The Secret

Written by Julie Garwood

Narrated by Susan Duerden

A beautiful English lady falls for a Scottish highlander in this delightful historical romance from #1 New York Times bestselling author Julie Garwood.

Judith 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, a man more powerfully compelling than any she had ever encountered.

In a spirited clash of wills and customs, Judith reveled 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!

• Language: English
• Publisher: Brilliance Audio
• Release date: Jan 30, 2013
• ISBN: 9781469261201

Julie Garwood

Julie Garwood (1944–2023) was the author of numerous New York Times bestsellers, including Fire and Ice, Shadow Music, Shadow Dance, Murder List, Killjoy, Mercy, Heartbreaker, Ransom, and Come the Spring. There are more than thirty-six million copies of her books in print.

[Mona Smith · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

I cannot stand the narrator. Every sentence is spoken as a question. I couldn't get past 15 minutes of listening to her.

[ajmiller1948 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I love this series and have read and now listened to it many times. Thereading is well done and a good contrast to Rosiland Landor reading "The Bride."

[Martha DeMers · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

So glad to get this book in audio form! I have read it at least once a year for the last 20 or so years!! Excellent job on the reader's part, although the men's voices are not at all as I hear them in my head!! (Too many episodes of "Outlander" I suppose...)

[Meg Gatza · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

It always feels like an interesting worldbuilding choice, even in the medieval era, to make the men completely ignorant of the ways of the women - to me this is what makes this signature Old School. (I've read books set in similar eras, even with alpha males, that address worldbuilding differently.)

That said, I did enjoy the romance. Ian is the epitome of gentle alpha highland laird and Judith is feisty and bold half-English heroine. Not bad for my first Garwood. (Plus, lots of consent, with the exception of a few early dubcon kisses.)

[Sherry Johnson · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

One of my favorite highland romances. Good enough to listen over and over again.

[deep220_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I have a huge soft spot for romance books involving stubborn alpha males with feisty little females that push them to distraction. So I absolutely loved The Secret by Julie Garwood. It was the first book of hers that I had read so it will always remain by favorite especially with how many times I have read it.

[Dixie Daniel · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Sweet story, very funny! Unfortunately, the narration made it difficult to stay engaged and enjoy the story as much as it deserves. This book would be best enjoyed by reading it and letting the characters speak for themselves in you mind.

[Amanda Rooney · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

One of my favourite books in this series, such a sweet love story perfect for a blanket and hot chocolate session.

[Jennifer Torres · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The book was wonderful. The narrator was not, the voices we all over exaggerated. Made it so hard to listen to. The book was fantastic!

[Stephanie Johnson · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Brilliantly done! One of my favorites. I thoroughly enjoyed. Thank You!

[Emily Karr · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

The book itself is great. One of my favorites by Julie Garwood. The narrator of the audiobook, however, is absolutely horrible. The weird upward inflection at the end of every sentence is so off-putting! Also, she makes grown women sound like whiney 10 year olds and the young men sound like they’re 90! Seriously just a bad narrator.

[Mandee Burt · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

I wish I could listen to this book. The narrator is horrible.

[Salli Blevins · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is one of my all time favorite Julie Garwood books. The hero and heroine are strong, loyal and intelligent. There is plenty of humor and good character development.

[Em Pitre · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This was by far the best historical/Scottish romance I’ve ever had read to me! To put in perspective I love anything by Lisa kleypas & Suzanne enouch. I can’t believe it took me so long to start reading Julie Garwood. I almost wish I had the novel in front of me to speed read through it. The voices used by the person reading was superb. The emotion was well matched to the characters. I enjoyed this version, immensely. 10/10 - by far my favourite novel to date that I’ve read by Julie Garwood! This actually would come before The bride, and I adored The bride.
The novel was well paced and interesting. I didn’t find it rushed. I found the pacing of the love story woven beautifully in the novel. I’m excited to see what’s next in the series with Broderick. I almost wish there was more than just two books in this particular series. But I am definitely going on a Julie Garwood binge!

