Her Secret

Gina A Jones has created this story with so many lies, so much deception and Jonas Fairbanks has woven it all together to hold on to the naive Julia Ellis. Julia clings to it all, making excuses for her doubt. She so wants the truth for herself and the innocent Sidney who is in the middle of this suspense filled mystery.
Will move on to the Secret Enemy to hopefully get answers.

Her Secret (The Secret Series #2), my second read from author Gina A. Jones and the second in the Secret Series. Well-written and intriguing fiction, 300 pages but reads longer with all the detail written into it. I was been given an Authors Direct copy of this book & am voluntarily reading & reviewing it. The narration adds to the book’s enjoyment. On to Secret Enemy (The Secret Series #3). (RIP Marley January 20, 2014 – July 24, 2018).

Gina A. Jones has written a book that is full of secrets, betrayals, kidnappings, twists, and turns. This book will have you from the first word spoken until the last word. You will not be able to stop listening to this until the end. You would think things are at an end but it is just starting at the end of book 2. I would recommend this book to anyone.
Tracy Marks did a 5-star job of narrating this book.

Her Secret continues right where the first book ended. Questions were answered and new ones arose and you will not be able to put this down. With all the betrayal, surprises and twists and turns, you will be hooked until the very end. I enjoyed this fascinating story and all the new characters introduced. I loved the change in location. The steamy scenes were even hotter in this book and the cliff hanger ending even more brutal. Julia’s naivety really frustrated me in the story but I can’t wait to start the next book.
I listened to the audible version of this novel which was narrated by Tracy Marks. Again she did an amazing job with the characters portrayal and really brought the story to life. I enjoyed listening to her.
Her Secret was a great continuation to this series. It was a gripping, engrossing page-turner. I loved it and would highly recommend it to all lovers of Romantic Suspense/Mystery.
#AudiobookObsessionReviewer

More Secrets, More Greatness!!

Her Secret
The Secret Series, Book 2
By: Gina A. Jones
Narrated by: Tracy Marks
Series: The Secret Series, Book 2

Consider me Wowed!! This is a great continuation of “The Secret” Series and Jonas and Julia’s journey. As plots thicken there are more twists and storylines that keep you wondering. Gina A. Jones knows how to capture the readers attention and keep it there to the very end. I am looking forward to the next in the series “Secret Enemy” Thank you for another awesome read!!

I listened to the Audible edition, Tracy Marks once again delivers a fabulous performance. She brings the characters and story to life from the pages to your ears. Thank you for the great listen.

Julia Goes To Paris To Start Culinary School And Get Over Jonah, Keeping A Big Secret From Him. When He Reappears, He Finds He Has Competition As Danger Lurks.

This dark romantic mystery will keep your attention throughout and have you reaching for the final installment of the trilogy! There is a hint of the supernatural woven into it – a blind woman, a near-death experience, the dreams, etc. This is the second book in The Secret trilogy.

Julia Ellis, twenty-one, returns to the DeLuca family in Warsaw, Indiana after having her heart shredded by business mogul Jonas Fairbanks. She had fallen in love with the mysterious widower and single dad in spite of herself. When she first accepted the job as a nanny, he had been a largely absent and emotionless father. His relationship with his daughter, ten year old Sydney, was practically non-existent. He had left her to be raised by a string of nannies while he travelled extensively for business. He transformed, though. He began to take responsibility for his daughter’s emotional well-being. He began to love, and he had loved Julia. But the day after his proposal he introduced her to his wife. And his wife happened to be Erin, the one and only friend Julia had made in Fort Wayne. So she returned home to the family that adopted her, broken and withdrawn.

Three months later, Julia hardly sleeps. She cries each night and is withering away, unable to keep food down. Although she doesn’t believe she could ever forgive Jonas, she feels empty and sad that he has not reached out to her with an apology. Her guilt for leaving Sydney weights most heavily on her. Finally, she seeks counseling. Her counselor suggests that Julia move forward and do something for herself. Jonas had gifted her tuition to a French culinary school to help her fulfill her dream of studying French cuisine as well as a B&B that they hoped to live in together after she finished her education. At her therapist’s suggestion, Julia decides to enroll for classes. Before she leaves, however, she learns the cause of her incessant nausea. She is pregnant. Her religious family is very supportive of her and they promise to visit her in Paris once the baby is born. Given Jonah’s lies and his history as a father, Julia decides not to share her pregnancy news with him.

In the airport she sees Jonas and Sydney on the news. In a press conference, Jonah thanks the authorities for their help in returning his daughter, Sydney, who had been kidnapped by her mother, Genevieve Fairbanks, after breaking her house arrest and kidnapping Sydney. They had been in hiding for three months before Sydney got away. Julia’s heart breaks as some her doubts disappear, but Jonah had not chosen to contact her in all that time to explain himself and she needed to move forward for herself.

