SECRETS OF THE TULIP SISTERS by Susan Mallery

Harlequin Books

April 17th, 2018

978-1-335-99697-8

Women’s Fiction/Contemporary/Romance/Fiction

Trade Paperback

Reviewed by Dawn (love2read28@gmail.com)

Obtained by Self-Purchase

3.5 Hearts

Kelly Murphy is the good sister, the one who follows the rules no matter what. After her mother left and her younger sister sent away, she buried herself in learning the family business and making it a success with her father. Now older, Kelly is determined to not give Griffith Burnett the time of day. He shows up everywhere she is, Kelly almost feels like he is stalking her. Then another surprise pops up on her doorstep- her wayward sister, Olivia shows up and now Kelly is torn by the past that haunts her, the relationship she is forging with her sister even as she tries to stay away from Griffith who batters against the wall around her heart and try to keep her head above water.

Olivia is determined to reclaim her spot in the family, even if that means butting heads with her older sister, Kelly but both girls have secrets that come tumbling out that will change them and force them to confront their past and present in order to have a future. Can these two very different sisters find a way to bridge their gaps and forge a stronger bond or will it all come tumbling down around them?

Susan Mallery is a wonderful storyteller and I normally enjoy her books but in this latest, SECRETS OF THE TULIP SISTERS, I had a hard time getting behind Olivia and Kelly until mid-way into the book. Kelly just annoyed me, and Olivia felt like a person I would avoid like the plague until I got to half way point and then the layers came off. I am glad I stuck with it because I found myself enjoying the banter between Kelly and Olivia a lot once they let their guards down. They were completely different people and I liked how once the author got under the skin so to speak that the reader truly got to see who these two main characters really were. What I didn’t enjoy was Griffith and his determination to have Kelly. That just made my skin crawl and everything. I am all for a guy setting his sights on a woman and everything but showing up everywhere she is smacks in my opinion as stalkerish. I just could not enjoy him even after he convinces Kelly to take a chance with him. Who I did enjoy was Sven. He was a sexy breath of fresh air and I loved his relationship with Olivia and Kelly. The cast of characters are well written, but I do admit to having issues with one or two of them at times that caused me to put the book down and go read something else.

SECRETS OF THE TULIP SISTERS is a story about sisters, family and love in in all its splendor and messiness. Yes, there were parts that I just didn’t care for (characters who just didn’t hit all my love buttons, side stories that were not worth the read, etc.) but Ms. Mallery does an admirable job in creating a story that tells a tale of family and how they reconnect with one another after a decade of silence. I may not have enjoyed parts of the book, but Ms. Mallery deftly weaves a story that I enjoyed in the last several chapters. I enjoyed I think Sven and Olivia’s relationship more than Kelly and Griffiths and I really thought this one had promise. If you enjoy a story about family, sisters and the messiness of love in all its forms then you might enjoy SECRETS OF THE TULIP SISTERS.

This is an objective review and not an endorsement

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