What He Always Knew (Best Kept Secrets #2)
Contemporary Romance
Kandi Steiner
March 29, 2018
Left or right.
It’s that simple, and it isn’t simple at all.
If I turn left, the road will lead me back to the man I promised my life to, the one I’d imagined building a family with, the one who’s done everything in his power to get me back.
If I turn right, the road will take me to the man I loved first, the man who brought me back to life, the man who would do anything to keep me.
I knew the fork in the road was inevitable; it was the decision I never wanted to make between choices I didn’t know I had.
And I love them both.
My heart is destined to exist in two equal halves — one with each man. But one half beats stronger, the vein running deepest, and holds my choice in silence long before I know it for myself.
The realization of what I have to do, of the heart I have to break, just might break mine too.
Left or right.
All I have to do is take a breath and turn.
You guys.
Please, please tell me you’ve read part one of this super angsty duet already? Or that you were waiting for part two to come out so you didn’t have to suffer like the rest of us and wait the two weeks. Even though it was only two weeks, it felt like a life time. I didn’t read anything in that time frame, although I did get the book a little earlier due to receiving an arc, to which I think I actually screamed over getting. So, if you waited, maybe skip this review until after, but if you didn’t, I’ll keep this as spoiler free as possible.
What He Always Knew picks up literally right where we left off with in What He Doesn’t Know and thank goodness for Kandi doing it like this, I’m always wondering what happens in between the ending of one book and the start of another or after the ending and before the epilogue. I know, the whole point of an epilogue is to let us know how things are going on, but my mind wonders years after I’ve finished a book.
I’ll be honest with you guys, I was #TeamReese for 95% of this book, at least that’s what I tell myself. I love Reese and I love how fiercely he loves Charlie, but the whole Blake thing threw us all for a loop. The other 5% of the time I was #TeamCharlie, part of me wanted her to all but say “fuck both of you” and end up being alone for a while. But that’s not what the book was supposed to be about.
You guys, I can’t even put into words how amazingly Kandi wrote this duet, not just What He Always Knew, but both of them. There were so many twists and turns, I didn’t know if something crazy was going to happen, if someone was going to die, which I’m totally not saying didn’t happen, it could have. I didn’t know anything. Essentially, I went in blind, but it was the best damn decision I made.
My heart, I don’t even know how to tell you what she did to my heart.
She broke it.
She mended it,
She made it cry.
She made me cry.
Damn it, Steiner.
I hate crying, but she does it more times than not.
I honestly don’t know how to put into words how this book made me feel. Just like What He Didn’t Know, I just want to type “Read it” over and over again and then call it a day. But I know, some of you will be disappointed in the ending, some of you will be over the moon ecstatic and some of you may not know what to do with your life. I promise you, it’s well worth the read, even if to find out who she chooses. But you can not, I repeat, can not, skip ahead to find out. You will never forgive yourself.
Kandi Steiner is a bestselling author and whiskey connoisseur living in Tampa, FL. Best known for writing “emotional rollercoaster” stories, she loves bringing flawed characters to life and writing about real, raw romance — in all its forms. No two Kandi Steiner books are the same, and if you’re a lover of angsty, emotional, and inspirational reads, she’s your gal.
An alumna of the University of Central Florida, Kandi graduated with a double major in Creative Writing and Advertising/PR with a minor in Women’s Studies. She started writing back in the 4th grade after reading the first Harry Potter installment. In 6th grade, she wrote and edited her own newspaper and distributed to her classmates. Eventually, the principal caught on and the newspaper was quickly halted, though Kandi tried fighting for her “freedom of press.” She took particular interest in writing romance after college, as she has always been a die hard hopeless romantic, and likes to highlight all the challenges of love as well as the triumphs.
When Kandi isn’t writing, you can find her reading books of all kinds, talking with her extremely vocal cat, and spending time with her friends and family. She enjoys live music, traveling, anything heavy in carbs, beach days, movie marathons, craft beer and sweet wine — not necessarily in that order.
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