Secret by Brigid Kemmerer Review + Giveaway

Secret by Brigid Kemmerer
(Elemental, #4)
Release Date: January 28, 2014
Publisher: Kensington Teen; 352 pages

Nowhere is safe. Not even home…

Nick Merrick is stretched to the breaking point.

Keep his grades sky-high or he’ll never escape his hometown.
Keep his brother’s business going or the Merricks will be out on the street.
Keep the secret of where he’s going in the evenings from his own twin—-or he’ll lose his family.

Keep his mind off the hot, self-assured dancer who’s supposed to be his “girlfriend’s” partner.

Of course there’s also the homicidal freak Quinn has taken to hanging around, and the Elemental Guide counting the hours until he can try again to kill the Merrick brothers.

There’s a storm coming. From all sides. And then some.

Nick Merrick, can you keep it together?

So I am really hoping to make it to Brigid Kemmerer's SECRET release launch event on February 1 but I don't know if I'll be able to get off for sure yet. However, if I do get off work and I make it there, these books will come signed. I didn't want to advertise it as Signed ARCs in the giveaway just incase I don't make it. That being said, I am giving away my ARCs of Spirit (Elemental, #3) and Secret (Elemental, #4) to one lucky US reader. This giveaway ends on January 22 at 11:59 PM EST. These books will not ship out until after the beginning of February. The winner will have 48 hours to respond to their email before a new winner is chosen.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

If you have NOT read Storm, Spark or Spirit, please read with caution. There are some spoilers that were unavoidable. Proceed with caution . . .

I have been dying for this book - not literally but it may have felt like it. After Breathless, well, I needed this. I've always really liked Nick and I needed to get inside his head, see his story and I couldn't have asked for anything better than what was given to me. My only problem with this book is that it was too short. I needed more but that's just me being demanding!

Nick's secret is one that I'm sure many teenagers and even adults struggle with. That time when you question your sexuality. Some people just know they're gay and some aren't sure or maybe they're afraid to admit they are; there's many things that go through people's minds. In Nick's case, I think it's a mix of everything. He's never been attracted to anyone this way, male or female, before he met Adam so now he's questioning these feelings but what scares him most is his family finding out, especially his twin, Gabriel. I can totally understand his hesitance on wanting Gabriel to find out, he's a player, loves his women and he's a bit of a hothead. They're best friends and Nick would be lost without his brother and he fears their relationship may change. What makes me sad, while reading this and thinking about it is no person should ever be afraid of telling someone that they found someone who makes them happy, you know? It really makes me sad that it happens all the time.

You know what though? This book isn't just about Nick's secret. There's Quinn and her secret and how about Michael? Maybe it's not much of a secret but he finally comes clean about the events that happened the night Emily died. I can tell you, it wasn't exactly what I expected but at the same time, it was. It opened my eyes up to the whole situation and things just made a lot more sense.

I have been struggling with writing this review for a week now. I have so much love for this book (and this series) that I can't find the words to say on how I feel. I'd like to leave out as many spoilers as possible so anyone who hasn't started the series will want to (cause you really should). This book was everything I wanted and then some and it makes me excited for Michael's book and the final book. Though we all know an epic battle is on the verge of happening and that makes me cringe because I don't want ANYONE to die. Please, no one can die (except the Guides, kill away, Brigid).

One thing I can say is that Brigid knows how to make you fall in love with characters, even characters you never thought possible. I kind of feel bad for Hunter, though. Even after reading his book, while I like him more than I did before, I like him less than this other guy in this book. And this other guy isn't a great guy but there's just something real about him. He's got many layers and once you peel some of them back, underneath he's really great. And that makes me so angry (not really) because now I have all the Merrick brothers to love and then this guy plus Adam. I have never read a series where if you asked me who my favorite character was I could answer you. I couldn't. To me, that's something special that this author was able to do. Make us fall in love with them all and then some.

You need to pick up this series and at least try it, if you haven't already. You'll realize you've been missing out. Not only is the story gripping but the characters are fantastic and so real. So extremely real.

Thank you so much to Kensington for allowing me the chance to read this book in exchange for an honest review.