A Secret Wish: Wish Series, Book 1
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A Secret Wish: Wish Series, Book 1 Audible Audiobook – Unabridged

Barbara Freethy (Author, Publisher), Amy Rubinate (Narrator)
4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 1,614 ratings
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From number-one New York Times best-selling author Barbara Freethy comes an emotional and compelling story of love and family. A Secret Wish is Book 1 in the Wish Series.

One night in San Francisco, three women make a birthday wish believing it can't possibly come true. Liz is turning 30. A successful nurse, she has a good career, but no man to share her life. All her friends are married, and she's alone, still trying to outrun a tragedy from her past. Then she meets a handsome stranger.

Angela, a member of a large, loving Italian family, is facing 35 with no baby in the nursery. Eight years of infertility treatments have put a strain on her marriage. Will she have to choose between her husband and having a child?

When she is mugged by an unexpected assailant, her life takes a new turn. Carole, a corporate wife, is staring down 40 candles. Having grown up poor, she worked hard to get ahead, but when her kids bail on her birthday, and she discovers her husband with another woman, she realizes that she may have nothing at all. She goes back to where it all began, the mother she left behind, and the man whose heart she once broke. Three women, three birthdays, and an unforgettable night that will change their lives forever.

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  1. Listening Length
    4 hours and 9 minutes
  2. Author
    Barbara Freethy
  3. Narrator
    Amy Rubinate
  4. Audible release date
    March 12, 2013
  5. Language
    English
  6. Publisher
    Barbara Freethy
  7. ASIN
    B00BSX940K
  8. Version
    Unabridged
  9. Program Type
    Audiobook
  10. See all details
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Product details

Listening Length 4 hours and 9 minutes
Author Barbara Freethy
Narrator Amy Rubinate
Whispersync for Voice Ready
Audible.com Release Date March 12, 2013
Publisher Barbara Freethy
Program Type Audiobook
Version Unabridged
Language English
ASIN B00BSX940K
Best Sellers Rank #319,755 in Audible Books & Originals (See Top 100 in Audible Books & Originals)
#10,566 in Women's Fiction (Audible Books & Originals)
#24,888 in Contemporary Romance (Audible Books & Originals)
#36,495 in Contemporary Women Fiction

Customer reviews

4.3 out of 5 stars
4.3 out of 5
1,614 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

CINDY F.
5.0 out of 5 stars Wow! This was one really, really fantastic book!
Reviewed in the United States on May 30, 2015
Verified Purchase
I fell completely in love with this book by the end of the first chapter, and it just got better and better as it went on. This book is about three completely different women who find themselves in a pivotal cross road in their lives. Three women, three shared birth dates, and one unforgettable night that will change their lives forever.

Liz is turning thirty. A successful nurse, she has a good career, but no man to share her life.

Angela, a member of a large, loving Italian family, is facing thirty-five with no baby in the nursery. Eight years of infertility treatments have put a strain on her marriage.

Carole, a corporate wife, is staring down forty candles. Having grown up poor, she worked hard to get ahead, but when her kids bail on her birthday, and she discovers her husband with another woman, she realizes that she may have nothing at all.

The interweaving of the three separate ladies and their shared birth date, and a secret wish they each make, was so well written and a totally brilliant idea! What's more; is that these three ladies at one point or another, accidently run across each other that same night, even if it was briefly and non-eventful at the time.

It might not sound like it, but believe me.....This was definitely a feel good book.
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Kristi Pyatt
4.0 out of 5 stars Great Read
Reviewed in the United States on October 7, 2023
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Great easy read like all her books. Love, they all contain empowered women that are
bettering their lives and families.
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MsRomanticReads
5.0 out of 5 stars Follow three women find their paths to happiness
Reviewed in the United States on May 23, 2012
Verified Purchase
4.5 Stars

It's never to late to change your path in life, nor is one ever too old to make a wish. This book follows three strangers, three women, who all share one thing in common - they all share the same birthday.

First we meet Liz Kelly. She's a nurse freshly off her shift, celebrating her thirtieth birthday alone on the hospital rooftop with a cupcake. Recently dumped by her boyfriend, she has only one wish - to find that special man to fall in love with and be loved back. Before she can make her wish, she is startled out of her reverie by a handsome stranger.

Next is Carole. She's a mother and the (trophy) wife of a politician. Turning forty brings with it the fear that her husband may soon be on the lookout for a younger upgrade. Looking at the guests at her party also makes it glaringly obvious that it's more like a political campaign to hob nob rather than celebrate her. Her children didn't even stick around to enjoy the party, but she can't blame them. She has devoted her whole life to her husband's career and neglected them. When she catches her husband in a compromising situation with a younger woman, she runs away to the one place she ran away from and vowed never to return - back to the shabby neighborhood where she grew up and where her estranged mother still lives.

Lastly we have Angela. She comes from a large family who in turn all have families of their own. Except her. Her and her husband have spent many years and a lot of money trying to get pregnant. Failure is not an option. When her husband receives his annual bonus, she's certain he'll agree to another round of IVF. Instead he surprises her with tickets for a romantic cruise. She's devastated by his unwillingness to give her her dream. She escapes from her party with only one question burning on her mind - is a life consisting of just her and her husband enough for her, and where does that leave them?

