Ruby's Secret

The Newport Ladies Book Club

by Heather B. Moore

Welcome to the Newport Ladies Book Club series:

At age sixty-two, life is finally beginning for newly widowed Ruby Crenshaw. Her son is grown and gone, and after long years spent as a loyal wife to her charming but unfaithful husband, she’s ready to live the life she’s always dreamed of. Her resolve is firm: she’ll never make the mistake of giving her heart to another man.

The first step in Ruby’s quest for a carefree lifestyle was to create the Newport Ladies Book Club, an unlikely gathering of women who have been her haven. Now she’s ready to take her newfound independence a step further—along with her friends from the local senior center, Ruby is jetting off to a much-needed Greece adventure. What she isn’t prepared for is Gabriel—the group’s tour guide—a native Greek and a true gentleman. His unquestionable charm is hard to resist. But resist she must—because no matter their growing attraction, Ruby is not about to fall for charming again!

Genres: Lds Fiction, Fiction, Romance, Contemporary, Book Club

240 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 2013

About the author

Heather B. Moore is a USA Today bestselling author of more than ninety publications. Heather writes primarily historical and #herstory fiction about the humanity and heroism of the everyday person. Publishing in a breadth of genres, Heather dives into the hearts and souls of her characters, meshing her love of research with her love of storytelling.

Her ancient era historicals and thrillers are written under pen name H.B. Moore. She writes historical women's fiction, romance and inspirational non-fiction under Heather B. Moore, and . . . speculative fiction under Jane Redd. This can all be confusing, so her kids just call her Mom. Heather attended Cairo American College in Egypt and the Anglican School of Jerusalem in Israel. Despite failing her high school AP English exam, Heather persevered and earned a Bachelor of Science degree from Brigham Young University in something other than English.

Please join Heather's email list at: HBMoore.com/contact/
Website: HBMoore.com
Twitter: @heatherbmoore
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And yes, the Blog still lives: MyWritersLair.blogspot.com

Literary honors: 2020 Goodreads Choice Award Semi-Finalist, Foreword 2020 INDIES Finalist, ALA Best New Books - September 2020, 6-time Best of State Recipient for Best in Literary Arts, 2019 Maggie Award Winner, 4-time Whitney Award Winner, and 2-time Golden Quill Award Winner.

Heather is represented by Dystel, Goderich, and Bourret.

Reviews

[Heather · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ruby is 20 years older than me, and yes, I was a bit intimidated to write a character who was oh-so-much-wiser than me and who had plenty more life experience. But I also believe that emotion and the ups and downs of life are similar for all ages. I loved Ruby from the first scene I wrote for the Newport Ladies Book Club series. With my co-authors (Josi Kilpack, Annette Lyon, and Julie Wright) we would alternate writing the official shared book-club scenes. Then we'd take those scenes and switch the viewpoint for our own particular character. So I was the one who first characterized and described Ruby. At the time I didn't know all of her challenges. I just knew she was a widow and that she wasn't exactly sad to be a widow. Although she did have many regrets about her marriage . . . and those regrets come out in RUBY'S SECRET. Instead of facing her regrets and healing from the past, she keeps her dark secrets literally locked away in a box. When she meets Gabriel on a tour in Greece, she realizes that maybe all charming men aren't unfaithful like Ruby's husband. She also realizes that her heart is more broken than she ever imagined. With Gabriel and her dear book club friends, she finds a way to finally share her secrets, and in the process, she discovers that life can be full of hope and love again if she chooses to embrace it.

[Katie (hiding in the pages) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've been eagerly awaiting to hear Ruby's story from the start. Who is this woman who opened up her home and started a book club? She is very much a part of each of the other women's lives, making sure to check in on them and help them out in any way that she can, yet she almost seems to do so to avoid her own life. Ruby is a women in her sixties, which was in and of itself, different. She has so much to offer to those around her--a sparkling personality, compassion, service, and money. I really enjoyed reading about the things that she had to deal with and let go of and loved the friendship and support that Gabriel offered to her. Ruby was deserving of every bit of that. I've come to love these books--each tells a story of a different woman in the book club. The first four tell different points of view during the same period of time and the second four tell different points of view during a chunk of time slightly later than the first. The characters are all great and I love the back story we get as we delve deeper into each of these lives.

