This is the third book in the Secret series and definitely not the best. Firstly, I want to address this issue I have with the title. The first book in the series is called The Secret of Ella and Micha (I honestly don't know if it's pronounced as Micah or Misha. I'm going to assume Misha because it sounds better). Nice flow, right? Then the first book of the Coincidence series, also by Jessica Sorensen, is called The Coincidence of Callie and Kayden. Also good flow, right? Then the third book of the Coincidence series is called The Destiny of Violet and Luke. That also has a pretty good flow. But the title of this one...It doesn't roll of my tongue with ease. I feel like if it were The Temptation of Ethan and Lila instead, it would be better, but that's not a very big problem now. So let's move on. So we have Lila, who's this gorgeous girl that enjoys drinking and being overly intimate (if you know what I mean...). Why? Because her family is a disgrace to families all around the world. They're always on her case, pointing out her every mistake and telling her just how big of a mess she is. Frankly, Lila is a mess, but that's okay, we all are, and taking into account just how bad her family is, it's pretty cool how sane she is. I did like Lila in the previous books belonging to the Secret series but here....meh. Constantly putting herself down, constantly traveling back to the past and loathing, constantly blaming herself. Come on, girl! Get it together! Repeatedly, she is told that it's not her fault. She's constantly being reassured but she chooses to ignore all the comments, causing herself to spiral down into a puddle of bad influences.
Then we have Ethan. Druggie, I'm pretty sure he's going to be an alcoholic, and a boy who doesn't look for relationships, rather, one night stands. The only serious relationship he's ever had is with London and good God, he has a really poor taste in woman. Ethan is attracted to Lila. Who wouldn't be? She's hot, fun to be around and has charisma that everyone else in this book seems to lack! But he's drawn a line that he can't cross. Ethan's family is dysfunctional too. Domestic abuse is ever present and he's worried that some day, he will turn into his messed up dad. I get that. And I appreciate how caring and careful he is with his girls. Ethan, unlike Lila, I liked. He's scary but caring. He's strong but really soft. He's got self control but not enough of it. He made me very happy. I loved him in the first two books, I loved him in this one because you really get to go through Ethan's mind and unravel him. Pick out his pros as well as his cons. You really can relate to this guy.
The story plot is like every other book out there I guess. Two people meet. Best friends, enemies, frenemies, people who never actually met before and are thrown into a situation due to perhaps past events. You name it, it's out there. So since this idea is like everything else, I had no expectations. Jessica Sorensen is a great author and I had no doubts that she could pull it off. She did it four times already, no problem doing it again.
Overall, this book was okay for me. Nothing special.
Two stars.
P.S. I love that cover to death! Simple but elegant, I love it (say the last three words in a singsong voice. It sounds better).
