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Top Secret

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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...

Q&A about Top Secret:

Q: Have we met these characters before in another book?
A: No! These guys are brand new, and we can’t wait for you to meet them.

Q: Is this story MM? Or is it a MMF / MFM / menage?
A: This book is MM.

Q: Is this a love triangle story?
A: Not really. You’ll see.

318 pages, ebook

First published May 7, 2019

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About the author

Sarina Bowen

92 books16.2k followers
sarina bowen
Sarina Bowen is the twenty-four-time USA Today bestselling and Wall Street Journal bestselling author of three dozen books, including: the True North series, and Brooklyn Hockey. She's the co-author of Him/Us and the WAGs series with Elle Kennedy. She's the author of The Ivy Years series, and more!
Are you looking for a friends-to-lovers story or maybe even a secret baby book? You can read a list of Sarina's books broken out by trope and style.
Need to know what's coming next ? Get all the latest news on Sarina's website, and sign up for her newsletter so you don't miss a book or a deal.

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Displaying 1 - 30 of 3,181 reviews
Profile Image for Shile (Hazard's Version) on-hiatus.
1,115 reviews915 followers
May 11, 2019
First 50% - 4 stars

The rest - 1.25 stars

*Warning! May contain spoilers*


Aye, Aye, Aye!

It is Me! Not the book!

description

I kept asking myself. Are these the same authors who wrote HIM? This book was a MAJOR letdown.

The story reminded me of a TV show I watched and actually enjoyed about Frats, Sororities, Pledges and all that Rush stuff called Greek. I watched that series and lost some brain cells along the way, that happened here too. These characters were just there, superficial, underdeveloped, unbelievable, and they talk Yo!.

The Good

The beginning was actually good and fun when they were just chatting anonymously online, and Keaton’s geeky animal sex talk was hilarious.

LobsterShorts: Sea slugs have penis fights.

SinnerThree: I don’t even know what to say to that. I guess… Why?? How?? Why???

LobsterShorts: It’s exactly what it sounds like. Like two swords clanging against each other.

SinnerThree: CLANGING? Are their penises made of metal??

LobsterShorts: No lmao. OK, bad analogy. Basically, they fence with their cocks. The contest determines who’s the top and who’s the bottom.

SinnerThree: OMFG. For real?

LobsterShorts: I swear. Look up “flatworm penis fencing.” I’ll wait.


Lol! I had to google “flatworm penis fencing.”

description

Everything was going good, i was Loling so hard.. Then.. Then....

- They meet and disaster! No chemistry at all. These two go from I don’t like you, to kissing and sex in a nanosecond. BAM! BOOM! I like you; I want to help you out.

Ugh! I found the sex scenes in this book just plain boring. Again, what type of sex scenes have i been reading lately? Maybe it is because they use actual Lube and not Sunscreen or Vaseline. Yaap see? Totally me!

-Enemies to Lovers - Imo the execution failed.

-Rich boy with a controlling dad who magically transforms into a saint overnight – Pffft

-Poor boy with a Jerk brother and an irresponsible unbelievable mother – Double Pffft

-I felt like 90% of their relationship happened off page, and I was being told how it happened not shown, that made it difficult to feel their connection.

-I will not go into the manufactured drama-llama and IMO a major SIN in mm romance books. Ta-da-ta-da.. The break-up for the sake of drama.

Ugh! I really wanted it to work out, this should have worked out. But there were so many tropes and so many plot-holes.

Anyhoo, don’t mind me, look at those shiny 5 stars and give it a try.

Oh! One final thing, at some point I felt like I was reading New Adult MF and not MM.

description
Profile Image for Gabby.
1,424 reviews27.6k followers
June 1, 2020
Holy shit I loved this. I thought I would love this book because this author combo wrote my favorite M/M romance of all time, Him, but then I was scared to read it because I found out it follow two frat guys and well, I'm not a huge fan of frat guys and frat houses and I couldn't care less about them but.... I'M OBSESSED?????

This story follows Keaton, who is a football player jock who has a girlfriend that wants a three-way for her birthday. He downloads a popular dating app where he starts chatting with another guy, who he doesn't know is one of his Frat brothers, Luke. Luke is not only one of his Frat brothers, it's the guy he is running against to be Frat president and he can't stand. So we got hate to love romance, and forbidden romance, two of my favorite tropes all in one in this book. I also love in romances when two characters fall in love without really knowing who exactly the other is and then it's revealed and it's too late to stop the feels because they already caught FEELS, you know what I mean? It also has another one of my favorite tropes: a character who thought they might be straight exploring their sexuality and realizing they are probably not. Anyways...

I adored Luke and Keaton so much in this book but ESPECIALLY LUKE BECAUSE WOW. Luke knows he's bisexual and he comes from a very ridiculous, obnoxious poor family who tries to squeeze every dime out of him, and he's a stripper who is studying finance. Keaton is quite the opposite, he's lived a very privileged life with a wealthy family, but his Father has too high of expectations for him and expects him to run the family business, but Keaton wants to study biology and marine life. Both of these characters feel so fleshed out and i honestly adored the shit out of both of them. I actually also really enjoyed seeing their competitiveness over the Frat presidency, I didn't think I would care about that but it was entertaining as hell and I had fun reading about it.

Their chemistry was freaking great, and I love the reveal scene of when they find out they have been talking to each other. This honestly gave me some Simon and Baz vibes from Carry On, probably because of the fact that they're basically roommates and the sexual tension is real, this is very slow burn, which I LOVE.

I just loved it so so so so much and I'm so happy I did. These characters own my heart, okay?
Book #4 for Romanceathon is complete, and this is by far my favorite thing I've read so far for this readathon!
Profile Image for ⊱✿⊰ Alicia ⊱✿⊰ .
552 reviews450 followers
May 7, 2019
5 LobsterShorts Stars!!

First off, let me just say that ending had me swooning!

