Back CoverJudith Hampton was as beautiful as she was proud and loyal. Her dear Scottish friend from childhood was about to give birth, and Judith had promised to be at her side. But there was another, private reason for the journey from her bleak English home to the Highlands: to meet the father she had never known, the Laird MacLean. Nothing prepared her, however, for the sight of the Scottish barbarian who was to escort her into his land...
Iain Maitland, Laird of his clan, is a man more powerfully compelling than any she had ever encountered. In a spirited clash of wills and customs, Judith revelled in the melting bliss of Iain's searching kisses, his passionate caresses. Perplexed by her sprightly defiance, bemused by her tender nature, Iain felt his soul growing into the light and warmth of her love. Surely nothing would wrench her from the affection and trust of Iain and his clan...not even the truth about her father, a devastating secret that could shatter the boldest alliance, and the most glorious of loves...
Iain Maitland, Laird of his clan, is a man more powerfully compelling than any she had ever encountered. In a spirited clash of wills and customs, Judith revelled in the melting bliss of Iain's searching kisses, his passionate caresses. Perplexed by her sprightly defiance, bemused by her tender nature, Iain felt his soul growing into the light and warmth of her love. Surely nothing would wrench her from the affection and trust of Iain and his clan...not even the truth about her father, a devastating secret that could shatter the boldest alliance, and the most glorious of loves...
My Thoughts
After reading Garwood’s Ransom, I was anxious to read its prequel - The Secret - as I had read on numerous reviews that it was fantastic, even better then Ransom. I picked up my copy at the library and devoured it in two days. Thankfully, knowing the fate of so many characters in the story did not spoil the book for me at all.
The story begins at a festival on the English/Scottish border. Two young girls, England’s Judith and Scotland’s Frances Katherine form an unlikely friendship and bond for life. Years later, Frances Katherine, married and living in the Highlands with the Maitland Clan, is about to have her first child and requests that her dear friend Judith be there when the baby is born. Despite their dislike for the English the council relunctly grants permission and Frances Katherine’s brother-in-law and clan laird, Ian Maitland gathers a group of men and head to England to retrieve Judith. The last thing Ian expected was to see Judith packed, ready and willing to travel to Scotland to be with her dear friend. Judith, raised part-time by her loving aunt and uncle and part-time by an absent mother and a drunk-uncle, is anxious to escape to the Highlands and to secretly seek out the father she never knew. A father who just happens to be an enemy of the Maitland clan!
What follows is an exciting journey through the wilds of Scotland and into Ian’s heart. She enchants him as well as the other members of the group, but Ian quickly stakes his claim. When she arrives in the Highland, the two friends are overjoyed to see each other and they start preparing for the birth of the child. That the friendship of these two women was the foundation of this book, and not just a passing paragraph was refreshing. Too often we see the relationships of woman based on jealousy, backstabbing & bitchiness and this was a wonderful change.
Another thing I like about The Secret is that there are no hot and heavy love scenes. I do enjoy a good love scene but when authors use phrases such as “manroot”, “creamy white thighs” and “heaving breasts”, I quickly loose interest and skip to the next part as I find it unnecessary and boring.
There are many things that make this book exciting and fun to read – from Judith’s reactions to suddenly becoming the clan’s unofficial midwife, to the wedding before the counsel (which is a laugh). There are several plots in this story. All are well-developed, interesting and essential to the story and the secondary characters come alive in front of you. They are well-developed & fascinating and draw you into the story.
Overall, an excellent read. Another one that has inspired me to pick up more of Julie Garwood’s work.
The story begins at a festival on the English/Scottish border. Two young girls, England’s Judith and Scotland’s Frances Katherine form an unlikely friendship and bond for life. Years later, Frances Katherine, married and living in the Highlands with the Maitland Clan, is about to have her first child and requests that her dear friend Judith be there when the baby is born. Despite their dislike for the English the council relunctly grants permission and Frances Katherine’s brother-in-law and clan laird, Ian Maitland gathers a group of men and head to England to retrieve Judith. The last thing Ian expected was to see Judith packed, ready and willing to travel to Scotland to be with her dear friend. Judith, raised part-time by her loving aunt and uncle and part-time by an absent mother and a drunk-uncle, is anxious to escape to the Highlands and to secretly seek out the father she never knew. A father who just happens to be an enemy of the Maitland clan!
What follows is an exciting journey through the wilds of Scotland and into Ian’s heart. She enchants him as well as the other members of the group, but Ian quickly stakes his claim. When she arrives in the Highland, the two friends are overjoyed to see each other and they start preparing for the birth of the child. That the friendship of these two women was the foundation of this book, and not just a passing paragraph was refreshing. Too often we see the relationships of woman based on jealousy, backstabbing & bitchiness and this was a wonderful change.
Another thing I like about The Secret is that there are no hot and heavy love scenes. I do enjoy a good love scene but when authors use phrases such as “manroot”, “creamy white thighs” and “heaving breasts”, I quickly loose interest and skip to the next part as I find it unnecessary and boring.
There are many things that make this book exciting and fun to read – from Judith’s reactions to suddenly becoming the clan’s unofficial midwife, to the wedding before the counsel (which is a laugh). There are several plots in this story. All are well-developed, interesting and essential to the story and the secondary characters come alive in front of you. They are well-developed & fascinating and draw you into the story.
Overall, an excellent read. Another one that has inspired me to pick up more of Julie Garwood’s work.
