Love and loss in the Scottish Highlands
This is a historical fiction story that has a duo timeline; a WWII romance and a single mother in the late 1970s. This such a well-written story that it was difficult to put down. The WWII story is filled with not only the harsh conditions of normal life but the fear of trying to live through the war that is too close to home. The 1970s story has everything to do with the older story. A young mother comes back to the small hamlet where she was born and raised to lick her wounds and raise her daughter. This is an excellent book. The author went to great lengths to ensure that the book was accurate and realistic. I plan on reading more of this author's work. I received this ARC book for free from Net Galley and this is my honest review.

The Skylark's Secret is the first book I've read by Fiona Valpy. This historical fiction took place in Loch Ewe, Northwest Scotland was quite a page turner and beautifully written. Here lies a wonderful Story based on a dual timeline about a mother Flora and her daughter Lexie. It was an emotional piece that shows love, compassion, sacrifices and forgiveness. It was so realistic that I actually pictured myself there watching the story. A must read. I guarantee you wont be disappointed.

Thank you NetGalley, Amazon Publishing UK, and Fiona Valpy for this ARC.

I enjoyed this book very much. The story weaves back and forth between a mother and daughter (1940’s-1978).

It takes place mostly in Scotland (some London) and It is well written with historical reference to World War II and the brave people who fought the evil during that time. I learned some things about Scotland’s part in the war too.

The characters are well developed and easy to care about. There is enough tension to keep you wanting more.

Thoroughly enjoyed it and highly recommended!

Flora Gordon lives in Loch Ewe with her father Iain and brother Ruaridh. Her brother is enlisted in the Royal Navy at the beginning of WWII as Loch Ewe is being used as a Navy Base and as a point for arctic convoys during the war. Flora’s father is the keeper for Arduath Estate for the family of Sir Charles Mackenzie-Grant and Lady Helen. Flora is in love with Sir Charles’ son Alec, and he does not approve of the relationship due to class differences. Despite his disapproval, their relationship continues to grow stronger by each passing day.

As we fast forward to 1978, Lexie Gordon is returning to Loch Ewe with her daughter Daisy after the death of her mother Flora. She had left Loch Ewe years earlier to follow her passion of singing that lead her to London and heartbreak. She’s now coming home to find answers to the questions she has always had about her mom and the father she never knew. Told from alternating timelines by Flora at the beginning of WWII and Lexie from the 1970’s, we follow Flora through her Journey as a WREN and her relationship with Alec. At the same time, we are following Lexie as she is learning the story of her parents and a secret that has been hidden for so long, learning about her village history and how they came together during one of the worst times in history. Lexie even learns about herself and love along the way.

The story was very heart felt and I enjoyed the storyline but at times it felt like the story was stalling and I wasn’t quite sure where it was heading. Overall, I liked the book and it was an okay read. Thank you NetGalley, Amazon Publishing UK, and Fiona Valpy for this Advanced Reader’s Copy in exchange for this honest review.

I liked this quite a lot. I’m not always a fan of the back and forth timeline construct but I liked this. The history was interesting and the characters were charming. I was curious about the way the stories were told - one in first person and one in third. It worked, but at first it threw me a bit. I definitely recommend.

Beautifully written story covering two timescales, one in ww2 and the other in 1970's. It's a story of community, secrets, love, misunderstandings, bravery and compassion. There's nothing startling or shocking. It's an easy read that gives a history of a small Scottish village (I was completely unaware before and have been inspired to find out more) during the war. Interesting, engaging and thoroughly enjoyable.

The characters in this book are sweet and I enjoyed spending time with them. Also, I really enjoyed the history and the insights into unknown history. That, topped with the fact that we have Scottish charm sprinkled throughout made this a satisfying read.

I confess, and I KNOW this is reader error on my part, I was absolutely confused about what was happening in the beginning. I knew the story was being told with alternate timelines, but I was not prepared for the same character's story to be told with dates that flipped from the future to the past. Read the titles carefully, people! Don't be like me.

As much as I enjoyed the characters and the story, the pace of this one was a little rough. The descriptions of characters, landscapes, and events were a bit repetitive and slowed the story down. This is unfortunate because the story is a good one and I especially loved the mother-daughter threads woven through the story.

I recommend this read, but be prepared to push through descriptions. If you can push through some heavy exposition then I think this read will reward you.

“The Skylark’s Secret” is about a young woman named Flora, her family, her friends and her community in Scotland in the Second World War. Their full story is discovered when her daughter, Lexie, moves back from London to Scotland when her mother passes away in the 1970s. We see both stories play out alongside each other as Lexie makes discoveries with the help of Flora’s old friends.

There are lots of aspects to this story that stand out: the horrors of war, the bonds of friendship, the realities of love during wartime. But the thread that really resonated with me was the love between mothers and daughters. Not everyone is fortunate enough to experience that but the way the author told the stories of Flora and Lexie’s relationship felt real, if a little bit sentimental at times. But given that Lexie was looking back on her mother’s life after her passing, a bit of sentimentality would probably be real in this situation.

I admire the author for her attention to detail, particularly with the research she must have done into that area of Scotland during the war. While this is a fictional story, it’s heartbreaking to think how much of it is based in reality. You really get the sense of how much the author wanted to pay tribute to all those who made sacrifices made during the war. I think she did them justice.

If I have one criticism, other than the sentimentality, it’s that the scenes between Flora and her beloved Alec going out to sea and then returning, and then going out to sea and returning (and the reactions this caused in the characters) became a bit repetitive. I would be interested to know whether men in Alec’s role in real life would have had so many opportunities for shore leave.

