Title: The Perfect Secret
Author: Jennifer Wilck
Genre: New adult, contemporary Jewish romance
Book Blurb:
Dan Rothberg struggled after an accident killed his wife, and he nearly lost custody of his daughter. He can no longer allow himself to get attached to anything or anyone. Until he meets Hannah.
Hannah Cohen is a young executive with a meddlesome grandmother and a troubled brother. She’d like nothing better than to find her own Mr. Right, after too many Mr. Wrongs. A sexy older man with a teenage daughter was never in her plans.
As they navigate their relationship through adolescent attitudes and grandmotherly interference, they realize age is just a number and love can be right in front of them. But when the terrible truth of Dan’s former struggles is exposed, Hannah must decide if she can get past his deception and build a future with him.
The Perfect Secret is the second book in this new adult contemporary romance, where the guy literally falls at her feet, the smart-ass daughter and grandmother will leave you laughing, and a secret will make you ache.
Buy The Perfect Secret and find out if love truly can conquer all.
Book 1: The Perfect Match
Book 2: The Perfect Secret
Book 3: The Perfect Deception
Excerpt:
As they walked along the spiral path, Dan pointed out facts of interest. Her grip on his arm warmed him and he wanted to pull her against him and revel in her closeness. When they got to the third floor and the Hayden Big Bang Theater, Hannah gasped.
“Pretty amazing, isn’t it?”
“I don’t know where to look first.”
They watched the Big Bang presentation. Or rather, Hannah watched the presentation; Dan watched Hannah. He loved listening to her questions, seeing the surprise and wonder on her face. Dan had come here on a regular basis since he was a kid. Each time, he learned something new, each time he couldn’t wait to return. This time, he learned about Hannah.
And forgot, for a short amount of time, about the pain in his leg. In fact, in all the time they’d been there, he hadn’t thought about the pain once. However, by the time they finished exploring the planetarium, Dan was hungry and his leg hurt. He’d miscalculated the amount of walking he’d have to do. Or maybe his leg muscles reacted to the tension of being on a date. Either way, he didn’t want to miss out on enjoying his time with Hannah. He turned to her and eased his weight onto his other leg.
“I made reservations at Isabella’s. We should be on time if we leave now.”
He ignored the frown on her face and the way she seemed to glance with some frequency at his leg. He didn’t need her worrying about him, although the pucker between her eyebrows made him want to smooth it out with a fingertip. Maybe it was good she was worried—it gave him something else to think about. As they headed toward the restaurant, Dan focused on walking. One he got there, he could sit and everything would be fine.
“Do you go to the rest of the museum as often?” Hannah asked.
Thank God she didn’t ask about his leg. “Not really. I used to take Tess when she was young...” Dan paused and gritted his teeth as an uneven sidewalk jolted his leg. Dammit.
She sidestepped away and faced him head-on, grabbing his arms and keeping him steady, although he’d never admit to the purpose of her action, not even under oath.
“What are you doing, Hannah?”
She stared at him. He wanted to tear his gaze away, but he couldn’t. Her eyes darkened until they were navy with concern. He wanted them to be dark with desire, though. “I know maybe I shouldn’t bring this up, but you look like you’re in pain. Is everything okay?”
He swallowed. So much for her desiring him. “It’s fine.” She arched an eyebrow and he relented. “My leg hurts. It always hurts. If I stopped doing things I enjoy just because it hurt, I’d never get out of bed.” I enjoy being with you. He wanted to say it, but he wasn’t sure he could risk it.
She squeezed his arm. “Carry on.”
He blinked. When she returned to his side and hooked her arm through his free one, he blinked again. She’d accepted his explanation. Was it that easy? Maybe he should tell her how much he was attracted to her. Maybe it wouldn’t sound crazy.
“What are we looking at?” she whispered out of the side of her mouth, pursing her lips together and giving him an insane urge to kiss them.
“What?”
“I assumed since we’re standing here you must be looking at something, and I wanted to join in the fun. Or did you not realize we weren’t moving?”
Her nostrils flared and she bit her lip. Dan realized she was trying not to laugh. Now he really wanted to kiss her, to capture her mouth with his, to make her his own. Before he could act on it, his stomach growled.
“Was that yours or mine?” She looked at him, an eyebrow raised.
His lips twitched. His breath hitched. He couldn’t keep his amusement to himself any longer. It bubbled in his chest and he let it out as he shook his head.
“Okay, while I am older than you, I’m not old enough to be senile. Yet. So yes, I did know we weren’t moving. But thanks for that. And yes, my stomach growled, because I’m hungry. Except I think I need to put eating on hold for a moment, because what I need, more than anything else right now, what I’ve needed all night long in fact, is to kiss you.”
He reached his hand behind her neck and drew her close to him. This was what he’d waited for, her body close to his, the warmth of her nape against his palm. Tilting his head, he angled his mouth and brushed his lips against hers. A groan started in the back of his throat. Her lips were more delicious than he’d imagined. They were sweet and soft and for the moment, his. He deepened the kiss as her arms wrapped themselves around his waist. Good, because he didn’t intend to stop anytime soon. Her body fit against his as if it was meant to—soft breasts against hard chest—he pulled her closer, wishing they could blend into one. When she sighed, he slipped his tongue inside her mouth. It was like honey, and he couldn’t breathe from the sweetness.
Her fingers swirled against his back, leaving trails of fire. Shaking, he pulled away, though he wanted to keep her close. He rested his forehead against hers. Her pupils were huge, like his he suspected, her breathing quick. Her hands hadn’t stopped moving and well, he wanted her to move them lower. But they were in the middle of the street and he wasn’t an exhibitionist. He pulled farther away, took her hand, and led her toward the restaurant.
“Wait,” she cried as he limped as fast as he could to Isabella’s.
“What?”
“What about what I need?”
Before he could ask what she meant, she grabbed his head and pulled it down to her. She kissed him, hard, and pulled away.
“I wasn’t finished,” she said.
Buy Links (including Goodreads and BookBub):
Amazon US: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0D3FL578V
Amazon CA: https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B0D3FL578V
BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/books/the-perfect-secret-the-perfect-match-book-2-by-jennifer-wilck
Author Biography:
Jennifer Wilck is an award-winning contemporary romance author for readers who are passionate about love, laughter, and happily ever after. Known for writing both Jewish and non-Jewish romances, her books feature damaged heroes, sassy and independent heroines, witty banter and hot chemistry. Jennifer’s ability to transport the reader into the scene, create characters the reader will fall in love with, and evoke a roller coaster of emotions, will hook you from the first page. You can find her books at all major online retailers in a variety of formats.
Jennifer started telling herself stories as a little girl when she couldn’t fall asleep at night. Pretty soon, her head was filled with these stories and the characters that populated them. Even as an adult, she thinks about the characters and stories at night before she falls asleep or walking the dog. Eventually, she started writing them down. Her favorite stories to write are those with smart, sassy, independent heroines; handsome, strong and slightly vulnerable heroes; and her stories always end with happily ever after.
In the real world, she’s the mother of two amazing daughters and wife of one of the smartest men she knows. She believes humor is the only way to get through the day and does not believe in sharing her chocolate.
Social Media Links:
Website: http://www.jenniferwilck.com
Thank you, Jennifer, for sharing your new release with us!