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Jessica Keller

Author of The Ranger's Texas Proposal

18+ Works 135 Members 5 Reviews

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Works by Jessica Keller

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Rhett Jarrett never planned to come home to run the family business. Now that he's back, Macy Howell may challenge a lot of his plans. This was a great book with fantastic characters. As an added plus, there is a delightful dog named Kodiak that sealed the deal for me.

Elijah De La Rosa didn't love his ex-wife, Jazmine Daniels, like he should have. His alcoholism and fear of not being good enough because of his family destroyed everything he loved. Now, he's sober and runs into Jazmine . . . and his daughter that he never knew existed. While the plot could have been ho-hum, there was nothing of the sort in this book. I was rooting for this family who had their faith in God and in their love.… (more)
 
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Lcmcsr | Aug 25, 2022 |
Texas Ranger Heath Grayson is asked to investigate thefts at a boys ranch in Haven, Texas. (The same place his father was murdered fifteen years ago.) While he is there, he gets to know Josie Markham (a pregnant widow doing volunteer work at the boys ranch). Heath likes helping Josie around her ranch and he thinks she’s a kind and wonderful person, but he doesn’t want to get involved with anyone since his job is a dangerous one and he worries how his loved ones would cope if something happened to him (like his father, who also was a Texas Ranger). But can Heath resist Josie and the friendly people at the boys ranch?

This was a nice and pleasant read. I liked the main couple (Heath and Josie), and the boys at the ranch. I enjoyed the bit of mystery in the story with Heath still trying to solve his father’s long-ago murder. (Since they never found out who shot his dad). It was sweet how Heath got on with the boys at the ranch and how he was trying to teach them a bit about being a ranger. They all looked up to him. I also liked the surprise the boys had for Heath towards the end of the book. The story took place around Thanksgiving.

A heartwarming read by Jessica Keller.
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SandraLynne | 1 other review | Nov 28, 2021 |
Gabby Creed lives a normal life until the day she turns seventeen. That's the day a silver bracelet appears on her wrist and sucks her back in time. Stuck in the 1860's, she meets Michael Pace, who claims he and Gabby are Shifters. Unlike normal humans, Shifters have been chosen to preserve history and can be pulled to wherever in the timeline they're most needed. Of course, Gabby thinks he's crazy ... until he leads her through a portal into Keleusma, the refuge and training facility for Shifters. This stuff is real. The other Shifters are convinced she's not like them, maybe not even trustworthy, though no one will explain why. As she and Michael are pulled into one adventure after another, Gabby has to determine who she is, whom to trust, and where she belongs.

This well structured young adult fantasy manages to balance a breakneck pace with a character-driven plot. I'm not quite sure how the author pulled this off; it's not often a story develops with such speed yet remembers to put the characters first. Keller utilizes the first person, present tense voice that's become popular with young adult novels, but it never feels forced or pretentious here. I'm drawn into Gabby's predicament partly because her voice is so immediate--sardonic in some moments, vulnerable in others, but readable always.

The allegorical storyworld is one thing I look forward to discovering further in future books. We have the "higher power," Nicholas, who created the ability to time travel and mentally (spiritually?) "nudges" Shifters about what sort of mission they're on. We have the power aligned against him, Erik, who controls the Shades, creatures who were once Shifters but chose to serve Erik instead and now apparently still travel through time, feeding on human despair. As of the end of this first book, readers haven't met either Nicholas or Erik, but Michael and the others believe in both strongly enough to do what they perceive as Nicholas's bidding. Gabby's belief is still shaky at this point. I'm especially interested in how free will is going to play into this story, regarding the revelations about Gabby's mother and the question of Gabby's allegiance.

But the main thing that will bring me back for more of this series is the characterization. Keller's dialogue is natural and often quite fun. Her secondary characters are intriguing and/or endearing (especially Donovan and Lark), but mainly, of course, I'm in this for Gabby and Michael. They're great together, even when their occasional bickering makes me remind myself, They're teenagers; you can't expect them never to behave like teenagers.

Gabby can be impulsive and self-centered, but in the next minute, she's frustrated with herself for not seeing beyond herself. Her self-awareness is nicely rendered. Her motivations are well founded and heart-tugging--her loneliness, her feelings about her parents, her desire to belong in Keleusma if nowhere else.

Michael is a refreshing hero in the young adult genre, mainly because he's not broody. He's been through deep grief and still carries deep guilt, yet his prominent traits are his smile, his kindness, and his unselfish determination. He teases Gabby. He laughs. He rolls his eyes when she takes something too personally. Best of all, he isn't perfect. He's constantly deflecting Gabby's legitimate questions. He's crafted a persona with the other Shifters so he won't have to open up to them. His answer to difficult conversation is to walk away.

Together, Gabby and Michael are constantly pushing each other in all the right ways. She refuses to let him dodge with his communication. He yells at her for being impulsive and forces her to think things through. I look forward to the growth of this relationship.

This is Ms. Keller's first young adult novel, but you wouldn't know it. She has crafted here a delightful, sympathetic voice for her heroine, not one but two great lead characters, an intriguing storyworld, and a nonstop plot. I'm eagerly anticipating the second book in the TimeShifters Series.
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AmandaGStevens | Mar 2, 2019 |
Wow, what a great romance novel. It had just enough suspense, that it kept you guessing as to what would happen next. It had good clean romance. It also told of two people trying to find their way back to the Lord through hard ships they had experienced. I loved this story by Jessica Keller and would highly recommend it to others.
 
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Sandralb | 1 other review | Oct 31, 2016 |

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