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Keaton is a gorgeous college jock from a very wealthy family but he has a lot on his plate. He has football games to win, a campaign to plan and a father and girlfriend to please. What would you do if your girlfriend of six years asked you to have a threesome with another guy? Then explains it's what she wants for her birthday. Well if you're a people pleaser like Keaton you do what you can to make it happen. Keaton was never confused about his sexuality until he joins Kinky, a hookup app to find them a third and it opens his eyes to a new world when he meets SinnerThree.

Unlike his classmates Luke is on a scholarship to Darby College he is not from a rich background like most of the students. Lately he has been struggling to manage work and school. He thinks he has come up with a plan, all he needs to do is win the race for president of Alpha Delt to get a free room he just has to beat Keaton. Luke isn't confused about his sexuality he likes both men and women and has hooked up as a third in a couples threesome fantasy a couple of times, he uses the app Kinky for his hookups (see where this is going?).

Luke does have a secret though, he has been stripping for the last year as the money is just too good!

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It was fun watching these boys live out their days side by side in the frat house with no idea they are chatting and sexting each other. The sexting Keaton and Luke do via the app is hot but also hilarious! The sea slug convo was so funny and yep when Keaton wrote "look up flatworm penis fencing" you can be sure I went straight to look that shit up! lol

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I loved all of the weird animal facts Keaton spouted throughout the book, you have to love a man that loves animals!

Okay, so let's talk about the elephant in the room or should I say girlfriend Annika. Annika is Keatons girlfriend, they have been together since high school and while reading it is obvious it is more of a comfortable best friends with benefits relationship rather than a love filled connection. Does that make the sexting Keaton and Luke do okay? Is it cheating? To be honest it didn't bother me but I can see it being a grey area for some people. I mean she is the one that asked for a threesome!!

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When these boys finally get together there is no denying it's meant to be, as sparks flew from my kindle.

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To say I was excited to see that these incredible authors were releasing a new M/M read would be a massive understatement!! Him is one of my favourite M/M reads EVER! Top Secret did not disappoint.

Filled with angst, heat, drama (sooooo much drama), laughs and a little suspense. Keaton and Luke's journey is not an easy one but love wins in the end. LOVED IT!!
Profile Image for Heather K (dentist in my spare time).
3,966 reviews6,014 followers
May 14, 2019
Compulsively readable goodness from one of my favorite powerhouse writing duos, Sarina Bowen and Elle Kennedy.

My expectations were abso-freaking-lutely high as Him is one of my all-time favorite books. I was giddy, positively beside myself with glee, at the prospect of another book from these two stellar authors.

And just as I expected, I couldn't get enough of Top Secret. I stayed up waaaaaay past my bedtime (3:36 am, to be exact) to finish it, irritating the crap out of my sleeping husband. I didn't want to put it down.

However, it wasn't a full-on home run for me, though it was close.

The story is pretty dude-bro-y feeling, which took a bit of getting used to. I'm not in love with frat house dynamics, and that's a lot of the story. You have to wade through lots of posturing to get to the good stuff. Also, I didn't love that one of the MCs was in a relationship for about 30% of the story. It made me feel itchy and uncomfortable, and I wasn't sure how it would all turn out. Finally, it took way, way, way too long for Luke to get there emotionally. I was tired of waiting, and I don't know how Keaton did it. The book needed to be 50 pages longer so I could see even an ounce of mushiness from Luke.

Still, despite my little issues, the book was deliciously good. We get all of the yummy huh, maybe I *do* like guys... goodness that I crave, and lots of bossy, bossy sex (thank you, Elle and Sarina!). Though there is a fair amount of drama, it all felt real and not like a fake story that could never happen in real life.

Sure, I wanted more emotion, more heart-squeezing action, but I'm a picky reader who expects the world from these authors. But this book made me smile and made me happy (not my husband), so I'm a satisfied girl.

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Profile Image for Christy.
4,076 reviews34.5k followers
May 7, 2019
4.25 stars

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I love all the books by Sarina Bowen & Elle Kennedy so I’m always in heaven when they write a book together. Top Secret was a hilarious and swoony enemies to lovers story.

Keaton is a popular jock in a college frat with not a worry in the world. He’s rich, has a lot of friends, and a beautiful girlfriend. He also wants to go a different path than what his father wants for him and it makes the family dynamic complicated. Luke Bailey, Keaton’s frat brother would die to have Keaton’s problems. Luke struggles to make his rent each month, works crazy hours, gets good grades, and has the hottest of hot messes of a family.

As you can tell from the blurb, LobsterShorts girlfriend wants a threesome for her birthday so he gets on an app to set it up for her. It’s something new for the both of them but he’ll try anything once. This is where he meets SinnerThree. These two start having real conversations and you can see their connection really start to form. I loved Keaton’s random animal facts and all the texting thought the app when it was secret and even when it wasn’t.

I don’t want to get too deep into the plot because you want to read it for yourself, but it’s not necessarily what you’re thinking. There isn’t any cheating or anything like that. Keaton and Luke’s journey is one that is complicated but I loved it so much. These two were a pairing I would never have put together but they worked so perfectly.

If you’re looking for a fun read with a lot of self discovery and steamy scenes pick this one up. I love a good college romance/MM/coming of age tale and this one was great for me!!
Profile Image for Wendys Wycked Words.
1,579 reviews3,884 followers
May 7, 2019
4,5

I absolutely freaked when I found out about this "Top Secret" book....but in a good way of course 9f01372377900d9203bc4efe48eb1659

omg omg omg gif - Google zoeken

These authors are wonderful when they write their own stories (and I have read many of them), but when they put their minds together...they create absolute MAGIC. Case in point "Him" and "Us". Two of my all time favorite books !!

So you can understand that I HAD to read this one. I just knew it was gonna be another favorite. Spoiler alert: it was !!

awesome gif - Google zoeken

This is a wonderful "enemies to lovers" kind of story, which is one of my favorite tropes. They are also quite the "opposites attract" kind, so that was an extra bonus, as was the exploratory gay sex ;) Yummmmmmmy !!

