Book Review: True Believer by Nicholas Sparks (Jeremy Marsh and Lexie Darnell #1) (no spoilers)

Book: True Believer
Author: Nicholas Sparks
Publication: April 11th, 2006
Series: Jeremy Marsh and Lexie Darnell #1
Source: Local Library
Read: February 3rd to February 13th, 2014
Summary (From Goodreads):

Jeremy Marsh is the ultimate New Yorker: handsome, almost always dressed in black, and part of the media elite. An expert on debunking the supernatural with a regular column in "Scientific American," he's just made his first appearance on national TV. When he receives a letter from the tiny town of Boone Creek, North Carolina, about ghostly lights that appear in a legend-shrouded cemetery, he can't resist driving down to investigate. Here, in this tightly knit community, Lexie Darnell runs the town's library, just as her mother did before the accident that left Lexie an orphan. Disappointed by past relationships, including one that lured her away from home, she is sure of one thing: her future is in Boone Creek, close to her grandmother and all the other people she loves. Jeremy expects to spend a quick week in "the sticks" before speeding back to the city. But from the moment he sets eyes on Lexie, he is intrigued and attracted to this beautiful woman who speaks with a soft drawl and confounding honesty. And Lexie, while hesitating to trust this outsider, finds herself thinking of Jeremy more than she cares to admit. Now, if they are to be together, Jeremy Marsh must make a difficult choice: return to the life he knows, or do something he's never done before--take a giant leap of faith. A story about taking chances and following your heart, True Believer will make you, too, believe in the miracle of love.

 Did You Know?---

 True Believer is not inspired by any of Nicholas's family members, but the protagonist, Lexie Darnell, is named after one of Nicholas's twin daughters?

 Boone Creek -- the setting for the novel -- is a fictitious town in North Carolina, modeled after Pamlico County?

True Believer was one of two books that Nicholas wrote in a year? (The second is At First Sight, the sequel to True Believer.)

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My Thoughts:

True Believer got off to a really slow start for me and there was many times throughout the novel that I thought the storyline was a bit slow. This book was not my favorite Nicholas Sparks book, but it was still worth my time to read.

Jeremy Marsh is a scientific journalist from New York, who goes to Boone Creek to investigate the mysterious lights people think may be ghosts in Boone Creek cemetery. At the begin of the novel I would describe Jeremy as very rough around the edges and passive. As the novel moves forward Jeremy grows on me. After learning about his past I realized that he has a reason for the way he acts, but he also can be very sweet, friendly, and welcoming when he wants to be. He is a true romantic at heart and what girl is going to argue with that.

Lexie Darnell is a lot the same as Jeremy. She has her reasons for acting the way she does. What I see the most in Lexie is that she is afraid of being hurt again. She is very guarded and is quick to speak her mind. I loved how strong Lexie could be at times, but at other times I wished she would just realize that what Jeremy was telling her was true.

Another side character was Lexie's grandmother Doris. I thought she was a class act for this novel. The things she said were sharp witted, but very caring. I thought she really made the novel and has a key role in the ending.

The ending of this novel was very sweet and it really won over the book for me. I will be reading At First Sight soon so I can find out how Jeremy and Lexie's story ends.



Rachael

My Post. This book was  my January Random Reads selection. First book down towards my goal of 11 this year. It ended up being not an all time favorite, but worth reading.