I was probably the only reader irked that Kira's boss Ollie played hard to get with her salary. Based on how she lived, she NEEDED that monthly salary. Even though Kira never dwelled on the loss of her salary after her boss was murdered, in real life, I would have! And throughout the book, you learn that Kira spends a lot out of pocket for things specifically to help aid her investigation that never were reimbursed. Reminds me of the teaching profession.

There were many characters, but all were well-developed. I don't think it was very predictable at all "who done it", but the main area where evil brewed was relayed in a timely manner. There is romance, but it is done in such a way and at the right time, that it does not distract from the main theme of the story. I think both men and women would enjoy reading it. I have not read any of Laura's other books yet, but this one stands well on its own. I do not feel like I was missing key information to understand. The book had flow. It had interest. The main characters were highly likeable. It was the perfect length. The only "negative" is that this book has a similar title to another book written by another author. The twin book is Her Deadly Secret, and even has a dark cover with eyes on it. I am surprised that this was not infringing on copyright laws. Not only that, I bet when people talk with each other about these books, they are confused. Someone might want to buy this book as a requested gift, and it will be a lot of egg on face if the recipient tells the giver that they gave them the wrong one! Just a thought if the cover is ever changed. ( )

Houston PI Kira Vance finds herself in the middle of the a very high profile murder case when her mentor, Ollie Kovak, is murdered right in front of her at the house of their client, prestigious lawyer, Brock Logan. Kira now has to step in and take over, hoping she can find the clues that Ollie had found to keep Brock's client, Gavin Quinn, who is accused of killing his wife out of jail. Brock's law firm hires Wolfe Security to make sure everyone involved in the case is safe. Jeremy Owen has just come back from a frustrating case in Europe that has left him exhausted, but he knows Liam wouldn't ask him to be a part of his team if he didn't think he was up to the job, so he acquiesces. Kira proves to be a difficult client for the Wolfe team because she has no intention of letting their security precautions interfere with her investigation.
Her Deadly Secrets is an interesting romantic suspense story. Kira is a very likable and strong female character who knows her business and is good at it. There are no big twists in this book; just a search for clues that leads to a conclusion, which is a little bit of a letdown. The character of Jeremy is not as well developed as he could of been possibly because the romance takes a backseat to the action and suspense. Actually, more time is spend developing the character of the police detective in the case . Overall, this is a pretty good story with a good mystery and lots of clues. ( )

Houston private investigator Kira Vance, working on a case for her mentor, Oliver Kovak, finds herself caught in the middle of an attack that leaves Ollie dead and lawyer Brock Logan injured. Oliver had indicated he had information vital to Logan’s upcoming court case, but he was not able to share that information before the attacker murdered him.

As Kira continues to investigate, hoping to find the information that resulted in her mentor’s murder, Logan hires the elite Wolfe security team for protection as he prepares to defend his client against a murder charge. Jeremy Owen is the security operative assigned to protect Kira.

But someone is determined to keep Kira from finding the information she seeks. As the danger increases, will Jeremy and the security team be able to keep her safe from the unidentified murderer?

Although this book is the second in the Wolfe Security series, it works well as a stand-alone and does not require readers to have read the first story. Utilizing multiple points of view . . . mainly Kira, Jeremy, and police detective Charlotte Spears . . . the murder mystery becomes the primary focus of the unfolding story and pulls the reader into the telling of the tale from the outset. Events move swiftly; the story is action-packed and filled with suspense.

The characters are well-drawn and believable. On the police side, Charlotte Spears and Alex Diaz are the detectives assigned to the case. The partners are resolute and determined to do the job; Charlotte and Kira clash a bit as they each work at sharing [or purposely not sharing] information.

Kira Vance is independent and stubborn but proves to be a capable and inspired investigator. Wolfe Security operative Jeremy Owen is professional and good at his job but finds Kira’s refusal to follow his directions frustrating. It isn’t long before they find themselves struggling with their attraction to each other, but their romance definitely takes a back seat to the murder mystery.

