S.E.C.R.E.T. is a hard book for me to review. There were things I liked about the book and there were aspects of the book that drove me crazy and not in a good way.Cassie is 35 years old. She's a widow and her life is stagnant. She hasn't had sex in 5 years and her self-esteem is in the toilet. When she first started working at Cafe Rose, her boss, Will, attempted to ask her out but she quickly shot him down. Since then, she has been mildly pining over him and wondering what it would be like to be with him. While waiting on a table, a burgundy notebook is left behind. Cassie reads parts of the notebook which contains the sexual exploits of one of her customers. This is how Cassie discovers S.E.C.R.E.T. Ten steps. Ten fantasies to awaken Cassie's sexual side. Is Cassie willing to accept the steps and liberate her sexual side?I liked the concept of the book. Cassie is a sympathetic character. Many women lose their mojo and need help finding it. Each step was sexy and sensual and reflective of what was holding Cassie back. With each step, Cassie would have an encounter - sexual - with a different man who works for the underground society. The first 5 or 6 men, Cassie would ask questions, trying to get to know them. That is not the point of the exercise. It became annoying when asked if she would accept this step, her answer would be a tentative, "um I guess so?" I'm surprised they went ahead with the fantasy whenever she would give that kind of answer.The sex scenes were plentiful and I loved how Cassie evolved and came out of her shell. Her boss, Will, notices as well.The major problem I had with S.E.C.R.E.T. was the way it ended. I thought it was a joke. Cassie went through all ten steps to have the book end like this? It was crazy and came out of left field. It left me feeling angry and frustrated. The ending was a cliffhanger that I did not appreciate. There's going to be a book two but so far there's no information on whether not its a continuation of Cassie's story. If this is how it ends for Cassie, well, that's just a huge fail.
