"The Skylark's Secret" is the second novel I've read by Fiona Valpy, and, like "The Beekeeper's Promise", it was another well researched historical novel written in a dual time line format.

This novel was set in Loch Ewe, Scotland, which was a temporary base of the Home Fleet and was also used as an assembly point for the Arctic Convoys during WWII. The fictional rendering of the part this area played in WWII illustrated just how important Loch Ewe was strategically to the allies during the war.

The characters of both time lines were fully fleshed out and captured my heart. The novel spoke to the importance of a tight-knit community and how it often takes a village to raise a child. It also stressed the importance of traditional music in the history of Scotland. It did what good historical fiction is meant to do. It brought history to life.

I thoroughly enjoyed this novel and hope to read many more books by this author. Highly recommended.

This is a well written fairly predictable Romantic novel - I did however really enjoy it and the interesting twist at the end. I loved the scenes that were set and could visualise the loch even though I have never been to that part of Scotland. A lovely beach read.

This book is told from two points of view: Flora, who tells the story of what happened during World War 2 in Scotland. The second point of view is Lexie, Flora's daughter, as she comes home with a new baby after her career on the stage in London imploded. As each of these two stories go on, they weave together in a beautiful way.

Stories set in the Scottish Highlands also attract me. This one is well written and atmospheric, The dual storyline stradling the 1970s'/80s and the 1930s/40s worked well. In each timeline, the themes of family, friendship, love, mother-daughter, and overcoming personal hardships tie the stories of Flora and Alec and Lexie and Daisy together. A lovely read.

This was such a beautiful book. I read it at the perfect time during this Memorial Day weekend. It was raw and awe-inspiring. It was written in the perfect way and that ending was both an emotional and just one. I definitely recommend this book and I look forward to reading more stories by this author.

I found this to be an interesting story of family relations and secrets kept. The story was well written. I received a complimentary copy from NetGalley and the publisher and this is my honest opinion.

The Skylark's Secret
Author, Fiona Valpy

Publisher: Amazon Publishing UK
Pub date: September 20, 2020 Available now!

Historical fiction and dual timelines are quickly becoming my favorite reads. Valpy's gorgeously written atmospheric novel takes place in Loch Ewe in the Scottish Highlands.

In the 1970's, Lexie Gordon's singing career on the London stage is not turning out how she had planned. Faced with an unexpected pregnancy and the loss of her mother, she finds herself alone back in her small childhood town attempting to pick up the pieces of her fractured life alone with her daughter Daisy.

Back in Loch Ewe, Lexie is welcomed home by lovely friends of her deceased mother and friends of her past who become so much more to Lexie that she could have hoped for. Through these relationships, over time, Lexie begins to learn more about her mother's past during the 1940's in WWII when she was in love with Alec, the laird's son. Then suddenly and tragically, Flora became a single mother who raised Lexie not just on her own, but with the loving support of friends and family in her close knit community. Lexie learned how brave and sacrificing Flora was and finally, she learned more about her father, whom she never had the opportunity to meet. Lexie eventually unveils secrets from Flora's past, which allow her to understand the genuine and brave character that her mother possessed that unfortunately, Lexie could never appreciate while Flora was alive.

With themes of love, loss, forgiveness, family bonds, war, and peace, I thoroughly enjoyed how Valpy moved seemlessly back and forth between Lexie and Flora's stories beautifully weaving the two together.

"But that's what binds us together, isn't it? Shared hardships and the eternal hope for better times ahead. For our children at least, if not for ourselves."

Thank you to Netgalley, Amazon Publishing UK, and Fiona Valpy for the e- ARC of this beautiful story and the opportunity to read and share my review.

What a sweeping tale of 2 generations that perfectly guides you through sorrow, love, lost and something bigger than the human race - hope.

I always loved Scotland and I can't explain why since I am from the other, South, side of Europe. But it always seemed majestic, far away land of Lochs, something uncomprehending for us, mere humans. The details that are described of the life in Scotland and Loch Ewe are sublimed and engrossing. This author puts everything in a gorgeous story in just a simple, perfect way.

In Flora's story and everything that happened during WWII there is such an interesting part of history. I loved all the details and the attention the author gave to describing what might have gone through the minds of people living there when, once, a sleeping community became a hub for so many ships.

