Gabe by Evan Grace

Jasmine has life figured out or so she thinks. How mistaken she was!

Her younger years were blighted by loss, her father left, leaving not only her but her twin brother in the care of their mother, a woman that was far from capable of looking after then. Luckily her grandparents stepped in and took over the parental role in their lives but once they had passed on, they were left alone and in the system.

I was overwhelmed for both Jasmine and Jordan and the sense of loss that they must have felt at that point, how frightened must they have been thrust into such a volatile environment.

But luck had a final twist for the two of them, and their got their own guardian angel when Jill took them under her wing.

Jasmine flourished and although he had her issues, she graduated college with flying colours and was all set to blaze a trail in the field that she held so close to her heart, social services.

With a new job secured, she has two weeks to fill before starting the role and with her best friend not taking no for an answer, she has the opportunity to try something new – cutting loose and just having some fun!
So out on the town with Jordan one night, her celebrations take an unexpected turn when she catches the eye of a very handsome stranger, who seems to be completely captivated by her. But when he vanishes into the night she can’t help but feel a relief because in her heart she knows that the connection- the instant pull that’s he had to him would only result in more heartache.

Little did she know that he would return and when he did, he was ready to rock her world to the core!

Gabriel, used to play football but now he is looking for another challenge in life, someone to settle down with. He is ready to have that in his life and when he sees Jasmine in the bar that night, he knew he had found his happy ever after … even if she didn’t know that he existed.

So with an instant connection between the two of them, both unknown to the other I was hoping that this would be an easy fix, more fool me because as much as Gabe was willing to dive headfirst into a relationship, the speed and intensity of it all had Jasmine running in the opposite direction.

Can this super sexy man win the woman that has him so enamoured or will she slip through his fingers?

Will Jasmine, be able to push her past hurt and insecurities to the side and give herself a shot at getting her happy ever after?

As much as they have the odd hiccup or two along the way, when Gabe and Jasmine eventually find their middle ground, they were destined for greatness.

The story was superb, it was descriptive and eloquent. The situations were realistic and engaging and the characters were both likeable and intense.

Gabe was a strong man with an even stronger sense of purpose, Jasmine was no wall flower but she kept her heart well protected, it was always going to take a man with the determination of Gabe to break her down, to show her what it meant to be loved and to finally let someone in to her life.

A life lesson that was worth learning, Jasmine learnt that her strength was because of her past and that was not something she should hide behind, she was too strong to be so defensive, taking a chance on love meant that she could finally give herself the opportunity to breathe.

Life is what you live when you open your heart to others, I was just relieved that she afforded herself that opportunity.

Very well written book with great characters and a strong moral.