Secret Love

A Small Town, Single Dad, Sports Romance (The Single Dad Playbook, Book 2)

By: Willow Aster

Narrated by: Savannah Peachwood, Sebastian York

Who meets their soulmate shopping for bagels in a supermarket bakery aisle?

Before I moved to the small town of Silver Hills, I would have told you no one.

But the second I meet Henley Ward, I’m swept away.

He is everything I look for in a man: tall, strong and so handsome.

Our instant attraction, spirited banter, and heated glances leave a lasting impression…

Until I see him again.

Like a raging tornado, he storms into the school ready to take on the teacher who has crushed his daughter’s spirit.

The dedication this man has to his three daughters could be the sexiest thing I have ever seen.

Before we know it, we are stealing kisses in his kitchen and secretly getting together any chance we can.

I know I should stay away from Henley so I don’t lose my job, and his focus is on raising the girls and being the best wide receiver in football, but our attraction is intense and the draw between us is too tempting to resist.

I can only hope our secret love will survive when our truth is revealed.

Secret Love is book two in the Single Dad Playbook series. Each book can be listened to as a standalone.

©2024 Willow Aster (P)2024 Willow Aster

👩‍🏫🏟️💞🏈👧

This was JUST what I needed to read! I’ve been on my TBR grind and kinda forgot to stop and really check in with myself. I am very much a mood reader and I’ve been on the precipice of a book slump and ignoring it. But this book was exactly what I needed to get right back into it!

This was my very first read from Willow Aster. I actually listened to the audio version of this book so let me get into that super quick. I wasn’t paying attention to who the narrators were so when I hit play and heard that Savannah Peachwood and Sebastian York were narrating this?!?! I knew IMMEDIATELY that I would love this book and I was right! Savannah and Sebastian always do the best job with narration and this was no different. Bravo to you two!

As for the book, I went into this blind. I just read the tropes, saw that it wasn’t an author I’ve heard yet and signed up real quick to listen to this book. And the story did not disappoint!!! I loved every aspect of this book. And, it was super heartwarming. Now, I’m not one to spoil anything so I won’t but, these two felt like walking soulmates.

If you love a sports romance (football), found family, forbidden, age gap stories with a hint of soulmates? This one is for you!

Loved every minute

Audio review:

Sweet and spicy. Romantic and heartaches. There are so many words I can use to describe this book but all of them don’t feel like enough to describe the feelings I had while listening to it. This book showed a healthy relationship between a divorced dad and his ex wife which was refreshing to see. A father who cared and loved his girls deeply. And the woman who comes in and brings a new level of love and happiness to their lives. I loved seeing how Tru and Henley navigate their love for each other and how his ex wife Bri is supportive and is so caring. Tru unwilling to leave Henley when he goes through some rough times can leave a girl teary eyed. Sebastian York perfectly plays Henley and the guys as his voice can heat things up and give a girl unrealistic expectations from men at the same time. Savannah Peachwood has a soft welcoming voice that matched exactly what I would hear for Tru , kind, timid, sweet , and loving. Perfect narration for such an amazing book.

All The Single Daddy Stars!

All the stars for Henley and Tru! I loved their story so much! Henley and his group of single dad teammates are seriously the sweetest thing! Henley was such a genuinely good guy we gave me the ooey gooey feels! I love how thoughtful Tru was with his girls feelings and not wanting to over step. They were both just truly fun and sweet! Also the spice was perfect! I would have loved to see a little further into their future to see if they had any kids or not. But the epilogue with the single dads was so freaking perfect! I can’t wait for Rhodes and Elle’s story!

Read:🎧
MMC: Henley Ward
FMC: Tru Seymour
Spice: 2🌶️
Tropes: Small Town, Football, Single Dad, Age Gap (12 yrs), Kids Teacher, He Falls First

Small town. Single dad. All the feels.

Story Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (0-5)
Narration: 🎧🎧🎧🎧🎧 (0-5)
Overall: 4.5/5
Steam: 🔥🔥🔥☄️ (0-5) I bump up for public places/outdoor spaces.

What I’m Starry-Eyed Over:
🤩 All the feels—I laughed, I cried, and oh how this book made me a big bundle of turned-on nerves. The sizzling hot details are so scrumptious.
🤩 The narrators are fabulous and totally intensify all these amazing feels.
🤩 Small town. Single dad.
🤩 Henley Ward is a professional football player for the Colorado Mustangs.
🤩 A meet cute and then a meet ugly—Tru is his daughter’s teacher.
🤩 Cinnamon rolls as groveling.
🤩 Meddling friends.
🤩 Dancing at the bar.
🤩 More dancing.
🤩 Swoony text chats.
🤩 Open and honest communication.
🤩 Ummm, hello closet at school. Shhh!
🤩 Really hard times written so very well.
🤩 Two dozen secret pumpkins.
🤩 Friends, family, teammates—so much love.
🤩 Sadie and Weston cameos—you don’t have to read their story first, but I highly recommend Mad Love.

What I’m Wishing/Dizzy About:
💫 I’m a reading teacher, and I do not evaluate students for dyslexia or any kind of reading disability. That’s done by a psychologist (at least here in Iowa).
💫 The mentions of post-surgery steam, but I didn’t really get to experience it. I really wanted to feel the desire and intimacy after the hard times.

