Joined in 2023 
82 
63 About this deal
Dora finds herself face-to-face with a man she has never forgotten, the one man who really knows her. And as old secrets surface, it becomes terrifyingly apparent that one last secret could cost Dora her life… This book started off with a bang! And I was ooh! This is different! And these days different is as rare as a unicorn sighting! Despite some of those contrivances I enjoyed this novel and read it in a sitting, finding it the perfect Saturday night bathtime read!
We learn about her lifestyle and how she came to work as a high classed escort until one encounter leaves her bloodied and bruised. And terrified out of her wits. Here Dora’s told us of her manager Elspeth, who books clients and the screening process… so she’s at ease about her work, even referencing the ‘workplace health and safety’ measures in place. It’s a surprise then when she’s beaten and threatened by a client. So when she’s offered a lifeline by her best friend, and she decides the time is right to get out of the industry. Dora goes on one last girlfriend experience (without the sex) to a super secluded mansion in the south of France. She is gaslit, drugged, and raped while drugged. She does not figure out that her “naps” right after politely eating or drinking something forced on her mean she was drugged even though it happens multiple times. The guy who beat her up is an employee of her daughter’s father who has brought her out there to be murdered by that employee. This is one of those books where you are screaming at the book telling the MC to stop for a second and PLEASE RECONSIDER!! It was so frustrating to see Dora doubting herself and doing things she really didn't want to, nor should be doing. It got her into a lot of trouble. It was an interesting (albeit potentially unrealistic) look at how the uber wealthy might live. There were lots of twists and turns, which made it a very enjoyable read! But change was not going to come easily. Her most trusted client Daniel reaches out, pleading for one last rendezvous. He needs her to escort him to a function in the French countryside. Nora is reluctant, torn between her two opposing worlds. But come on! The French countryside? One last job won’t hurt anyone…. ya right!?But as the guests assemble, it becomes terrifyingly apparent that putting her past behind her is impossible. And one last secret could cost Dora everything, including her life… Adele Parks MBE is one of the most-loved and biggest-selling women's fiction writers in the UK. She has sold over 4 million books and her work has been translated into 30 different languages. Told from the POV of a savvy escort/sex worker, this powerful, pulverizing, and twisty tale of love, revenge, and despair is dark, chilling, and mesmerizing.....all at the same time. During an escape attempt, Dora learns that her captor, the father of her daughter, is also her fiancé’s father and that he hired everyone who was at the house to torture her. She manages to kill the employee during a second escape attempt but doesn’t get away because, when she opens the door to run away …
I don’t know how I exactly feel about this book! It really made me confused! It was smart but there are so missing pieces for me to enjoy it completely! It didn’t take long for me to invested in Dora’s story. As a ‘lady of the night’, Dora’s frank, blunt narrative is very honest and it felt like she was talking directly to me as a reader. Like a confessional, Dora makes it clear that her life is not glamorous and that she accepts the criticisms behind her profession. However, money is the driving force and Dora shows she is not embarrassed by what she does: she is embarrassed because she does not know what she would do instead with her life. A tasty, if not always tasteful, tale of supernatural mayhem that fans of King and Crichton alike will enjoy. I really hate books with gaslighting and I didn’t realize how prominently it would feature here. I couldn’t wait for Dora to catch up with what the reader already knows. The pacing is all off in this book and the first reveal isn’t even a reveal because we have no idea who this person is or why we should care.One final, luxurious week and she can leave the dangerous, difficult escort world because Dora has fallen in love and is ready to embrace a better future. But as the guests assemble, it becomes terrifyingly apparent that putting her past behind her is impossible. And one last secret could cost Dora everything, including her life… In our conversation, Adele talks about why she chose a sex worker as her main character, the research she did, and why that character can sometimes be confrontational with the reader. She also shares how she transitioned from writing romantic comedies to psychological thrillers, how she avoids stereotypes, spidergrams, and so much more. Then, she treats us to a reading from “One Last Secret.” This one wasn't too bad. There were moments in the middle that were slow and some things were a little fat fetched. Overall it was a decent thriller and there are a bunch of times that I totally wasn't expecting and the ending was well done. I say if you like thrillers, you may want to give this a try! A week at a beautiful chateau in the south of France – it should be a straightforward final job for Dora. She’s a smart, stunning and discreet escort and Daniel has paid for her services before. This time, all she has to do is to convince the assembled guests that she is his girlfriend. Dora is used to playing roles and being whatever men want her to be. It’s all about putting on a front.
When taken as a whole, the storyline isn't all that surprising in the end. I pretty much called everything that was going on. That said, it's still a uniquely told story from an interesting point of view. I don't typically like first person storylines because it's too much "I did this and I did that" rather than letting us in on the action, but in this case it really works. A week at a beautiful French chateau should be an easy final job for Dora. She’s smart, stunning and discreet. She only needs to convince the other guests that she’s Daniel’s girlfriend. I thought the audiobook was nicely done, and Kristin Atherton was a great narrator who I thoroughly enjoyed listening to. Dora is in her early 30s and to me, Atherton sounded much older than that, but I also never would have guessed Dora's age unless it was said in the book. She felt like an older character to me and for that reason, I thought Atherton was the perfect fit voice-wise. This is a slow burner for the most part, but the story gets crazy wild, so hang onto your horses! I would recommend One Last Secret to readers that enjoy domestic suspense, revenge, and healthy doses of uniqueness. I couldn't get behind some of Dora's decisions which seemed silly compared to how she is in the rest of the book, but I was here for all the rest. Even though this high end escort/sex workers name is the same at my sweet deceased grandma I'm happy to say I did not picture her face at all. I wasn’t really sure about this one at first but the more I read the better it got. Not at all what I normally read but once I got into it I really enjoyed it.Adele Parks goes fearlessly into worlds which others might balk at. She pulls it off every time. One Last Secret opened my eyes." - Jane Corry Dora is an escort, the oldest profession in the world. She is quite upfront about her career but after one client treats her horrifically her friend Evan, a trust fund baby, asks her to marry him and she says yes. However, one client begs her to do one last job which is to accompany him to France and fake a relationship and so she reluctantly agrees. What could possibly go wrong? Dora is a high priced escort. She knows at some point she needs to put this life behind her. And after her latest ‘date’ with a new client left her beaten and bruised, that time was now! Dora is an escort who has just gotten engaged and decided to leave her work in the past, when she gets a call from a former client for one last job at a beautiful chateau in the south of France. She has to play the role of Daniel's girlfriend. When Dora gets to the chateau, she realizes nothing is what it seems. She finds herself face-to-face with a man she has never forgotten, the one man who really knows her. As old secrets resurface, she realizes that one last secret could cost her her life.
Great Deal 
New Comment