February 3, 2022
Dear Mr. Hemingway,
Britney King is BACK. I know you recognize her because I write to you often about her books. Words can not express how excited I get when I hear that she (my favorite author of psychological thrillers) has a new book coming out. When I received an early copy of King’s latest creation The Secretary, I immediately cleared my Friday night plans (I have so many these days 😂😂). I rushed through dinner with my family, passed all driving duties over to my husband, locked up my chickens and ducks, then quickly landed in my cozy bed with all my snuggly blankets and a piping hot mug of tea. Some may call this boring or uneventful, but this forty-something-year-old dreams of nights like these. I read The Secretary late into the night and finished it up first thing in the morning. Can you say absolute BLISS?
I will proceed with caution as I share the synopsis of this story with you. Psychological thrillers are tough to summarize and I NEVER want to give anything away. Gillian is about to start a new job as a secretary at an uber-powerful company. Her life is a bit blah at the moment with no clear direction so this job feels like the perfect remedy for all her problems. Gillian is drawn to her new boss Ellis and his mysterious ways. Despite feeling uneasy about her role at the company, she is very much drawn to this powerful man and finds herself abandoning her friends and family for her boss and new “job”. Things are not right from the start though and Gillian quickly gets tangled up in sleepovers, “company policy”, and covering up a murder leaving her not only terror-struck but questioning everything. What happened to the secretary before her and what is going to happen to her? Does she really have what it takes to be a part of his world?
King is a master at setting the reading tone for all her books. The tension booms in The Secretary from the first page to the very last and her unsettling office environment is the PERFECT backdrop. What I love about King the most is that she doesn’t bore me with unnecessary details. She cuts immediately to chase offering me all the red flags and mystery I could ever dream of. I furiously flipped the pages of this book soaking up Gillian’s naiveness and Ellis’ impenetrable vibe (think Christian Grey…but just for a split second and minus the red room). I am always intrigued by stories with the powerful male boss and an innocent young woman who works for him. It could be construed as a common trope with the man at the helm, but not in this case. King is very strategic with who has the power and when so be sure to pay careful attention. As always, she sprinkled in just enough evil to make me squirm, but not turn away. And let’s not forget the ending…NAILED IT!
Set aside your weekend plans and binge-read King’s latest psychological wonder. It’s an absolute treat!
Until next time!
Your Biggest Fan,
Kelly
P.S. Be sure to check out what I had to say about some of King’s previous books below.
Passerby by Britney King
Kill Me Tomorrow by Britney King
Savage Row by Britney King
The Book Doctor by Britney King
Kill Sleep Repeat by Britney King
***I received an advance reader copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review. My opinions are 100% my own. If I don’t like it…I don’t share it!
