Customer Reviews

The Secret of Everything: A Novel

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Tessa Harlow is a tour guide recovering from a terrible accident on her last tour, a trip that ended with a death and Tessa recovering from severe injuries. After months of recuperation she is looking to get back to work and heads to Las Ladrones, New Mexico to determine if it would be a good tour for her company. Tessa has a bit of a past there, she lived there as a child and almost drowned. While there Tessa comes face to face with her past and she begins to discover "The Secret of Everything".

This book was an easy read, pretty standard chick lit fare; beautiful emotionally damaged woman meets incredibly handsome but equally damaged man, sparks and sex fly and together they help each other heal. Nothing earth shattering here, although there was a bit of an interesting mystery involving Tessa's past. Some small magical realism bits seemed a little out of place. The characters were very likable, especially the character of Natalie, a little girl grieving the loss of her mother. The descriptions of New Mexico make you want to pack your bags tomorrow. The story lines eventually come together in one big happy bow at the end, not too believable but if you just want to have a nice beach read this is the book for you.

This book doesn't belong in the top tier because it's not life-changing or edifying in any way, but boy does it entertain! It was the quintessential "beach book" and, if truth be told, probably a "chick book." It was just what I needed to push away the winter doldrums and get my mind off anything stressful, and I carried it with me so I could read whenever I was waiting for anything (dentist's office, meetings, etc.).

Tessa Harlow is recuperating from an injury sustained when a landslide occurred while she was leading a hiking tour group in the mountains and one of the members was swept into the river and drowned. Tessa's own rescue from the river awakened long-dormant memories of a similar rescue when she was a child, an accident about which her father has been strangely quiet, though it was responsible for her mother's death.

Drawn to the New Mexico town of Las Ladronas and thinking it would be the ideal destination for a future tour group, Tessa finds herself embroiled in a series of strange emotions and coincidences that add layer upon layer to the mystery of her life and questions about the relationships between people in the story who seem to be so drawn to each other. Of course there is delicious love interest in the person of Vince Grasso, a handsome widower with three appealing little girls, one of whom is troubled over the death of her own mother and to whom Tessa feels especially drawn.

The book's appeal is heightened by the charming presence of very affectionate dogs and the sprinkling of real recipes (the author is actually a food professional herself). The recipes remind the reader of the power of good, nourishing food, lovingly prepared, to comfort and heal.

I was so sorry when this book ended...it gave great pleasure.

I really enjoyed "devouring" this book while on vacation. It's got many elements of a great "beach read" - fascinating characters, wonderful setting, romance, a bit of mystery, and great food (along with the recipes). The vivid descriptions of the small town in New Mexico where much of the story takes place made me want to visit New Mexico!

I also loved the delicious-sounding recipes scattered throughout the book. Finally, a great bonus for me, were the wonderful dogs that so brilliantly came to life as family members of various characters. I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys escaping to another location and experiencing the joys and sorrows of well-developed, likable characters.

Solving The Secret of Everything depends on whether Tessa Harlow will remember her past and find out what has happened to her missing family.

Years and years ago there was a commune in Los Ladrones, New Mexico founded by Alexander McKenzie who was the hippie son of a rich family on the East Coast. Someone mysteriously killed him and most of the commune members scattered. Before his death, McKenzie fathered dozens of children. Today it is a successful organic farm and cooking school. After visiting the quaint, little town and farm, Tessa, whose early memories have been suppressed, feels that she may have lived there as a child and remembers having a sister. She vaguely remembers a fire and almost drowning in the river.

Tessa is a tour guide and is visiting Los Ladrones in the hopes of establishing a new hiking tour. As she gathers information for the tour, she becomes attracted to the town and its people, especially a widower with 3 young daughters. It's a hopeless romance because Tessa is a drifter who can't settle anywhere until she can reconcile her history. There are many secrets in this book which are resolved in the climax.
I love the mysticism in this book: the reincarnated dogs, the scary guy only Tessa can see who looks like a coyote, the legend of the seven women carried off by Comanche, and La Llorona - the weeping woman of the rivers.

Probably the best parts of this book are the delicious, mouthwatering recipes which are scattered throughout the story. Food is an important element in all of Barbara O'Neal's books. Cooking good nutritious food has the magical power of healing and revitalizing. 100 Breakfasts Cafe is the restaurant of this book and is the place where the characters go when they need comfort. You will find some recipes for some very good breakfast dishes.

This is a good book with lots of little mysteries, romance, and some awesome recipes.

The story is great and the recipes make me hungry!

I would agree with many reviews calling this the perfect beach book!

This is for the Kindle edition - I have bookmarked all the recipes!

Barbara O,Neal has written another book about daughters, fathers, and life and sometimes where it takes you. Foodies and Friendship fans buy this book. susie shaw

This was a quick, easy ready... very enjoyable, and I was easily able to lose myself in the writing and the story.

This author's books are delightful. They are so refreshing to read. The recipes she throws in are fun to look at and and the story line gets you hooked in the first few pages. You can also relate to the culture and scenery described in the book. Her descriptions of the cooking and baking makes you almost smell what is cooking. After reading the first few pages of "The Lost Recipe for Happiness" I had to order her other two novels.

I really enjoyed reading this book. It is a magical blend of love, lust, grief and secrets. A mix of magical realism, chick lit, food lit, romance and mystery all in one story.
Quick synopsis: Tessa Harlow is a woman who has traveled the world but never truly found a home. A bad accident brings back long forgotten childhood memories and has her questioning herself so she travels to Las Ladronas, NM to rediscover herself by learning more about her past.
I really liked Tess. I was able to connect with her, which is crucial for a good read. She wasn't whiny or overly insecure, instead she was the type of women you could see as a friend (one of your more interesting ones).
While Tess is the main character of the story, there are actually many different stories involving other significant characters that in the end all connect. They could be termed as subplots but I don't really like that. All the side stories were important to the main story line. I liked the way the plots unfolded and in a way became one.
Tess's mysterious past kept me reading til the end. The slow unfolding of events was suspenseful and entertaining.
And I must say I loved the recipes included in the book (especially the last one) and I plan on trying some of them very soon. Hopefully they will turn out to be as good as in the book.

Very interesting plot line. I am a big fan!

Not going to trade this one, I will re-read it in
a few years.