Keaton is a rich jock, running for frat president Alpha Delt, because his dad wants him to. He has been in a relationship with the same girlfriend since high school, and he is quite the "people pleaser". Hence him trying to find a guy, to take part in a threesome with him and his girl...because she asked for it as a birthday present.

Under the name of "Lobsterpants" he joins "Kinky", a special kind of dating app, which is where he meets "SinnerThree".

Lässig Splash & Fun Sun Board Shorts / Zwemshorts - Lobster 24 mnd

Luke is in the same frat as Keaton and he is also running for frat president. Just not for the same reasons. Luke is dirt poor, and knowing that the president of the frat gets free housing, is enough incentive for him. Even if most of his frat brothers hate him. 

Luke is also a regular on "Kinky" under the name "SinnerThree" where he likes to hook up with couples... they can be gay or straight.. Luke doesn't care because he likes both ;)

And so he meets Lobsterpants and the fun begins :P 

let the fun begin gif - Google zoeken

It was wonderful to see these guys texting back and forth. I laughed my ass off. They were both great guys, though I have to say that Luke did annoy me a bit towards the end... Keaton...he is the man !! I just loved him and his Lobster shorts !!!

The steam was HOT...I mean gay virgin here...but they were also really cute together !!!

gay thouching gif - Google zoeken

Now for those of you wondering...no, this isn't a love triangle. The girlfriend does play a part but for me, she was pretty insignificant. I myself didn't really like her but that was because of some choices she made. She plays no real part in the relationship that Keaton and Luke have. I know for some, it's really important to know.

I had a great time reading this one and I will definitely be re-reading it again and again in the future.

I highly recommend and I hope we will get some more from these two amazing authors !!

  An ARC was provided to
postedonlogo
in exchange for an honest review

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Profile Image for Astrid - The Bookish Sweet Tooth.
794 reviews887 followers
May 11, 2019


READ MY REVIEW ON THE BLOG (live on May 6th)


TITLE: TOP SECRET
AUTHOR: Sarina Bowen & Elle Kennedy
RELEASE DATE: May 7th 2019
GENRE: MM Romance
TROPES: Enemies-to-lovers
RATING: 5 STARS
CLIFFHANGER: No






A story by either Sarina Bowen or Elle Kennedy is a guaranteed win. Together they are on fire. In TOP SECRET they show us yet again how harmoniously and with ease their writing styles mesh together. So my excitement went through the roof when I learned about this book. But since it was, indeed, top secret, we weren't allowed to talk about it. Keeping a secret has rarely been so hard.

Now on to my thoughts about this story.

I have so much love for Luke and Keaton, our two main protagonists. Luke is the silent brooder, not giving away much about himself to pretty much everyone. Nobody knows about the unhealthy relationship with his family, or that he works his butt off just to survive day by day. As soon as someone tries to pry information out of him he clams up. On the other hand he has zero hangups or insecurities about his sexuality, is ambitious and determined to leave his poor upbringing behind. My heart ached a little for him, because it was so hard to shed his distrust of pretty much everyone.
He said I was stingy with love, and he was right. I am really not sure that will ever change. But if there’s anyone in the world I could change for, it’s certainly him.

Keaton is the outgoing, popular guy, the jock with the beautiful girlfriend, the money and the suitable friends. His dad is the meddling kind, one who expects his son to follow in his footsteps which Keaton has no intention to do. He's a biology buff and didn't that make my little scientist heart sing? All those references about the mating behavior of different species were hilarious (and true).


Keaton's sexual progression felt natural to me - he struggles with it at first but, being the open-minded guy he is, he accepts it and moves on. I loved how loyal and sweet, patient and understanding he was with Luke.
I’m just a guy, standing on a beach in nothing but his favorite pair of lobster shorts, waiting for the right man to love me.

In TOP SECRET Keaton goes on a research expedition in Chile that has the goal to find an unidentified ecotype of orcas. That's actually a fact and happened in March 2019. A friend of mine is one of the scientists who were on the research vessel and took many pics which were published in National Geographic. I thought this was such a cool coincidence I had to mention it.

M/M romance is one of my favorite genres. I love the dynamic between men and the imagery that comes with it. I loved Luke and Keaton together. They couldn't be more different but because of that they filled needs in one another no other person could have. Their evolution from competitors to friends and lovers was beautiful to watch.

Elle Kennedy and Sarina Bowen joining forces again is a dream come true. With TOP SECRET they give us a stinkin' cute, light-hearted, humorous, flirty enemy-to-lovers story that made my heart pitter-patter. Can we have more of this? PLEEAAASE? I can't wait to listen to the audiobook of this one!
LobsterShorts: I’m fresh out of lobster sex facts atm. BUT…lemme tell you about sea slugs.
SinnerThree: Omg yes. I can’t wait for this. Hold on. Let me undo my pants.
This time I snort out loud. I know he’s kidding, and I play along. Actually, I’ll do that, too. Having both our dicks out for this fun fact is so fitting.
SinnerThree: Dick’s out. All right. Slug sex. Now, baby.
LobsterShorts: OK—you ready for this?
SinnerThree: Hit me. Blow my mind.
LobsterShorts: Sea slugs have penis fights.
Dead air follows my revelation. I see the three dots appear to indicate he’s typing. Then they disappear. Reappear. Disappear. Finally, a message pops up.
SinnerThree: I don’t even know what to say to that. I guess… Why?? How?? Why???


Profile Image for Corina.
805 reviews2,446 followers
January 26, 2023
This release was a total surprise and it honestly couldn’t have come at a better time.

I LOVED Top Secret

M/M is one of my most favorite genres and this author couple is the one that does it for me. They honestly write the BEST M/M romance – endearing characters, smart and funny dialogues, interesting storylines, with plenty of hot and sexy encounters. And that’s what Top Secret had in spades.

For me, a M/M novel has to have two very distinctive characters, even more than M/F novels. When the book is about two male characters, and two male POV’s I need to feel the unique personalities. And boy did I get my wish. Both, Luke and Keaton were distinctively different in their personalities and demeanor.