🔬 Trigger Warning: on page memories of verbal abuse by a parent

Love this series

Savannah Peachwood and Sebastian York, although I have gotten spoiled with the duet style, I still feel like both narrators performed well. Although Savannah is not my favorite with a male imitation, I still enjoyed the narrating.
Relatable story involving Henley and Tru. He is a father of three girls, Tru is new to town and starts as a sub teacher at his daughter's school. It goes over the issues of his oldest daughter in school, the daughters hope their parents would get back together. Henley and Tru getting to know each other and Henley and the rest of guys supporting each other as dads. It is a great series.

Single Dad + Found Family

This audio is SO GOOD! Sebastian York & Savannah Peachwood were incredible as Henley & Tru!

Absolutely loved this one! Allllll of the emotions were felt, & I both laughed & cried with these characters so you know it’s a five star for me!

Henley Ward, SIR! There is nothing sexier than a good man being a good dad, & Henley is a top tier dad! The way he loves & parents his girls & puts their wellbeing above all else, swooning over that alone over here! His coparenting relationship with his ex wife is commendable as well! Love to see it!

Tru, my girl! I absolutely loved her too! How she found her place with Henley & not only his girls, but their friends who are family too! She fit into their dynamic seamlessly! She had such a huge heart & how she loved Henley’s girls was so special!

PS: Tru’s mom about broke my heart, I just wanted to hug her!

Sweet and Swoony Small Town Romance!

Be still my heart, Tiny Dancer! Secret Love by Willow Aster was a sweet and swoony small-town sports romance that simply put the biggest grin on my face. Tru and Henley’s journey to HEA was full of flirty banter, adorable interactions with his daughters, and all that friends-to-lovers slow-burn spice that made this couple irresistible. Aster’s words always leave my heart so happy.

Savannah Peachwood and Sebastian York perform this audiobook in dual narration and are perfectly cast. Savannah’s youthful, upbeat tone complimented Tru’s passionate and dedicated persona as she eagerly stepped into her new role as a teacher and dance teacher while secretly falling in love with hunky Henley. Sebastian’s deep, warm voice depicted Henley’s charismatic lover and devoted dad demeanor as he did what was best for his daughters and his heart. Both narrators created just the right amount of forbidden steamy chemistry between Tru and Henley.

Overall, I loved this book. If you are a fan of a small-town romance with a hot talented wide receiver, a hardworking dark-haired teacher, three lovable daughters, an age gap, grocery store meet-cute, cinnamon rolls, single dad playbook entries, swoony first kisses, getting-to-know-you questions, football games, car steam, family fishing adventures, life-changing events, Halloween parties, and a HEA that dreams are made of then you will love Tru and Henley’s story. I always look forward to more from Willow Aster.

4.5 stars

This was a cute, low drama romance! This is Henley and Tru's story. Their meet cute was so adorable. Who would of thought they would meet their soulmate at the grocery store of all places. When Tru moved to Silver Hills, she thought no one could, but after meeting Henley she was immediately swept away by him. There's attraction, banter and heated glances. When Tru sees him again it's not under good circumstances. Henley thinks that she is the teacher that crushed his daughter's spirits. As they spend more time together they can't deny their romantic feelings for eachother.

I loved Henley's relationship with his daughters. He was supportive in their schooling and after school activities. I adored Tru. Despite her 12 yr age gap with Henley, she was mature and understanding. She was a great teacher and great support for the girls. It was great seeing the guys again. Their friendship is always fun and they always have eachother's backs. I love that. Their group chats show their easy camaraderie.

As for the audiobook narration, it's amazing! Performed in dual narration by Sebastian York and Savannah Peachwood. These two nailed it! Sebastian conveyed Henley as a loving father and showed Henley's fun side with his friends. Savannah conveyed Tru with so much compassion. She showed how Tru wore her heart on her sleeve. The epilogue by Sebastian had me laughing and loving the guys even more. What a great addition to the series!

Loving this Single Dad Playbook Series

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
🌶️🌶️🌶️

I am absolutely loving this Single Dad Playbook series. The first book stole my heart, and this one was also super sweet. One of my favorite parts of this series is the single dad group of amazing football players. They are so adorable, and I love the Single Dad Playbook they all share.

Henley is a busy single father to 3 amazing daughters. He runs into Tru at the grocery store, and they really hit it off. However, their second meeting doesn’t go so great when he goes to tell off his daughter’s rude teacher, but he ends up giving major attitude to Tru instead. Tru is actually the substitute teacher for his daughter, and she didn’t appreciate how he came at her. They keep running into each other, and she quickly realizes what an amazing father he is. She spends a lot more time with him when she offers to help his daughter with her dyslexia after school at his house.

They couldn’t deny their connection for long and decide to secretly date since she is his daughter's teacher. I loved how Tru really built a sweet relationship with his daughters and his ex-wife, with whom he had a great relationship. I appreciate seeing how well he co-parented with his ex. I love reading romances without a toxic, crazy ex.

🎧 Audiobook Review 🎧
Sebastian York and Savannah Peachwood did a fantastic job narrating this sweet, single dad romance. They always bring all the emotions and chemistry to their performances. I highly recommend the audiobooks for this series.

Henley & Tru...

Secret Love is the second book in The Single Dad Playbook series. This is a single dad, age gap, small town, pro-football player romance. You get an insta-connection. I was hooked on this one from the start. I absolutely loved Henley and Tru together. You get all the feels & side characters you will love. What an enjoyable read.

Savannah Peachwood and Sebastian York did a great job bringing this story and these characters to life.