Content: talk of infidelity, no details.

[Sheila (sheilasbookreviewer) · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have been a huge fan of The Newport Ladies Book Club novels. I have grown to love the characters brought to life by some of my favorite authors. I have been looking forward to reading Ruby's story. Ruby is the sixty-two year old woman, a widow, who formed the book club. Up to this point the things we knew about Ruby is that she is a put together, well-to-do widow. From her interactions with the other women, we know that she is a leader and very kind. She knows how to take care of others and love those who are in need. But with all people, Ruby has secrets about her life that she has never shared. Her late husband had been unfaithful to her all of their married life. As readers we get a look at Ruby's fears and the guilt she lives with daily.

When Ruby has a chance to return to Greece with a group of seniors, she hesitates because of bad memories related to her trip there 30 years before. It also resurfaces the awful feelings and memories about her husband's cheating ways. She decides to go and ends up meeting a man who turns her world upside down. {Where oh where can I meet my own Gabriel?}

This novel was read in one day. I always fall quickly into another world when I read a book written by Heather Moore. Her engaging writing style and relatable characters assures that you are in for a good read.

There were many things I could relate to with Ruby's journey. It's a scary thought giving your heart away to another,especially after it has been crushed once before. How do you trust again? I love the character of Ruby so much! I wish I had a "Ruby" in my life to help me through my struggles. As with all of the books in this series, we learn that things are never as they seem from the outside. Each woman's story has given readers the truth hidden inside each of their hearts. I love this series and I will be so sad once it is done. The beautiful thing about books though, is that I can always revisit the Newport Ladies Book Club women over and over again. If you haven't started reading the series yet I highly recommend you get started. If you are a fan of this series and haven't read Ruby's Secret yet...it's just liking coming home to a warm and comfy place. I loved this book and I'm happily giving it 5 stars!

[Aimee · Rating 4 out of 5]

f you aren't familiar with the Newport Ladies Book Club series, I'll give you a brief rundown on how it works. These books are about different ladies who meet together for a book club each month. Each book is about a different person but runs in a parallel time frame. You can read any book, in any order. You can read more about this series and how it works by clicking HERE.

I have read all but one of the books in this series so far. I'm hoping to get to "Shannon's Hope" soon. Especially after having read "Ruby's Secret". I really need to know what's going on with Shannon. This series is unique and I love the way we have all the characters to some degree in every book and you have this vague idea of who they are and that they are struggling but you don't really get their whole story until you read their book. I just love this concept. The authors do a fantastic job of keeping things cohesive and fluid.

Ruby's Secret was so good. I have loved Ruby from the very beginning of this series and I'm so glad she finally got her own book and her own story told. Ruby is generous and gracious to everyone she meets. She is so kind and I could feel this about her from the very first book I read. I love how this book really puts into perspective how people assumed that Ruby had everything great in her life. The ladies in her book club think she had an ideal marriage and because of her generous and kind personality assume that her life has been great. In reality though, Ruby struggled all her married life and was hurt so badly that she still hasn't gotten over it. It was a good reminder to me that even the most put together people have struggles and hard things to deal with. You can just never judge people by what you see.

Ruby has quite an emotional journey in this book. Her strength and courage really shine through. I love how you can just feel Ruby's heart changing when she meets Gabriel. Ruby is a woman made to love and take care of others. But, just like any other human, she needs love and care too. Gabriel is just the man for the job. I Ruby and Gabriel. Love them separate, love them together. I love the hope this book brought.

