Review of The Secret Poet by Georgia Beers
Georgia Beers is one of my go-to lesfic authors, I’m always confident that she’ll consistently produce well-written and entertaining books. Lately, she’s been outdoing herself and I’m happy to say that her latest, The Secret Poet, is absolutely brilliant.
Morgan Thompson is contented with her life as office manager to her brother’s medical practice and playing matchmaker to him. It’s only natural that when the new gorgeous pharmaceutical representative walks into the office he asks his sister for help. Morgan is happy to write poems to woo her but the more she gets to know Zoe the more she likes her… for herself.
This book is very loosely based on the Cyrano de Bergerac play, in the idea of a secret admirer sending love letters signed by someone else. I loved this trope and I don’t recall reading it before in lesfic. Written in first person from the point of view of Morgan, Zoe is a bit of an enigma to her and the reader. Morgan takes us on a journey of discovery, falling in love in the process and making the reader an active participant by speaking directly to us. This “authorial intrusion” is used lightly but works well in gaining the reader’s empathy for Morgan’s situation.
The twists and turns of the plot were well devised and the ubiquitous “black moment” in romance novels feels natural and organic to the story. As usual, Ms. Beers created fantastic chemistry between both mains and their mutual attraction is palpable even before Morgan realises of Zoe’s attraction to her. The intimate scenes are sizzling as it’s customary for this author.
The secondary characters are a very powerful feature in this novel. We rarely see in lesfic such a strong sibling relationship at the forefront of the plot and it was a pleasure to read. Additionally, Morgan’s best friend is a fantastic character who acts as a sounding board and the voice of reason, mixed with wit and humour, balancing out the more difficult moments. The result is a mixture of romance, angst and fun, a combination that works really well here.
Overall, another winner by Georgia Beers who again doesn’t disappoint. 5 stars.