[Rose Coups · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Cute story but the narrator was awful. The women sounded like whiny little girls and the men sounded old, gruff, and with excess spit.

[Yvonne Harper · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The conversation between Judith and her father is mostly cut out

[addictofromance · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The Secret takes us back into time to the Scottish Highlands, medieval time period. Where we have Judith Hampton who is English, but never knew her father, except for his ring, and her mother not caring one whit about her welfare. Having gone from different relatives homes, and now a grown up woman, has studies childbirth for her closest and best friend Frances Catherine, who is married to the brother of Laird Maclean. So when the Iain's goes to retrieve Judith on behalf of his brother and his wife, he never expected to find her so beautiful. Iain is used to obedience as being the leader of his clan, however Judith clashes her will with his on every occasion they are together, not used to such defiance, Iain is quite intrigued by this English woman, whom he desires for himself, but knows its complicated to do so, especially since his clan despises the English, however Judith is another story althogether, for she is nothing like the weak willed English he has known. Judith only mission was to come to her friend Frances Catherine's rescue, and help her give birth, but never realizing how much she ached for Iain tender embrace and passionate kissing and knows that she is falling in love with this Scottish Laird, who would surely hate her once he knew who her father truly was, but will he still love her when he finds out the truth? And will there be a happily ever after?The Secret is another favorite of mine to read from Julie Garwood, I just love her scottish historicals they are my favorite books of her that I love to read from. In The Secret we have Judith who is English and at this time in History the Scots and the English hate each other. So when Iain brings her to his clan, at first Judith is considered a outsider to his clan. However as things progress throughout the story we see that she starts to make her home in the clan and with Iain. Where both Iain and Judith will find a glorious and passionate love in each other that they never expected to find. I found that Julie Garwood, especially in The Secret, brings to life the magic and adventure of this time period in the Highlands. With wonderful characters that will charm and delight you, and a plot that will only entice you into reading more and more of this wonderful author!

[sidy akins · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I NEVER GET TIRED OF RE-READING THIS BOOK. WHAT A BEAUTIFUL STORY!

[fastaxion · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I read this book many years ago but yet I still remember the plot which means it stuck with me after all this time. Although I'm not a die hard fan of romance I found this book interesting.

[jorgeousjotts · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I liked several aspects of this and thought at a few points that it might end up being 4 stars for me, but ultimately the things I liked and the things I didn't sort of balanced each other out to a 3. I enjoyed the road trip portion (heroes trying to resist heroines and utterly failing at it always tickles me) =D. And I liked the strong female friendship(s) and the midwifery. I think the take on gender roles feels very traditional (not so much as in 'men were protectors and women were nurturers' which I would expect from this time period, but more in 'man speaks solely in orders and can't communicate to save his soul, woman is childlike-naive and entirely run by her emotions'... =/ ). I don't have as much experience with those more traditional romances and they're just not really my thing. This wasn't excruciating or anything, but it was a bit much for my preference. Despite that the characters were largely likable, and I'll go ahead and read the second one which also seems to be a particular favorite with people.

[arobrien-646975 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I absolutely loved this book! It's one of my all time faves of Julie Garwood. The characters were strong and real and easy to like. It took me from laughter to tears and everything in between.

[Naitora · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The argument is that it’s brilliant. I must say I didn’t really know where it was headed, but I only just started reading the beginning and suddenly I was laughing out loud, eagerly anticipating that first face-to-face encounter and everything that would come after. A compendium of amusing and terrible calamities, an adventure at sea. The love and illusion that await alongside a woman who is all heart and a man who appears tough will give us plenty to enjoy. Not only due to the great chemistry between them but also because of “tragic” events, lessons, and rivalries among characters that will add to the final touches of this brilliant work. I was captivated and wanted to read it again. I clarify: I had to reread chapters to enjoy them again; they lasted me a day and I wanted to prolong it a little longer.

