Noah has been in love with Lauren for ten years. He couldn’t stand the way Lauren’s ex-husband, and Noah’s friend, treated her and their two daughters. He’s waited for a chance for a long time to show her that the right man is waiting for her. Now he’s about to make his move in a most unexpected way.

When Lauren receives an erotic note at the office, she’s nervous and a bit thrilled. Who is this mystery man who finds her so sexy? An equally mysterious lingerie gift arrives that same week but it’s the arrival of Mr. Mysterious into her home on Friday night that awakens every sensual nerve in her body. He’s handsome, sexy, but she doesn’t know who he is! Mr. Mysterious wants lovemaking while Lauren will only give him sex. Mr. Mysterious confuses Lauren. She wants Noah doesn’t she? Who is this guy and why does he profess his love so ardently?

Will Noah ever be able to truly show Lauren his feelings?

Subterfuge and deceit are the name of the game in Shelley Bradley’s Naughty Little Secret. While I enjoyed both Lauren and Noah, I felt like Noah’s game of deceit tended to take the romance out of the story a bit. There is no doubt he truly cares for Lauren. His every gesture, touch, and word was testaments to that fact, but this story really gets bogged down in too much subterfuge. On the plus side though, Ms. Bradley showcases a growing relationship both in bed and out. Noah tries to woo Lauren with every fiber of his being. He’s kind, solicitous, romantic, and playful. Unfortunately, she’s afraid to let her preconceived notions of his love life go. They stand in the way of her truly giving her heart to him. This is most definitely a tempestuous and stormy courtship, but it has incredibly erotic moments that showcase Ms. Bradley’s talent. I won’t say the good outweighed the bad in this story, but I will say that by the end, I felt these two really deserved their happily-ever-after. They worked for it, and that is one of the truest parts of love. The hard work involved in getting to the happily-ever-after. I’ll most definitely be giving Ms. Bradley another chance on my bookshelves.

Overall rating:
Sensuality rating: Explicit

Reviewer: Sarah W.
September 18, 2006