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Type of bind: Mass Market Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 813.54
EAN num: 9780671744212
ISBN number: 0671744216
Label: Pocket
Manufacturer: Pocket
Quantity: 1
Page Count: 384
Printing Date: May 01, 1992
Publishing house: Pocket
Sale Popularity Level: 5534
Studio: Pocket
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Product Description:
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!
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Rated by buyers 
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You can get the plot in the other reviews, so I'll give you impressions. I love this book. It is laminated (clear contact paper) to keep it together. The Secret is a regular re-read for me. I seem to miss the characters. It has my favorite very first line in any book, 'They became friends before they were old enough to understand they should hate each other'. The prologue alone was delightful! How often can you say that? Endearing, funny, very human characters and situations. Garwood has a way of understanding of how people really act sometimes totally illogically and emotionally.
In her book 'Randsom' you revisit these people as Brodrick's story evolves. I wish she would write some more historical books.
Rated by buyers 
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I've read three Julie Garwood novels which were similar: The Secret, Saving Grace and Ransom. All three have an English heroine going to Scotland and falling in love with a Scottish laird. All three women were too saccharine for me. They bring some changes and knowledge to the Scottish people by telling them not to commit certain crimes, to be polite and to have better manners. For example one heroine says never steal horses, just borrow them and return them later. One tells the ruling council to give more rights to women. One says a husband doesn't curse in his wife's presence. In two of the books, the heroines bring improved medical knowledge to the Scots. These were too much of the same story, and the heroines were too syrupy sweet for me. The heroes were the same, strong, silent warrior types and excellent leaders. In both The Secret and Ransom, the author creates mystery by not having normal communication between the two main characters. In The Secret, there is a mystery for several pages after Iain tells Judith they are leaving, but not saying why or anything more. She doesn't know why or where they are going. In another part of the story Iain asks her if she saw the person who threw the stones, she lied to him saying no. I would have preferred she say yes, but she'd like to deal with the culprit on her own first, before telling who it is. This was not fun to read. There were a few interesting parts, but also a few times I wished it would be over.
Sexual language: moderate. Number of sex scenes: five. Setting: 1181 and 1200 Scotland and England. Copyright: 1992. Genre: historical romance.
To date, I've read the following Julie Garwood books. All my reviews were posted 6/21/08 except for the Saving Grace review posted 1/19/07.
3 stars. The Bride. Copyrt 1989.
3 stars. Saving Grace. Copyrt 1993.
2 stars. The Secret. Copyrt 1992.
1 star. Ransom. Copyrt 1999.
Rated by buyers -
Have you ever felt that you're swimming against the tide? Well, I'm afraid that the praise received by this book definitely has left me with that feeling, and I think that Garwood may well be a taste that I simply haven't acquired. For this reason, I want to put forward an alternative viewpoint.
The main turn-off for me is the heroine turns into a social crusader - which could be acceptable except that the book is supposedly set in the Middle Ages. She tackles head-on the attitudes of the clanswomen, the Church, clan elders, and clan politics as well as shining a light on maternity practices (at a time when such things were most secretive, and definitely not discussed with men). Garwood does give the odd nod to medieval history, with passing references to King John; however the attitudes expressed by her characters definitely are not 13th Century - for instance, when the hero tells Judith to work to change the customs she doesn't agree with - too PC for the times by far. Equally jarring is the emphasis placed on washing and bathing - this at a time when both were generally considered unhealthy!
The other difficulty for me is Garwood's language. The Vocabulary used is modern, with her favourite words repeated time and time again. Hardly a page goes by without the words "quit" or "visitation" and I just could not get over this. Also, there is little use of traditional Scottish dialect - so she uses "children" instead of "bairns", "creek" instead of "burn", and so on. Unfortunately this meant that neither the setting nor the timing of the novel were believable, which spoilt it totally for me.
The central romance is fairly well drawn out, but became bogged down in the social crusading, and therefore became side-tracked.
I bought this because it has been highly praised everywhere - and found that there is nothing here which lifted it above the mediocre. Sorry Garwood fans, but I really couldn't get into it.
Rated by buyers -
When Judith Hampton met Frances Catherine Kirkcaldy at a summer festival on the border between Scotland and England, the two girls were too young to realize that they should be enemies. The two grew up and maintained their friendship, despite the fact that Judith was British and Frances Catherine Scottish. When Frances Catherine moved to the Scottish Highlands after her wedding, she made Judith promise to come to her when she became pregnant. Frances Catherine's mother and grandmother both died and childbirth and she was afraid she might suffer the same fate. At the beginning of The Secret, the time has come for Judith to go to her friend, and Frances Catherine's highland clan is none too pleased about having an Englishwoman in their midst.
Iain Maitland is the laird of the Maitland clan, and Frances Catherine's brother in law. Since his brother needs to stay by his wife's side, Iain volunteers to travel to England to bring back Judith. In his mind, he has no doubt that the woman will refuse. The English are notorious for breaking their word. Still, Iain is a Scot, and therefore has honor, so he goes on this fool's errand. He's surprised when Judith is waiting on her front porch, more surprised that she's beautiful, and most surprised that he finds himself attracted to her. He brings Judith back to Scotland, and the two spar verbally the entire trip back. Judith is the very first woman, if not the very first person, to challenge Iain's authority or question his actions. Despite himself he finds it attractive. And once he sees how Judith insinuates herself amongst his clan, making herself indispensable, Iain Maitland knows that he's not going to be able to let her go.
The Secret is arguably Julie Garwood's best novel, and without a doubt one of my favorite romances ever written. This story is written with depth and layers that go beyond just hero and heroine. We start with Frances Catherine and Judith, children too naive to realize that their countries are at war. Their innocence allows them to be friends, and their connection allows the friendship to continue despite the space that time and distance might put between them. Then we meet Iain. A fiercely proud warrior. Laird of his clan. Someone that the Maitlands look up to and admire. Iain is a man made of steel who shows no weakness. That is until he falls in love with a small English girl and vows to protect her from anything that might do her harm, including his own clan. From there we meet the supporting characters. Ramsey and Brodick, two Maitland warriors who got their own story in Ransom, both of whom flirt shamelessly with Judith while also being willing to lay down their lives for her. Graham, one of the Maitland clan elders, who at very first opposes the idea of an Englishwoman among their clan, and later embraces Judith because of her kindness and compassion. It goes on from there. Every character in this story has a purpose, a story, a history. Perhaps that's what makes this novel so stellar--nothing is insignificant.
The Secret is that rare breed of romance that you can enjoy countless times and it only gets better. The plot gets deeper, the characters more endearing, the love story more poignant. If you haven't read Garwood, this is a great place to start, and if you love romance, you won't want to miss this book.
Rated by buyers -
This is one of my keepers! I read it when it very first came out, and I still have it! I am Scottish, and absolutely loved this book and its sequel, Ransom"!!!!! I love women who stand up for what they believe in!
Plus, the love story was great!
Wish Ms. Garwood would have written more like this!!!
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