Gabby Revealed by Amy Gregory…Blog Tour Stop & Review

Welcome to my stop on the Gabby Revealed Blog Tour!

Title: Gabby Revealed (Finding Perfect #2)

Author: Amy Gregory

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Publication Date: March 25, 2014

Event Organized By: Literati Author Services, Inc.

Synopsis

Gabby James didn’t have the idyllic childhood many in her little hometown of Renlend, Kansas had. High school was a living hell, but when she graduated she couldn’t bring herself to leave Renlend. The town was her prison, but her family’s bookstore, The Looking Glass, was her one true love. It was the place she could run to, and escape the prying eyes of the ones who taunted her.

Shane Compton was a literary agent in one of the most prestigious publishing houses in New York City. He found no greater rush than finding the next big talent, someone who could take the written word and turn it into an art form. In the span of one rude phone call Shane was drawn into the mystery of just who the fiery new author from Kansas was. When everyone else in the office refused to deal with her, Shane willingly accepted the challenge. There was no logic to the madness, but every time he had contact with her, she drove him wild.

Gabby tried every trick in the book to keep Shane at arm’s length, but he had made good on his promise to come to Kansas. He wanted to pull her out of anonymity, he wanted her in the public eye. Now here he stood, on the sidewalk in front her bookstore, and one look told her he was everything she was afraid he’d be. Too bad she was anything but who he thought she was.

Gabby quickly discovers Shane has more on his mind than just books and with a little help from an ornery matchmaker, he shows her a whole new life through her looking glass.

 

 

My review:

Gabby Revealed is the second book in author Amy Gregory’s Finding Perfect Series. I read and enjoyed the first book but had been dying to get my hands on Gabby’s story.  We met Gabby briefly in the first book and there was something about her that I knew would make a great character.  Well, I wasn’t disappointed…this book was amazing.

Gabby James has come to terms with small town life.  Well, as much as a girl that had been tormented by the “in-crowd” all through high school could be.  The thing was, if she could have moved out of this town, she would have been able to let it all go.  But she could never leave this town because this town held the very thing she loved the most….her book store.  Within the shelves of this store, among the typed pages, she could let go of those years of hurt and live in her own skin.  Sure she still had to deal with the uppity mean girls when they came in from time to time to buy the latest bestseller from the current most popular author, but she could deal with them because she had a secret.  A secret that kept her smiling inside and giving those mean girls the silent “eff you” every time she sold one of those best selling books from that über popular author.  It’s also the secret that lands literary agent Shane Compton on her doorstep.  The same agent she’s been trying to keep firmly outside of her emotional barriers for the last five years.  Now that he’s here, she realizes she’s in big trouble and in danger of those very carefully erected walls to come crumbling down.

Lit agent Shane Compton was always up for the challenge and the chase of finding the next big author.  He’s found more than a few but the one he is most proud of, and the one he’s determined to meet, is the one he’s travelling to small town Kansas to see.  She has piqued his interest for the last five years he’s worked with her and as crazy as it sounds, he’s pretty much resigned to that fact that he’s fallen for her.  A woman he’s never seen in person.  But he knows her and he knows her amazing mind.  He also knows her smart mouth and somewhat abrasive personality…a personality he truly adores.  Now, standing on the doorstep of the address the checks have been coming to, he can’t believe his eyes.  The beautiful storeowner was one in the same as his amazingly talented and smart-mouthed author.

In reality, they’ve known each other for years.  They’ve talked on the phone millions of times and know a lot about one another for the most part.  But meeting in person for the very first time proves to be life changing for Gabby and Shane.  The feelings that have Shane convinced that Gabby is worth moving across the country to be with are the same feelings that had Gabby running for the hills and hiding behind the hurt she suffered years ago.  Will Shane have what it takes to convince Gabby that love is worth taking a chance on? Because Shane is convinced what they have is real and worth everything.

Before I start the (probably) long-winded part of this review, I just have to say that I’ve been talking about this book to anyone who will listen since I finished reading it two days ago.  Oh, how I loved it!

As I said earlier, there was something about Gabby that had me anxiously waiting for her story.  She was the broken butterfly.  The kind-hearted artist that just wanted to see the good in life and was knocked down at every chance.  A victim of the mean girls in high school, Gabby tried for years to get over all of that hurt…but just couldn’t.  It was always there, that nagging feeling of unworthiness.  I hated that she felt that way.  But as much as I hated what those girls did to her, I had to thank them because they turned Gabby into an amazing person.  Yes, she’s foul-mouthed and far from sweet and fuzzy, but damn that’s why I loved her.  I am not a fan of the fluffy heroines so Gabby had me from the very first time she called Shane a jackass.  I want to go out and share a beer with her…cause she’s so awesome.  I relate a lot to her because I’m not a warm and fuzzy gal myself (seriously, just ask Mr. Read-Love-Blog, he’ll tell you).

As for Shane? Damn.  That guy paid such careful attention to all of Gabby’s personality traits for five years and when he shows up in person, she has no case against why they can’t make it work.  He knows her inside out and backwards before they even laid eyes on one another.  And he’s got a fight in him that kept going.  He’s amazing and just what Gabby needed when she needed it most.  What a catch he is!

I also have to mention (and give a shout out to a certain 4^th grade teacher for having tissues in her room at school) that there was a part that had me crying my eyes out.  If you know me, you know I love that and that just added to how awesome this story was for me.

Amy, thank you for Gabby.  This story is one that will stay with me for quite some time and one I will continue to recommend!

 

Five Loves

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Purchase Links

Gabby Revealed:  Amazon  |  Barnes & Noble 

 Mike’s Way Back: Amazon | Barnes & Noble

About the Author

When asked ‘when do you have time to write’, Amy Gregory simply laughs. The real answer is, “in bits and pieces”. She and her husband live in Kansas City with their three fantastic kids that keep them running in three very different directions. Because she sits so much, she always carries a notebook with her at all times.

She has an off the wall, snarky, off the cuff sense of humor that often shocks even those who’ve known her for years. And she loves that her children have all been blessed that ability to make others laugh as well. At least she’s grateful most of the time! Her husband often teases her about how she “makes this stuff up” when he’s reading a piece of her work. … The answer—“it just comes to me when I’m typing”. Scary thought, huh!

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