Luke was the more secretive, hard to read kind of guy. Hard working, he kept his thoughts and worries tugged away. He wasn’t as outgoing as Keaton, and was very aware of his shortcomings. But on the other hand he was incredibly secure in his sexuality. No hangups, just someone that liked to have fun – as long as it came with no strings attached.

Keaton, on the other hand was so easy to love. He was this big, affectioned guy. Easy to be around, liked by everyone, and he was used to be a part of a lasting and loving relationship. Honestly, he was the real deal. And he surprised me more than once with his outgoing, self assured, and surprisingly steady way of exploring his new found sexuality.

And together they were ADORABLE!!! I had so much fun reading their story.

Top Secret is one of those books that made me smile the entire time I read it. A feel good story that just worked for me in every way possible. I easily fell in love with both, Luke and Keaton. I loved their interactions – one word ADORABLE. The sex was HOT!!!! And I can’t say enough how much I loved their story. Top Secret was the whole package!! A must read for anyone that loves and adores M/M.

Moreover I honestly hope that this author duo never stops writing together. Their prose just clicks and they always deliver the best M/M novels – PERIOD.

Like the authors mentioned in the blurb, Top Secret is not a love-triangle, it’s M/M and it’s my new favorite book by this duo.


ARC generously provided in exchange for an honest review.
Profile Image for Judith.
724 reviews2,809 followers
Read
May 14, 2019
DNF @ around 32%,

I can't even be bothered to explain why.
Profile Image for Saswati.
464 reviews331 followers
February 6, 2021
4 “Bad boys get punished” stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Meet the characters:

➡️ Keaton Hayworth - Rich, popular, loyal, his life's perfect from the outside.

➡️ Luke Bailey - Sarcastic, closed off, insecure about his self worth, he's struggling to make ends meet.

“You’re a yellow lab.”
“I’m…what?”
“A dog. A big, happy dog chasing Frisbees on the beach with his pals. You’re a pack animal.”
I snort. “And you’re…a pit bull?”
“Not even. I’m a tomcat in the alley,” he says. “Just passing through. No collar. Not very friendly. No good at catching Frisbees…”


The plot:

Keaton's girlfriend Annika wants a threesome as a birthday present, and even though Keaton is unsure at first, he registers to a hook-up app with the username LobsterShorts and before long meets a guy named SinnerThree. Although Keaton initially starts chatting due to Annika's fantasy, he soon finds himself questioning his own sexuality. Their online conversation and dirty talk serves as an eye-opener for him, and he decides SinnerThree is perfect for their one-night stand. What he doesn't know is that Sinner and Luke Bailey are one and the same!

Sinner and Luke Bailey. LobsterShorts and Keaton Hayworth. There are four people in this equation when there should only be two.

I had a lot of fun reading this, although I think the first half is arguably better when Keaton and Luke didn't know they were speaking so freely on the app with someone they hated so much in real life. The second half is all about them coming to terms with the fact that appearances might just be deceptive in this case.

He said I was stingy with love, and he was right. I am really not sure that will ever change. But if there’s anyone in the world I could change for, it’s certainly him.

If an enemies to lovers, bi-awakening, NA M/M romance is your cup of tea, look no further!
Profile Image for tappkalina.
658 reviews491 followers
March 22, 2022
March 06, 2020

I don’t even know when was the last time I stayed up until 3 am just to finish a book because I couldn’t sleep until I knew the end, but here we are. I read it in one sitting.

It was amazing, well paced, and real! And most importantly: I was 100% emotionally invested.
The characters, omfg, don't even let me start! It was so refreshing to read a book where I could always predict what they will do, because I understood them and their motives perfectly. They were so comlex, but never hurt each other intentionally.
Yet, it is about more than romance. It is about standing up and fighting for yourself, letting go of your toxic family even if it’s the hardest thing ever and learning to let yourself trust someone again.

And how could you expect me to not cry when they say things like these?
“You need to think of us like a vacation, Hayworth. Vacations feel real enough. But they always end. Like everything good.”

“You make a lot of mistakes, apparently. I was the biggest one. Ask anyone downstairs. Go on.”

They broke my heart multiple times.



Sidenote: Sometimes I felt like they are Gansey and Adam. If you want a Ronan/Adam story, go read #Junkie. I yet to find someting with Ronan and Gansey (they were my main ship in the first two books of TRC).
Profile Image for Wil Loves Books!.
1,232 reviews484 followers
June 28, 2019
“I’m just a guy, standing on a beach in nothing but his favorite pair of lobster shorts, waiting for the right man to love me.”

When I found out a couple of weeks ago that Sarina and Elle were going to publish something together again, I couldn’t contain my excitement. We were also sworn to secrecy, lol, but I was desperately waiting for this. As soon as it hit my kindle, I knew I had to go in. It simply made my day, or week or month ❤️.

I love both of these authors. They are always at the top of my list. But Sarina and Elle are simply the best together. Their storytelling is just seamless. I’m so freaking happy they’re back to writing together because they’re simply magic.

This was no exception. They can do MM, coming of age, coming out like no other. This had elements of their previous MM work like Him and Us, but yet it had a different feel, and definitely a lighter one. This is a sweet and funny NA college, enemies to lovers romance. Ridiculously cute, I simply devoured this. Loved both Keaton and Luke, definitely can’t pick a favorite, I keep going back and forth. There’s a beautiful story about two guys that have nothing in common in paper but yet work very well. And a lot of swoon! I also loved some of the secondary characters and definitely would love some more. Do I recommend? Heck yeah!

“What was I ever thinking? I need this man. And even if being half a couple doesn’t come easily to me, I have to try. Nobody has ever gotten under my skin the way he does. Nobody has ever needed me the way he does.
Not one person.
It’s terrifying.”
Profile Image for Moony Eliver.
372 reviews207 followers
December 23, 2023
Let’s just speak frankly about what we’re all thinking. The expectations were high for this one. And how does it compare to one of the most popular M/Ms ever? Hmm. Not favorably. I liked some of it, especially in the beginning. But I can’t say I liked the book on the whole nor do I recommend it.

