Secret by Tana Stone

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Fiercely independent. A loyal friend. And a liar.

Maya has a secret she can’t tell anyone—even if it means losing everything she loves.

Maya planned to come to the sand planet, find her missing friend Cat, and go back to her life as a stew on a star cruiser. But when she arrives, Cat is gone. That wouldn’t be so bad, but then her own chances of leaving the planet are destroyed. Now she’s stuck on the primitive planet, and someone is doing their best to keep her there—and hold her captive.

Karv might be a Crestek, but he’d always felt a kinship to the barbarians who live in the desert. Now he needs to keep Maya safe and away from the Cresteks hunting her, which means taking her to the Dothveks. But can they survive the trek across the desert and evade the ones tracking Maya? Can Maya hide from her past or will her secret destroy everything?

This standalone alien romance novel features a tough, independent heroine; a gorgeous alien warrior; action-packed battles; and steamy scenes in a desert tent.

Secret

When the Warrior Finds His Place

The following ratings are out of 5:
Romance: 💙💛💚
Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️
Chemistry: 🧪🧪🧪
Story/Plot: 📕📗📘
World building: 🌏🌍🌎🌏
Character development: 😋🙂😁😘
Narrator(s): 🎙🎙🎙🎙🎙
Narration type: Duet Narration

Character Backgrounds and Plot Summary

Maya is fiercely loyal and independent, which becomes obvious when she travels to the sand planet searching for her friend Cat, only to discover Cat has already left with her mates. Maya should be able to leave too, but her escape is quickly derailed when the pilot of her transport is murdered and she becomes a target of the Crestek Chancellor, Riz, who wants to use her to produce his heirs. Karv, a Crestek communications officer and member of the resistance, steps in to help her. He has always felt more connected to the Dothveks than to the Cresteks, so getting Maya out of the city and across the desert becomes their best chance at survival.

I liked Maya immediately because she is brave without being reckless, and her determination to protect the people she cares about never disappears, even while she is terrified that her own secret could put everyone in danger. Karv took longer to win me over. Honestly, I found him a little boring at first. He was kind and protective, but I wasn’t completely invested in him. That changed dramatically once he underwent the trial to become a Dothvek. Watching him embrace a completely different path and discover abilities and a sense of belonging made him much more interesting to me.

Highlights and Limitations

The desert journey was one of my favorite parts because the danger keeps building while Maya and Karv are forced into close proximity. I especially enjoyed the transition from them simply trying to survive together to realizing they are mates. Maya even claims they are mates when the Dothveks intercept them because she knows it is the only way Karv can remain with her, which creates an entertaining complication when he has to undergo the Dothvek initiation.

I also loved the tension surrounding Maya’s secret and Riz’s determination to possess her. The eventual kidnapping before Maya and Karv’s bonding ceremony gave the story another strong burst of action, and I appreciated that Karv’s feelings were demonstrated through what he was willing to risk for her rather than just through romantic declarations.

My one reservation is that Karv’s character took a while to become compelling for me. I wanted more of his personality and internal conflict earlier in the story. Once he committed to the Dothvek path and went through the trial to become one. I felt much more emotionally connected to him.

Narration

The duet narration from Tristan Josiah and Chloe Ryan was a major plus for me. I love when dual-perspective romances actually use two narrators because it makes the shifts between Maya and Karv feel much more natural. Chloe Ryan gave Maya the independence and vulnerability I expected from her, while Tristan Josiah’s performance helped Karv’s transformation stand out more as the story progressed.

For me, the narration worked particularly well during the more emotional and dangerous portions of the story. Having separate voices for the two leads made it easier to become immersed in their perspectives, and I definitely preferred listening to this as a duet rather than having one narrator perform both characters.

Final Opinion

Secret ended up being a more enjoyable audiobook than I initially expected. Maya had me invested almost immediately, but Karv needed some time to grow on me. Once he went through the Dothvek trial, however, I finally understood what made him special, and his growing connection to their people gave his character much-needed depth.

I enjoyed the mix of desert adventure, political danger, fated-mate romance, secrets, and plenty of heat. The rescue after Maya is kidnapped was especially satisfying because by that point Karv’s devotion to her felt earned. The happily-ever-after also felt deserved after everything they had endured.

For fans of the Barbarians of the Sand Planet series, this was a fun addition, and the duet narration made it even better for me. I would definitely recommend it to anyone who enjoys strong heroines, alien warriors, fated mates, forced proximity, desert adventures, and a romance where the hero grows significantly along the way.


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