Julie Garwood isn’t a surprise to see here. I’ve said it before, she’s one of those literary goddesses who has earned her place on that pedestal, her writing is simply brilliant, sublime, perfect! Happy reading! (Translated from Spanish)

[spinsterrevival · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Wonderful read; Judith was an adorable heroine (and reluctant midwife), and Iain was the perfect hero for her (who was fairly better at communication than most). I loved that a true friendship was at the heart of this story, and I would have read even more pages of Judith and Frances Catherine as little moppets.

[Maider93 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

It is a book narrated in an agile manner, but with detailed and well-developed descriptions, featuring a thrilling plot that never wanes and fully immerses the reader in the story. Judith could not imagine that the promise she made to her friend years ago to be with her when she became pregnant and gave birth would change her life. She, an Englishwoman, and her friend, a Scottish, belong to rival clans destined to hate each other, but they became inseparable when they were young, and now Judith must go to Scotland to fulfill her promise. Reluctantly, Iain, the chief of the Maitland clan, goes in search of her, accompanied by his men. They all come with hesitation, as there is a great rivalry between the English and the Scots. Therefore, the men hope that Judith will back down upon seeing them and decide not to go. The young woman, showing her great courage and stubborn character, proves to fear nothing and no one and decides to go with them. The journey is an adventure, as from the start Judith must earn the respect of the Scots, who, despite everything, cannot help but admire the young woman's bravery. Her valor quickly catches the attention of the men, especially Iain. The stay in Scotland proves to be quite a challenge because the young woman not only must earn the respect of the English but must also struggle against the passion and desire she feels for Iain. The same happens to him, who, in addition to desire, feels frustration since he knows that no matter how much he desires her, he must not and cannot have her, a fact that only fuels the fire and passion between them. Judith accompanies her friend during the final stretch of her pregnancy, as was planned, but another deep secret has led her to make the decision to travel to Scotland, and this secret could seriously jeopardize the already tense relationship between the clans and also completely break the possibility of maintaining a relationship with Iain. (Translated from Spanish)

[whitreidtan · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I do like historical romances set in Scotland. There's something so swoony about a man in a kilt, right? And the Scottish Highlands, with its fierce warriors and deep distrust (to soft pedal it a bit) of the English is enticing too. So Julie Garwood's 13th century set historical romance, The Secret, about an English woman and a Scots laird hits the kilted, intimidating and tender hero and sassy, kind and caring heroine spot for me.

Judith and Frances Catherine are just children when they meet at a summer festival in the borderlands of England and Scotland. They're too young to know they aren't supposed to like each other because Judith is English and Frances Catherine is Scottish so they became fast friends, meeting up at the festival annually. Frances Catherine's mother died just after childbirth and knowing that her friend was afraid of doing the same, Judith vowed to Frances Catherine that she would come to her and make sure that Frances Catherine lived through the experience herself. Now Frances Catherine, married to the younger brother of the Maitland laird, is pregnant and she wants her friend by her side as promised. Although he is not certain that bringing an English woman into their Highland clan's territory is the right thing to do, Laird Iain Maitland agrees to fetch his sister-in-law's friend, never dreaming that the Englishwoman and outsider will keep her word to sweet Frances Catherine and change his life, and the life of his clan for the better.

Judith is an honorable woman and she is determined to keep her word to her dear friend. Traveling to the Highlands also gets her closer to meeting the father about whom she has been told lies her entire life, a father who is a Scottish laird himself, Laird Maclean. The chemistry between Judith and Iain is good and their verbal sparring is entertaining. They are well matched equals. Although Iain can be high-handed and arrogant, he also admires Judith's strength and bravery and learns to listen to her when she sees ways to make the women of the clan happier. Judith is intelligent, diplomatic, and definitely before her time but her questions, suggestions, and changes to the lives around her are not so far out as to be completely unbelievable. Not much of Iain's past comes to light throughout the novel but Judith's own fractured and sometimes traumatic past, living half the year with her cruel mother and an alcoholic uncle and half the year with a kind aunt and uncle, tied as it is to the secret of the title, is laid out fully for the reader. The evolving relationship between Judith and Iain is wonderfully done and realistic. The end is resolved a little neatly and quickly but that's forgivable given the truly happily ever after which tidily sets up the next book in the series. Historical romance fans will definitely enjoy this.