I was initially optimistic, because this writing duo definitely has some chops in the heat department, and those things were looking up. And there were some morsels included that gave the story personality, such as Keaton’s animal sex tidbits that he dropped from time to time.
SinnerThree: Okay, I’ll bite. How do lobsters find their playmates?
LobsterShorts: The female pees into the male’s shelter. And the dude is like OH BABY. Then they both pee on each other. She enters his den and molts. He kicks her clothes away like a prom dress. Then they do it missionary style.
SinnerThree: That’s a lot of detail, dude. I don’t know whether to be terrified or turned on.
But despite the potential, I never did feel a really strong connection between the MCs, and the story ended up seeming incomplete, somehow. Lots of elements were opened up but then either scantily developed or hastily resolved.

Sigh. I know we want to love them all, but there’s a little extra want when it’s something this highly (though briefly) anticipated. Unfortunately, this one didn’t quite deliver.
Profile Image for Carol [Goodreads Addict].
2,564 reviews25.1k followers
November 17, 2023
Top Secret is a stand alone, MM, college romance by Sarina Bowen and Elle Kennedy. I wanted to add sports into the tropes but while one of the main characters is a football player, they don’t focus on the sport much at all. I can’t believe it took me so long to read this book! It was amazing. It made me smile so much but also I was constantly wanting to reach inside the book and just squeeze hug these two characters.

Keaton Hayworth is twenty one years old and is a junior in college. He’s a football player and lives in a house with his frat brothers. Keaton is under a huge weight from his father to follow in his footsteps. Run for president of the fraternity. Get a finance degree and go into business with his father in the family business. None of these things are what Keaton really wants. Keaton has been dating the same girl since high school. Now his girlfriend is about to turn twenty one as well and for her birthday, she wants to experience a threesome with two guys. It’s Keaton’s job to choose their third and what better place to find someone than a kink app.



Luke Bailey is also twenty one and also a junior. He doesn’t play sports but gets his exercise dancing. Luke has the absolute worst of families. He also lives in the same frat house as Keaton but in the smallest, cheapest room. Luke barely survives month to month, paying his rent and trying to stay fed. When Luke sees the anonymous post on the app, he is intrigued and these two enter into the most amazing, sweet, sexy, and funny message exchange. Each are tryig to determine if this will be a good fit. Both identities secret.



As these two get to know each other via their messages, life around them gets even more complicated. While I felt terrible for the pressure Keaton felt, it was Luke I wanted to squeeze the most. And it is Luke that has the biggest armor built around himself to try to protect himself. What both of these men do have in common is their determination to succeed.



Prepare to swoon, to smile, and to fall in love with these two. I just can’t say enough how fabulous this book is. These two authors make an amazing writing team. I have now read all of their co-authored books and I can only hope that they might decide to collaborate again sometime soon. For now, if you haven’t read this one, don’t do what I did and keep putting it off. Take the leap. I think you’ll be so glad you did!

For more about this book and so many others, come and visit me at Carol's Crazy Bookish World.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/Carol...

Profile Image for h o l l i s .
2,556 reviews2,160 followers
July 6, 2019
I'm honestly just as surprised as you are by this rating.

I'm a big fan of this duo, as individual authors and also for their co-authorered HIM and US duology, so the news that this top secret m/m -- a return to the genre AND to writing together after three years -- was dropping had me super super hype. And thankfully there wasn't a huge build up between the announcement and release. But this didn't live up to their previous works and definitely didn't feel as strong as many of their solo offerings have in the past.

I'm single, a little depressed, and I'm very horny, with a side of sexual confusion, too.

The plot is full of, like, click baity excellence. I mean that in a good way. It's a sexual awakening story, with a texting element, and a connection that develops via aliases that completely contradicts their pre-existing relationship. So, all that and basically a hate to love to boot? Hell to the yes. And for the first.. I want to say forty percent? I was clicking that bait, I was riding that train, I was all about that bass. Or something.

I dreamt about sex with men once. Or twice. I never mentioned that to [my girlfriend]. But why would I? I've also dreamt of meeting a dragon who smoked clove cigarettes. The things my brain invents while I'm sleeping aren't newsworthy.

Except there was an added drama element that should've made me sympathetic towards one of the characters but instead just irritated me. On the other side of the pairing, there was a different conflict element that made up so much of the lead's indecision and stress and then, poof, said element literally became a non-issue at a convenient time and place in the novel. What? The transition from realizing who was on the other side of the phone just.. I don't know, I feel like I missed it? Things both escalated very quickly and yet there was no sense of time passing, no sense of anything meaningful between them beyond boning, and I honestly think it's because everyone was so underdeveloped. It felt very plot driven, with pitstops for drama, and that was definitely at the expense of the characters' emotional growth and evolution. Honestly if half the background noise had been cut out it would've been far more enjoyable. And there would've been much more time for the snarky banter that I liked. Because it was those moments that really did highlight the leads' chemistry, the sexual tension, the connection.

"You're a yellow lab."
"I'm.. what?"
"A dog. A big, happy dog chasing Frisbees on the beach with his pals. You're a pack animal."
"And you're.. a pit bull?"
"Not even. I'm a tom cat in the alley. Just passing through."

So, while TOP SECRET is full of delicious tropes, and an excellent early build, it does fizzle well before the climax. This lacked the fun that I had with THE DEAL, it could've done with some of the gravitas demonstrated in STEADFAST, and ultimately I wanted a connection like we had in HIM. These authors are so talented and can handle a range of topics and genres with humour and cleverness and consideration and still drown you in swoons. But I just didn't get much of any of that with this one.

