Secrets and the City Box Set

Books 1 & 2

By: Kathy Lockheart

Narrated by: Sarah Puckett, Michael Norman Johnson

Amazon Top 25 and International Bestselling Author Kathy Lockheart delivers a thrilling romance series where desire and danger collide. Two standalones, interconnected by a deliciously dark thread of romance, action, mystery, and shocking twists… Included in the collection:

Deadly Illusion (Book One)

Fatal Cure (Book Two)

Deadly Illusion

AN AMAZON TOP 25 BESTSELLER!

I was able to hide the bruises from everyone... until an MMA fighter came along. Now he'll die to protect me. Maybe even kill... He insists I stay with him for protection, but Damian is keeping his own dark secrets and warns me that anyone who gets close to him will be in danger…Worse, my assailant is determined to finish what he started.

And now, my life, along with the lives of everyone I love…… is in peril.

Can Damian and I survive and get our happily ever after?

Or will this fairy tale end in murder?

Fatal Cure

"Who did this to you?" my enemy growls. You would think the most wanted criminal kingpin in the country would be too busy racking up bodies to care about the bruise on my cheek, but nope. Here he is, holding my chin while I pretend his touch isn’t electric.

I need to hate him.

Scratch that, I will hate him again. The guy decimated my family, and I've been hunting him ever since, determined to make him pay. That one night we accidentally spent together before we knew we were enemies was great. Okay, fine—it was the best night of my existence, and the time we shared before it was heaven. But it's time for my heart to accept the truth.

These feelings between us are forbidden and dangerous.

If anyone finds out about us, we'll both be killed…Yet here he is. Eyes smoldering with rage and longing as he demands, "Give me his name."My heart yearns for him, but how can I let go of this oath etched in my family’s blood?

With his enemies closing in, will we risk it all for love?

Or will our forbidden romance cost us everything?

©2022 Kathy Lockheart (P)2025 Kathy Lockheart

This series is so good

DEADLY ILLUSION:
OVERALL: 🌟🌟🌟🌟/5
•Storyline: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
•Narration: 🎧🎧🎧🎧/5
•Spice Level: 🌶.5/ 5
•Swoon level: 🫠🫠🫠/5
•Emotional:🥺🥺🥺/5
•Re-Listen/Re-Read: Maybe
•Platform: Audiobook and Ebook
•Trope: MMA fighter, Forced Proximity, protective hero, girl escaping relationship.
*Check triggers*

• Thoughts:
This is a new to me author. I was captivated by the blurb and I felt like this was a book I needed to read. My hell, I am glad I did. This does end on a HEA, but getting tonthat point is not easy. This story pulls the truth and what happens in a DV relationship. It is raw, emotional! I can truly appreciate the author and taking this story and telling the story of a full cycle relationship and what happens and the psychological side of the characters! This book was beautifully written!

FATAL CURE:
OVERALL: 🌟🌟🌟🌟/5
•Storyline: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
•Narration: 🎧🎧🎧🎧/5
•Spice Level: 🌶.5/ 5
•Swoon level: 🫠🫠🫠/5
•Emotional:🥺🥺/5
•Banter: 🤣/5
•Re-Listen/Re-Read: Maybe
•Platform: Audiobook and Ebook
•Trope: Forbidden Romance, He falls first.

• Thoughts:
This is my second Kathy Lockheart book, and it didn't disappoint. Kathy, at least in my very short experience, writes very complex characters and challenges them in ways you do not see how they will eve end up together. I have fully enjoyed this series so far.
Fatil Cure grabs hold of you! I was so impressed. DEA Agent with a captain of a gang? How much more complicated can it get.... trust me, it gets more complicated if you can believe it. Fallon and Dillon are both amazing characters. Together, they are fire. The way Dillon wants nothing more than to protect her. Fallon is tough as nails trying to prove herself. There is a tangled web that surrounds them. Honestly, I feel you need to go into this book somewhat blind.