This book is squeeky clean. :)

[Lisa Paskins · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review of Ruby’s Secret by Heather B. Moore,
part of the Newport Ladies Book Club Novel Series

While this book is part of a series that includes authors Josi Kilpack, Julie Wright and Annette Lyon, it definitely is a stand alone story that may whet your appetite to seek out the other novels that have characters attending Ruby’s book club.

You can always recognize a good story because you have a moment of sadness when it is over. In Ruby’s Secret you become part of Ruby’s inner circle, you learn of her secret addiction to regency romance books, how she takes guilty pleasure in watering her hibiscus and you learn Ruby’s secret.

The book club consists of Paige, Daisy, Athena, Ilana, Olivia, Victoria and Shannon. They are bonded together over a love of books, caring for each other and book club desserts.

At the insistence of Ruby’s daughter-in-law Kara, Ruby accepts the challenge to meet new people and finds herself drawn into the lives of the seniors at Oasis Senior Citizen Center. Before long she is burying old memories in Greece. So follow Ruby on her adventure as she finds hope (and romance) as she learns to let go of the past. True healing for Ruby begins when she can forgive herself.

And another great thing about this series, there are little teasers about the books they are enjoying in book club. That might spark you interest to find another good read as well.

[Cathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book, Ruby is really what the perfect grandmotherly figure should be. She's a great cook, she loves to read, and she's really well traveled. I liked that it was obvious from the beginning that Ruby isn't perfect, if she was a perfect character she would probably be really annoying. But like all of us, Ruby has parts of her that she isn't proud of and that she really doesn't want anyone else to see. What she learns over the course of her adventure is that sometimes it's really important to open up and let someone else see even the dark parts that you don't want anyone else to see, because that's really what bonds us to each other. I love this series, this is the second set and this one and Shannon's Hope, plus the two unreleased books all cover the same time period, so it doesn't matter what order you read them in. Reading all 4 of the books in the set will give you a pretty complete picture of how all the women were feeling during the time period. This is a great series!

[Shauna · Rating 5 out of 5]

This series is WONDERFUL, HEART-FELT, and INTRIGUING!

Written by 4 different authors they share the stories of the women of The Newport Ladies Book Club

Life in these books is real... and hard.

Yet lessons are learned and hearts are touched.

Friendships from the book club are what help them get through life.

Ruby is the oldest AND the one who started the book club as a way to meet new people.

Now she has expanded her friendship to the Senior Citizens Center.

As she shares her travels with this new group they decide to plan a trip to Greece.

The last time Ruby was in Greece was with her late husband.

She is anxious to go...but will it bring up the memories she is trying so hard to forget?

The trip gets even more complicated when Ruby's closed-off heart meets Gabriel, the tour guide.

Can Ruby learn to trust again?

A TOUCHING STORY!

[Monica · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ruby's Secret is a great addition to the Newport Ladies Book Club. Ruby's story is really enjoyable. Ruby starts the Book Club and I love how she uses the books (like all the characters) to lend her perspective. The nonfiction selections selected for the book group have piqued my curiosity and I can't wait to read them.

Ruby is able to come to terms with her past and relinquish her secrets. Her evolution in character development is inspiring and causes the reader to reflect also. She is able to relate with the other ladies of the book group and reach out with support and comfort to them.

I am loving this series as the characters all have something you can relate to. The series has made me reflect on how I have moved through similar situations and conflict. It also has given me ideas of how to better support my friends and reach out to others.

[Rachelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm a fan of Heather Moore's books and novellas. I've read almost all of them and appreciate her writing style more with each story I've read. After reading Ruby's Secret, I think that I need to visit Greece someday. I really enjoyed this story. There was so much emotion in Ruby's secret, in the life she's lived and the choices she has to make. It was interesting for me to read this novel from an older woman's perspective. Heather did a great job of infusing her character with a realistic voice and true passions for the circumstances. I also loved how the books the club read were an integral part of the plot and worked so well with the storyline. I finally pushed order on my wish list for this particular book, The War of Art by Steven Pressfield, which is one of the books read by the Newport Ladies Book Club.