---

This review can also be found at A Take From Two Cities.
Profile Image for Hulya Kara Yuksel.
986 reviews1,268 followers
May 8, 2019
Top Secret - Bonus Epilogue


-----------

Mmmm this book was so good! I LOVED it. :D


Profile Image for Sabrina.
3,577 reviews2,286 followers
May 7, 2019
NOW LIVE!!
US: https://amzn.to/2GVVle0
UK: https://amzn.to/2VIJPMC



When Sarina Bowen and Elle Kennedy write MM together I already know it's going to be steaming up my Kindle. And this book was no different. Keaton and Luke were fire together and I loved that heat. On top of some bi-curious fun in this book we also had some enemies-to-lovers thrown in and I loved that. It added so much sexual tension between these two and had me drooling for more of them with every flip of the page.

Luke and Keaton were two very different characters. But they say opposites attract for a reason, and these boys were the epitome of that reason. Keaton was the rich frat boy that just wanted his fathers approval, while Luke was the broke college student working his way through school. Those differences only helped to push them together and it was really fun to see. Oh and did I mention Luke was a stripper? Let's all just take a moment to appreciate that.



The best part though was the anticipation. From the beginning there was so much build up, especially with those sexts being sent back and forth, and it had me so excited to finally see these two together. I don't think I've ever swiped to another page as fast as I did while reading this book. There's a pretty long build up to get to the super fun parts of the story but it worked really well and never felt slow to me.

Waiting two years to get some more MM goodness from these authors was so worth the wait. It certainly get's a recommendation from me and I hope every fan of MM or of these authors will give it a try.

ARC kindly provided in exchange for an honest review.
Profile Image for Elise ✘ a.k.a Ryder's Pet ✘.
1,314 reviews2,966 followers
May 14, 2019
⋰⋱⋰⋱⋰⋱*Not Bad, But Want More*⋰⋱⋰⋱⋰⋱

The book centers around college jock with a rich family, Keaton ‘LobsterShorts’ Hayworth III (21) and his classmate and frat brother Luke ‘SinnerThree’ Bailey (21, turns 22) is on a scholarship to Darby College. When Keaton's girlfriend of 6 years, Annika wants to have a threesome with another guy.... Luke and Keaton is also opponents in the race for frat president, but for different reasons. Luke, cause he needs the free room the president gets and Keaton, cause of his family's history (father and grandfather were both presidents; father would lose his shit if the Hayworth legacy ended with Keaton). Add to that, they don't like each other. So when Keaton goes on an app called "Kinky" on the lookout for the third person in the threesome, he finds SinnerThree. And the rest is... well history. I'm tired (stayed up and read the book without a break) and don't have time writing as I can hear the bed calling my name. This review isn't making any sense anyway...

When I first found at that Sarina Bowen and Elle Kennedy was making another M/M book, I was over the moon. I mean, they wrote the fantastic Him series and I always wanted more. And though I wanted more of that series, I wouldn't say no to a new series centering around two men. Not at all. However, when I read the blurb... my interest when down a little. Or more like a lot. An ‘a people pleaser’ is not really my kind of guy. I immediately thought he'd be a very weak person and that put me off so damned much. ‘The girlfriend wanting a threesome with a guy’ theme reminds me of Just a Bit Obsessed by Alessandra Hazard and I did like that one. Hell, the more I re-read it, the more I like it, so it was possible for me to like this one too. So when I finally decided to let this book a chance - because I can't not give it a chance no matter what - I have to say that I'm glad I did.

Though it's not as good as Him (nothing will, as it was my first M/M), it was still worth reading. It didn't have much depth, but it was cute and funny. Easy to read and quite enjoyable. I did wish we had gotten more of the characters being in a proper relationship, out and about, but we didn't get this in Him series either, so I'm not surprised. Overall, it was a nice and good read that I read in one go. Once I picked it up, I couldn't stop, so that's at least saying something. I hope the authors will write MANY more M/M books in the future. And maybe, perhaps, be so kind and write more about Jamie and Wes. I need more of them. Always. Now, off to bed. So tired.

Other characters:
It's a bit long, so I put it in a spoilers tag.

SinnerThree: No, this is the fun kind of homework. I want you to imagine that I’m going to give you a blowjob. You let me unzip you. Then I reach inside your...briefs?
There’s a short delay.
Boxers, he finally replies.
SinnerThree: Should I keep going?
Another delay.
LobsterShorts: Keep going.
SinnerThree: I reach inside your boxers, and you’re already hard for me.
I stop typing and set my phone down on the bed. I wait.
And????? He types a minute later. I’m waiting here with my dick out. Well, metaphorically, he hastily adds.
I laugh so loudly it echoes against the walls of my tiny room. That’s all I’m saying. Your homework is to fill in the rest of this scenario. Report back tomorrow.
LobsterShorts: What? You cliffhangered me?
SinnerThree: Night, Lobsterman.
I close the app. Leaving people hanging is kind of my specialty, anyway.
And I really do have to write that paper.

Quick basic facts:
Genre: - (New Adult) Contemporary Romance (M/M)
Series: - Standalone.
Love triangle? -
Cheating? -
HEA? -
Favorite character? - Keaton ‘LobsterShorts’ Hayworth III.
Would I read more by this author/or of series? - Of course, anything M/M by them is a must.
Would I recommend this book/series? - Sure.
Will I read this again in the future? - Probably.
Rating - 3.5 stars.
Profile Image for Elle Kennedy.
Author 194 books66k followers
Read
May 7, 2019
Sarina and Elle have teamed up for the first time in two years to bring out a Top Secret release. (That's actually the title.) It's an edge-of-your-seat romance with two heroes and a full serving of shenanigans.

The plot is something like You've Got Mail. But instead of Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks, you've got a couple of competing fraternity brothers who like to get frisky on an anonymous app.



