Top Secret by Sarina Bowen and Elle Kennedy

Top Secret by Sarina Bowen and Elle Kennedy
Release Date - May 7, 2019
Publisher - Tuxbury Publishing LLC and Elle Kennedy Inc

Author Social Media - Sarina Bowen  / Elle Kennedy
Pages -  280 pages
My Rating - 5/5
**received in exchange for an honest review**

Here is the Goodreads synopsis

Bestselling authors Sarina Bowen & Elle Kennedy return with their first Male / Male romance in 3 years.

LobsterShorts, 21
Jock. Secretly a science geek. Hot AF.

LobsterShorts: So. Here goes. For her birthday, my girlfriend wants…a threesome.

SinnerThree: Then you’ve come to the right hookup app.

LobsterShorts: Have you done this sort of thing before? With another guy?

SinnerThree: All the time. I'm an equal opportunity player. You?

LobsterShorts: [crickets!]


SinnerThree, 21
Finance major. Secretly a male dancer. Hot AF.

SinnerThree: Well, I’m down if you are. My life is kind of a mess right now. School, work, family stress. Oh, and I live next door to the most annoying dude in the world. I need the distraction. Are you sure you want this?

LobsterShorts: I might want it a little more than I’m willing to admit.

SinnerThree: Hey, nothing wrong with pushing your boundaries...

LobsterShorts: Tell that to my control-freak father. Anyway. What if this threesome is awkward?

SinnerThree: Then it’s awkward. It’s not like we’ll ever have to see each other again. Right? Just promise you won’t fall in love with me.

LobsterShorts: Now wouldn’t that be life-changing...

Top Secret is a mix of a lot of things. It has a little bit of You've Got Mail (if it were sexy hot and involved a potential threesome). It makes great use of the enemies to lovers trope. It even plays a little with the idea of opposites attracting. It gives the reader a character driven romance that also happens to come in a compulsively readable package.

The characters of Keaton and Luke both feel entirely believable. They both have strong, distinct voices that leapt off the page for me. They both came across as typical, horny college guys. This fact, in my opinion, helped the story. Strongly defined and created characters are not always easy to pull off but it is made to look easy here.

The banter between the guys, complete with random animal mating trivia (LobsterShorts is a thing for a reason), is filled with sexual tension and sparks. Sparks that are evident in every interaction. The chemistry between Keaton and Luke is undeniable.

The romance has its obstacle. Keaton's privilege, the walls that Luke has surrounded himself with, and both guys self doubt are just some of the things they have to face. Each of the guys has a lot of growing to do before they can even think of being together. Some of that growth they help bring out in each other but there is also growth that can only be done individually. These characters both go through so much character development and the reader feels like they have gotten to share in their journey.

The authors already promised that there isn't a love triangle within these pages and that is entirely true. Keaton's girlfriend's role in the story pleasantly surprised me. I respected how this part of the story was addressed and handled. It could have gone many different ways but I am glad it did not. It was worked into the story in a natural way and made it that each of the characters were presented in a favourable way.

Anyone who loved previous books by either of these authors will want to check out this one but I predict even new readers will be entirely charmed by this one. Fans who were eagerly anticipating Sarina and Elle's next cowritten novel will not be disappointed. This is a hot, steamy romance that has a lot of heart. It will leave you with a smile on your face and ensures that you will be eagerly anticipating whatever comes next from these authors.