The Refuge [Mass Market Paperback]

Jasmine Cresswell (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1, 2006

Following the deaths of her father and cruel husband, Marisa is now penniless with a young son to care for. She finds refuge and employment at a beautiful Colorado ranch that houses unwed mothers. Sensing that something isn't quite right, Marisa and Jimmy, one of the ranch's staff, delve deeper into the sinister goings-on at the ranch, putting their own lives in danger.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 416 pages
• Publisher: Mira (May 1, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0778323730
• ISBN-13: 978-0778323730
• Product Dimensions: 6.6 x 4.2 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #944,531 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars G Rated Content, September 28, 2000

By 

Tina "tinaellorascave" (United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Refuge (Mira) (Mass Market Paperback)

The Refuge, the sequel to The Inheritance, is an engaging read. Cresswell's latest romantic suspense novel is refreshingly unique from anything I've read in a while.

Marisa Joubert is a single mother in dire need of gainful employment. As a high school dropout with no marketable skills, she feels lucky to find a job making good wages at "The Refuge", a home for unwed mothers in the Colorado Rockies. It doesn't take long, however, for Marisa to figure out that something is amiss at her new place of employment. For one thing, the majority of the women that live in "The Refuge" are refugees in the truest sense of the word...they herald from war-torn places like Bosnia and the former Soviet states, many of them having endured rape and other horrific atrocities at the hands of the soldiers in their former countries. These young girls speak little English and have no one to turn to in the United States, a land where everyone is a stranger to them. Furthermore, all of these girls are pressured into giving up their babies for adoption, with the option of keeping their children all but removed from them.

Shortly after one of the pregnant refugees turns up missing, Marisa discovers something even more shocking, and that's the truth behind "The Refuge's" side business. As it turns out, these young women have survived one nightmare only to be thrown into another. Marisa isn't certain what to do or who she can trust. Is her boss behind all of this, or is he an innocent pawn? And what about Jimmy, the handsome, but mentally retarded janitor who she senses isn't as slow as he leads people to believe?

Jimmy Griffin is a former FBI agent who now has his own security firm. He recently lost his sister in a car crash, and although the police ruled it to be an accident, he isn't buying it. Two days before his sister died, she had left a message on Jimmy's answering machine, wanting to speak with him. As it turns out, his sister, an important doctor who had once volunteered her skills in Bosnia following the aftermath of the ethnic cleansing campaign, had found some information concerning a man from "The Refuge" that had taken two of the pregnant women from the camp she had worked in and secreted them back to the United States.

Jimmy doesn't have much to go on besides his instincts. Determined to find his sister's killer, he goes undercover and works at "The Refuge", posing as a mentally retarded janitor. When the office manager Marisa discovers his true identity, Jimmy is forced to tell her everything he suspects is going on. Will Marisa believe him? And just as importantly, will she ever forgive him for deceiving her?

Cresswell manages to create a strong romance and a good suspense while simultaneously delivering a poignant commentary on the plight of poor women in America today. She stirs your social conscience, but does it in such a way that you don't really realize it until the book is over. The story and romance don't suffer in the least, which couldn't have been an easy thing to pull off. Very admirably done.

-full review originally published in The Romance Reader

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Disappointed this time,, October 13, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Refuge (Mira) (Mass Market Paperback)

I have to disagree with the other three reviews and simply state, I was really disappointed with this story, it lacked the emotional attatchment with her characters that her previous books have had. The story line was extremely far fetched and really not believable at all. The ending was really really really disappointing. I had a hard time actally reading the end and quite honestly, just skimmed it, I was that disappointed with it. Ms. Creswell, had spent a lot of time building up to a climax that just didn't pan out, it was if she realized she had enough pages and had to wrap it all up. It just wasn't worthy of her other stories. I would suggest reading The Daughter, The Disappearance and The Inheritance rather than this one. I hope she regains the momentum for her next book. I look forward to her stories, especially since she only puts one out per year. I certainly won't be keeping this one, into the donation pile it will go.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Intriguing romantic suspense, September 28, 2000

By 

Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews
(#1 Hall OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Refuge (Mira) (Mass Market Paperback)

In Colorado, Marisa Joubert works at the Wainscott Foundation's Ranch that serves as a refuge for unwed mothers. Marisa is happy to have the job that allows her to raise her son by herself without the illegal money her deceased spouse earned. She also relishes Wainscott's vision to place babies in happy homes and find jobs for the mothers. Marisa works for the enigmatic director Stuart Frieze.

However, almost from her first day of her employment, Marisa feels something is not quite right with the Foundation. Her fears escalate when women begin to vanish. Marisa is not sure if its her employer or one of the workers, such as handicapped janitor Jimmy Griffin, who she finds so handsome, who isn't trustworthy. Marisa knows something diabolical and evil is occurring here in the Rocky Mountains and fears for the lives of herself and her son even as she falls in love with Jimmy.

THE REFUGE is an intriguing romantic suspense that centers on Marisa's growing suspicion of everyone around her. The story line is fast-paced and ably crafted to provide the audience with a rising sense of foreboding that the heroine and her son might not survive this tale. As expected by long time best selling author Jasmine Cresswell, her fully developed cast with their logical and easy to understand motives turns her latest novel into a strong tale that sub-genre fan will appreciate.

Harriet Klausner