[pnrlist · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Great standard Highlander romance. It's a formula, but I like that formula. Sweet girl with a secret falls for dashing laird and despairs that he doesn't love her (he does). She's outgoing and smart, but shy and troubled by a past of neglect and abuse. It was adorable. I'll read the rest of this trilogy, for sure. (4 stars)

Re-read seven years later, and I still like it. There are less of the abused-heroine elements than I initially thought, and it's less angsty than I recall as well, but my original review is still accurate.

[lauren2013_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The Secret
4 Stars

Synopsis
Lady Judith Hampton is more than willing to traverse the harsh highlands to keep a childhood promise to be with her best friend during childbirth. However, little has prepared her for the Scottish brute sent to escort her nor for the passion he evokes in her. As Judith and Iain, Laird of the Maitland clan grow closer, Judith fears that the secret of her parentage will ultimately drive them apart.

Review
Engaging characters and a sweet romance with a hunky highlander.

I'm not usually a fan of plots with secrets as they tend to lead to silly and annoying conflicts. That said, the secret here is well done as it never becomes the focus of the story and is resolved in a timely fashion without becoming drawn out and frustrating.

The realistic portrayal of pregnancy and child birth in medieval times as well as the superstition surrounding them is very interesting although infuriating. Unfortunately, some of the other aspects of the setting are not as believable. The language and dialogue as well as some of the social mores are not consistent with the time period - no way would the Maitlands have overcome their prejudice against an English woman so quickly and the clan conflict is completely unrealistic - the 12th/13th century Scots were more a behead first and ask questions later type of people.

The romance is the best part of the book. Iain and Judith have some intense sexual chemistry that builds slowly toward the inevitable explosion and their sharp and witty banter is very entertaining. Judith is a spirited and feisty heroine with backbone of solid steel. Although her perfect beauty and saccharine sweet mannerisms are not that credible, these do not detract from her captivating personality. Iain is the typical strong/silent/arrogant warrior who falls for the only woman that stands up to him - of course, I can never get enough of these so it's all good.

The secondary characters are compelling, especially the elder council who provide some wonderful comic relief, and Broderik the brooding whose book I am looking forward to reading very soon.

[myab-3 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is one of my very favourite books. I have read and listened to it numerous times over the years. Iain Maitland is one of my "great leading men". Love the characters, the story, really everything about it. Funny, sweet, heartwarming.. it's got everything! I use this as one of my "I'll get you hooked on romance books" and it works every time! If you haven't read this book you should.

[mom2lnb · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Julie Garwood has been a long-time favorite author for me. In fact, she was one of the very first mainstream romance authors whose work I ever read. For that reason, it’s always fun to revisit some of her books I’ve read in the past, as well as discover ones that are new to me. I believe The Secret falls into the latter category. Before picking it up, I honestly couldn’t recall if it was one that I’d read before or not, but after reading it, nothing about it seemed particularly familiar, other than Ms. Garwood’s trademark writing style and character archetypes. As with pretty much all of the author’s books I’ve read to date, The Secret has a gruff and rather stubborn alpha hero with a heart gold and a feisty heroine who isn’t afraid to stand up for herself and who ultimately makes a big difference in her hero’s life. The story is fairly lighthearted with lots of humor, but still had enough emotional moments to keep me engaged throughout. Overall it was another fun foray into this beloved author’s work.

Judith is a young Englishwoman who had a rough life growing up. She lived with a loving aunt and uncle for her first four years, but after that was forced to spend six months every year with her mother, who couldn’t stand the sight of her and another uncle, who was a mean drunk. They told her that her father was dead and that her mother didn’t like having her around because Judith reminded her of her lost love. It wasn’t until many years later that Judith found out the truth that her father was indeed still alive and that he was a Scot. When Judith was only four years old, she attended a summer border festival with the good aunt and uncle, where she met Frances Catherine, a little Scottish girl of the same age. In their childish innocence, they didn’t know they were supposed to be enemies, so instead they became best friends. Frances Catherine’s mother and grandmother both died in childbirth, so when they reached adulthood, Judith promised that she would be by Frances Catherine’s side when the time came for her to give birth. She even spent as much time as she could secretly gaining information and training from midwives, so that she could be of help. When Frances Catherine’s brother-in-law comes to fetch Judith, she’s more than ready to go see her friend and provide comfort and assistance. She just didn’t expect to fall in love with the gruff warrior in the process and end up staying in the Highlands.

