Dirty Secret Love

Heartwood Lake Secret Billionaires, Book 2

By: Claudia Burgoa

Narrated by: Aaron Shedlock, Stephanie Németh-Parker

From USA Today bestselling author Claudia Burgoa comes an angsty, fake-fiance, opposites attract, secret billionaire romance.

What do you do when you’re tired of being the loser?

You make up the perfect fiancé, of course.

I know it sounds desperate, but hear me out.

In my family, everyone is someone.

But me? I’m just a small-town librarian with no prospects and no future.

At every family reunion, my older sister reminds me of that fact.

So when she announced her own upcoming nuptials, I knew I had to act fast. I needed a fake fiancé to bring to the wedding and prove that I was happy and successful too.

Enter River Kershaw, the town playboy.

My bestie Wren suggested him, and I was hesitant at first.

He's the complete opposite of me: a charming extrovert.

But I can't deny that he's tall, strong, and hot.

I know it's a risk, but I'm determined to show my family that I'm just as happy and in love as they are. Even if that means pretending to be with someone who's totally not my type.

I'm ready to give the performance of a lifetime.

Dirty Secret Love is the second book in the Heartwood Lake Secret Billionaire Series—an emotional rollercoaster of a journey that combines the intense drama of Succession and the hilarity of Schitt's Creek. A must-listen.

©2023 Claudia Burgoa (P)2024 Claudia Burgoa

A great addition to the series

River and Sutton are pretty different, but they find opposites attract in this small town, fake relationship story.

When Sutton is tired of being mistreated and looked down on by her family. When she asks River to be her fake fiance, it isn't long before real feelings become involved. It was interesting seeing their relationship develop, and the narrators did an excellent job bringing the characters to life. This is a great addition to the series.

Great story with amazing narration

This is the second book in the Heartwood Lake Series. Claudia brings us a beautiful, fun story with amazing characters, banter and love.

Sutton town librarian who is dealing with a family that is not very kind to her. She’s an amazing and hardworking young woman who gets the courage tot are charge and find a fake finance. What she does t anticipate is developing feelings and falling in love with his amazing family.

River and his family are in town - in hiding - as there is a killer out there that would be after them. He is a known playboy but Sutton is willing to look past that to get what she needs from him. He also does not expect to get feelings but he does.

The banter, dialogue, text messages are fantastic and will make you laugh. There are also very tender and sweet moments that will make you swoon and fall more in love with these characters. The Kerahaw family is amazing, caring and delightful…just what Sutton needs.

Aaron Shedlock and Stephane Nemeth-Parking gave a phenomenal performance! They gave perfect voice, personality and emotion to each of the characters. I love how narrators being a whole new experience to enjoying an authors words. Well done!!

Fake becomes real

This is book two in the Heartwood Lake Secret Billionaires. This is a story of needing a fake fiance because of your family and that the fake becomes real. Sutton and River are total opposites but the heat is real and their banter back and forth is such a great buildup. I love how even though they are opposites, they find they have more in common than they thought. I enjoyed them.

Aaron Shedlock and Stephanie Nemeth-Parker narrate this book and both do a great job.

Fun and steamy fake relationship romance!

What a fun and steamy fake relationship romance! We are back in Heartwood Lake learning more about the Thorndale/Kershaw family and the many secrets this town holds. This is River Kershaw and Sutton Asher's story that is filled with secrets, fun banter, heartfelt emotion, and fiery chemistry. Sutton has avoided her critical mother, by living away from her in the small town of Heartwood Lake. She loves her quiet life as a librarian but is tired of feeling like the black sheep of the family. She told her mother she was engaged to a billionaire, and it worked great until her mom moved to town and wanted to meet this mystery man. River had his life taken away when his father was murdered. Now he is in hiding, living a simple life in Heartwood Lake with his estranged family. The one thing that has made it better was seeing Sutton at the library everyday. When she asked him to pretend to be her fake fiancé, he jumped at the chance. Now he can show her who he is without giving away any secrets. They need to really sell their engagement, but it doesn't take long for their fiery attraction to lead to explosive passion. River is surprised with how easy it is to open up to Sutton. He likes that she wants to be with him for himself and not for his wealth. He is determined to win Sutton over, no matter how hard she guards her heart. Sutton and River are so great together, they are opposites who challenge each other and that sets their chemistry on fire! River was so sweet, protective, and swoony, and Sutton is so selfless, kind, and confident. They are so perfect together and the transformation of their relationship was sweet and romantic, and the sexual tension and fiery chemistry was off the charts! I loved seeing their wonderful family and friends who meddled in their lives but are also protective and supported them. I also loved the pet name arc throughout their story. The mystery surrounding this little community continues in the background, leaving me intrigued and wondering how it will all play out.
Aaron Shedlock and Stephanie Németh-Parker brought this story to life so beautifully. They did a terrific job capturing each characters personality, and I love the emotion, and passion they brought to their performances.
This is a an incredibly fun, sweet and sizzling romance, and I can't wait for more from this quirky little town and the Thorndale/Kershaw family!

New fave in the series

Just as I expected. The author penned another fabulous book in this new series. Aaron and Stephanie are such seasoned narrators. I knew they would perform to my hearts content. It was sooo good. I am such a sucker for opposites attract especially when done well. And was it ever. Plus the bonus of the performers bringing it to life… yes!!!

Loved it

Having read the first book in the latest series from Claudia Burgoa I was excited to read Dirty Secret Love and it was a good addition to the series.

This is River and Sutton’s story, and it was well written and entertaining. The Thorndale’s have been through so much and it is their support of one another that adds an extra layer to these stories.

Ms. Burgoa has an affinity for small town romances and this book is a good example of the genre. When River and Sutton enter into a fake engagement, neither expect feelings to become involved but we all know.

Helping Sutton deal with her horrible mother, River has her back. As secrets are revealed their relationship blossoms. Of course it wouldn’t be a Claudia Burgoa book without the angst. I enjoyed the dynamic between River and Sutton. The banter was witty and it was entertaining to watch as River realised that he wanted more from life, he wanted Sutton.

The narration by Aaron Shedlock and Stephanie Nemeth-Parker drew me in and had me invested as I listened to their narration. They brought the story and characters to life for me. Their voices are easy to listen too, and they expressed all the drama, romance and passion

Cute fake relationship/small town romance

This was a cute fake relationship/small town romance. I loved the narration by Aaron Shedlock and Stephanie Nemeth-Parker. They did a wonderful job bringing the characters to life.

River Kershaw is supposed to keep a low profile while in the witness protection program until they can figure out who killed his father. So, pretending to be a fake fiancé is the best idea, but he just can't say no to Sutton after meeting her overbearing mother.

Sutton thinks that if she can just use River as a fake fiancé for the short time her parents will be in town, she can get her mother off her back. But once she starts spending time with River, she learns they actually really like each other.

Soon fake becomes all too real and their Dirty Secret Love is a secret no longer.

Loved the story and the narration

This is Sutton and River’s story and it’s book two in the Heartwood Lake Series and for me it’s a perfect addition to this small town romance series. After reading the first book I was excited to get back to
Aaron Shedlock and Stephanie Nemeth-Parker did a wonderful job bringing the characters and their story to life. They were spot on with banter, the passion and the emotion that flows through this book.
Heartwood Lake’s and catch up with Rivers brothers and Sutton’s best friends and all I need to say is this book was everything I expected and so much more. It’s a fun, witty, entertaining with just the right amount of angst, fake engagement that becomes real…….
Dirty Secret Love touched me on so many levels, I smiled, I swooned and I found myself cheering this couple on as River try’s his best to convince Sutton to give love a try. How does he convince her just how special she is to him….. A steamy, witty and entertaining read that I highly recommend .

I absolutely loved River & Sutton!

I am so invested in this series already! I have a feeling when the secrets surrounding River & his family, and why they are in WITSEC come out it's going to be a doozy.
I absolutely loved River & Sutton. The way he changed his tune about love and relationships once he found the right woman was everything. He fell first and it was great! Sutton was a woman that could take care of herself but River was determined to prove to her she didn't have to. The way he stood up to her family...total swoon.
That fake engagement quickly became real and River was determined to get and keep his woman. Who knew the good girl librarian was going to be the one to tame this sexy man?
I can't wait for more from this series and for all the secrets to be exposed.
Aaron Shedlock and Stephanie Németh-Parker were absolutely perfect as River & Sutton!

Enjoyed River and Sutton's romance!

Dirty Secret Love was a fun and steamy fake-to-forever romance that I devoured in one sitting. Stephanie Nemeth-Parker and Aaron Shedlock perform this audiobook in dual narration and both fully embody their characters. Stephanie portrayed Sutton's vulnerabilities and passions perfectly while Aaron portrayed River's heated desires and eventual devotion to Sutton. Both brought the heart and the heat with River and Sutton's undeniable chemistry. I enjoyed this audiobook, and always look forward to more from Claudia Burgoa.