Hot frat boys ✔️


Secrets and lies ✔️


Sexting in a frat house ✔️


Punctuation humor ✔️


"Addictive. Wildly sexy. Completely heartfelt." --#1 New York Times bestseller Lauren Blakely


Top Secret GIF

Profile Image for Tema.
54 reviews
February 7, 2024
I have to say I insanely loved these guys. Did they read like 21 year olds? No but they were amazing people and fun to read about. There is a 3rd act break-up but they don’t bother me honestly. I don’t read these books for peak literary experience anyway😁team Keaton and Luke is easily one of my favs.
Profile Image for Imme van Gorp.
620 reviews816 followers
January 30, 2024
|| 4.0 stars ||

First read: February 2022 | ★4.0 stars
Second read: August 2022 | ★4.0 stars

Wow, I actually really liked this!

Now, if you were to ask me what makes this stand out so much from other books that follow a similar premise.. I wouldn’t know how to explain that. For some reason, it’s just really good.
It’s simply such a pleasant read, and I loved the overall vibe it had going on.

I liked that Keaton and Luke genuinely did not like each other at the beginning; not even a little bit. They were also fairly unconcerned about the other: they weren’t friends and they hardly cared.
Their connection is made anonymously and online, and even then, it isn’t yet love. They just appreciate each other’s company and are majorly turned on with the sexting.
However, when they eventually find out about each other’s identities, they once again do not immediately change their views of each other. It’s a slow-process, and one I found entertaining, swoon-worthy, and intriguing throughout.
Keaton is the first to start seeing Luke as more; the one who starts to care, starts to maybe even love. Luke is definitely far behind when it comes to this, and doesn’t feel like opening up anytime soon. Keaton doesn’t give up though, and I can honestly say that I was OBSESSED with Keaton’s eventual obsession for Luke. This men was hooked and didn’t let go of what he wanted. It was amazing.

I can imagine some people growing tired of Luke’s inability to open up, but I found it realistic and he was actually my favourite. He was snarky, pessimistic, confident, and secretly vulnerable. I honestly wouldn’t have liked most of the people in that frat (that includes his first impressions of Keaton) either, so him not fitting in seems like a compliment to me. His mysteriousness and smarts were intriguing, and I understand why Keaton would be the first to fall in love hard.
I needed a little more time to love Keaton, but I eventually got there, and it was mostly because of his vehement infatuation with Luke. Before that point, I mostly just liked him when he was talking through his online persona, but not so much how he acted in real life. I personally think he had a lot of personality growth, and I applaud him for it.

Luke and Keaton together were also just a great combination and I really liked their dynamic. Maybe there could have been a little more depth in their relationship, but it honestly didn’t bother me a lot. I feel like their real relationship doesn’t start until after the book: we only ever really get to see the build-up to it.

I genuinely liked the surrounding storylines. There was quite a bit going on in this book and instead of it all being boring and feeling as filler, I found all of it entertaining and well done.

Honestly, I once again just absolutely loved the writing-style of this writing duo. Elle Kennedy and Sarina Bowen are the absolute best together; I think that much can be said by now. They're a match made in heaven.
These two somehow always manage to let the words flow, implement just the right amount of humour, follow a pleasant pace, and make you care for and love the characters.
It always works. I hope they’ll write together again in the future.

This was genuinely such a blast to read and I’m honestly sad it’s over. I could have stayed with these characters for so much longer. I’m going to miss it.
November 7, 2019
Audio – 5 stars
Story – 2 stars

So much for wishing I’d be part of the majority who loved this book. I really wanted to, but it didn’t work for me. I’m okay with angst and push/pull if I also get a healthy dose of feels. I didn’t get that. Even the sex scenes were limited and mostly FTB. Sex aside, there wasn’t enough quality couple time and the relationship development felt incomplete. And that happy for now ending....whatever *rolling my eyes*, I don't want to have to go to a website to read a bonus epilogue.

If not for the audio, this would have ended up an easy DNF for me.
Profile Image for Snjez.
829 reviews697 followers
May 12, 2019
It pains me to rate a book by these two authors this low, but there were so many things I didn't like and things that I'm really tired of reading about. This is just what first comes to my mind:

Profile Image for Nazanin.
1,141 reviews770 followers
June 18, 2019
4 LobsterShorts & SinnerThree Stars

Before I started reading this story I had seen mixed reviews so I went into it with low expectations but you know what?! It got me by surprise! It wasn’t as bad as I thought! Of course, there were some issues as well. It took me a bit time to warm up to Keaton’s character but I liked Luke from the first but in the second half he made me annoyed with his insecurities. He had love and trust issues and couldn’t accept help from anyone easily and the way he treated Keaton made me mad. In the first half, I thought of him as a confident guy but in the next half, it was like he lost his confidence!! Told in dual POV, 1st person, it’s a standalone novel and an angsty read. I think its purpose was to be enemies-to-lovers but it was more like frenemies-to-lovers. Overall, I had a good time reading this and hope you enjoy it as well!
Profile Image for Lauren Lanz.
762 reviews290 followers
March 29, 2021
Top Secret is in some ways like an adult, college version of Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda. It was hilarious and realistic—the perfect escape from my never ending schoolwork.

For a relatively short book, Sarina Bowen and Elle Kennedy pull off an impressive amount of solid character development. I felt like I could predict how Keaton and Luke would react to every situation because of how well fleshed out their rivalry was (and their enemies to lovers arc was executed so well!)

I sympathized with Luke’s situation from the beginning, and experienced a complete 360 with my opinions on Keaton (at first I found his character simultaneously irritating and entertaining, but eventually started thinking of him as completely charming XD).
The prominence of family added so much depth to the protagonists and their struggles, I couldn’t help rooting for their happiness! Also, I’m beyond happy that Keaton’s ex-girlfriend wasn’t portrayed as a bitch (since that seems to be a common trait in romance novels); her ongoing support for him as he grappled with figuring himself out was incredible!

Top Secret delivers everything I could have asked for in a short contemporary. Witty dialogue (and texts between Keaton/Luke), enemies to lovers, college shenanigans, and family drama. I’m definitely eager to check out more books from Bowen and Kennedy!
Profile Image for Megan✦❋Steamy Reads Blog❋✦.
293 reviews485 followers
May 9, 2019



“I’m just a guy, standing on a beach in nothing but his favorite pair of lobster shorts, waiting for the right man to love me.”


