His Secret: The Secret Series

By: Gina A. Jones

Narrated by: Tracy Marks

Length: 10 hrs and 24 mins

Publisher's Summary

Welcome to the carnal world of...His Secret

Young and innocent, Julia Ellis has no idea what awaits her at the manor, where she is to become the nanny for Mr. Jonas Fairbanks, a ruthless, yet devastatingly handsome entrepreneur. Julia's only plan is to earn enough money to fund her studies of French cuisine in Paris.

Julia falls in love with little Sidney, the 10-year-old daughter of Jonas, but can't help noticing the peculiar way the towns people talk of the little girl. An omen. The devil's spawn.

Sidney is not the only young girl who will be groomed at the home of Mr. Fairbanks. What was taught as sinful, now, clouds her moral judgment of right and wrong. Julia fights with her innocence, giving into lust and a world all new to her. She loses all control, when she can no longer deny her attraction to Jonas. But no matter how much she feels love for this man, hidden deep in the house, tell a different story of his past...and what he's capable of.

©2017 Gina A Jones (P)2017 Gina A Jones

Twists and Turns abound!

Where does His Secret: The Secret Series rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

This is one of the top audiobooks I have listened too.

Who was your favorite character and why?

I like Julia because of her innocence, but I also liked the growth of Jonas

Have you listened to any of Tracy Marks’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

Yes, I have. Tracy does a wonderful job.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

When the tangled web of Secrets are undone, no one will be untouched!!

Any additional comments?

I waited to write this review until I listened to the second book in the series, Her Secret. I felt the first book left several unanswered questions and I wasn't sure how I felt about that. But all is revealed in book 2. The author Gina Jones has told an intricately woven tale with may of the lines twisting and turning together. As the secret starts to unravel, the reader is left with questions and wanting answers. The book ends with a cliffhanger that will take your breath away. But don't worry! Gina has a plan and your questions will be answered!!!!

4 people found this helpful

Perfect in every devious way

Tracy is flawless. I'm pretty sure she wakes up in the morning feeling like a total voice vixen ready to slay the day. She narrates with such authority and passion. It really doesn't get any better than this.

Tracy has this magical way of dancing over words especially with dialogue. When she flows through dialogue, she's unparalleled. She can be raspy, she can be sweet. Her vocal range is out of this world. She truly is captivating in the way she embodies characters and emotions. I can't get enough of this woman!

Book Review:

I haven't related to a female protagonist in a long time, friends. So long, in fact, that I can't even remember the last time I read a book and said, "Oh dang, I would have done that!"

Until Julia came along.

Julia is so sweet and innocent. My goodness, it's refreshing to read a book with this kind of life. Watching Julia meander through life under this veil of purity makes me anxious! It's unlike anything I've read before!

Julia’s dream is to go to culinary school in Paris, but in order to do this, she needs to get a job, and—I dunno—actually move forward with her life. She’s static and these dreams are boiling inside her.

She makes a bold move to take a nanny job. Our sweet Julia was orphaned at a young age, so it’s no surprise she feels this desire to nurture children. Agg. My heart. There are so many layers to this woman.

Speaking of layers…the man she works for is quite…complicated. Jonas and his daughter, Sidney, live in the same house (obviously), but he’s not often present. Sidney is practically on her own emotionally and physically. Thanks, pops.

But Julia sees more to Jonas than he sees in himself. The beauty of her character is that she’s so kind and forgiving, but golly, Jonas Fairbanks is a man unworthy of love! Even his daughter calls him by his first name!

What is a woman supposed to do with an unlovable man? Love him.

Slowly, Julia eats away the walls around Jonas.

--
"The bike is now ascending closer, and the memory of his chest against my cheek triggers a response somewhere deep inside me."
--

Whoop! Julia fights her desire, but she's not going to be able to keep this up for more longer.

Jonas is a mystery from start to finish. There are things that happen in his household that Julia can't quite put together. He's devilishly swoony, complex, and Julia can't help but see potential in him that doesn't quite exist yet. Light, dark. Pure, tainted. How can two people so far apart on the spectrum of right and wrong be perfect for each other?

And ri-i-ight when I'm drooling and getting that juju I crave, the audiobook ends. Stop. It. Right. NOW. I'm lucky I didn't have a heart attack!

Thank the sweet mother of this Earth that I've got Book #2 plugged in and ready to go. Let's do this.

3 people found this helpful

🎧AudiobookObsession

Wow!!! This book is fan-freaking-tastic! It is the perfect mix of romance, suspense and mystery. It leaves you guessing the whole time on the edge of your seat. Gina has given us sweet romance, great characters, and a plot straight out of the movies! I have loved every second of it!