En route to Paris Julia meets another young, good looking bachelor. Luke McCarthy, from Nebraska, attaches himself to her. He says he will be in Paris working for Sanofi for one year. He as a degree in chemical and biological engineering and designs drugs for top pharmaceutical companies. Little things about him remind her of Jonah, but as attractive as he is, she does try to get rid of him repeatedly. Her attempts are unsuccessful, though, and by chance she ends up living with him.

When Jonah appears one day and sees her baby bump, Julia is touched by his sentiment until she remembers all his lies and that he hadn’t contacted her in many months. So when Luke appears at her side she takes the opportunity to hurt him back. She claims Luke as her boyfriend and says that the baby is not Jonah’s.

Jonah and Julia are both damaged in this book. Julia’s life in small town Indiana hardly prepares her for what lies ahead in Paris. She is young and naïve. She still lacks the sophistication to detect lies and manipulation, so she is vulnerable. She makes mistakes and comes across as weak. Julia struggles with the lies Jonah told. So much pain might have been avoided had he been honest with her. Jonah feels abandoned. He had asked Julia for her trust, begged her never to leave him, and yet she ran without hesitation when his crazy soon-to-be ex-wife had appeared. But the hurt and betrayal doesn’t stop there. They continue to hurt one another as they avoid coming to terms with their feelings. They both keep secrets.

But this story is also a mystery. The supernatural clues foretell of tragedy. The blind woman that sees returns, as do the little girl and little boy that appear in Julia’s dreams. As the story comes to a cliffhanger ending, there are several characters that are under suspicion. Julia’s friend Rebecca, Alma (the cook), Stacia (the new nanny), Luke, and Doctor Carmichael all have the opportunity to do the unthinkable.

This dark romantic mystery will keep your attention throughout and have you reaching for the final installment of the trilogy! There is a hint of the supernatural woven into it – a blind woman, a near-death experience, the dreams, etc. Several questions arise during the story, and many remain at the close of this book. Jonas appears to have more secrets, and the supporting characters seem to have secrets as well. Jenna, or Genevieve, plays a role in this book and will undoubtedly play a big role in the final book.

There are a few minor issues that merit mention. *Spoilers* Most relate to Julia’s character. Her relative innocence perhaps excuses some of it; she does eventually seem to overcome these weaknesses. First, Julia had promised to trust Jonah, but hadn’t heard him out. She promised not to leave, but did. He proposed and gifted her the inn and the tuition, demonstrating his commitment to her, yet it did nothing to give her pause. Second, she foolishly allowed herself to be in a vulnerable situation with a charming and motivated man. She knew she should have left but did not. Third, she foolishly gave into feelings with Luke when she had known she still loved Jonas. Finally, she selfishly kept her pregnancy and then Jonas’s paternity a secret, which was completely unfair to Jonah. As for Jonah’s character, it is difficult to accept that he would have set her up as he did. It seems to go against his character and his possessive nature.

Julia’s romance with Jonas is steeped in mystery. The couple has wonderful chemistry despite the secrets and lies. Their story is nicely written and is plot-driven. The plot is very complex. The characters are nicely developed, but to preserve the mystery there are gaps. It is written in first person primarily in Julia’s POV, with several chapters in Jenna’s POV, third person, I rate this book 4.5 stars.

Audiobook: Upon being reunited, Jonah continues his controlling manner – which backfires on multiple occasions. On one hand, it’s understandable. On the other, Julia’s naivete and lack of consistently standing up for herself makes me want to pull out my hair. Some secrets are revealed in the early parts of this installment while other lies and secrets are created and buried or slowly revealed. The crazy doesn’t end here. The cliffhanger, while expected that this would be it, the who isn’t clear. It’s a real whodunit! The narration is good.

This is not a stand alone, so you have to read His Secret first. There’s also a third book in the secret series after this one.

I actually liked the first 2.5 hours of this one better than the first book, and after that I remembered why I didn’t really like Jonas’s character. There are actually a lot of similarities between the conflict/tension in the first and second books, so if you liked the first book you will probably like the second one. Her Secret contains more information about the beginning of His Secret. It actually made me want to go back to listen to the start of the first book again, though I haven’t yet as I want to finish the third book first.

I listened to the Audible version. Tracy Mark’s narration is very good.

#AudiobookObsession.

I’m reviewing the audio version of this book. I listened to the first book in this series and was getting a little frustrated. This book makes the story much better. There are more elements and twists thrown in and so much I didn’t see coming. Jonas again seems more strange than likable. Julia just can’t seem to make up her mind about him. Common sense doesn’t seem to be a deciding factor with her. Then there are the added characters who bring so much to the story. I am now anxious to see how the story plays out. I loved Love, Michael and was concerned for this story but hopefully when all comes together it will be as good as that was. Again there just seems to me the narrator is more unemotional than the story but it might be me. I received a free copy from Story Origin who introduced me to this author and the review is entirely my opinion.