Dirty Little Secret: A Brother’s Best Friend College Romance (Lake State University Book 1) by Rachael Brownell <— BROKEN HEART AFTER HER BROTHER’S BEST FRIEND ALERT!!! Eeeeep… and YAY US!! So angsty sounding and full on trouble. And today, the author is celebrating her latest release by sponsoring this Friday Finds newsletter.
Finn and Willow have loved each other since they were teenagers but out of respect for Willow’s brother, Max, neither of them acted on their feelings. Until they did. They spent one amazing night together but the next morning, Finn was gone, and Willow’s heart was shattered.
The story begins nine months later (no surprise baby, I promise) when Willow and Max’s father dies, bringing Finn back into Willow’s life. Their connection is rekindled but now they have to find a way to tell Max, who made all his friends promise to never touch her.
The author says:
Welcome to Lake State University!
I’m in love with this series and these characters and I hope you fall in love with them too. There are so many names and faces, I want to take a minute to introduce you to everyone before you get started. There will be an introduction like this is the beginning of each book for you to reference so if you get confused, pop back here to refresh yourself with the twisted web this group of friends is caught up in.
First up, you have the Palmer family – Max, Willow, and Evie. With the loss of their father, all three Palmer kids are grieving and attempting to figure out how to move on with life when their biggest supporter is now gone. Max is the oldest of the three. He’s just completed his junior year at LSU, lives in a loft with his best friend, Finn Graham, and is the new president of his fraternity, Kappa Omega Lambda. KOL isn’t the glorious fraternity it was when his father attended, and Max makes it his mission to restore the reputation in honor of his father. Willow is a year younger than Max, having finished her sophomore year. She lives in an apartment with her bestie, Kendall, and her favorite day of the week is Taco Tuesday. Her suitemates from freshman year – Alexis and Piper – indulge her love of tacos every week along with Kendall. She’s in love with Finn and has been for most of her life. The youngest Palmer is Evie. She’s finishing up her senior year in high school and will be joining her siblings at LSU in the fall.
Next… the Grahams. Finn, Declan, and Micah. All a year apart, Finn is going into his senior year, Declan, his junior year, and Micah, the baby, is going to be a sophomore at LSU. Finn is madly in love with Willow – had her once and lost her. He lives with her older, protective brother, and is ready to risk their lifelong friendship for one more chance with her. Declan and Micah live the bachelor life together, enjoying every second of not having to be responsible for anyone other than themselves.
Kendall and Kora Potter are twins and members of Zeta Sigma Rho, the most prestigious sorority at Lake State. Kendall, younger by only a few minutes, was held back by her parents, giving Kora the advantage to experience everything life has to offer first. So, while Kora is about to start her senior year at LSU, Kendall is only a junior. She’s also loud and lacks a filter, unlike her sister. Kendall doesn’t get along with Max, her roomies older brother, but everyone else seems to love her. Kora is off exploring the world for the summer while Kendall is working two jobs to save money for a new car. One that has a passenger-side mirror since hers is barely hanging on after a little parking lot mishap.
Alexis and Piper shared a dorm suite with Kendall and Willow during freshman year. They’re both incredibly intelligent – Alexis is on a full-ride scholarship. Studying is in their DNA and you can find them in their shared dorm, books spread out, or in the library most days. Unless it’s girl’s night at K and Lo’s apartment. They wouldn’t miss that for anything. Plus, they need to do laundry at some point.
Brady has been friends with Max and Finn since high school and Julian met them freshman year. The four of them can usually be found around a poker table, playing for quarters. Max was able to talk Julian into rushing his fraternity, but he refused to live in the frat house, so he shares a downtown loft with Brady close to where he works as an intern chef. His first love has always been cooking. Brady is a quiet, reserved guy compared to his friends. He loves tattoos, rides a motorcycle, and tends to disappear in the middle of a party. No one knows where he goes.
Colton and Kane are Max’s fraternity brothers. They’re also best friends and as opposite as two people can get. Colt is loud and wild, with shaggy hair and a beard that needs to be trimmed, loves loud music, and plays in a band. Kane is big into computers, a techy that loves to design anything and everything. He always has on sunglasses, but no one knows why. They’re both typical frat boys once you get a few drinks in them – loud, obnoxious, and over the top. Charming when they want to be.
You’ll meet more friends as the series continues. Things will get tangled – sheets specifically – and secrets will unfold. You can’t keep anything from this group of friends. They see, and hear, it all.
THE GIVEAWAY:
Readers can enter this rafflecopter to win a signed paperback of Dirty Little Secret and an ARC of Tempting Little Tease, the second book in the series.