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.

Valpy's book was perfect escapism for me to the heart of the Scottish Highlands. The tale of mother and daughter both defiant in times of loss, sacrifice and heartache. The dual narration of the novel was incredibly effective in building up both characters and their individual stories which intertwined flawlessly. Although the story is ultimately quite tragic, Valpy crafts little nuggets of pure happiness into the narrative with themes surrounding family, friends and community. I would absolutely recommend.

(This review will be shared on my Book Blog - Instagram.com/whatson.mybookshelf)

A novel about mothers,daughters,lovers,friends, set in a beautiful Scottish setting. It begins with the story of Flora and then evolves into Lexie Gordon s story. Good story

I went back and forth on how to rate this book. In the end, I'm just giving it two stars because it pretty much spiraled downward for me so I just didn't care though I was interested and liked it in the beginning--less and less so and the book progressed.

I enjoy historical fiction--but here, I use the term's applicability lightly. I also like dual timelines which this has, but...

The settings: "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."

1978: "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..."

And so it goes,

From the start, I wondered about the predictability of this book. And yes, it was--totally. This is a real disconnect for me. I like surprises but more, not knowing the trajectory from almost the start! Way too neat and tidy,

One HUGE criticism--there are many, many Scottish phrases and descriptions! This book would have benefitted from a glossary, [one advantage of reading in Kindle format]

The writing was acceptable. BUT, I regret spending the time when I could have read a much better book! I could have walked away at any time.

I feel as if I've read this book and seen this movie before--many, many times.

Note: I'm in the distinct minority of opinions.

This book is set with dual time lines. I thought each one was interesting. I thought the characters were good and felt a connection to them. I think historical fiction fans will enjoy this book. I definitely recommend!
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the early copy

Flora's Waltz

This book is a tearjerker. The book brings home the loss of loved ones during a period of war. It also is a story of secrets. It has been said that "The Truth is a Powerful Force" and I believe it is true. It is certainly true in this story.

The story is about the love between Flora and Alec, and a love story between Davy and Lexy. It's a story of war and the losses felt in the small Scottish village of Loch Ewe. The people in the town and how they gathered together in times of need to help each other. It's about love and friendship and courage. It's about a secret the town kept to keep one of their own safe.

Although the story is written in two time periods, the stories of a mother and in later years her grown daughter, it is very easy to follow . Many of the characters are the same in both stories.

I loved the story and the scenic background of the seaside village. The descriptions of the place, the flowers, and other details were descriptive enough I could picture them in my mind. I also loved the characters.

The story was very well written and I would recommend it.

Thanks to Fiona Valpy, Amazon Publishing UK, and NetGalley for allowing me to read a copy if the book in exchange for an honest review.

Lexi Gordon reluctantly returns home to Loch Ewe in the Scottish Highlands following the death of her mother Flora. Her career as a rising West End musical star is over following the loss of her voice and a failed relationship. However, she has the compensation of a beautiful baby daughter in Daisy. The story is told in alternating timelines by Lexie in 1980 and by Flora from 1939 with the outbreak of World War 2, tells the story of her love affair with lairds son Alec MacKenzie-Grant. It weaves in the historic importance of a Loch Ewe as a naval base for the Home Fleet and for the Atlantic and Arctic Convoys.

I absolutely loved this book from start to finish. I’m always drawn to books set in Scotland but had a personal reason for wanting to read it as my father was in the navy and spent a brief time in Loch Ewe before heading to Scapa Flow and elsewhere. As well as being totally transfixed and transported by the storytelling I learned so much too! It’s beautifully written, the mother daughter alternating stories works really well and it flows effortlessly. There are some stunning descriptions of the landscape of this lovely area which made my heart soar like the skylarks in the story and make such a contrast to the horror of the wartime convoys. The characters are fantastic and most are so likeable, the exception being Alec’s father, Sir Charles who is arrogant and cold. I love how the two women’s stories change, Alec and Flora’s initially shines brightly and then changes, becoming darker and tentative whilst Lexi starts uncertainly but finds her anchor in the warm embrace of the lovely community and a very special man. Flora’s story emerges slowly with all its well hidden secrets and at times in very intense and there’s some tension where you almost hold your breath. The war sections are especially vivid especially as the impact of war is reflected in the loss of loved ones with all the grief and devastation. This is so blindingly obvious in a small community dashed by one blow after another and is heartbreaking.

