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But as the guests assemble, it becomes terrifyingly apparent that putting her past behind her is impossible. And one last secret could cost Dora everything, including her life… This book took too long to catch my attention. The beginning is a primer to sex work. I think it’s an honest one – and a respectful one – but the ABCs of sex work do not an exciting thriller make.
Book review: One Last Secret by Adele Parks - Debbish
One Last Secret by Adele Parks took me on quite a ride. I didn’t know what to expect at any given time, and I like that in a thriller. In fact, I usually don’t like super-gonzo twists, but in this case, the ones that occurred were just plausible enough to keep them from being too over-the-top. Dora was an interesting character, hardened by life but still caring enough to help a friend out – at her own peril. The author carefully chooses when to reveal another piece of Dora’s puzzle so that it coincides with what is occurring in the present narrative. Dora has always known her job was dangerous. As a high-end call girl, she doesn’t experience the same level of risk as her street worker counterparts, but clients tend to think of those in the sex trade as less than human and treat them accordingly. She’s experienced more than her share of petty abuse, but nothing had prepared her for the beating given by the allegedly carefully vetted new client her handler had connected her with. Dora leaves the expensive hotel where she met him battered and bloody and ready to get out of the game altogether. Dora is a high-end call girl desperate to put the life behind her, but decides to take one last job with someone she trusts.Overall though, I had a difficult time putting the book down because it's compulsively readable and I did want to know how everything was going to shake down in the end. There are some good twists and although I didn't always like Dora's choices I did like her and was rooting for her success. Dora finds herself face-to-face with a man she has never forgotten, the one man who really knows her. And as old secrets surface, it becomes terrifyingly apparent that one last secret could cost Dora her life…
One Last Secret: From the Sunday Times Number One bestselling One Last Secret: From the Sunday Times Number One bestselling
Sometimes a review comes easy, sometimes you can’t find the right words to describe it to put over how you feel, for this book I am just going to list the words and feelings that came to mind when read the last sentence~Dora is an high classed escort who happens to fall into a doting relationship with her friend Evan. They get engaged. He knows her history and feels nevertheless that they would be a good match and Dora is pretty OK about getting married. It would be such a novelty to be loved for her and not admired, for the services she provides. With a plot that is far from conventional, complete with an alluring main protagonist, a suspect outer cast and a flashy setting, One Last Secret will keep you guessing until the bitter end. An amazing read! To put it mildly, a complicated mess. Dora finds herself playing cat and mouse in an elaborate revenge plot the type of which I am fairly certain you can only find in fiction. It’s hard to sympathize with Dora as she discovers herself in deep trouble because it is obvious from the very beginning that taking this trip with Daniel is a colossally dumb mistake.
One Last Secret by Adele Parks | Goodreads One Last Secret by Adele Parks | Goodreads
Thank you #NetGalley, #AdeleParks, #HarlequinTradePublishingMIRA for this ARC. This is my own true thoughts about his book.
Member Reviews
This was a sultry, suspenseful read. It is quite slow to get going but the tension builds to unexpected revelations at the closing.
One Last Secret by Adele Parks : All About Romance One Last Secret by Adele Parks : All About Romance
At the funeral, Dora learns fiancé can swim and just let his dad die for torturing her. No one in super wealthy connected family is bothered that she’s a former escort so yay for her. Narrated by Kristin Atherton for 13 hours and 42 minutes (not sure why it says 10 hours and 45 minutes here?). She did a lovely job and showed proper emotion when necessary. It didn’t take long for me to invested in Dora’s story. As a ‘lady of the night’, Dora’s frank, blunt narrative is very honest and it felt like she was talking directly to me as a reader. Like a confessional, Dora makes it clear that her life is not glamorous and that she accepts the criticisms behind her profession. However, money is the driving force and Dora shows she is not embarrassed by what she does: she is embarrassed because she does not know what she would do instead with her life. I really hate books with gaslighting and I didn’t realize how prominently it would feature here. I couldn’t wait for Dora to catch up with what the reader already knows. The pacing is all off in this book and the first reveal isn’t even a reveal because we have no idea who this person is or why we should care. Dora can’t resist taking one last job - escorting a regular to a French château and pretending to be his girlfriend. No sex allowed. Surely that’s fine?
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If you have ever read an Adele Parks book, you know that her plots are never as straight forward as they may seem. Once Last Secret is a compelling read, with so many twists and turns you will not know if you are coming or going! I loved it. When a book continues to surprise me, it is a good thing as I don't think that I am easily surprised anymore. Dora quits her job but her old client Daniel she’s seen for 6 months need her help to attend a celebration party of his colleague at a chateau in South France. The girl he has a crush on for years who is also married will be there! He needs a pretending girlfriend urgently and Dora knows him so well, she’s the only one who can make his friends believe in their relationship!
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