Committed

by Rebekah Dodson

After losing his construction job to COVID, Gabe Jensen hits rock bottom. He treats court-ordered group therapy as just another hoop to jump through—until he meets Emily Gutierrez. She understands his pain in a way no one else ever has. For the first time in years, he believes in second chances.

Emily Gutierrez has spent two decades fighting the darkness left by an alcoholic father and an absent mother. Therapy was supposed to help, but she never expects to find comfort in Gabe. He’s kind, supportive, and understanding. He's everything she’s never truly experienced. They fall in love when neither of them expects it.

But a cross-country trip unearths buried secrets and reopened wounds, forcing them to confront the parts of themselves they’ve tried to forget. Now they must choose whether to fight for each other or let their demons destroy what they’ve found, before love has a chance to heal them.

TRIGGER
This novel contains sensitive subject matter, including themes of suicide, mental health, and abuse.

Genres: Romance, Contemporary, Ebooks

266 pages, Paperback

Published May 24, 2025

About the author

Rebekah Dodson is a prolific word weaver of romance, fantasy, and science fiction novels. Her works include the series Postcards from Paris, The Surrogate, The Curse of Lanval series, several stand alone novels, and her upcoming YA novel, Clock City. She has been writing her whole life, with her first published work of historical fiction with 4H Clubs of America at the age of 12, and poetry at the age of 16 with the National Poetry Society. With an extensive academic background including education, history, psychology and English, she currently works as a college professor by day and a writer by night.

Reviews

[Jakki Lokcinski · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow... just wow! Committed will be a book forever in my memory. This story had me hooked just from the synopsis. I had no clue how much more it would mean by the end. Had me crying, laughing, ask the emotions. Gabe and Emily both come from rough pasts, meeting in a therapy group. Gabe has no clue what Emily's life is really like, but they have an amazing instant connection. As the story develops, we see how much of a difficult past Emily has, which entwined with her present. She has a huge secret about her life that Gabe cannot know! Their relationship develops rather quickly, but there's always something sweet about an instant connection like theirs.

The story also has Emily's sister, Marissa, who Emily has raised due to circumstances. She is fun and bright amongst a lot of chaos.

Towards the end, Emily and Gabe's relationship is tested by Emily's mental health issues and after he learns her secret, there's a moment of "will they or won't they?"

I highly, highly recommend this book! But I will leave this review with some trigger warnings:
Topics if abuse, alcoholism, some mentions of abuse, and trauma.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[lf · Rating 5 out of 5]

Emotional ride

So this book is not quite what you expect, which could be good and/or bad depending on how you see if. Be advised that there is some material and subject matter that can be heavy or triggering for some people. It also has you hanging on tight to a roller-coaster ride of emotions and then flipping back around to do it all over again. The story finds Emily Gutierrez and Gabe Jensen meeting when they are both in group therapy. They have an instant connection but without knowing really what is behind why the other is there. They both have a number of things to deal with in order to move ahead with their lives, and that journey takes a few turns along the way as they develop a relationship. I don't want to reveal too much as this is a story that you need to experience yourself and decide how you feel about what happens and the characters. I really enjoyed it, as I kept reaching for more tissue as I was reading.

[Anna · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm never disappointed by this author's work. I have to say, I’ve never felt such sympathy for a character as I do for Emily. From beginning to end, she endures one challenge after another. She's a very well-written, complex, and deeply layered character, so relatable, and her story highlights the need to reduce the stigma around mental health in our society.

Then there's Gabe, who was a great companion character to Emily. Despite the many dark themes, the romance was genuinely sweet, filled with emotional intimacy, which I really appreciated amid all the tension and suspense of the secondary plot.

This is a very well-written novel. I read it all in one sitting. This author is seriously underrated.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Marie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reading this book makes you experience every emotion possible, so have the tissues ready. Emily is a very troubled young woman, supporting her younger sister. Working two jobs and attending therapy is her whole life. Gabe lost his job through covid, now after trying to help his mom finds himself in court ordered therapy. Meeting Em is the highlight of therapy. She may be quiet and nervous, but when she smiles, she lights up. This is a story that keeps you reading even though the matters are difficult. Can two troubled people help each other. Will Gabe be able to get Em to trust him fully. Is the age difference as big an issue as Gabe thinks it is. I couldn't put this book down and found myself hoping for a good outcome for both characters

[Tesh · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a great story that had load of action, drama, suspense and romance.

Having lost his job, Gabe meets Emily, a lost woman with secrets and he feels he needs to help.

I liked the emotional content of the story. What she hiding from? And the little mystery and twists along the way.

Gabe is protective and an investigator and wants to help but needs to dig when Emily isn't giving in easy. Someone is hindering their efforts.

So well done it was a fast paced book with an awesome plot that didn't let go and I enjoyed these characters. So good!!.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Barbara Harrison · Rating 5 out of 5]

Have a tissue handy on the day you allow for this contemporary, adult, laugh-out-loud, small-town, age-gap, psychological, second-chance romance in Redding, California, featuring betrayal, families, grief, PTSD, rescue, self-medication, and abuse. Check trigger warnings.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Barbara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gabe Jensen and Emily Gutierrez meet in a therapy group, both have things to overcome to be able to move forward with their lifes. I will say have the Kleenex near by. The story is well written with a very good storyline that held my interest. I received a copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Jeanne Richardson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've read several books written by Rebekah Dodson; she is becoming one of my favorite authors. I can’t wait to read more of her books.

She has written another good stand-alone book. The story is about Emily & Gabe.

[Alexandra Flores · Rating 4 out of 5]

The amount of emotion that this book was intense. It was a an emotional ride and a book I won’t forget. The story will be stuck with me and Emily overcoming everything in her path, just such a good book.

[R.M. Demeester · Rating 5 out of 5]

I highly recommend this book. Gabe and Emily are two troubled characters who are well developed, relatable with a satisfying romance and ending.