Overall, this book was just what I needed it’s heartwarming, it’s sad, it’s joyous, there are little touches of humour, there’s a wonderful community but most of all the songs and singing. I love the interspersing of traditional folk songs which express so much. Thank you Fiona Valpy for this fantastic and emotional read.

With thanks to NetGalley and Amazon for the ARC for an honest review.

🌅Beautiful story of love and loss with a moving history lesson⚓

Fiona Valpy's page-turner novel focuses on strong women who deal with love, loss and single parenthood in a tight community. The story is told alternating between mother and daughter and two time periods: World War II and the late 1970's. During the earlier time period, the young women of Loch Ewe, a remote sea loch in Northwest Scotland, find love and suffer as their men risk life and limb at sea. Lexie, the daughter of a dead naval officer and the faithful woman who loved him, finds her way back to Loch Ewe when her life in London falls to pieces. This is a drama with so many memorable characters that it's best read for yourself rather than summarized. But it's so emotional, tragic at times, and a really good story of romance in trying circumstances and the tragic human cost of war. The more modern heroine's young daughter Daisy is a sunny treat.

The World War II part of the story was an eye opener for me. I had no knowledge of the dangerous missions staged out of Loch Ewe through the North Atlantic and Arctic oceans to supply Russia's armies in their defense against Germany's Russia campaign. I love a good historical novel that has a strong grounding in research and fact and Valpy's novel delivered a fine history lesson about Loch Ewe's role in the War. I wish I had known when I visited the area several years back on a tour of the Scottish Highlands.

Thanks to Lake Union published and NetGalley for providing an advance copy of the book; this is my voluntary and honest review.

An interesting novel about the North Atlantic crossings bringing supplies from Scotland to Russia during World War 2. This is the story of a mother, Flora and her daughterLexie, during the war years and during the 80’s Both women are single mothers raising their daughters under taxing circumstances. Flora, the gamekeeper’s daughter and Alec the autocratic son are star crossed lovers. Who are torn apart by Alec’s father and the war. Lexie has left her Scottish home and has a flourishing career as an opera singer in London. When she becomes pregnant and is deserted by her lover she must return home to raise her daughter. She tries to find out about her real father, Alec who her mother had only told her had died during the war. The story is told from Flora’s point of view and then likewise from Lexie’s life story. The story is finely researched and although the characters are fictional the times and history are accurate. The characters are well developed and interesting, especially Flora’s friends. This is the second novel by this author I have read and I look forward to reading more.

Love love love Fiona Valpy! Every book she writes is amazing, and The Skylark's Secret is no exception. It is a beautiful story about love, sacrifice, and forgiveness set in the Scottish countryside. This book is based on a dual timeline and told from the view of a mother during WWII, and her daughter in the 1970’s. It's truly a gripping story from start to finish, and I read it all in one day as I could not put it down. Highly recommended!

Good historical fiction wrapped around several nicely told mysteries, THE SKYLARK’S SECRET, is a dual timeline tale set in Scotland in WWII and 1978. The two tales take place in a small town where everyone knows everything, for better or worse. There’s a tendency for the author to dwell too often on the psychic benefits of love, friendship and familial bonds; it feels a tad preachy at times. But overall the characters and the setting are engaging, the story moves quickly and the sense of place is completely realistic. This is a community readers will want to visit. The book is good and a pleasure worth indulging. I received my copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Set in beautiful Scotland, Lexie returns to the Lock Ewe where her mother, Flora, lived. Lexie discovers many secrets, tales, and experiences that he didn't imagine, including those of her father. She learns of the sacrifices of her mother and things she never knew about her own past. It was a beautifully, written historical fiction novel that tugs at the heart strings and takes you back in time.

Just my second book by this author, the other also featuring WWII, but I enjoyed this book far more.
The simplicity and sincerity fit the poignant story of a family from Scotland's Highlands and their lives as lived in the area near Loch Ewe. This was a location important during the war as a muster point for convoys of warships.
The narrative alternates between the modern day (1970's) and the war period (1940's) with one thread featuring mother and the other her daughter. I don't usually enjoy sentimental love stories, but this one was well thought out and well constructed to strum the heart strings in a good way making for a strong female-centered tale.

