Gilded Secrets is a quick read that started off great but lost some steam towards the end. Charlotte is Vance's new assistant. She's anxious to prove herself because she really needs her job. Vance isn't so sure that Charlotte is assistant material and thinks that she's too young, perky and good looking. When a rival auction house starts making waves and implying that an executive at Waverly's is selling out, Vance must get to the bottom of it. He's not beyond using his new assistant to find out who's behind the leaks.For the most part, I enjoyed Gilded Secrets. It's your typical Harlequin trope. Super rich guy falls in love with a girl who he doesn't normally go for - the unsophisticated kind who doesn't know anything about playing in his league. What bothered me was the blackmail plot. I found it an unnecessary way to make Charlotte look potentially guilty. The information being used to blackmail her wasn't anything scandalous and though she feared losing her son, I found it ridiculous that she believed that she could lose her child over something so minor. And the story behind her pregnancy was SO over-the-top I just rolled my eyes when I read it.Other than those few issues, I thought Gilded Secrets was an okay read. It's a Harlequin so it follows the typical trope. Nothing about Vance stood out though I didn't expect it to. It was a nice way to spend a couple of hours knowing that you will get the HEA in the end.