I loved the story of Lexie and her desire to find out her past, her mother's connections, her father's history and her will and courage to create a decent life for her daughter.

The characters are described in the sense that I could clearly see them and feel everything they have felt. The storytelling is so skillfully done and the writing craft of this author is striking.

A lovely read, gorgeous scenery and a little bit of history too!

Lexie Gordon is forced to return to Scotland when her singing career and an unexpected pregnancy derail her new London life. Forced to return to the remote Scottish home of her childhood where her mother Flora continued to live until her recent death.

Told in alternating timelines we learn that Flora, a gamekeeper’s daughter is in love with the Laird’s son, Alec. A bittersweet love story ensues. With WW2 inching closer to home will it be this or the Laird that keep them apart?

Can Lexie unravel her mother’s history and, in turn, her own or will the secrets of a close community keep Lexie from finding her destiny?

Many thanks to Netgalley, Amazon Publishing UK and Fiona Valpy for my copy. I absolutely love Fiona Valpy's books and this one was no exception. A beautifully written historical romance set in the Scottish Highlands; the sense of place, the characters and the plot were all wonderfully woven together to make a gorgeous story. Such a lovely book.

An easy to read, pick up and put down book, telling a dual timeline story of a mother and daugher, Flora and Lexie.

A story of discovering what your mother was like in her younger days. How brave she was, how much she loved your father and why you were bought up in the remote scottish fishing village....the same village you dreamed of escaping from.

Flora is the mother of the story, a young woman in WW2 Scotland. Her village of Loch Ewe is where the Royal Navy arctic fleet came and went escorting maritime supplies. 

Lexie also has grown up in the village but escaped the quiet life...much to the admiration of her school pals, to star in London West End shows, showcasing her great singing voice. But her life down there in London has fallen apart, in so many ways. So with her tale between her legs, and baby daughter Daisy in tow, she returns to the cottage she was bought up in and the home her mother has left her. 

Lexie pieces together the story of her mothers love for the son of the local laird. Teasing close kept secrets from the 2 remaining friends of her mother, she learns how she came to be. And the greatest sacrifces of all that her mother endured. 

While I could relate to Lexie's life story as it is more modern day, Fiona Valpy painted a vivid picture of village life and the village folk who lived in the WW2 close-knit community. Living in each other's pockets and all helping in the war effort in their own ways....serving, supporting, sacrificing.

I found the spectacular event near the end a little confusing and had to read of the incident twice.....but all was revealed a little later, and the outcome was quite satisfying.

Isn't it strange that in life we learn the deepest secrets and truest character of a person, only after they have left this world.

The more I read from Fiona Valpy, the more I want to read. Thanks to NetGalley, Amazon UK Publishing and Fiona for the complimentary copy in return for an honest review.

We have skylarks here too and I will recall Flora and Lexie whenever I hear them singing ....so hard to see in the sky over the grassy paddocks

Secrets and valor in unexpected forms weave themselves through this intriguing novel. Moving back and forth between current times and Scotland in World War II, the Skylark's Secret creates the tension of love, friendship and the relationship of mothers and daughter, fathers and sons. A reminder that sometimes we have to dig deep to learn our greatest lessons.

“The Skylark’s Secret” by Fiona Valpy is a beautifully written novel that’s perfect for fans of historical fiction. Set in Loch Ewe in the Scottish highlands, this story is told in alternating timelines between Flora in wartime 1940s, and her daughter Lexie in the late 1970s.

I love books about WWII as well as fiction set in Scotland, so this book was right up my alley. Although the field of WWII historical fiction is crowded, there aren’t many in a Scottish setting, which lends this story some originality. Valpy does an outstanding job of immersing the reader in this highland village. Both storylines are equally compelling and well developed, which isn’t easy in an alternating timeline. I usually find myself much more drawn to one, but was captivated by both Flora and Lexie’s stories. The wartime details are excellent and well researched, and I would have loved even more of them. Themes of love, loss, forgiveness, and family are woven beautifully throughout. Highly recommended!

