BOOK REVIEW: The S.E.C.R.E.T and The S.E.C.R.E.T Shared

I have to give the combined total a 3.75 stars.  And so I don't fill my blog posts with countless reviews, I decided to combine the two books. I will review them separately.

 I will start off with The S.E.C.R.E.T by L. Marie Adeline.

Cassie Robichaud’s life is filled with regret and loneliness after the sudden death of her husband. She waits tables at the rundown Café Rose in New Orleans, and every night she heads home to her solitary one-bedroom apartment. But when she discovers a notebook left behind by a mysterious woman at the café, Cassie’s world is forever changed.

The notebook’s stunningly explicit confessions shock and fascinate Cassie, and eventually lead her to S∙E∙C∙R∙E∙T, an underground society dedicated to helping women realize their wildest, most intimate sexual fantasies. Cassie soon immerses herself in an electrifying journey through a series of ten rapturous fantasies with gorgeous men who awaken and satisfy her like never before. As she is set free from her inhibitions, she discovers a new confidence that transforms her, giving her the courage to live passionately. Equal parts enticing, liberating and emotionally powerful, S∙E∙C∙R∙E∙T is a world where fantasy becomes reality


Cassie is a lonely  35 year old (and yes she has a cat), who hasn't had sex in 5 years. Let alone gone on a date in that time.  She finds this notebook in the cafe where she works at, and is intrigued. This notebook is a sex diary of sorts, and she gets all giddy with exciment. I mean, wouldn't you? Not having sex in 5 years probably enticies a lot of giddiness.  Anyways, upon giving the notebook back, Cassie is offered into this sexual secret society. Apparently she oozes with unsexy vibes for them to know she is in need of help.

Enters The S.E.C.R.E.T. Obvisouly with some tripidation Cassie finally agrees to let these 40-80 year old women of all different backgrounds plan out her year of sexual awakening.

There are 10 Steps in order to gain your sexual enlightening and the ever so pretty S.E.C.R.E.T bracelet.  (Each step= a charm)
1) Surrender
2) Courage
3) Trust
4) Generosity
5) Fearlessness
6) Confidence
7) Curiosity
8) Bravery
9) Exuberence
10) The Choice.

The thing that would bother me, is that this whole process takes a year!  I mean you could bang this out (pun intended) in a month or two. And to top it off the steps aren't all sex based. Well foreplay based yes, but she really doens't get to bang someone until step 5.  I mean... a year! I think she jsut needed to go have a one night stand and forget about being a virgin and get back in the game!

The scenarios I have to say are realistic. Well excpet for the anal sex one, because no matter how much of a quest I am on for sexual fufilment, I ain't having anal sex with a guy I JUST MET! Thats just me though..  But yes, realisic as in the fact that they are more 'romantic' than jsut getting flogged ala 50 Shades of Grey.

 "No judgement, No limits, No Shame" the motto of the secret club. Which isn't a bad motto at all, I am all for sexual liberation...I think maybe because I am younger than those ladies in the club, its very hard to imagine going into a meeting where older women plan out sexual fantasies...maybe thats why a romantic massage is considered fantasy......


Now for The S.E.C.R.E.T Shared:

"I, Cassie Robichaud, solemnly swear to serve S.E.C.R.E.T. to the best of my abilities. I will do what is necessary, what is right and what is within my power to assist in the execution of sexual fantasies for our participant(s)..."

And so begins S.E.C.R.E.T. II, which opens with Cassie's initiation into this mysterious organization, one that helps women experience their most potent sexual fantasies. Cassie spends the next year as a "S.E.C.R.E.T. member-at-large," not quite a guide, she'll assist Committee members (including two new ones, Kit DeMarco and Angela Rejean) in recruiting men and helping to execute a new inductee's fantasies.

After a false start with the first potential inductee, Cassie makes the acquaintance of Dauphine Gray, a 31-year old who works at the Funky Monkey vintage clothing store on Magazine Street in New Orleans. Geeky, gawky and easily distracted, Dauphine has no idea how attractive she really is because her face is forever in a book. Reading is her passion, music is her pleasure, and Dauphine's all but given up on sex, especially after a painful rejection that still haunts her. Then Cassie and the women from S.E.C.R.E.T. show her it's possible to reignite that flame.

Meanwhile, Cassie must work through her resentment over losing Will to Tracina and their future baby. But when paternity questions surface, Tracina threatens to expose Cassie's S.E.C.R.E.T. membership to the one man both women love. Will Tracina expose Cassie to Will, and if she does, what will he make of his secret love's S.E.C.R.E.T. life

Cassie is now a guide.  She fufilled her duties, got a great looking bracelet and decided to come help another lonely soul into the art of sexual liberation.  The thing being is she didn't really want to be a guide. She wanted to go off with Will and start a life together. But Will knocked up some waitress and there goes that ending.  So she goes into this guide life a little hesitant.

But fear not, she finds a willing soul, Dauphine. Dauphine is more shy, but not as repressed as Cassie was in the first book. Which makes the sex scenes a little more titalating than its predecessor. I mean, she actually has sex. I also liked that she just said 'fuck it, suprise me with the fantasies'- I mean you join a secret club, let them be the ones to decide what to do.

Throughout the book you get snippets of Cassie's life now that she is sexually liberated, you can see she is more confident. Yet she still longs for Will. And you would think it wouldn't last the whole book, but it does.

You can totally tell there is going to be a third book in the series, as it just ended with Will and Cassie's decision on moving forward or giving up and the state of her membership in The S.E.C.R.E.T.  And I will probably read it just to see how it ends.

So in the end, sex aside, this book is about changing the way you feel on the inside. If you love and honor and rspect yourself, you exude it to everyone else. And that sometimes stepping out of your comfort zone is what you need to revamp your mindsent.  That I think is the takeaway message from these books. Don't be afraid that you have desires and fantasies, I mean they can only come true if you tell someone about them. I have no problem with the sex secret society; I don't think I would ever join one...but ya, all the power to you if you want to be less inhibited.

I felt these books were quick reads, entertaining but filled with a few eye rolls and head scratches.  So they garner a 3.5/3.75 stars rating.