The Forgotten Secret is another  fantastic dual timeline story that is not easy to put down nor is it easily forgotten. It’s a gripping, haunting story about two women with related stories, one in the 1900’s and the other in the present time. The extraordinary story line is extremely captivating and beautifully written. I enjoyed reading this book. I highly recommend it. Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for this book in exchange for an honest review.

In present day, a woman who is not happy in her 25 year marriage in London, inherits a farmhouse in Ireland. This triggers her to leave her controlling husband to start anew in Ireland. While inspecting an uncomfortable chair in the farmhouse, she finds a communion medal wrapped in a birth certificate from 1920. She investigates this as she is setting up her new life. 
Meanwhile, in 1920, a young couple in love make love before he leaves on a mission as a freedom fighter in Ireland. The young woman finds herself pregnant and cannot reach the young man. Her father ships her off to a home for unwed mothers, where she is worked hard, and gives birth to a son. She leaves the home to find her father and the young man. When she returns for her baby, she is told that he has died. She leaves the home in tears.

I absolutely loved this book and read it in two days. it is the first time I have ready anything byKathleen McGurl and I was booked  from the first chapters. The book moves beautifully between Ireland in the early 1900’s during the Easter rising and Ireland’s fight for freedom then  to the present day telling the story of two women who have to remain strong and gain their independence back in the face of adversity. The storyline i beautifully written and I thoroughly njoyed it.  If you are a fan of Kate Morton or Leon Uris then this book is for you. Thank you to the author, publisher and Netgalley for allowing me the opportunity to read and review this book in advance of it being published.

Clare Farrel has inherited a derelict old farmhouse and grounds in Ireland and exploring it, and her family’s past, seems the perfect chance for her to escape her failing marriage. In the house she uncovers the secrets of Ellen O’Brien, a young woman in love with the wrong man in 1919 as the clouds of war overtake the world

I received an ARC copy from netgalley for my honest review,  so thank you netgalley and publishers for offering me this book! ♡ 
Can she unlock the mysteries of the past?
A country at war 
It’s the summer of 1919 and Ellen O’Brien has her whole life ahead of her. Young, in love and leaving home for her first job, the future seems full of shining possibility. But war is brewing and before long, Ellen and everyone around her are swept up by it. As Ireland is torn apart by the turmoil, Ellen finds herself facing the ultimate test of love and loyalty.
 
A long-buried secret
A hundred years later and Clare Farrell has inherited a dilapidated old farmhouse in County Meath. Seizing the chance to escape her unhappy marriage she strikes out on her own for the first time, hoping the old building might also provide clues to her family’s shadowy history. As she sets out to put the place – and herself – back to rights, she stumbles across a long-forgotten hiding place, with a clue to a secret that has lain buried for decades.

The cover and title is what originally drew me to this book. 
This is my first book by this author. It was alltogether an easy read. ♡ I give this book a 
3.5 star rating!