Tracy Marks does a fantastic job of narrating this one. Her performance brings these characters to life and keeps you emersed in this wonderful mystery. Great job!

🎧AudiobookObsession

3 people found this helpful

It could have been a contender. . .

I really wanted to like this book. I tried so hard, in fact I started and stopped several times. I'm baffled by all of the stellar reviews. I was really disappointed.

The story line had potential. However, I had a hard time with the narrator. Her tempo/cadence was wrong. It didn't flow well at all. It felt forced, not natural. Kind of breathy at times. It reminded me of a breathy female Christopher Walken.

I also felt like the character development was flat. The main character made these random assumptions without any real proof. An example was when she assumed the woman responding to her mid-west nanny ad was Irish because her last name was O'Shea. Then she started assuming the job was in Ireland. Seriously? Why would you think that? People have all types of last names in the U.S. That's not unusual. . . Another forced and ridiculous moment is when she buys the little girl a horse after one day! She knows nothing about horses and decides to purchase one (for $500 mind you) sight unseen. Ugh, it goes on and on.

Like I said before, it could have been good, If the story was developed better and with a different narrator.

#audiobookobsession

1 person found this helpful

boring & slow

the narrator sounded winded or something hard to listen to. I only got thru the 4th chapter..seemed like a high school story, but with less excitement.

1 person found this helpful

I recommend!

Don’t let the low stars fool you, this is definitely worth a read. There are just a few things I think potential readers need to know. Firstly, I hate the dialogue in this book. It’s so unnatural and really just took me out of the story. I rolled my eyes so much.

Secondly, Julia is such an annoying character. For one thing, she’s so dumb. I guess it’s just part of her character to be the type of girl who would fall for this kind of thing, but it was very frustrating to sit through. Like so many red flags and she just turns a blind eye because he whips out his manhood and throws money at her. Like, it’s excruciating. I had to listen at 2.5x speed or I wouldn’t have been able to endure to the end. I just really wanted to finish because I wanted answers. Be warned, you will get almost no answers which is fine with me, because I can just read the next book, but I know a lot of people hate that.

Another thing I had trouble with was how much Julia is built up to be this religious person who values modesty and Christian principles. But she then does a complete 180 pretty much over night with no internal conflict over it. With no thought at all really. That is the most unrealistic thing about this story and the thing that took me out of the story the most.

The whole premise of this story is another thing I hate. Nanny starts banging the dad like a week after they meet and the child is totally okay with it. The dad is like just flaunting his half-chub and getting physical with this virtual stranger right in front of his daughter?! What the heck?! Totally inappropriate and weird and really just unrealistic. I mean I know he was supposed to be a bad father, but Julia is supposed to be a great nanny, and she had no qualms with it either.

But, for all the faults I find with this story, I have to say I really liked it and will be downloading the next one as soon as I finish this review. Gina did an excellent job creating this mystery and capturing my interest. I just had to finish the book. The anticipation was driving me up the wall! The story is well paced and all the little clues were given with excellent timing to keep me listening. I definitely recommend this! I just hope the next book gives me the answers I’m dying for.

Tracy Marks was not great. She’s not terrible, but I know a different narrator would have made me liked the book more. She has an odd way of speaking and her male voice is just...not good. Listening at a higher speed helped a lot.

1 person found this helpful

🎧Audiobook Obsession 🎧

I couldn't put it down. I love a good romantic suspense and this book didn't disappoint. Felt like I was watching a movie without missing anything. I spend almost the entire book in knots trying to figure out what was going on. Just when I think yes! this is it, that happens, then it ends. Not cool Gina, so not cool. Tracy what can I say, you were exceptional as usual. Now on to book 2. I'm kicking myself for waiting so long to listen to this series.

1 person found this helpful

Ok

This book was very slow to into it. The narrator just didn’t make me believe in the story at all . I gave it my all just couldn’t finish.

1 person found this helpful

Really Wanted To Like This Story

Truthfully, I've put off writing a review because I wasn't sure how to compose my thoughts. I had a difficult time listening to the book as I couldn't connect with the narrator's voice and wasn't sure that it really worked for this type of story. I wanted to be intrigued and to enjoy the "carnal" nature of the story but I found it difficult. I love a strong male character but I couldn't really connect with Jonas and I wanted Julia to be more certain of her actions. I understand the difficulty of balancing basic human desires with a religious upbringing, but the guilt factor she felt made it hard for me to fully enjoy the story. I wish I'd liked this story more as the positive reviews it received were what made me want to listen to it, however, I had a hard time committing to finishing the story.

