Secrets

This was a good book with a nice Christian basis and a good mystery to be solved. The main character, Lance, is on a quest to help his aging and ailing Nonna Antonia, but he doesn't know exactly what it is she wants him to do or how to go about finding out since she is unable to tell him after a stroke leaves her unable to communicate well. He travels across the world to meet with a cousin he doesn't know to find out more and then ends up moving across the country from the Bronx, NYC, to Sonoma, CA because of information he was able to garner. He knows where his quest begins, but where will it end? He is confident his faith will see him through and that God has His hand on him through his journey. What he isn't bargaining for is the show more headstrong and tough-as-nails owner of the home he must find out more about in order to help his Nonna. Rese is a woman who has been through so many struggles in her young life and she isn't looking for any more when along comes Lance and his charming ways, amazing cooking, musical ability, and good looks. Rese is sure she can resist his charms, but is that what God has in mind for her even if she doesn't believe in Him? The next-door neighbor, elderly and ailing Evvy, is another piece in the puzzle of Lance's search for answers, and she charms him as much as he charms others. The story was a bit slow to start but then picked up to a good pace. The characters are good, but some are a bit irksome at times, a bit too much of a caricature. Some of the interactions are the same, which made the book a bit less enjoyable at times. Overall, it's a nice story. show less

Slow and confusing to start but, about halfway through the storyline, characters and dialogue really picks up. I like the stark contrast with each of the characters all so different, yet all seeking the same thing - love and acceptance.

Since the three main characters (Lance, Rese, and Evvy) are introduced separately and none of their stories seemed particularly compelling, at first, I wasn't too sure about this book. then, I realized that Lance is an ancestor of Quillan and Carina Shepherd whose trilogy by Heitzmann I read last year and my interest was piqued. I could identify with Rese feeling like she needed to be strong and stoic. I could also identify with Lance's heart-to-help getting him into trouble.

Twenty-seven-year-old Lance Michelli and his Nonna have a deep connection in Secrets, Book one of Kristen Heitzmann's Michelli Family Series. That's why when Nonna has a stroke and can no longer talk, Lance is still able to understand something of what she wants. It has to do with righting a family wrong--a mission that takes him eventually from New York to Sonoma California and the estate that the family once owned.

Twenty-four-year-old Rese Barrett has recently bought that property and is renovating it as only this female protege of a construction-company-owning-father knows how. She is going to turn it into a B&B--her last renovation project ever. Though her deep love for working with wood hasn't lessened, it's too painful to continue show more in the line of work that so brutally snatched her dad.

Lance manages to convince Rese to hire him on as a cook, entertainer (he's also a musician), and jack-of-all trades in helping to finish the reno. With full run of the property, he unearths all kinds of family-related baggage but not before his relationship with Rese develops way beyond what he planned.

For her part, Rese is a tough nut to crack, but once charmer Lance has her in his spell, she becomes an unwitting temptress, challenging Lance's Christian standards on more than one occasion.

The book is beautifully written. The characters are complex and loveable despite their faults. Lance struggles with his Christian faith in a believable way but is a truly warm, caring guy, even though the fallout from his lack of limits in some areas (there is a lot of kissing and other touching) seems to surprise him.

The questions still unanswered at the end of Secrets make the description of Unforgotten (Book 2 in the series) awfully inviting: "Unforgotten returns ... to the Belmont neighborhood of the Bronx where Nonna Antonia hopes to find peace. Instead she learns that what she thought she knew was only a shadow of the truth..."

Secrets was a free Kindle download. As of this writing, it's still free, so go and check it out! show less

At first, I have to say that I didn't like the way the book started out, and it was confusing at times with the start of each chapter as far as whose point of view was being explored. I had high hopes for the book being that I liked the last book I read by Kristen Heitzmann, and so I held on to see if it would get any better. Fortunately it did, and then it sped up. I did feel like part of the plot was drawn out too much, the characters too intense, and almost annoying. But once it did pick up, the plot smoothed out and became more exciting.

In Secrets, Lance is sent on a mission for his grandmother. With her in the hospital and recovering from a stroke, he's hard-pressed to help her, and would do anything for her. The only wrinkle to show more his plan is meeting Rese, and having to befriend her to get what he wants. It doesn't help that she's a prickly construction gal whose idea of living doesn't involve letting people get too close. With the secrets they both are keeping, though, it's anyone's guess as to whose plans will unravel first. I am already on to the next book in this trilogy so I can see what happens to them next! show less

This first in the Michelli Family series makes me want to read more in the series; nevertheless, the book itself feels somewhat like "Star Wars: Episode 4" when you read it. There is so much that has transpired before the book takes place that you feel as though you are reading the middle of the series. I'm curious as to whether further books in the series take me back to the middle of Prohibition in the Sonoma Valley so I can find out what happened that led to the current scenario: a sick grandmother, a loving but sometimes confused and alienated grandson, a lost young woman desperately seeking to find her future in an enterprise doomed to failure if she doesn't enlist help. I found the book compelling, but leaving me with many questions.

A good story and well written. I liked the way that the author made the characters so real - Lance's dilemma of wanting to do God's will but not knowing what exactly needs to be done is so true. I could definitely relate to the problem of having a few options and needing to determine which one I am going to do first. We don't always get the answers we want but as long as we trust Him things eventually work out the way they should