#BookReview: Her Secret, His Surprise by Paula Altenburg - 4 Wine Glasses

Title: Her Secret, His Surprise
Author: Paula Altenburg
Format: ebook, 166 pages
Published: July 14th 2014 by Entangled Publishing, LLC - Bliss
ISBN: 1633750248
Links: Goodreads | Amazon | B&N | ARe
Source: Publisher
Reviewer: Linda
Rating: 4/5

Conflict of interest is an understatement…

Since being disowned by her strict father, Cass Stone has spent her adulthood trying to prove him wrong. Her drive has led to more success than her family ever thought she’d achieve, and life is looking great. Not even an incredible and mysterious one night stand that leaves her a single mom can trip her up...until the father of her baby stumbles back into her life, as sexy and unreliable as ever.

Logan Alexander hasn’t forgotten the night he spent with Cass two years ago, but he never expects to end up undercover as her assistant. His job saves lives—like it should have saved his brother—and he can’t afford complications. It’s difficult enough to maintain his cover as a carefree wanderer when he realizes his attraction to Cass hasn’t faded...and then he meets Cass’s daughter.

Thoughts:
DELIGHTFULLY SWEET AND HOT!

I found HER SECRET, HIS SURPRISE by Paula Altenburg to be a sexually-charged, very entertaining contemporary romance.  In my opinion, you just can't go wrong with an Entangled Bliss title if you're looking for a quick sweet romance and this title is a sure fire standout.  There's not a dull moment in the book and once I started it, I couldn't put it down.

This is the story of Cass Stone and Logan Alexander.  Their romance is sweet and hot, a perfect combo to keep the reader's attention glued to the story.  Cass was truly a survivor having escaped from a puritanical family very young.  She put herself through school and had earned a successful engineering career with a military contractor.  While on a business trip, she had a one-night-stand with Logan, a bartender in an Ottawan hotel.   Their tryst resulted in consequences that neither expected.

Logan was a Canada Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) agent whose job demanded secrecy.  He'd had a tryst with Cass while working as a bartender on a case in Ottawa and, two years later, he has been assigned as her administrator assistant on another case.  He had never forgotten her in all that time and being this close to her again was a double-edged sword as he couldn't be truthful with her and he found that for the first time in life he wanted more than a bit of hanky-panky.

Both characters were well-drawn, genuine, endearing and shined in their roles.  Cass was a strong woman who'd shown that she was determined to survive and thrive.  She was also caring and committed to being a good neighbor and parent, which was even more admirable considering that she had experienced such poor role models in her frigid and rigid parents.  I fell in love with Logan who was torn between his undercover job and his attraction to Cass and the unexpected consequence of their fling in Ottawa.  He was also driven by the fact that his sister had lost her husband and their children had lost a father because of a security breach.  This resulted in Logan being doubly-dedicated to his work since it was critical not only for the government but also for families who depended on security protocols to safely perform their duties.   Logan is my new swoon-worthy book boyfriend, a true stand-up guy.  Cass' & Logan's second-chance romance seemed doomed with Cass' responsibilities and Logan's job obligations, but I held onto high hopes that fate would find a way to navigate an HEA through the can-of-worms.

I wanted to share a few more of my favorite quotes to illustrate the humor and tenderness in this tale:

---
Faint black stubble shadowed his jaw, indicating he was a bedtime shaver, not a morning man.  She remembered the feel of that stubble.
Against her throat.  Her breasts, The inside of her thighs.
---
He followed her back into the hall and then into her bedroom, where she shut the door with a firm click of the latch.  ...

"Did you bring me in here to watch television?"  he asked. "Or for some other reason?"
---
"I couldn't believe my good luck when you came back to the bar," he confessed.  His voice sounded hoarse, grinding out past the lump in his throat.  "You're even more beautiful now than you were when I met you."

She wasn't all that impressed by his honesty.  "You liked that I was only interested in hooking up for one night."

"True.  But I wouldn't have said no to a second."  He pressed a kiss to her lips, then another for emphasis, and tossed the ball back to her.  "I wouldn't say no to one now, either."
---
"I don't supposed you'd take on a new job as a nanny?"

"Live in?" he asked, "I'm not so sure.  My grandmother's right next door.  She might not approve of the arrangement.  Or are we talking about another role-playing game?"  He burrowed his chin between her shoulder and neck and whispered into her ear.  "Because she wouldn't need to know about that."
---
"Did you have any trouble with Olivia?" she asked....

"Not at all.  We had pizza and beer every night and stayed up until midnight watching mixed martial arts in your bedroom.  She can really hold her liquor."  He slid a sideways glance at Cass, taking his eyes off the road for a fraction of a second.  "Yet another way in which she takes after her mother."
---

Supporting characters from Logan's grandmother to baby Olivia and others were perfect accompaniments.  This book captured so many emotions for me:  romance, humor, sexiness, trepidation, and fear.   You will definitely want to read this in one sitting.

Bottomline:  The author's writing is top-notch with crisp storytelling and a solidly crafted plot.   If you are looking for a truly enjoyable read with hilarity, intrigue, mystery, smokin' hot chemistry, lots of sweet and a satisfying happy ever after that will leave you with a humongous smile, pick up HER SECRET, HIS SURPRISE.