Each woman's tale of self discovery cycles through from beginning, middle to the end. They even catch a glimpse or exchange a word or two with one another at different stages of the story but that's about the extent of their awareness of one another. Each story brought a few tears, but none moreso than Liz and John's. He helped her "live a little" while remaining oddly cryptic about himself. All my guesses turned out to be way off base. Their night of hanging out and experiencing new things leads to a night of passion. The morning after, John has disappeared leaving Liz a heartfelt note and a confession. But she won't let her wish slip away so easily.

Carole's journey was predictable, but her struggle to make sense of her life felt believable. I wasn't sure what decision she'd make in the end, but I knew what I was hoping for. Out of all three ladies, I think Angela had the most touching story. I'm glad the author took this arc in a positive direction and made Angela's husband a man of worth, and the proverbial rock to lean on. His disappointment with Angela was honest and not unfounded. Of course both partners have to be on the same page and not dole out ultimatums if they expect their marriage to work.

The epilogue was perhaps a little predictable, but this whole book felt like a tale of hope and faith, that I wasn't surprised at all. While the ladies never officially meet, we get a glimpse into their lives one year later. They're all celebrating their birthday and a year of changes, coincidentally all in the same restaurant. A very uplifting story well told.
2 people found this helpful
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Regina Niesen
3.0 out of 5 stars A fun, cute book about finding your true self!
Reviewed in the United States on February 24, 2015
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This story was pretty good for a freebie from Amazon. You never really know what you are going to get when you are dealing with a free book but I was pretty impressed with the book. The story is told from the viewpoint of 3 different women who are celebrating their birthdays on the same day. Each of them make a wish on their birthday cake and with that wish they make life changing descisions.

Carole realizes that she has lost who she was and needs to reclaim who she really is beneath all of the veneer. She wished when she was a child to be free of the poverty that she grew up in and have all the money for herself and her children to have a better life. Well she got her wish but lost herself along the way. She devoted herself to her husband 150 percent and ended up ignoring her kids when they were growing up. So now, on her 40th birthday, her teenagers leave before she cuts the cake and she is surrounded by people she doesn't know; they are all associates of her husband's. Not to mention, she finds her husband in a compromising positions, at her own party, with a much younger woman. She leaves the party, ending up at her mother's house, who she hasn't spoken to in a decade, to make amends and along the way runs into her old flame, Alex, who definitley reminds her of the girl she used to be. After her birthday night, she vows to make changes. She will be closer to her children and mother and force her husband to spend more time wih her and give up his mistress.

Angela doesn't want a birthday party, she wants a baby. Growing up in a large Italian Catholic family she never expected it to be a problem but she and her husband, Colin, have tried in-vitro 3 times and failed. Her husband can't stand seeing her hurt anymore and is ready to give up. However, after running away from her party and a near miss in a mugging, Angie finds 2 girls who are in desperate need of a mother and caretaker. At first Colin is wary, but he sees Angie's natural mothering instint and together they vow to help these lost girls who need their help the most.

Liz makes the simple wish to be secure with who she is and to hopefully find the right man for her after her longtime boyfriend, Kyle, dumps her. Just as she blows out the candle, she meets the mysterious John who takes her out on a night of spontaneous fun. It's the best night she's had in awhile, living life by the minute and not caring what comes next. When she finds out what is really going with John, she worries that she will lose him just as she finally thinks she found the right man for her and will fight for him, no matter the cost.

The ending was cute but predictable, but that's ok...it was free right!!! I thought this book was fun and cute. It's the first time I have read a book by Freethy and I realized that I have about 6 of her books on my Kindle. So I am looking forward to reading her books when I need something light on my brain, fun, and fast. 3 stars!
7 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

Rosemarie Haley
5.0 out of 5 stars Enjoyable Read
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 16, 2020
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Another enjoyable book by this author it kept my interest from page one to the last.Looking forward to getting her other book's.
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A. Barnes
4.0 out of 5 stars An easy read
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 3, 2013
Verified Purchase
Have read other books by the same author and I have enjoyed them all. I like the way the individual characters encounter each other. Enjoyable and easy to follow.
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Mrs. A. Rothwell
5.0 out of 5 stars Secret Wish
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 12, 2013
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Very good story line, well written and enjoyable. I Will look forward to reading plenty more of Barbara Freethy books
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Tracey Madeley
3.0 out of 5 stars A pleasant read
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 17, 2015
Verified Purchase
This is the story of three women and the rather tenuous common link that they all are born on the same day. They all experience changes in their lives and for each one it leads to something new and positive. There is the suggestion that change although unnerving does not need to be negative. When we see them a year later with positive outcomes it forms a satisfying ending to the story.

The idea of three women and three different men stops this story falling into the predictable boy meets girl story. There is mystery suspicion and conflict in their relationships which keep the story moving forward at a steady pace. Spreading the story over so many characters does limit the development of individual characterisation, but the story is pleasant and heart-warming.
One person found this helpful
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S. Aubrey
5.0 out of 5 stars A really sweet book
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 22, 2015
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A great Sunday afternoon read a little bit of romance and a little bit of hope. An easy worthwhile read for everyone.
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