This story focuses on three characters who all have one thing in common: they are trying to keep a big secret from the people around them. Steph Stubbs is a mother of two who unexpectedly falls for the new headmaster at her children's school. Steph can't help but love the excitement of another man being interested in her, and she seriously considers having an affair. Mike Bannerman is the local vicar and recently has found a new woman in his life: Maggie. Maggie is really important to Mike and he's deciding how to break the news to his wife Jane and his mother. But when a blackmailer comes on to the scene, things start to get real tricky for Mike. Penny Littleton is struggling with a quite severe case of OCD. She tries to not let it control her life, but even her boss is telling her to do something about it. What nobody knows, however, is that Penny is dealing with a big secret from her past, which is slowly eating her up from the inside and preventing her from leading a normal and happy life. Will Steph, Mike and Penny be able to keep their secrets hidden or is it true that the truth always comes out in the end? Doesn't Everyone Have a Secret? certainly is an enjoyable read; a romantic comedy about three different characters, each of them trying to deal with a secret that is taking over their lives. The characters were realistic and had interesting secrets. I particularly liked Penny and Mike, and it took me a bit longer to warm to Steph (this is probably due to the nature of her secret, but I don't want to give away too much). The different storylines managed to keep my attention until the end and the novel was well-paced. One of the things I liked most about the novel was the idea of guardian angels. We all know that voice in our head that every now and and again advises or warns us; this voice is actually our guardian angel, and Sue Shepherd added a nice storyline about these guardian angels and how they go about their work. While the book has a good collection of characters and intriguing storylines, I did feel the author's writing was still a bit rough around the edges. However, this is a debut novel, and nonetheless a promising one. (JoH)
