• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Roger's Reads

Author & Book Reviewer

  • About Roger
  • Reviews by Genre
  • Blog
  • Review Policy
  • My Novels
  • Resources
You are here: Home / LGBT Romance / Review of Secret Admirer by D.J. Jamison

Review of Secret Admirer by D.J. Jamison

December 23, 2020 by Roger Hyttinen Leave a Comment

Secret Admirer is a super-sweet friends-to-lovers slow-burn romance that follows our two main characters Ace and Benji, who attend the same university. Ace is a couple of years older than Benji and is the best friend of Benji’s brother Jeremy. Ace promised Jeremy that he would keep an eye on Benji to ensure that he doesn’t feel too alone at the university. Jeremy and Benji were supposed to attend the same university together, but then Jeremy accepted an internship elsewhere, so he’s feeling a bit guilty for abandoning Benji.

Now Benji has had a lifelong crush on Ace, even though he is supposedly straight. And as for Ace…well…he may not be so straight as everyone thinks. He is beginning to accept that he’s bi-curious and can no longer ignore his ever-growing attraction to Benji. He initially decides not to act on his feelings, given that his friends asked him to keep an eye on his brother, not try to seduce him.

But when Benji begins feeling kind of down in the dumps, Ace begins sending him anonymous gifts and notes from “A Secret Admirer” in the hopes of cheering Benji up. But after Ace begins sending the gifts, he can no longer deny his feelings for Benji and decides to come clean. But of course, things don’t go as smoothly as he’d hoped, and all sorts of hijinks ensue.

I loved this low-angsty tender story about a young man discovering his sexuality and subsequently falling in love with someone he feels he shouldn’t. I enjoyed getting this story from both of their alternating perspectives, allowing us to see the drama unfolded from each man’s point of view and how each man’s view of himself differs from the other man’s view of him, an element that I always enjoy in stories.

I also loved the secret admirer angle in the book. I mean, who wouldn’t love having a secret admirer? Though, of course, there’s a fine line between that and stalking, I guess. But still, I thought it was sweet, and I loved the emotion and reasoning behind it — merely trying to make Benji feel better about himself. It’s also worth mentioning that Benji doesn’t really believe anything Ace tells him, figuring that Ace is just being nice to him because he’s best friends with Benji’s brother. So from Ace’s point of view, the secret notes and gifts are a perfect solution.

All in all, this book about bisexual awakening, a mildly forbidden romance, complicated families, and first love was a hit for me. DJ Jamison is a new to me author, and I certainly will be checking out more of their work.

Purchase Secret Admirer from Amazon

Filed Under: LGBT Romance

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

Subscribe to Roger’s Reads

Subscribe to Roger’s Reads

Subscribe below to get news and other goodies to your inbox!

    We respect your privacy. Unsubscribe at any time.

    Reviews Published 100 Book Reviews Professional Reader 80%

    What I’m Currently Reading:

    A Curse So Dark and Lonely Book Cover
    The Binding Cover Image

    Please Note:

    Any links to Amazon or The Book Depository on this site are affiliate links, meaning if you purchase anything via the links, I receive a small commission, at no extra cost to you.  Note that I only review books/items that I’ve personally used and enjoyed, and all reviews are my own opinion.

    Categories

    • Book Challenges
    • Book Recommendations
    • Book Reviews – All
    • Book Tags
    • BookTube
    • BOTM
    • Contemporary Fiction/Classics
    • Fantasy/Urban Fantasy
    • General Fiction
    • Graphic Novels
    • Historical Fiction
    • Horror
    • LGBT Romance
    • Man Booker Finalists
    • Middle Grade
    • Mystery
    • Mystery/Suspense
    • Non-Fiction
    • Paranormal
    • Readathons
    • Science Fiction
    • Suspense/Thriller
    • TBRs
    • Top Tens
    • Uncategorized
    • YA Contemporary
    • YA Fantasy/Urban Fantasy
    • YA Historical Fiction
    • YA LGBT
    • YA Paranormal
    • Young Adult
    • YouTube Video
    Tweets by @rogerhyttinen

    Copyright © 2022 · Author Pro on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in