I really admired Judith for her outspokenness, which gains the respect of Iain and his men. More than one of them ends up sweet on her before the journey is over, and they only keep their distance out of respect for Iain, who they know is interested in her too. I also loved her ability to engender trust in the women of the clan, especially those who are about to give birth. Even though she thought she was only going to be with Frances Catherine in a support role and is completely freaked out when the other expectant women start coming to her instead of the nasty woman who is the clan midwife, she ends up bravely attending all of them during their labors. Judith also has a way of putting others at ease and making peace in the midst of conflict whenever possible. Nearly everyone ends up loving her, despite her being English, Iain, of course, most of all.

Iain became laird of his clan at a young age. He also raised his younger brother, Patrick, who is Frances Catherine’s husband, from the time he was just twelve. Together the two are inseparable and always have each other’s backs. That’s why when Patrick comes to him with his unusual request that an Englishwoman be allowed to visit to attend his wife during childbirth, Iain goes to bat for him with the council and then travels to England to bring her back. He’s instantly attracted to the feisty woman who has a backbone more like a Scot. He always swore he wouldn’t turn into a besotted idiot like his brother has, but the more time he spends with Judith, the more he can’t help himself. When he sees the ring Judith wears around her neck, one that she says belonged to her father, it’s familiar to him. And when he finally realizes it bears the mark of their chief rivals, the Macleans, and that Judith is their laird’s daughter, he knows he must marry her to protect her from them.

I liked Iain for being a strong leader and for his protectiveness toward Judith. He even agrees to her bizarre request on their wedding day that he never get drunk in front of her, which was sweet. I also liked that he respected her opinion on many matters and that he showed her how he felt about her even when he didn’t want to say the words. That said, though, Iain was perhaps just a tad too alpha for my taste. He’s more or less the typical, stubborn, clueless hero who doesn’t initially recognize his emotions for what they are, and it takes him a while to get around to telling Judith that he loves her, because he feels that it will make him weak. At his heart, though, I can’t deny that he’s a good man who treats her with kindness and respect, while protecting and keeping her safe, so I did like him quite a bit even though he won’t make the very top of my favorite romance heroes list due to his lack of vulnerability.

The Secret is the first book of Julie Garwood’s Highlands’ Lairds series. It contains quite a number of secondary characters. Patrick and Frances Catherine have their own sweet little romance going on in the background. Even though they’ve been married a while, it’s obvious they’re still crazy about each other. Iain’s men, as well as the elders of the council, all have their own unique personalities, which make the story more humorous, more exciting, more sexy (in some cases), pretty much more of everything. Of note among Iain’s men are the drop-dead gorgeous Ramsey and the adorable, funny, and also attractive Brodick, who had a major crush on Judith. It appears these two go on to become the co-heroes of the next book of the series, Ransom. Then there are the women of the clan, particularly Isabelle, the first expectant mother Judith delivers and Helen, the apprentice of the midwife from hell, whom Judith eventually wins over with her kindness. And these are just a few of the more notable characters. There are plenty more who play smaller but key roles. All of them and the storytelling came together to create a fun-filled, enjoyable, light-hearted read. A little more vulnerability for Iain and a little deeper characterizations for both him and Judith wouldn’t have gone amiss, but in the end, I decided to give The Secret keeper status after all. Since I very much liked both Ramsey and Brodick, I look forward to seeing what’s in store for them in the next book.

[carol420 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This novel is a delightful escape, and a good read for both new and old Julie Garwood fans. Not her best, but definitely not her worst either.