[Rachel DeVaughn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have truly loved this series, so I was very excited to read Ruby's secret by Heather Moore.
Ruby is the creator of the Newport Ladies Book Club and is the oldest, mother figure, of the book club group. She is so caring and concerned about all the women in her club and their needs.
I was so sad to read that her marriage was not a good, loving one because of the type of person Ruby is portrayed to be in all the books.
It was fun to read about Ruby's adventures in Greece and I loved hearing about her new friends at the local senior center. I also loved the adventure and romance that went along with this book.
All of these books are a fast read for me because I enjoy the series so much, I typically read them in one sitting because I don't want to put them down.
This book did not disappoint!! I loved it!!
Now I'm off to buy the next book in the series-Shannon's Hope...

[Erin Reed · Rating 5 out of 5]

Do we ever really know what is happening behind closed doors? Can we even believe the face that people are showing us?
In the first set of Newport Book Club books we had no idea what Ruby's life truly was like. We were led to think that Ruby was a lonely grandmother who just wanted a little company. Who would have thought that hiding behind that sweet temperament and loving spirit was a heart that had been truly devastated.

This next group of books is something truly great. I have loved this series, but I think that with this second set of books they have worked out all the kinks. Not only that but Heather Moore has brought something special to this story. I am really glad that she is the one who wrote about Ruby. I am sad that these books will be the last in this series, so I hope that they will move on to something new soon! Keep it up ladies. These are fantastic!!

[Andrea · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've read all of the Newport Ladies Book Club books, and I was excited when I heard that Ruby was going to have her own book so I could learn about what made her tick. The book club was her idea, and she really plays a major role in the series.

I have to say that this exceeded my expectations! After all, Ruby is a lot older than I am, and a widow, so I wasn't sure how much I'd be able to relate to her. Thankfully my struggles are very different from Ruby's, but Heather Moore wrote Ruby in such a way that I was very interested to learn about her secret, and I became quite invested in her happiness.

I didn't foresee myself enjoying a romance between senior citizens, but it was actually really good. Another shout out to Moore's excellent writing that pulled me in emotionally!

This is a clean read with a very well-written main character.

[Jenny Proctor]

I wasn't sure about really connecting with a character so much older than I am, but I loved Ruby almost instantly and was able to feel her heartache and struggles in a very personal way. Even though I cannot relate to her experiences, Heather Moore crafted her character with careful attention and did an excellent job. She was very compelling, and very much in line with what I would expect a 62 year old woman to feel.

Gabriel was definitely my favorite part of the book, not because of his George Clooney-ness, though that certainly didn't hurt, but because he was real and honest, and he was good for Ruby.

Overall, I really enjoyed the book and look forward to reading more of Heather's work.

[Cheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed "Ruby's Secrets," as I have enjoyed all of Heather's books. Ruby has always been the backbone of the book club, pulling the ladies together in a strong bond of friendship. It was very interesting to see the club from her perspective and to learn of the trials in her life. I love this story because it is about learning to forgive others and to forgive yourself. It illustrates how we cannot be whole if we don't get over past hurts. I found a couple of very minor editing errors. I was surprised to see them because I have never noticed them in Heather's books before. I always look forward to my next book to read by Heather Moore.

[Julie · Rating 5 out of 5]

What I loved most about this book was that the main character is a woman in her sixties. She'd had a rough marriage before her husband died and didn't believe she would ever truly know what it was like to experience real and lasting love. Then she meets Gabriel--who seems in every way as big a heartbreaker as her first husband had been. Ruby, along with the help of her friends from her book club, learns that it's never too late for a second chance. The author expertly weaves emotion into a novel that made me smile, laugh, and sigh with all those fluttery feelings that a new love brings. Wonderful!