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This was a beautiful story set in the Scottish Highlands- such care is taken to detail the surroundings in all of their beauty, and not just the actual geographic location, but the community as well. Each character's connection to the community is tested and becomes stronger with the challenge.
There are two narratives, one taking place during WWII and the other in the 1970's. I was immersed in both but did feel like the story moved a little slowly. I think this is a result of the length of the novel (>300 pages).
Don't go in expecting a lot of action or war scenes, as it is more focused on what happens at "home" and is more character driven. If you want strong historical fiction with a little romance, you won't be disappointed. I would also recommend this to anyone who likes a generational story.
Thank you to the publisher for approving my request for an eARC via NetGalley.

I received The Skylark's Secret as part of a NetGallery giveaway.

In the late 1970s, Lexie Gordon finds herself back in her remote Scottish hometown of Loch Ewe. Her London stage career derailed by a vocal injury and unexpected pregnancy, she and her infant daughter Daisy must navigate the cloistered community and the family secrets that forever changed the lives of Lexie and her late mother, Flora. The story also switches perspective, jumping back in time to tell Flora's story: of a forbidden love with the laird's son, Loch Ewe's significance as a jumping-off point for Allied Arctic missions in WWII, and the traumas that come with both.

The Skylark's Secret is one of those family secret, changing perspective books, which I love, and this one was no exception. I love seeing watching two stories coalesce around a central mystery or question, and this one was well put together, even if the "reveal" wasn't major; it had the feel of ordinary life. In the way of criticism, there's just a lot of WWII fiction out there right now and I admit I'm a little burnt out on it; I think it's harder for them to stand out in a crowd which always makes me hesitate before picking one up.

For all the snowflakes among us, the vast secrets - and unsung heroes and heroines - of World War II continue to astound me. While we all bemoan the super-inflated injustices of our lives, we should look back at what a tragic toll that war extracted from pretty much everyone who lived during that terrible time. This novel sensitively and organically explores what the young people and the parents and the children stoically endured and the hope and courage that allowed them to move forward despite devastating loss and tragedy. They were able to transform their pain into a positive future for their children. Unlike the questionable “pandemic” of the 21st century, the fear and hardship generated by World War II brought people together instead of forcing them apart. United we stand is a wonderful lesson. Thank you, Fiona Valpy.

This was my first book by Fiona Valpy and it will not be last, I truly enjoyed her rich details and storylines.
Flora and Lexia are mother and daughter - the story gives you each of their point of view in two different time frames. "The Skylark's Secret" is a book about family, friendships, romance, war, pain, Highlands community, loss, music, and how your past helps create who you are and who you become.
During the late 70's Lexi Gordon, Flora Gordon's daughter was forced to return to her small village in the highlands after she can no longer sing and have a career in the musical theatre. After her unplanned pregnancy, her vocal cords can no longer carry the lilting style she once had. She has returned with a young daughter of her own and soon begins to unravel the truths about her past, her mother's past, and the village itself.
One of my favorites lines from the book, "...I want to love you more, for all the years we have left. In this uncertain world, it feels like my love for you is the only thing I have to hold on to..." You can feel the emotion and pain that the characters feel. The stories blend together seamlessly. The flashbacks and flashforwards are not difficult to keep separate (like some stories). With Flora Gordon's story taking place in the 1940s and her daughter's just beginning during the late 70s.
Overall the intricate details about the small town, village, warships, and the relationships that emerged and survived the era of WWII. I highly recommend this novel. It kept me reading long into the night and eager to awaken to see where the story turned.
Thank you to Amazon Publishing UK and NetGalley who provided me with an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I received an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to NetGalley, Amazon Publishing, and the author Fiona Valpy.
So cheesy, but a very sweet and romantic story if that's the sort of thing you're into! Endearing and well developed characters.
The background details about WW2 and the Artic missions from Scotland and Loch Ewe were fascinating, and I also enjoyed the depiction of how the war affected the close knit crofter's community. The author has clearly done her research. The book was well structured and engaging as it jumped from the 1940s to the 1970s/80s. Very wholesome!

Another well written story by this author who never disappoints. I liked the set up and the storyline and overall loved the book. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher!

A very sweet, uplifting book. It's not really my cup of tea, but that is my problem, not the book's. This is just the book to curl up with on a wet afternoon. The characters are vivid, and the setting adds to the joy of the story. This deserves to be a very popular book.