I am a big fan of both Sarina Bowen and Elle Kennedy, so when I saw they were writing another book together I couldn’t wait to get my hands on it. I’m not generally an M/M reader, I don’t mind them if they’re done right, like how these two authors always seem to master and this book was no exception, they were on fire with Top Secret.

Keaton is a rich and popular college jock who has the world at his feet and appears to have very little problems to the outside world. Keaton’s girlfriend of many years has decided she wants to have a threesome for her birthday and of course he will move heaven and earth for her and stop at nothing to please her. Keaton gets the hookup app Kink to try and set up the birthday present and that’s where LobsterShorts meets SinnerThree.

Luke unfortunately doesn’t have college life as easy as his roommate Keaton; he’s on a scholarship, does not come from a rich family and juggling both work and school has become a massive challenge that is almost too much for him to bare. Luke would love nothing more than to have the problems his frat brother Keaton has.

“Acknowledging my sexuality is starting to feel inevitable. My attraction to Luke isn’t just a one-off thing. My attraction to men is here to stay and keeping that bottled up feels wrong now. It makes the secret feel enormous.”


When Keaton gets the app to try to set up the threesome for Annika’s birthday, that is where he starts talking to SinnerThree. They have a connection that grows rapidly the more they chat and soon become incredibly close. I loved absolutely everything about the exchanges between the two, but one thing that I found hilarious was the fact that Keaton and Luke were texting secretly, and it added so much anticipation for me. I was so excited to keep reading to find out what happens next and when the secret would become a secret no more.

I really don’t want to go into the ins and outs of this story as it really is something that should be enjoyed for yourself. It’s a fun read that was not at all what I was expecting. Two different college students from two different worlds, you may think that this would not necessarily work, but they just fit so perfectly well together. Their relationship from the very beginning is somewhat complex, but what you discover while you uncover both Keaton and Luke’s persona is something you will want to unearth for yourself. It can be scary discovering who you truly are and then finding the courage to come forward with the need to justify your true self to people. It is positively petrifying. I loved the journey and the insights to discovering their own characterization along with the fear and the ups and downs.

Top Secret was a fun, addictive and complicated story with lots of steamy scenes that both intrigued and captivated me from the beginning. This story along with its characters is unique and definitely one click worthy.



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Profile Image for Jenny••Steamy Reads Blog••.
987 reviews1,918 followers
May 8, 2019
While on vacation, I jotted down things about each book I read so I could somewhat form short reviews when returning. I didn't forget anything about this book AT ALL! It was that GOOD!

I'm sure you've read a lot of reviews on this beautiful book, so I am gonna put it very nicely,
READ THIS BOOK, I am still swooning












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Profile Image for Meags.
2,258 reviews554 followers
May 27, 2019
4 Stars

Top Secret has had a lot of mixed reactions from my friends here on Goodreads, but thankfully mine was of a more positive nature than most.

Well-written and well-paced, Top Secret is a new adult M/M romance following the evolving relationship between college frat brothers Keaton and Luke. The two aren’t friends when the story begins but rather standoffish opponents facing off for the role of fraternity president. They are polar opposites in a lot of ways too, but especially in terms of their vastly different upbringings, with Luke coming from a troubled and poor family, having to work hard and fight for everything he has, whereas Keaton comes from a life of affluence and opportunity.

Keaton and Luke are an unlikely pair, for sure, but after they form an (initially anonymous) online connection on a hook-up app, their relationship begins to shift drastically. Through their connection, Keaton begins to embrace his dormant bisexuality and the two get to know each other in a way that surprises and changes them both irrevocably.

There are all sorts of roadblocks for these two, starting with the fact that Keaton has a long-term girlfriend when the story begins and continuing with their constant struggles to overcome the class divide between them, as well as other potentially relationship ruining personal issues that the boys have to face if they want any kind of future together.

I liked this story a great deal. I found it easy reading, liking both Luke and Keaton (more so Luke, surprisingly), and I liked the way their relationship unfolded, even if it didn’t end up as romantic in nature as I possibly would have liked.

I was initially worried about the girlfriend thing but it was a non-issue for me in the end, with her becoming more of a friend and confidante to Keaton in the long run of the story, which worked just fine for me.

Although I can agree with the majority that this story was perhaps not to the same epic standards as Him and Us, I still really enjoyed reading this latest offering by Bowen and Kennedy, and I hope they continue this partnership to write us some more tasty M/M new adult stories in the future.
Profile Image for Teal.
608 reviews224 followers
Shelved as 'dnf'
May 29, 2019
From "I'm so excited to get my hands on this" to "returned for a refund" in record time.

DNF at 10%.
Profile Image for Paige ♠.
298 reviews1,006 followers
January 15, 2022
This was such a fun and lighthearted read. Definitely a good way to end my week!

THE PREMISE WAS so unique and different from any other books I've read before. I thought the whole thing could have been pretty awkward but it was actually executed really well and in a mostly believable way

BOTH CHARACTERS WERE great, but I think I liked Luke a bit more just because of how confident he was with his own sexuality. Their dynamic together was so cute too!! Like how Keaton enjoyed being more submissive and wasn't ashamed about it, which Luke definitely didn't have a problem with 😏

🆗 IT WASN'T AS STEAMY as I originally thought it would be. I think there might have been two sex scenes? After they got together it was mostly more flirting/sexting and banter, which is also entertaining, but I like some spice too sooo...

THE SIDE-PLOTS beyond the romance were a good addition. I feel like it's important for the side-plot in a romance to actually add to the characters and the plot and both Keaton and Luke's side-plots definitely added a lot to their characters and made me understand them a lot better

Overall, I can confidently say that this author duo is going onto my auto-buy list! I've absolutely loved everything they've written together. I recommend this if you're looking for a contemporary m-m romance that is funny, medium steamy but also has some more serious side-plots that tie the romance together very nicely.

Steam Scale: 🔥🔥🔥/5
Swoon Scale: ❤️❤️❤️❤️/5
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