[Lucy McConnell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ruby puts her family's needs above her own many times over in a selfless act of love, and she was dying inside. But, she stuck it out. I think that's what I liked best about her. She didn't take the easy road, claim she deserve better, that the other person doesn't fulfill her needs, or blame others for her unhappiness. Ruby just isn't like that. She let responsibilities sit where they needed, but didn't try and push her faults on others. She's determined, true to herself, and full of spirit. In a world where "what goes around comes around" really happens, I was ecstatic to see Ruby got what she deserved.

[Nicole · Rating 4 out of 5]

While Ruby is over 20 years older than me, I really could relate a lot to her character, as far as her personality. She sounds a lot like me in how she approaches and does things. Since she would be about the age of my mother and mother-in-law, I was surprised at her going to the senior center. That seems like a place for people older than that! LOL However, I enjoyed her story and her little romance and how she dealt with the guilt from her failed marriage. Ruby kinda bothered me in the other books, but this book helped me to understand her more.

[Kathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was looking forward to reading Ruby's story. It seemed like her life was almost too perfect, but she has a painful background that she hasn't shared with anyone. I liked the fact that Ruby is in her early sixties, but can still let go of the past, learn some lessons and find new love. After reading this book, I have an even stronger desire to visit Greece. The references to the books the club members are reading and using them as part of the story is interesting. the tidbits in the book about Shannon, Ilana, Victoria, made me eager to read their stories as well.

[April · Rating 3 out of 5]

It is time for Ruby's story. She started the Newport Ladies Book Club. She lost her husband two years ago, but she doesn't really miss him or miss being married. Ruby starts to go to a senior center. She goes with them on a tour of Greece. She and Gabriel, the tour director, become friends and something more.
Well written and believable motivations and story. I knew from early on that Keisha was going to cause a problem and I didn't even read Shannon's Hope.

[Nashellej · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I saw this book was about a 62-year old woman, I wondered if I would be able to relate. I was thrilled to find that I could relate to Ruby on many levels. It was a wonderful story that taught me to find the strength inside of myself. I was reminded that, while I don't need someone else to complete me, having someone to share life with makes you and them better. Ruby's Secret is beautifully written and has a message that will touch any reader of any age.

[Tenille · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rubys story is a story of second love, forgiveness, and letting go. Ruby finally decides to join the senior center and ends up going to Greece on a tour, and faces some bad memories there. But, while in Greece, she falls in love and has to decide to let the past go, or let her future with Gabriel go.

[Barb · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is another book in The Newport Ladies Book Club series. It is an unusual series because each book is written by a different LDS author. Each author has written a book about the same time period from the point-of-view of a different member of the book club. I have enjoyed seeing how the authors weave their stories together, although each book works just fine as a stand-alone book.

[Pam · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book! I love this series. I really liked reading about Ruby, a 62 year old woman, learning about her life's trials, regrets, hardships and many experiences and then to see her find love. Now I want to go to Greece someday! I'm excited to read Shannon soon!

[Shannon Rolfe · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved that the main characters in this romance were not 20 somethings...more mature people can experience love too! And because they had more life experience, their relationship was complicated and kind of messy too. Just like real life!!

[Katrina · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed being able to finally read a book from Ruby's perspective and understand a little more how she ticks. It was interesting to see how such a gracious, glamorous lady actually didn't have everything all figured out and still had issues to work out about her past.

[Ashley · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a fun book in that the main character and story were not your typical 20 something. I liked the maturity of the characters. I now want to read the other books that are part of the Newport Ladies Book Club series.

[Mindy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful addition to this great series. I loved Ruby's story and loved this adventure she takes on. Full review coming to both blogs.

[Danni · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like these books I think that they are fun.

[Felicia · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think this one is now my favorite in this series. I really enjoyed this book.

[Peggy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really like this series as it explores the lives of each member of the book club from their own point of view.