is a milk loving, early nighter and a rule follower. Based on this description, I wasn't all that sure that Kingston was going to be my new BBF, but...... I should have trusted HH wholeheartedly as she delivered, and delivered BIG TIME!!

Don't get me wrong, I love a rule follower, I am one of them. It helps keep things organised and also eliminates some surprises. Kingston isn't big on surprises, and he gets a doozy in this novel. I was worried that maybe King wouldn't be as loveable as the other two heroes as he was extraordinary sensitive and heading into the dorky arena, but actually, all these qualities and his dirty bedroom talking makes him my favourite in this series to date. He had manners in spades and was very intuitive to Queenie's needs and wants. He encounters a few twists and turns along the way to achieve his HEA with Queenie but it is the way he handles things that made me want to hug the crap out of him. If I had a daughter, this is the man I would want her to marry.

Queenie meets Ryan in a bar, after another bad day and they seem to be adding up for her. But I feel she finally lucked out that night with Ryan. She had made some humdinger mistakes in her short twenty-four years, but nothing unsolvable. She was raised by her dad, Jake and her mother hasn't been in the picture since the beginning, so she has an amazing relationship with her father. Not having a female influence might cause her some indecisions or missteps but it also builds to her character of trying to do better. I loved her, not as much as I did Kingston but that might be because I was envious!

If you are only going to read one of these book in this series, this is the one I fully recommend but I have loved them all so far. I get a feeling we are going to see Jake finally move on and find his other half, with a certain momster?!! I hope so! If I am not making myself clear, I am loving this series, and this book especially. Go ahead and read them all!

This audio was done really well. I am enjoying each book I get to listen to by Jason Clarke. His voice is rich and deep and his expression is perfection. Stella is still new to me, but all her character voices are great too. It’s definitely well worth the listen.

3 people found this helpful

loved the idea, plot was lacking

The book was very easy to get into. i thought that the sexual tension in the beginning was great, the idea behind the story was interesting, and the romance enticing.
but i really felt the plot was lacking, the height of the story didn't last long enough, nor was it intense as it should've been. some characters sometimes felt a bit flat, while others didn't reach their full potential, which i believe would have been in the plots best intrest.

overall i thought it was very nice, but didn't live up to it's true potential.

2 people found this helpful

some secrets cost more than others

For Ryan Kingston wasMr. Straightlaced, stick to it , stay away from everyone kind of guy. He followed all rules. He even still drank milk like a very good boy. He did no wrong. Or at least he didn't until one night he let it all go. He indulged himself with it all. That all leadS to Queenie. She was that one night of blur and clarity. She was that one. The one. He never thought he would see her again. Then he did. She was all that and more. She also was off limits. She was the GMs daughter. She was the one that you were supposeD to stay clear of.

The night of passion and throwing caution to the wind was just that. Right? One night. Nothing more. Never gonna see you again. Until, they did see each other and neither one was more surprised. Each have a lot to lose. Queenie has fought hard to have her past behind her. Ryan was on the road to staying clean cut and Mr. Straightlaced. Their chemistry was off the charts and ready to make its own goals.

I had fun with this one. There were moments of laughs throughout the entire listen. This was one of those that started with the book but ended with the audio. Stella Bloom and Jason Clarke did their job just right. Turning pages held no appeal once you selected the audio listen. The put on a good performance.

1 person found this helpful

Helena Hunting does it again!

I’m a fan of Helena Hunting and this book delivers what I’ve come to expect: fun quirky characters, smoking hot love making, and a lot of amusing dialogue. Narration on this on is spot on. Both narrators give their characters that spark of life that helps an audiobook shine.

1 person found this helpful

Soooo good

Ah this was a great book. I have to say I fell hard for King. And Queenie is just the right amount of crazy chaos to spice up his life. I cant wait for more books in this series.

1 person found this helpful

impulsive choices and forbidden love

Queenie and Ryan both do something impulsive. For Ryan, it goes completely against his nature. For Queenie, it's just another thing to add to her poor decisions. But when they realize who they really are, all pretenses get thrown out the window.
This is both a funny and serious forbidden love story. The audiobook narrators Stella Bloom and Jason Clarke are a good fit for the characters and enhance the quality of an already enjoyable story.

1 person found this helpful

So far I hate Queenie

I'm only at ch10. I totally adore Kingston but I can honestly say I can't stand queenie. Shes a major cocktease and poor Kingston is caught in her crosshairs. And I really dont like Stella Blooms voice. Maybe reading the book would have me feeling different about queenie but I'll never know now. So many times in 10 short chapters I've thought, what a b*tch. Maybe it'll get better? Here's hoping.

1 person found this helpful

Amazing, yet again!

Every time I think her books can’t get any better, they do! I loved this book and the narration was amazing!!! Can’t wait for more!

1 person found this helpful

So Stinking Cute!!!

I absolutely adore Kingston! He is so beautifully calm and sweet until Queenie is around and then he looses some of that perfect routine.

They balance each other out so well. I think this is my favorite of the three books but Bishop is almost tied.

It was so fun watching their journey and the misunderstanding that comes in typical romance novels happens in a different way in this story. They don’t loose their thread it just gets a little weaker while they figure things out.. together.

Jason Clarke is amazing. There is no other word to describe the man’s talent.

Stella Bloom has a beautiful voice and is able to differentiate characters with ease. I very much enjoyed her performance