 "A SECRET WORTH READING!---" | 2009-11-06 |
| - Reviewed By User: AWECCFC31HF4U |
| An engaging and entertaining book about friendship and love without a lot of repetition of words/feelings so often found in formula romances. Characters were fun and very likable---just wish the heroine hadn't cried throughout the ENTIRE book as it got a little old. |
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| "Loved it" | 2009-10-23 |
| - Reviewed By User: A37K1WKK26GP3C |
| I've read all of Julie Garwood's books and have re-read most of them, I highly recommend her if you like historical romance. |
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| "Probably my all time favorite historical romance" | 2009-08-30 |
| - Reviewed By victorianlady772000 |
| This book was amazing, and there are so many things I loved about it. The romance was wonderful, the friendship between the two women was heartwarming, and a refreshing change from the long held view that most women get along like two cats in a sack, and are not capable of loyalty. Garwood does a fabulous job of drawing you into this world of the Highlands, and her secondary characters fill this out to make it a great read. I probably re-read this novel, and the sequel "Ransom" once a year. As one of the other readers have done, I will have to buy a new one because I have read my copy so many times. This is a five star one, ladies. You can't go wrong, and if you are like me after you finish it, you will go find a copy of every historical she has written and enyoy. |
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| "Delightful PoppyCock!!" | 2009-07-20 |
| - Reviewed By User: APCQ7D8J0R2M7 |
| Okay everyone...this is not high level reading, but it is really fun. What woman wouldn't want a man like Iain Maitland to wrap her arms around? I melt every time I think of Judith lost in his embrace. Never mind all those hours in the saddle...now, that does raise one's temperature. I have ridden for years and let me tell you first-hand, that sitting in the saddle in front of a man while your riding does have some rather sensual moments. Least of all, these are times when people lived in a very harsh world. Warriors weren't prone to yielding to women, showing their vulnerability or bathing for that matter. Nonetheless, this is a great summer read and I do plan on reading more of Julie Garwood's writing. I would have preferred if the book were shorter. Once again, I have a serious issue with authors who have to fill pages and end up writing the same circumstances over a 100 different ways. If you want to pick up something that is an easy, witty, fun summer read, then The Secret is your ticket. The ladies can lose themselves dreaming of being in the hero's arms...now, that's worth dreaming about. |
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| "Wonderful!" | 2009-07-15 |
| - Reviewed By User: A8BE8Q59EXJCS |
This book grabbed from the Prologue, filled with both endearing and funny moments. In a few pages, Ms. Garwood had me loving Judith, the heroine, and her friend Frances Catherine. By the end of Chapter 2, I was also in love with Iain, the hero, and smiling like a silly girl. What a nice way to start a book!
Judith and Frances Catherine met as children and formed an unlikely friendship. Judith was English and Frances Catherine was Scottish, and "everyone" knew that English and Scottish hated each other... Well, everyone but Judith and Frances Catherine! Their friendship lasted through all the years, and now Frances Catherine was pregnant and wanted Judith by her side as promised years before, to help her with the birth of her child. Iain was the laird of the Maitland clan and Frances Catherine's brother-in-law, and the idea of having an Englishwoman as a guest in his lands didn't particularly sit well with him but he agreed to fulfill his sister-in-law's request - after all, he was an honorable man and he always put his family first, no matter what. So he set to England to fetch Judith and escort her to her friend's side, even though he expected her to dishonor her childhood promise and not go to Frances Catherine's. She was English, hence her word didn't mean anything, right? Well, Iain was more than surprised to find out his preconceived notions about Judith were wrong, not to mention a bit disturbed to see how she managed to enchant not only him but all of his men in no time. But she had a secret - yeah, the one the titles refers to - that could complicate a relationship between them, so she was determined to fight her attraction to him. Not that would make any difference, once Iain had his mind set on keeping her... ;)
Iain was just wonderful! Honorable, protective, caring and, oh yes, arrogant. He didn't ask, he demanded. His marriage proposal to Judith made me gasp, then laugh. It was so delicious and outrageous. "Judith, I'm keeping you." How could she argue with that? (LOL) And yet, he couldn't find a way to get her to understand the "chain of command" to be followed in his clan. But he was no fool when it came to Judith and didn't waste time trying to keep her at arm's lenght.
Judith was as great as Iain. Honorable, kind-hearted and smart. Stubborn too, because that was the only way she could meet Iain's arrogance. She wasn't afraid to stand her ground but she never acted like those stupid heroines who pick a fight with the hero just to show how "feisty" they are. She was above that. Seeing her argue her cases in her particular "ilogical" way of thinking was too funny. No wonder everyone always ended up agreeing with her.
Iain and Judith's love story was funny and sigh-worthy at the same thing. I lost count of the times I laughed out loud - thankfully, there was no one else around or they would think I was crazy - or simply smiled in contentment. There were also a few angsty moments near the end of the book, but I never doubted that Iain would make everything right.
Now, I need to comment on the feeling of "déjà vu" that bugged me a little while I was reading it. In one particular sequence of events, I was reminded of A Kingdom of Dreams by Judith McNaught: when the little boy threw some stones at Judith, she protected him, settled the matter by herself and, in the process, gained the boy's mother's allegiance and respect. That had enough similarity with some events in McNaught's book to make me raise an eyebrow. Going further, Judith and the heroine in A Kingdom of Dreams also had some similar characteristics: both were somewhat mistreated by their own families, their fathers were their heroes' enemy and they only found their "place in the world" in their heroes' clans. Of course, there were several differences that kept the books apart, and The Secret was a very enjoyable read by its own merit. I already see myself rereading it over and over again in the future.
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| "Romantic, charming, funny..." | 2009-07-09 |
| - Reviewed By User: AUS5X6IMFLJBD |
| Garwood is one of my favorite historical romance authors (her contemporaries aren't as good, but that's another review). Her stories are funny and "light" (not as emotionally wrenching as other historical romance authors can be), and I always feel good when I finish one. The only books that get 5 stars from me are those that are keepers (rereads). This one fits that definition. The tension/romance between the h/h is just right, with plenty of witty dialogue and romantic love scenes. Well done! |
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