NARRATOR THOUGHTS: Sarah Pucket and Michael Norman Johnson
•Duet Narration
•Listening at a 1.5 speed.
Sarah and Michael do an amazing job with this audio! They feeling and depth that they bring to Dillon and Fallon. Their ranges in order to distinguish against multiple characters is a job well done!! The audio is fantastic, and I highly recommend!

•Recommend note:
I always encourage people to read what makes them happy. If it sounds good, read it! My reviews are just that, my opinions. I do, however, hope they are helpful and provide a little insight in helping you to determine the next book you will pick up and read.
Happy reading, friends.

Amazing listen!

The two of these books are amazingly done and breath taking. They hit hard and touch some subjects that really hit home for some people. So always check your trigger warnings. I don’t have words for the amount of love I have for these two books and to have them in one audio makes it so much better. Will definitely keep listening to this authors books!

Danger and romance

Love when authors bundle books!

This is a great series for romantic suspense lovers.
The narration is fabulous and the story is captivating and interesting.

Spicy 🌶️🌶️.5
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Love Bundled Books and these two were great!

You don't want to miss the opportunity to get 2 books in one!

Kathy Lockheart's Secrets and the City book bundle is great!

Deadly Illusion, book 1 in Secrets and the City by Kathy Lockheart.

Jenna and Justin had a sad life growing up when their sister died but finally picked up and tried to find happiness and Jenna thought that is what she found in Colton. She dreamed of a man like Colton and here he is. Until he became obsessive.
Damian owns the gym that Jenna went into and that put her in his sights, along with the bruises.
It was nice watching these two find one another but the pain and angst that this book brought, so emotional!!

Sarah Puckett is one of my favorite female narrators and she did an incredible job as Jenna. Jenna has so many emotions throughout this and Sarah let’s you feel each one! Michael Norman Johnson is new to me so it was nice to hear someone that I haven’t heard before.

Fatal Cure, book 2

Fatal Cure is the second book in the series, Secrets and the City. You don’t have to have read book 1 first but I highly recommend simply because I love her books!

This book is action packed and kept me listening all day. The storyline flows perfectly and the characters were portrayed exactly as they should have been by the narrators!

I love to listen to Sarah Puckett! Michael Norman Johnson is still relatively new to me but he represented Dillon perfectly!

Hard but good!

Deadly Illusion (the first book) SPOILERS
First a thank you to the Author for writing this! As a survivor of DV this book was hard to get through. Thank you for only going through one mild cycle.
To everyone else, the author’s portrayal of the FMC thoughts accurately captures the complexities of the thoughts intelligent minds will do when presented with this situation. The FMC emotions often lead to circular thought patterns, causing her to misinterpret situations through a rose colored filter. While some may perceive her as lacking intelligence or strength, it is important to recognize that she was aware of the wrongdoing committed by Colton. Despite her mental acrobatics with him as her coach, she failed to process the situation correctly and returned to him as many often do. We as ladies almost have it ingrained in us to be silent instead of seeking outside support in these situations. Jenna displayed that perfectly, and the starting of the isolation process that happens. While I love the introduction of Damian as her friend and eventual love interest, this development felt more rushed than organic. Fortunately, Jenna had not endured a prolonged cycles of abuse and trauma bonding. Colton’s true nature had been revealed after months of being in the relationship, it would have had psychological implications for Jenna beyond the one nightmare. It is my belief the story could have benefited from incorporating healing elements that would have facilitated her HEA with Damian. While this may have been to keep pacing- it felt her only work at healing was learning some self defense. Where to actually fall in love with Damian she would have needed to learn to trust him, not just see that he appeared to be a good guy. Yet this is the beauty of fictional portrayals.

This is not a super spicy book thankfully, as it would not have fit with the story that was being told. There is some steam in the appropriate places. The world building and scenes are vivid and eloquently painted by this author. You will go on a journey of highs and lows with this FMC. The voice actor did a great job of making her voice softer in some of the situations where the FMC was hurting.



