The Skylark's Secret

Written by Fiona Valpy

Narrated by Mhairi Morrison

Loch Ewe, 1940. When gamekeeper’s daughter Flora’s remote highland village finds itself the base for the Royal Navy’s Arctic convoys, life in her close-knit community changes forever. In defiance of his disapproving father, the laird’s son falls in love with Flora, and as tensions build in their disrupted home, any chance of their happiness seems doomed.

Decades later, Flora’s daughter, singer Lexie Gordon, is forced to return to the village and to the tiny cottage where she grew up. Having long ago escaped to the bright lights of the West End, London still never truly felt like home. Now back, with a daughter of her own, Lexie learns that her mother—and the hostile-seeming village itself—have long been hiding secrets that make her question everything she thought she knew.

As she pieces together the fragments of her parents’ story, Lexie discovers the courageous, devastating sacrifices made in her name. It’s too late to rekindle her relationship with her mother, but can Lexie find it in her heart to forgive the past, to grieve for all that’s lost, and finally find her place in the world?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Brilliance Audio
• Release date: Sep 29, 2020
• ISBN: 9781799752059

Fiona Valpy

Fiona is an acclaimed, number 1 bestselling author, whose books have been translated into more than twenty languages worldwide. She draws inspiration from stories of strong women, especially during the years of World War II. Her meticulous historical research enriches her writing with an evocative sense of time and place. Fiona spent seven years living in France, having moved there from the UK in 2007, before returning to live in Scotland. Her love for both of these countries, their people and their histories, has found its way into the books she’s written.

Reviews for The Skylark's Secret

[Alice Woodard · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Well woven story of love, loss and the restoration we all long for.

[Kendal Reay · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Brilliant book. Will be recommending it to all my friends

[desiree_reads · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Another entry in the flooded field of WWII novels, The Skylark’s Secret was enjoyable enough to finish, but that’s about it. There were a couple of “surprises” in the novel, but they fell a bit flat. And somehow, rather than foreshadowing leading to a satisfying turn of events, I was often left wondering why something wasn’t resolved, only later to have the t’s crossed and i’s dotted.

If you’re someone who just can’t get enough of WWII historical fiction, then you’ll probably love it. I, however, was left feeling rather blasé about the story. The Author’s Note in the back of the book was quite interesting, though – it would have been nice if Valpy would have focused more of the novel on the historical events mentioned therein. They were present, but more as background than meat.

[pennykaplan · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Set in the Scottish highlands, reaching back to WWII, The gamekeeper’s daughter, Flora, and Alec, the llaird’s son, are in love. Their remote Highland village becomes the base for the Royal Navy’s Arctic Convoy. Decades later daughter Lexie Gordon, recovering from a failed marriage and singing career in London, returns and uncovers the secrets of that era.