The narrative is strong on police procedural; Kira’s investigation takes some unexpected detours as the plot twists to reveal surprising secrets. It’s an edge-of-your-seat thrill ride for readers as Kira seeks justice for her friend.

Highly recommended. ( )

2.5 stars

I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Kira had no idea that meeting up with her boss and mentor Ollie at high priced lawyer Brock Logan's house would turn her life upside down. As private investigators hired by Logan's firm to help find information on their current trial involving a surgeon supposedly killing his wife, they've been working around the clock. Ollie claims he's found out something that will win the trial but before he can tell Kira, a masked and hooded man murders him.
Jeremy is just getting off a plane after a botched mission and wanting some rest and relaxation but Wolfe Security needs him on another protection case. Protecting lawyers seems easy but when Jeremy gets assigned to Kira he knows he's in trouble.

What had started as a straightforward PI job had spun out of control, and Kira felt as though her life had been hit by a tornado.

This is second in the Wolfe Security series but easily read as a standalone, you'll recognize some Wolfe Security members but the author takes the reader on a completely new murder case. The murder mystery is more of the focus than the romance, the lead detective on the case, Charlotte Spears, gets multiple povs throughout the story. This helped to develop and involve the reader in the murder case but definitely took time away from the romance. Kira was a fun heroine to follow along with at times, with her, somewhat, unconventional job as a PI. I struggled with her stubbornness and frustration with her protection detail, though. Her boss and friend Ollie was murdered right in front of her and she is obviously in danger because of what she might know or have in her possession but she still tries to skirt Jeremy and others assigned to her safety. She defers to them later in the story but in the beginning, it wasn't so much showing me how independent Kira was as how foolish she was.

This was going to be a hell of a case, Jeremy had suspected it the instant he'd seen the client, and it had taken about two minutes alone with her to confirm his suspicions. This woman was headstrong and sneaky as hell.

For being a lead, Jeremy wasn't a character that I felt I got to know well. We get some canned former military, PTSD, alpha, and still struggling with last mission that went wrong, background but I had no idea who this guy really was. He seemed nice, smart, and capable but five minutes after finishing the book I could never pick him out of a lineup. As the story seemed more focused on the murder mystery, Kira and Jeremy's relationship development was severely lacking for me. Their first kiss felt completely adrenaline fueled than deeper attraction. I appreciated how the author kept Jeremy focused on his job, as lives were on the line, but it also made Kira's seemingly bewilderment as to why Jeremy wanted to keep things professional even more glaring.

Her bossy voice turned him on, which was the dead-last thing he ever planned to tell her, bit it was true.

Towards the middle, the case meandered a bit and then the end had a bunch of information revealed fast, which gave a bit of anti-climatic feel. There was also some details added, multiple scenes of people having to stop talking because something like a coffee pot was too loud and secondary character traits like Logan being an alcoholic, that felt useless, unless Logan and others show up in the series again. I think romance readers will miss more romance and relationship development and murder mystery readers will miss a more gritty and whodunit feel. The writing is good and the outline is there but the details and relationships that make a story memorable for me were missing from this one. Wolfe Security still has some bachelors and I'm going to look forward to more romance to go along with their gun toting. ( )

Laura does it again with her latest offering in the Wolfe Security series. This book starts out with a big punch of adrenaline.

Kira is a strong woman. Even after surviving someone trying to kill her; she was more than willing to stand on her own two feet. This includes even if she has to put Jeremy with Wolfe Security in his place. Yet, Kira has met her match in Jeremy. He is not about to let Kira out of his sights. Things heat up between these two. There are some hot scenes.

The romance is there but this is more of a suspense/romance novel. I put suspense first as the story is more focused on that area. Yet, Ms. Griffin strikes a good balance between the two genres. The story moves at a fast pace with plenty of action, intensity, and romance. I can't wait to read the next book in this series. This series is shaping up to be just as good as the Tracers series. Her Deadly Secrets will take readers on a roller coaster ride that will leave fans satisfied. ( )