Fatal Cure (the second book)
Ok not going to give spoilers on this part of the review it is already a TLDR.
This is also set in the same Chicago as book 1, you will see Jenna and Damian briefly. Yet this follows detective Fallon on her journey. Buckle up, it will be hard to put this down! Kathy Lockheart really hits it out of the park with this one. An impossible seeming relationship that is gritty and true to both characters that highlights the struggle between right and wrong and the morally grey places in which many people live. Nothing is easy for this couple. I love the ending it feels true to the characters, even if I was a little confused in places. (Might be due to the late hour and no sleep.)

Two Amazing books

Deadly illusion: Slow start and I definitely wanted to smack the Jenna upside the head. This book was not what I was expecting. I thought or maybe hoped for more from the heroine but her behavior is realistic I think for many women in her situation. Though that didn’t change how much I didn’t like her at times. Though I felt bad for her too. She’s got a toxic best friend and that was hard for me because I so wanted her friend to be someone to help her out not act the way she did. That was disappointing. I think the narrators did great. I appreciated that this was duet since the entire book is from the one POV. Having it be duet helped engage me a bit more.

Fatal Cure: Lockheart did it again and now I’m an emotional mess. Well told, well written story but it does it those emotional buttons as times that made me choke up. These two characters aren’t just from different sides of the tracks, they are from completely different worlds. She’s a cop on a DEA task force. He’s a captain, and the cartel. But love finds a way even when the world says it should be impossible. Loved the whole story. Highly recommend but beware heart strings will be tugged.

Ok books but check content warnings

Deadly Illusion: this is a solid 3.5 star read. It’s a realistic portrayal of what a DV survivor trying to get her life back on track for the first 40% or so. The rest of the book, however, was where Jenna drifted into TSTL territory. She refused to act in a rational manner when her life was being threatened by her psychotic ex. She didn’t tell her brother or Damian that she’d seen Colton lurking around and even moved back into her apartment way too soon just because Colton was arrested. Has the woman never heard of bail? Colton gets out and then a lot happens. Ms. Lockheart didn’t have to shatter my heart like she did with Justin. If she wanted shock value, she got it. I originally read this book about a year and a half ago and it’s been in my head ever since. I figured I’d love the audiobook. I didn’t like the narrators. It’s different having the book read to you vs reading it yourself. The female narrator made Jenna sound petulant. The male narrator did well with some of his voices for the different characters. I didn’t like his Colton voice.

Fatal Cure: 2 stars. I couldn’t finish this one. I tried so hard but I just couldn’t stand Fallon. She came off as childish and self righteous at times. I get hating drug dealers because they ruin lives. But the people who keep the dealers in business need to take some accountability. Fallon refused to see that her mom died because SHE took the drugs. Her dad even tried to get her to take responsibility and get clean and somehow he’s the one Fallon’s pissed at. I didn’t get far enough to get the full story so that’s all I’ll say there. Dillon came off as too soft to be this hardened drug syndicate captain. I’ll try to come back to it.

The narration is super slow too. I had to speed it up to 1.5x.

Both stories are Amazing

the narrators both did amazing on these stories . Two completely different reads with some characters making appearance.
Spoilers Spoilers
Trigger warning this book does talk about a very true and scary subject i like to go in blind but if you have triggers read them before reading this book. I had read this book two years ago and loved it, i would still think of it. I havent read another book that was written this beautiful about this subject. Even with me reading it before this time i listen to the audio and the narrators did amazing As someone who has been this kind of relationship i can relate to Jenna. My situation wasn't as bad as hers but her think and the repeat cycle is right on the dot. I always use to say if it happened once to me i would leave but I didnt i realize it isn't that easy. This book was beautiful written especially for this topic. You fall in love with the couple at the beginning they are both amazing then the true colors come out. Lucky Jenna found Damon and he was able to be there for her. Even though the ending was so dang sad and didn't want to hope he would i understand why the author did what she.

Great read not alot of spice. Kathy gets you to see the different points of why people do what they do. Never say never because you don't know what you would do when ate faced with that kind of situation. This is my second time reading this book and it had me hooked again, i did remember some things but some have forgotten. Love her writing and story's

Loved!

Read these books about a year and a half ago, and was so happy to listen to them now. Loved the duet narration as well!