Gorgeous prose and beautiful descriptions. This story is both heartbreaking but uplifting.
I just adored the periods of time this was set in. Present day, the seventies, eighties and war torn Britain. The descriptions were so vivid that you felt immersed in the emotions.
This is a story of love and sacrifice. Joy and hope. It is also a story to remember.
I really enjoyed this gentle tale

This book was poignant and lovely. It was a completely captivating historical fiction book. The plot was engaging and kept me intrigued to the end!

This novel is set in Loch Ewe, in the Scottish Highlands. Chapters alternate between two women a generation apart. Flora's story tells of her life in the village as the gamekeeper's daughter during World War II, volunteering as a Wren, and her love of the laird's son, which infuriates his snobbish father. Her daughter Lexie, who left the village to attend a prestigious theater program in London and became a West End star, returns to the village in the late 1970's with a baby, after she is rejected by her egocentric boyfriend and can no longer sing professionally. The village has many secrets, and Lexie is discovering more about the father she never knew. We learn about Flora, her friends, their joys and tragedies, and their men serving in the locally based Arctic Convoys, I was not familiar with the author, but will definitely look for more of her books. I really enjoyed getting to know these characters, and if you like historical fiction with an evocative setting, this novel would be a good choice. Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for allowing me to review this advance copy.

Thanks Netgalley for allowing me to read this book. It begins in a small town of Loch Ewe where we meet Flora who is interested in the Lairds son much to his families dismay. I just couldn't get into this book.

#TheSkylarksSecret #NetGalley

Special thanks to NetGalley and Amazon Publishing UK for providing me with ARC.
This novel is heartwarming, i loved since page one and can't put it down, i am a mom and know very well what you feel when you raised a child, who is taking all your time , energy and in the end of the day you will feel sham about many things you forget to do.


I loved Lexie character so much, she is adorable and lovely, i loved also her mom cottage because i am a person who adore quite and natural places.


This is the first book to me by Fiona Valpy but will not be the last and i will try more books by her.

The Skylark’s Secret tells the stories of Lexie Gordon, returning to her childhood home in the Highlands with her infant daughter, Daisy, and Flora, Lexie’s mother, who has recently died. The chapters alternate between Lexie’s experiences in the late 1970s as she settles back into her mother’s old cottage, and Flora’s life as the gamekeeper’s daughter and later a wren during the Second World War. The small community where Flora lived and where she raised Lexie lies on the shore of Loch Ewe, which during the war became an important base for the mustering of ships in readiness to make the perilous arctic runs around occupied Norway to provide supplies to the Russian allies, described by Churchill as ‘the worst journey in the world’.

I thoroughly enjoyed this dual timeline tale. Flora’s story is the larger part of the book and rightly so as part of Lexie’s journey in returning to her roots is to learn more about her mother’s wartime life and in particular her mother’s great love - Lexie’s father, Alec, whom Lexie never knew.

This is an unusual Homefront story, based around an aspect of the war that I knew little about. It is rooted in fact: the Home Fleet arrived in Loch Ewe in September 1939. Three thousand men lost their lives on the Arctic Convoys. They were fraught with danger and conducted in extreme weather conditions. Fiona Valpy conveys this in Flora’s story alongside the courage of the servicemen and women and the community spirit fostered by the local people whose lives were changed forever by a naval base of 3,000 military personnel and the constant coming and going of naval and merchant ships.

Within both stories there are descriptions of the beautiful landscape and the constantly changing seasons and weather patterns. Fiona Valpy has skilfully interwoven the natural world into the stories of Lexie and Flora and those of the other characters we meet, each of whom has their lives touched by the impact of war. The characters are warm, likeable and genuine and the sense of a Scottish community is vividly portrayed. There are some nice twists at the end which lift the story out of being too predictable.

I strongly recommend this book. It has been my first Fiona Valpy read and I’m already looking forward to the next. I have a strong back catalogue to choose from! My thanks to the author and to Net Galley for providing me with an advance review copy in exchange for an honest review.

I am a huge historical fiction fan.so i thought i would love this book. But the book did not pull om my heart strings , like i want HF books to do. But i enjoyed where the book took place the scenery was top notch. I liked the romance . Thank you to netgalley for letting me read this e arc in exchange for an honest review

Heartbreaking story of Flora during World War 2 and so many others during this time.

I absolutely adored this book. This author has a real talent for writing historical fiction. I always learn so much as well as get absorbed fully by the story.

Lovable characters and some unexpected revelations, what else do you need from the good book!