Marie Reviews 'Secrets' by Robin Jones Gunn

Secrets by Robin Jones Gunn

BOOK DESCRIPTION FROM AMAZON:

Jessica ran from her past...but can she hide from love?

Jessica Morgan wants desperately to forget the past and begin a new life. She chooses a small, peaceful town tucked away in Oregon’s Willamette Valley as the place to start over—Glenbrooke. Once there, Jessica conceals her identity from the intriguing personalities she meets—including the compassionate paramedic who desires to protect her and the jealous woman who wants nothing more than to destroy her.

Will Jessica’s deceit ruin all hope for the future? Or will she find a deeper peace that allows her to stop hiding the truth from those who love her most of all?

This heartwarming bestseller, book one in the Glenbrooke series, introduces the fascinating people of Glenbrooke in a compelling tale of romance and spiritual truth.


MY REVIEW:

The first book of the Glenbrooke series was an auspicious start. Jessica Morgan can only see one way to a future where she is not under her father's thumb, and it means running away from her past and starting over in small town Glenbrooke Oregon. She has arranged for a teaching job there, and thinks she will be completely happy. However, unfortunate events when she arrives in Glenbrooke make it a little more difficult than she had planned out. The man who hired her is in the hospital and unable to speak to her. She meets and befriends Kyle, a fireman – who has his own secrets that she helps him overcome – and Teri, a fellow teacher – who wants to help her form a new relationship with God. Her acting principal, Charlotte, is not so fond of her because she has Kyle's attention. She agrees to go on a trip to Mexico with the youth group to help build a church, and when faced with some prickly situations she finds her faith and surrenders herself to God. She begins to see hope for a relationship with Kyle, but he insists that she must resolve her issues of the past, and reveal her secrets to him in order to be together. Charlotte threatens she will dig until she finds out what Jessica is hiding. The clock is ticking until she actually uncovers what Jessica wants kept hidden, so she decides to beat Charlotte to the punch and face her past, confront her father, and build a future that is open, honest, and full of love.
I enjoyed the heartfelt story very much. It was uplifting and left you feeling good at the end. I would like to read the other books in the series to see Teri's and other stories unfold.
I was given a copy of this book for free in exchange for an honest review.

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Marie Reviews 'Gabe's Plan' by Andrew Stock

Gabe's Plan by Andrew Stock

DESCRIPTION FROM AMAZON:

Gabe Mapel is the young District Attorney of Pine Springs, Colorado--winter playground to the rich and famous. Gabe has long suffered from depression, but recently his mental health has gotten worse. He thinks a spirit from the past is telling him to grab fame and political power by prosecuting movie star Chad Tibbs for a crime he didn't commit. With a mark as rich and powerful as Chad, however, Gabe can't go it alone; he needs an accomplice...

Enter Kaila Eckman. Most mornings you can find Kaila steaming lattes at Mountain Java in downtown Pine Springs. But Kaila is not just another cute barista. She's a whip-smart Swarthmore grad with a very bright future. The only reason she's back in Pine Springs is because she has unfinished business with a boy: Gabe Mapel. Kaila has been in love with Gabe since she was a little girl. Unfortunately, to finally win his affection she'll have to seduce Chad Tibbs and falsely accuse him of doing terrible things.

MY REVIEW:

This novel started out going in one direction: I saw Gabe as an every day citizen, the town's district attorney, a fighter for right and good who was being harassed by some jerk celebrity. Wow, what a turn this story takes as it develops and reveals his psyche, mainly by his running mental dialogue. I got the sense that his mother was a little bit out there too. I was totally shocked by later actions of his brother, the local Sheriff. It is like you don't really know anyone in the book until the author reveals their true nature.
Some of the sexual content was dark, and even a little gross. I found some parts of the book were weird, but then, the details fit Gabe's personality once you got to know the real him. He was taking advice from a dead president – or at least he believed he was. His narcissistic tendencies and unfulfilled sense of grandeur lead him to do some pretty unthinkable deeds.
He starts out with the tiniest of good intentions, and feels that sacrificing actor Chad Tibbs in the process is okay. However, as things keep going wrong, he continues to go deeper into dark territory crossing the line from gray to black. Do the ends justify the means? Could he possibly get away with the whole snowballing mess in a small town? You'll be surprised with the twists an turns.

I found myself laughing out loud at points in this book – mostly when Gabe is having conversations with, or about, Abe Lincoln. Overall it was an entertaining read.

I was given this book for free in exchange for an honest review.

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Marie Reviews Shake, Rattle, and Haunt by Terri Grimes

Shake, Rattle And Haunt by Terri Grimes

BOOK DESCRIPTION ON AMAZON:

What do you do when a spirit that has a fondness for groping your girlie bits takes up residence in your home? Call your local Ghost Hunter, of course. After Gertie Sugarbaker gets over the fact that she had a drunken one-night stand with Sam Valentine, owner of Urban Ghost Hunters, they get down to business and try to cross the amorous entity into the light. Not an easy thing to do when the "ghost" is actually a third level demon, intent on dragging Gertie back to hell with him and making her his demon princess. To complicate matters even more, her deceased Grandmother pops in for a quick visit to tell her she’d been a demon hunter for the last fifty years of her life and now the mantle’s been passed to Gertie. Could her day get any worse?


MY REVIEW:

Cooky Spooky
I found the book to be a little goofy but entertaining. Grandma was a demon hunter - every other generation in the Sugarbaker family was - but dear old Granny failed to pass this info on to Gertie before she died. She shows up from beyond the grave to help get rid of this demon - that was freed into this realm when an earthquake loosened a religious medal from the wall that was holding a portal shut, trapping it in a lower realm.
If I had a demon living in my house that was ugly, smelly, inapproriately touching, and violent then I don't think I would be as calm as Gertie is. I also don't think I'd be having sex there either. But, so it was. I think Timmy was my favorite character, if not a little bit over the top, he still had me giggling a few times through the story. It was a quick, light read. Overall, okay.

I was given a copy of this book for free in exchange for an honest review.

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