WINNIE'S REVIEW:
“One person’s baggage could be someone else’s blessing.”
Camille Eide has penned a beautiful and poignant novel that pulled me a little bit out of my comfort zone but left me awed and inspired by its thought-provoking messages of hope, grace, and forgiveness. Although some of the topics touched on are sensitive in nature, Eide deals with them compassionately and carefully.
“Grace was a bridge that says I love you no matter what.”
The characters are multi-layered, realistically-flawed, and colorful, and the story drew me in from the first and kept me riveted to the end. Several twists and turns added surprise and suspense to the tale. I loved the growth in Josie as she came to realize that we can’t control the actions and feelings of others, even though it hurts us and tears us apart. We have to forgive and move on as best we can.
“. . . sometimes we can get ourselves stuck in a bitter rut because we can’t forgive people for not being who we need them to be.”
I’d recommend this book to those who enjoy deep, thought-provoking, and inspirational stories that touch the heart. I can always count on Camille Eide for a beautiful tale that resonates with me. 4.5 stars.
*I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy. All opinions are my own.
KIM'S REVIEW:
The Secret Place by Camille Eide is headed straight for my keeper shelf! I’m sure it will be one of my top reads of 2021 and it is a story I’ll definitely read again! I really loved everything about it!
I’m very picky about female main characters, so it’s hard for me to find ones that I love, but I seriously loved Josie! While this story could’ve been too heavy, the writing style and Josie’s witty inner dialogue, which was hilarious at times, really balanced things out perfectly! And Will...sigh...what a great character and what a great romantic lead! He was perfect for Josie! I loved their relationship and his relationship with Kennedy.
In addition to the romance, there were so many wonderful secondary characters, complicated relationships and histories, and twists I just didn’t see coming. I was so sure that some things couldn’t possibly work out the way I wanted them to, but where there is God and forgiveness, all things are possible!
This is such a great story. I highly recommend it! All the stars! Is it too soon for a reread?
*I received a complimentary copy of this book. All opinions are my own. The faith thread is medium.
Josie Norris became an instant mommy when her twin sister Nadine handed over her newborn son and vanished. What Josie saw as a temporary arrangement grew into a mother-son bond too deep to uproot. But with her irrational sister threatening to steal him back, Josie has been living the last few years with Kennedy in hiding, afraid to go home.
When Aunt Libby—the only person who knows the truth about Kennedy—suffers a traumatic head injury, Josie rushes to her McKenzie River home to help Gram care for the woman who raised her. But not only is Libby’s injury causing family secrets to spill, it’s forcing Josie to see the women in her life in a new light.
Will—a ranger who Kennedy adores and who Josie is determined not to—is desperate to help the woman who has stolen his affections. But can Josie ever truly be authentic with the man she loves? With her son’s fate hanging in the balance, she is faced with the choice to risk everything she loves in order to bridge the most impossible gulfs.
In this story of mothers, daughters, and sisters, Josie must find the grace to forgive people for not being who she needed them to be…and the courage to surrender her fears to the God who has never once left her side.
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