Joelle's Secret

Wagon Wheels #3

by Gilbert Morris

Popular novelist Gilbert Morris finds fresh romantic, history-based inspiration in Joelle’s Secret . This mid-1800s tale begins with seventeen-year-old Joelle Jones fending off unwelcome advances from her predatory stepfather just after her mother has died. When the man is declared Joelle’s legal guardian, she knows he will have his way with her, so in desperation runs away.

Pursued by the stepfather who offers a reward for her return, Joelle cuts her long beautiful hair, poses as a young man, and finds work as a stablehand. She meets a spiritually frustrated treasure hunter who—believing Joelle to be a male—invites her to join a wagon train to gold-rich California. But hard living on the trail makes it harder for Joelle to conceal her identity. When her traveling companion learns the truth, matters of faith and friendship become tense until Joelle helps him realize that God can indeed do all things, and that some things—like true love—are worth even more than gold.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Romance, Christian Fiction, Westerns, Christian, Fiction, Christian Romance

368 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2008

About the author

also published under the name Gilbert L. Morris

Gilbert Morris was one of today's best-known Christian novelists. He lived in Gulf Shores, Alabama, with his wife, Johnnie. He is the father to Lynn Morris and Alan Morris

Series:
* Adventures of Kerrigan Kids
* American Century
* Appomattox Saga
* Barney Buck
* Bonnets and Bugles
* Cheney Duvall, M.D. (with Lynn Morris)
* Cheney and Shiloh: The Inheritance (with Lynn Morris)
* Chronicles of the Golden Frontier
* The Creole (with Lynn Morris)
* Danielle Ross Mystery
* Daystar Voyages
* Dixie Morris Animal Adventures
* Far Fields (with Robert Funderburk)
* House of Winslow
* Jacques and Cleo: Cat Detectives
* Katy Steele Adventures (with Alan Morris)
* Lady Trent Mystery
* Liberty Bell
* Lions of Judah
* Lone Star Legacy
* Omega (with Lynn Morris and Alan Morris)
* The Price of Liberty (with Robert Funderburk)
* Reno Western Saga
* Seven Sleepers
* Seven Sleepers: The Lost Chronicles
* Singing River
* Spirit of Appalachia (with Aaron McCarver)
* Too Smart Jones
*

Reviews

[Cindy · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was copyrighted 2008 & my copy is from that date. I got this I believe from my Doubleday Book Club. I was attracted to the premise. I'm pretty sure I only read it once though. This is #3 in a 4 book series, but can be read as a stand alone. Set in the late 1880s.

So, I had no idea that GM was such a prolific writer. He wrote a lot of Christian fiction it seems, mostly historical. This is #3 in his Western series & I was mostly disappointed. Not a well written story. GM has trouble keeping his facts straight with his characters. This is a predictable & trite story.
Saying that, I did like Joelle. Like one of the other characters, I kept wondering why anyone looking at her for more than 1/2 an hour didn't see through her disguise. On the wagon train West, people are injured, but only 3 people die ( because they're stupid & won't listen).
Owen, our hero is flawed, but not irredeemably so. There is very tame romance. Joelle's secret isn't discovered until chapter 18 in a 24 chapter book. She's kissed once by the hero.

So, probably going to give this one away. Maybe someone else will appreciate it more!

The cover is very good. Western theme with an inset of Joelle looking sneaky. Owen is behind her tending a fire. The drawing of Joelle really doesn't look anything like the book description. She looks very feminine on the cover.

[Ronda Tutt · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a very clean and great romance. The got caught up in the story right a way and the many characters were very interesting and had their own tale of their own. If you like wagon wheel novels that take you on a trail from Lousiana all the way to California with romances that develop along the way and the risk and fear of indians scalping someone than this is the story you will love.

It is Very well written.

[Faith · Rating 3 out of 5]

Having heard so much about Gilbert Morris and his wonderful writing, I was actually surprised at how poorly written this book was. not that it was bad, per se, it just wasn't very good. It was clean, it had good morals, and it was a decent, quick read. Unfortunately, that's all I can say about it.

[Carla · Rating 1 out of 5]

Don't waste your time reading this. There are paperback historical romances that have the same plot and have a much better story. This book is presented to be a christian romance, but, I've read some regular historical romance that had a sweet love story with hand holding the most "smutty" thing to happen and a christian turn to the book that was light or heavy and those books were so much better than this book.

Straight up, as I was reading I kept saying; I'm confused, is this a romance or not? Because it had nothing in the way of romance between the two main characters. At first this story read like an adventure book; escaping a bad man, dressing as a boy, saving Owen, and getting on a wagon train heading west. Okay, yeah, that was a bit fun. But as soon as the wagon train headed out, it was as if the author forgot who the story was about. There were pages and pages (up to 20 at one point) about other characters and enough secondary stories that I completely forgot about Jo and Owen (you know, the main characters!) When the secondary characters have a better love story than the main couple, then the reader will ask why they are even reading this. And after all of that, as soon as she's found out to be a girl, suddenly, Owen is like "I love that girl". Uh, when did you fall for her? When she suddenly started wearing a dress...is that all it took for Owen to fall in love... put on a dress? Ugh! The main problem I have with this story is that absolutely zero time was spent on the 2 main characters falling in love with each other. It just wasn't there. And I mean NO TIME...as in, they travel for months together, but, we spend time with everyone other than them. By the time the book ended I knew more about the other characters than the 2 of them! The love wasn't even rushed (last 2 or 3 chapters!) it just wasn't there. I will be gifting this book away, maybe someone else will like it, it's just not for me.

