Review: a heartwarming story
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 07 17, 2013
Title: Keeping Secrets In SeattleSeries: N/AAuthor: Brooke MossGenre: RomanceBlurb: Seattle hairstylist Violet Murphy always knew the day would come when her best friend Gabe Parker would want to settle down. She'd secretly wished it would be with her, but now that he's chosen someone else--the prim, perfect Alycia--he wants Vi to be his best man.Healing her broken heart isn't easy, but when Violet meets Landon Harlow, a man who isn't fazed by her funky style and less-than-delicate attitude, she takes a step in the right direction. Until Gabe's fiance's gorgeous facade begins to crack, and Violet's disturbing past comes back to haunt her, that is. Vi now finds herself armed with a series of lies that would break Gabe's heart--and his engagement--if he knew their truth, and a secret from their childhood that could change everything.With the wedding looming, her relationships unraveling, and the bachelor party of the century to plan, Violet must choose between a fresh start with Landon, or confronting her painful past and risking it all for a chance at a future with Gabe.Thoughts: This a great heartfelt novel about two friends who have grown up together and have been in love with each other for years. Although this book is a pleasant surprise from the genre - it is not so easily pigeon-holed as you would expect. I went into the book with your typical expectation of this type of storyline - girl has crush on boy, girl finally realizes she needs to over on because it's a relationship that's never going to happen, boy wakes up and realizes his feelings for girl, they get married, the end. And for the most part, that is exactly what happened - but this book has so much more depth than that!Violet Murphy is your typical quirky, fun-loving heroine, who is happy being who she is. She's not a paper-thin model and she has enough sass to let you know it! She's been in love with her best friend for years, and she's finally worked up the nerve to tell him so! Before she can drop her bombshell however, Gabe drops a bombshell of his own - that he's engaged to Alycia, his supposed ex-girlfriend! Brokenhearted, Violet sets aside her feelings and becomes best 'man' for her best friend, valiantly ignoring her own personal dislike of his fiancée. She decides that she needs to move on with her life, and even gets involved with a new love, Landon (for which I am eagerly hoping gets a book of his own!).In the meantime, while involved with all the wedding hoopla, Violet learns through one of the bridesmaids in the wedding that Alycia is not all she is cracked up to be. So what is a best friend to do?....snoop, of course! Violet and her team of eclectic friends visit the hometown of Alycia and dig up some dirt! But even when things fall apart for the engaged couple, there are still secrets from their childhood pasts that come back to threaten their happiness. They both have to work through a tragic event that happened in their past, one that brings you almost to tears, and it brings a touching depth of emotion to the story.My only issue with the story is the lack of connection I felt between Gabe and Violet in the beginning. While you feel for Violet and the plight she finds herself in, you are mostly rooting for Violet to get out of the whole situation that she finds herself in, and you want her to find true happiness somewhere else - with someone who seems to love her beyond a friendship level. While there are a few hints that Gabe feels the same way, you just don't seem to 'connect' with his character, especially in a way that you would expect to for the main male character. However, by the end of the book, this is remedied as you watch him struggle through the events that happened in Violet's history, and you are able to see his love for Violet. And his pain at what happened to her. I just wish we could have achieved a little more depth to his character from the beginning. I think most people will find themselves rooting a little more for Landon than for Gabe - at least in the beginning.All in all, a very heartwarming story about true love between friends that you won't want to miss!Rate: B+Review by: Sarah[...]