1 person found this helpful

OMG, can't wait for the next installment!!

Where does His Secret: The Secret Series rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?
Since this is part of a series with cliffhanger, is hard to give an honest answer. However, I did like and enjoyed it!

Who was your favorite character and why?
Julia and Jonas the same.

Have you listened to any of Tracy Marks’s other performances before? How does this one compare?
Tracy Marks is one of my favorite narrators and each performance is unique. Performance: 4.5

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?
I don't like cliffhangers, so I rather wait until the series is complete to give you a fair answer!!

I really loved and enjoyed this intense, engaging, suspenseful and fantastic story full of twists and turns. Expect the unexpected!!

1 person found this helpful

A delightfully suspenseful and erotic beginning!

This book will keep you guessing and on the edge of your seat the whole way through! A twisted tale of deceit, betrayal and a budding romance between two people that couldn't be more different!

The narrator does a wonderful job bringing this story to life. Giving each character their own voice and personality until you are lost in the story. I can't wait to see what the next book holds!

#audiobookobsessionreviewer

1 person found this helpful

loved it!

This book had it all, Love, Intrigue and Sex. it kept me guessing with its twists and turns and left me dangling from its cliffhanger ending gagging for book 2! Tracey Marks narrated beautifully and brought the characters alive ... I loved this book!

1 person found this helpful

Book 1

His Secret by Gina A. Jones is the First book in "The Secret" Series. This is the story of Julia Ellis and Jonas Fairbanks. Just an FYI -This book does end with a cliffhanger.

1 person found this helpful

Great beginning, full of intrigue

This was a great story full of intrigue and secrets that you know are going to come out but you aren't quite sure what they are! I felt the story started a little slow but it made you fall in love with Julia and some of the side characters so I think the gradual build was necessary to keep you invested. I will say that you don't get the answers to any of your questions in this book so you will definitely need to listen on to the next story in this series otherwise it will drive you mad! There was just enough balance to the romance and sexy bits for me in relation to the story. Tracy Marks did a fantastic job of bringing all the characters voices to life with a bit of drama in all the right places! Can't wait to listen to the next one now.

1 person found this helpful

WOW this is absolutely amazing!!

This is the first book that I have had from this author so I didnt know what to expect but the WOW in the title pretty much covers it!!!
ITS TOTALLY CAPTIVATING!!!
I stayed up till the early hours of the morning to finish it!!!!
Stunning story which grabs you from the very first word and doesnt let you go until the last, and you will still be begging for more.
Wonderful characters and a storyline which has you mystified and intrigued!!
Seriously treat yourself to this book - you wont regret it!! Warning it is a cliff hanger!!
Brilliantly narrated!!!

1 person found this helpful

Good but predictable

First book by this author.

This book was a bit wishy washy it didn’t have a solid plot imo for awhile. Not an original plot either. But I listened to the audiobook and enjoyed it. The narrator made the story.

Great storyline

I was conflicted in the begin and didn’t want to finish the book. I kept on going and find the story is interesting even thou there are certain things that for my eyes rolling couple of time. Julia is a smart girl but she sometimes contradicting and stupid. Liked what kind of Nanny would buy a house for the kid on her first day of work without asking the dad if it’s okay? Going over to a stranger house on the first day and getting drunk while she’s at work? Tells a stranger things that should not be told. Those kinds of things are annoying but if I over look them, it’s actually pretty good. Tracy Marks did an excellent job at narrating. She has a very soft and soothing voice.

Good story

Decent story. Well written, narration was good. I believe I've listened to this same narrator, under a different name, she's not my favorite, but still does a good job, regardless. Would recommend.

4 stars

This is my first read by Gina and I've heard nothing but good things about this series. Wow, this had a huge build up and honestly I can only say continue to the end because you'll only then want to pick up the next book in the trilogy. So many questions and trying to figure out where the story is going! Tracy did a great job narrating.

#AudiobookObsessionReviewer

A Whirlwind Of Emotions

Wow. This book was a whirlwind of emotions, I was so confused not knowing what to think, what to believe, who to believe.. I loved every minute of it!

Julia is so innocent and trusting. I love how much her and Sidney instantly love each other. Their relationship warmed my heart in so many ways. I was so confused by the way the town talked about Sidney and how she was a devil spawn and she was "beautiful despite everything." I hope the answers are to come in book two.

Jonas was a mystery from the very beginning, he was hot and wonderful yet distant and secretive. He was a conundrum, a very interesting part of the story. His secrets knew no ends and his mystery was addictive.

This book was one I couldn't walk away from, I was hooked. I had to know what was going to happen next!