It's 2024, I'm doing the Buzzwordathon
2023 March buzzword; secret

[Jim Wesberry · Rating 5 out of 5]

From a consistently excellent author

An intriguing story told in a completely wholesome way as is typical of a great Christian author. Far better than all the currently popular but pathetic immorality tales.

[Barbara · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story had an interesting angle, held my interest, and the characters you weren’t supposed to like were really despicable. Joelle was a great character, and I enjoyed Owen, Arnie, and lEdith too. There were a couple of parts of the plot I found hard to believe in relation to Owen and Joelle. I liked it, for the most part.

[Tamara Tilley · Rating 4 out of 5]

JOELLE’S SECRET by Gilbert Morris is the third book in his Wagon Wheel Series. And though some of the plot seemed strangely familiar, it kept my interest none the less.

At the passing of her mother, Joelle Mitchell is desperate to get away from the disturbing advances and evil threats her step-father continues to taunt her with. When she feels as if she can’t wait any longer, she leaves Tennessee behind and finds herself in Arkansas. When she is confronted with a WANTED sign bearing her name and likeness, she disguises herself as a boy. With her beautiful hair chopped off and wearing baggy clothes, she changes her name to Joe Jones and finds work as a stable hand.

When Joelle meets up with Owen Majors –a man down on his luck– she nurses him back to health and decides to head west with him on a wagon train bound for California. Being out on the open range makes it difficult for Joelle to hide her identity. Hiding her growing feelings for Owen proves to be difficult as well.

I enjoyed JOELLE’S SECRET, but couldn’t help but feel as if I’d read it before. Similarities to other historical’s I’ve read were prevalent, and at times I found myself checking the copyright page thinking I had read the book at an earlier time and this was just a rerelease. I realized that some of the story overlapped with the other books in the series, but there was something about this specific storyline that felt like déjà vu. Even with all that, JOELLE’S SECRET was a quality story and a quick read.

[Purple · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read this probably in 2016, I loved the idea of the story. I was severely disappointed. It could have been done sooo much better! The older GM gets, the creepier he gets. And you can’t have a legit GM book without some sort of rape. He uses the same cookie cutters for every story.
I actually think I will rewrite this book one day just for heck of it.

[Karen · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a quick and easy read -- not very challenging, or course. It was a bit difficult to keep track of all the characters that were introduced along the way, because there were many and not very well developed. Also, I can be a "stickler" when it comes to reading a series of books in the order of there publication. There was no indication -- inside or out -- that this was part of a series. So, when I checked the book from the library and got home, I checked on-line and found that it is actually # 3 of a series of books. Ugh!! Oh well -- I go back and catch up with the first 2 at another time.

[Rev. Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

When Joelle's Mom dies, her stepfather begins attempts to either force her to marry him or molest her. As neither are options for Joelle, she dresses like a boy and escapes,joining a wagon train headed to California. Along the way, she has many adventures, including meeting the man her Mom predicted would someday be sent by God to protect her.

[Mary Ann · Rating 3 out of 5]

This provides a fun look into the past and trips on the Oregon Trail, though I don't think this covered the reality of actual hardships endured by the majority traveling this route. Unfortunately the negative side of man's human nature rears it head, but without it there wouldn't be many stories for us to follow.

[Frances Rogers · Rating 3 out of 5]

More of the same

A pretty fair yarn, but several events were repeats from a previous book in this series: getting ice from a hole in the ground, finding a man by the trail beaten and left to die who turns out to be a doctor. Surely Mr. Morris can do better than this! And a young lady getting away with dressing up like a boy! This was a basis from another book as well too.

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book.

Loved the book. Great story. Liked how the author described the different areas traveled by the wagon train. Fell in love with Joelle right away. Good read hard to put down.

[Julie Holdsworth · Rating 2 out of 5]

Too many similarities

I'm very disappointed in this book and series. The author is just reusing the same stories with different names. And so many people with red hair it is ridiculous. I'm not wasting my money on the last book in this series.

[Maggie · Rating 1 out of 5]

I read this b/c when I was about ten I loved a Gilbert Morris novel...Wow, now I can see that only a ten year old would like his books...

[Mackenzie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Book 3 of 3

[Joan Horkey]

Too predictable. A little on the preachy side.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked the whole book...except for the last line!!

[Chelsea Chappell · Rating 5 out of 5]

another great novel!

[Gloria Sigountos · Rating 4 out of 5]

this book was a nice change of pace. I look forward to reading more of the books.

[Katy Lovejoy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love it!

[Diana Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good book. Read in a couple of days.