What do you think?
36 Hours #17
My Secret Valentine
My Secret Valentine by Marilyn Pappano released on Dec 25, 2000 is available now for purchase.
256 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 2001
About the author
Marilyn Pappano
195 books125 followersAward-winning and bestselling author, international traveler, feted at a Hollywood premiere . . .
All true . . . but my regular life is a whole lot more routine. Deal with the five big puppers who share our house, babysit our grandson, battle the jungle that is our yard, pray for summer in winter and dream of winter in summer, and hunker down at the computer -- that's my real life.
I grew up in Oklahoma and had the fun of living in Georgia, Alabama, California and the Carolinas, thanks to my husband's Navy career. When he retired, we came home to Oklahoma and have lived in the same house for seventeen years. That's a real "Wow!" for someone used to the nomadic military life.
Writing was the perfect career for all that moving. Have computer, will travel. I've set books, or part of them, in every state we've lived in and been inspired by every place I've ever been. I've now written somewhere around 80 books, and I think I've got only about 8,000 stories left to tell.
My biggest hobby is starting new projects -- starting. Not completing. I'm still not done with the cross-stitched Army seal I started when our son joined out of high school. He did tours in Georgia, Colorado, Korea, Italy, Iraq, Afghanistan and Louisiana, and has been out for a few years. So I'm a little slow.
I like to think about getting organized, painting my living room in cool beachy colors, and turning my entire five-acre yard into a garden. I also dream about having every room in my house clean at exactly the same time, but I live by the motto of the woman who taught me to quilt: A clean house is the sign of a bored woman.
And I've never been bored.
All true . . . but my regular life is a whole lot more routine. Deal with the five big puppers who share our house, babysit our grandson, battle the jungle that is our yard, pray for summer in winter and dream of winter in summer, and hunker down at the computer -- that's my real life.
I grew up in Oklahoma and had the fun of living in Georgia, Alabama, California and the Carolinas, thanks to my husband's Navy career. When he retired, we came home to Oklahoma and have lived in the same house for seventeen years. That's a real "Wow!" for someone used to the nomadic military life.
Writing was the perfect career for all that moving. Have computer, will travel. I've set books, or part of them, in every state we've lived in and been inspired by every place I've ever been. I've now written somewhere around 80 books, and I think I've got only about 8,000 stories left to tell.
My biggest hobby is starting new projects -- starting. Not completing. I'm still not done with the cross-stitched Army seal I started when our son joined out of high school. He did tours in Georgia, Colorado, Korea, Italy, Iraq, Afghanistan and Louisiana, and has been out for a few years. So I'm a little slow.
I like to think about getting organized, painting my living room in cool beachy colors, and turning my entire five-acre yard into a garden. I also dream about having every room in my house clean at exactly the same time, but I live by the motto of the woman who taught me to quilt: A clean house is the sign of a bored woman.
And I've never been bored.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
July 26, 2011
I really enjoyed this book mainly because I felt the characters and their reactions were so real. ATF agent Justin Reed comes from a family which is financially wealthy but emotionally lacking, growing up he saw his parents constantly trading in a new spouse, falling in and out of love within days. The only stable and loving source in his was his aunt Golda. Six years ago Justin himself had a ten-day whirlwind romance with his aunt's neighbor Fiona. He promised to come back for her and love her but on coming back to the reality of his life, doubts and fear crept in and he didn't answer her calls or anything thinking she may be better off without him. So, when he receives a call his aunt is dead he goes.
When Fiona hears the news Justin is coming back she's not happy, she just hates him. He broke her heart and she begged him to come back and on top of that she felt he rejected their daughter Katy, so when he tries to talk to her, Fiona is rude and just walks away and tells him to leave. Then there is an explosion in her backyard and Katy is caught in it. Justin thinks Fiona is married and feels hurt some-how and follows her to the hospital when he learns differently asks her who is the father and thinks she may have been his if he had been stronger. Fiona tells him to mind his business and that anything to do with her is not his concern. At this point she starts having doubts that he doesn't know.
As it turns out Katy is traumatized and refuses to speak and then Justin uses his credentials to access her birth certificate and when he knows he's a father he's hurt and angry and confronts Fiona. Fiona tells him she called him and even shows him the proof, while he tells that two people in the world that mattered the most to him, his aunt and her, didn't really know him if they thought he could reject his kid.
There are a lot of angry words exchanged and Fiona is not always gracious and believing of what Justin says, after all he lied to her six years ago and shattered her heart but she does think that she should have tried harder and allows him to be around Katy. Justin on his part still loves her and thinks he may have lost Fiona forever.
There is a lot of emotion involved in the book, there is not much suspense, only the guy who Justin has been after for so long. I actually sympathized and liked all the characters and loved Fiona's family.
When Fiona hears the news Justin is coming back she's not happy, she just hates him. He broke her heart and she begged him to come back and on top of that she felt he rejected their daughter Katy, so when he tries to talk to her, Fiona is rude and just walks away and tells him to leave. Then there is an explosion in her backyard and Katy is caught in it. Justin thinks Fiona is married and feels hurt some-how and follows her to the hospital when he learns differently asks her who is the father and thinks she may have been his if he had been stronger. Fiona tells him to mind his business and that anything to do with her is not his concern. At this point she starts having doubts that he doesn't know.
As it turns out Katy is traumatized and refuses to speak and then Justin uses his credentials to access her birth certificate and when he knows he's a father he's hurt and angry and confronts Fiona. Fiona tells him she called him and even shows him the proof, while he tells that two people in the world that mattered the most to him, his aunt and her, didn't really know him if they thought he could reject his kid.
There are a lot of angry words exchanged and Fiona is not always gracious and believing of what Justin says, after all he lied to her six years ago and shattered her heart but she does think that she should have tried harder and allows him to be around Katy. Justin on his part still loves her and thinks he may have lost Fiona forever.
There is a lot of emotion involved in the book, there is not much suspense, only the guy who Justin has been after for so long. I actually sympathized and liked all the characters and loved Fiona's family.
Read
November 10, 2009the character that i love the best is fiona. fiona is a strong and courageous woman who take care of her child by herself. she waited for a man which made her pregnant, which promise her everything but he never came during six years. despite this situation she carried her baby educated her. many people in her place will confide her kid to another person but she did not do so. also because of the beauty of her soul she finally forbid the father of his child and they started a family together.
the most interest part of the story was when fiona was about to see the father of his child after six years of silence. i wqs wonder how she will behave and how the man will behave also. but they talk normally to each other as well educated people. they talked about the past bu fiona did not tell him about her daughter because she was still angry about his behavious six years ago. finally the man return to his town after the ceremony of death of his aunt, the cause of his visit to fiona town. far after they taked to each other and they got together.
the most interest part of the story was when fiona was about to see the father of his child after six years of silence. i wqs wonder how she will behave and how the man will behave also. but they talk normally to each other as well educated people. they talked about the past bu fiona did not tell him about her daughter because she was still angry about his behavious six years ago. finally the man return to his town after the ceremony of death of his aunt, the cause of his visit to fiona town. far after they taked to each other and they got together.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews