Dana reviews Secret in Houston (Lone Star Brothers Book 3) by Susi Hawke (Published on audio December 28, 2018. 5 hrs and 31 mins length. Narrated by John Solo. ebook published October 11, 2018, 177 pages) A copy was provided in exchange for an honest review.
Secrets always come out in the end.
When you’re having a fling with your brother’s best friend…
Houston is a hot, snarky omega who will do anything for those he loves. He’s only done one sneaky thing in his life, and that was going to come out as soon as his secret boyfriend, Cody, got home from his latest tour of duty. Once they announced their relationship to his family, especially his brother who was a former squadmate and good buddy of Cody’s, things would be fabulous. What could possibly go wrong?
…but then the alpha soldier goes MIA after a chopper crash while on mission.
Cody was held captive by insurgents after his helicopter went down. When he finally gets home a year later, he’s battling a severe case of PTSD along with partial amnesia. He has no memory of being involved with his buddy’s sexy little brother with the cute-as-a-bug baby.
Two men who started with the best intentions until life pulled them apart.
How can Houston tell anyone, let alone Cody, that he’s the father of his baby when the anxious soldier doesn’t seem to remember having so much as dated him? Heck, Cody still thinks of him as the teen kid who came to see his brother graduate from basic training.
Skip ahead a few years, and Cody is enthralled by Baxley, Houston’s sweet three-and-a-half-year-old son. He’s kicking himself for not having asked the guy out when he had a chance. What would he have to offer him now?
A simple lab test for a desperately ill child is all it takes for secrets to emerge and Cody’s world to tilt on its axis. Cody and Houston have decisions to make. It will take faith, hope, the support of family, and maybe even a lifesaving gift to make things work out.
This mm book contains mpreg, and intended for 18+ readers. Trigger warning: this book contains scenes of a sick child and an adult living with PTSD. Grab your kleenex because this 50k novel has triple the feels you’re used to from Susi Hawke, and definitely includes an HEA and all the laughs, naughty-knotty times, and family fun you’d expect!
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*****
From the blurb, this book checked off a lot of my favorite tropes. I love characters who have amnesia, brother’s friend, second chances, and secret babies. The book definitely lived up to the promise of the blurb. I know that secret babies is usually a trope in m/f romance, and that’s why I appreciate the mpreg genre. It’s not for everyone but if you like two men who are both secure in who they are and love each other, and want to see them create a biological family then you just have to suspend reality and enjoy the ride. This omegaverse does have alpha and omega males, but there also females. There isn’t a lot explained about why men can carry children in this world and I would have liked a little more world building but it is still an enjoyable story.
Houston is one of four brothers all named after the cities they were born or conceived in. I think that is a fun little fact, and two of his brothers have found love in the books before this one, and I’m sure the last one will in a future book. The brothers all play big parts in their siblings stories, so it does make me want to read or listen to the rest of the series. Houston’s secret relationship with his older brother’s friend, Cody, ends when Cody disappears and later returns with no memory of the relationship. Houston, who has a young child, has a secret that’s obvious from the blurb. He doesn’t know how to tell Cody about their past and Cody’s PTSD and time passing only makes it harder.
The majority of the story takes place a few years later, and though secrets kept are revealed, I felt like the main characters show a unexpected level of maturity. There isn’t a lot of drama but understanding. It was refreshing especially because Houston has the tendency to be dramatic at times. But the two men focus on what’s important and work together in a bad situation. I don’t really want to go into details in case I give a spoiler, but I definitely think this story is well worth reading and I enjoyed it a lot.
John Solo who narrated the book did a great job of narrating the two characters and using his voice to play up their individual characteristics. I definitely recommend listening to his narrations. He brought this book to life.
9/10 Pots of Gold (90% Recommended) – Compares to 4.5/5 Stars
I’m a total fan of M/PREG Paranormal Romances, first and foremost as a reader. I’m excited to share my own omegaverse(s) with you. What’s not to love about adorable Omegas and the Alpha men who love them? If I’m not writing about men sporting baby bumps, I’m definitely reading about them!
I’m a native of Las Vegas, NV, so I’m pre-wired to love everything weird ~ although I don’t find any kind of love to be weird. I’m a cis woman who’s been happily married to the same lovable lug for 18 years. We have a 16yr old son, well, at least I think we do? Either that, or we have a ghost that eats all our food and uses up all wifi playing xbox while screaming into a headset.
As a new author, it’s been amazing to find the amount of support that I’ve been given from readers and my fellow authors. Feel free to message me, I love to chat with fellow readers. Am I a reader? Heck yeah! In fact, I’m never certain that I can completely trust an author who isn’t a fellow bibliophile.
Rainbow Gold Reviews 
Great review. I enjoyed how you went into detail about why you like the book. And what you felt needed work.
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