But overall I really enjoyed reading this book and would recommend it to others, particularly anyone who enjoys fiction set in this time period.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me the opportunity to read this book.

1940 - Flora lives with her father and brother in a cottage overlooking Loch Ewe, a base for the Artic conveys.
She is in love with Alec, the Laird's son which is not want the Laird wishes for his son.
1978- Lexie, Flora's daughter moves back to the small Scottish community. Flora has died and Lexie has a daughter but no husband.
Lexie begins to unravel her Mother's story with the help of the community and begins to feel she has come home. What secrets will be revealed and can she find happiness?

I have never read Fiona Valpy before despite having had one of her books on my kindle for several years. This book was a delight. I love stories set in two distinct times and war fiction is my preferred genre. Also Scotland is somewhere we visit every other year so this book certainly hit several spots for me. It is a great story of Flora and Lexie and the threads that connect them - to each other and to their home turf. Well written and well plotted. With thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read and review a free e-ARC of this engaging book.

Thank you to NetGalley for a free ARC in exchange for an honest review. 

Shifting POV and overlapping time periods were well orchestrated and not the usual historical fiction fare.  I did predict the twist but it was kind of inevitable.  The light romance was...well, light. 

This author is one to watch and I would read more by her.

Gorgeous cover, too!

There is so much I love about this book! The Skylark’s Secret is an emotionally compelling blend of historical fiction and a story about home and family. Set in dual timelines, every aspect of the story is told with exquisite detail as well as deep, complicated feelings of love, community, regret, heartache, and vulnerability. Flora’s story is set in Scotland during WWII, which was fascinating, as I’d never read a book set in Scotland during the war. Flora’s story was incredibly moving; a young woman in love during wartime, who winds up battling more than the challenges of living during such an unsettling time. Lexie’s story is set in 1978, although her story truly begins before she was even born. When she returns home as a single mother, after a successful career in London, she is at first resentful of the close-knit community, and even embarrassed. But she soon finds the true meaning of community, and how she herself was saved and shaped by her coastal village. Flora and Lexie were such wonderfully complex characters, and as I became entrenched in their stories, I truly cared for them. The setting of this coastal village in Scotland was a character itself—the beauty, the ever-changing weather, the tightness of the community as it works together during wartime as well as when it is a quiet, peaceful place for Flora, Lexie, and the rest of the endearing characters.

A mother/daughter story. I loved this book! You are transported into two different time periods in a HIghland Village in Scotland.. The Royal Navy’s presence changed the town forever. This novel is rich in history and a heart wrenching love story of Flora and Alec. Also, the lovely songs transport you to this close knit town. Read this one - you won’t be disappointed .

I wish to thank NetGalley and Amazon Publishers UK for allowing me to read an advanced copy of this book. I have voluntarily read and reviewed it. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This is a World War II story focusing on the Scottish Highlands and then fast forwarding to the 1970’s. The timelines go back and forth. In the 1970’s Lexie returns home to Loche Ewe following her mother’s death. She and her young daughter settle into the Game Keepers Cottage and she begins to unravel the story of her mother. This story has long been held a secret from her. The story teaches one about Naval movements and how children were sent from the horrors of daily London bombings into the countryside for safety. You learn about the dangers of the war ship convoys trying to avoid U-Boats and the role of the Loch Ewe’s ports during the Nazi invasion. The story is well researched and brilliantly written. It is love stories in two different time periods and you feel you are experiencing all of the ups and downs of war torn Europe. You feel a part of this small village where people cares about one another as small towns often do. I enjoyed the story and learned a lot at the same time.

I do wish that some of the Scottish terms had been explained in a glossary as they were not words I understood and feel that would have been beneficial.

What a lovely descriptive, light and flowing read! This is a new author and I thoroughly enjoyed her style of writing! Easy to follow and it flicked between two time lines and two characters, Flora and Lexie. I smiled lots whilst reading this and didn’t want it to end! I will definitely read more of Fiona’s books.

“The Skylark’s Secret,” by Fiona Valpy highlights a little known facet of World War II history in Great Britain—the pivotal role played by the Loch Ewe in the Western Scottish Highlands, which served as the muster point for Arctic convoys to Murmansk and Archangel, providing supplies to Russia during the Nazi offensive there.

The novel alternates between two time periods. The first covers 1977-1980, focusing on Lexie Gordon who, after her mother Flora’s death, returns to her cottage home in the Scottish Highlands as an unwed mother with an infant daughter, mirroring her own mother’s life there where she also lived alone in the cottage raising Lexie with the help of her friends in the community.

The second time period focuses on Flora and her fellow WRNs during the war years between 1939 and 1944 and the separations and losses they suffered during that time while they played their own supporting roles as ambulance drivers and canteen operators.

At the heart of the novel is Lexie’s quest to uncover a secret surrounding her birth, which her mother never revealed to her before she died. The alternating time lines slowly unfold to reveal the truth. In addition to this secret, the book also focuses on the love and support provided to both women by the close-knit Scottish Community of Loch Ewe.

This character-driven historical fiction novel will appeal to those readers seeking a fresh take on World War II history with its spotlight on the part the Scottish Highlands played in winning the war.

I am thankful to have received this advance copy from Lake Union Publishing & NetGalley.

I am a huge fan of Historical Fiction, especially pertaining to WWII. But, reading about different locations around the world that were somehow affected by the war is a plus.

This book takes place in a village in Loch Ewe, which is the NW Highlands of Scotland. Time frames are early stages of WWII & also alternating chapters in the late 1970's.

The 2 main characters are Flora, and Flora's daughter, Lexi.

Flora's chapters are based around what happens in the village as the war escalates, friendships & romance. We read about the struggles the village & surrounding areas have to deal with, on top of watching ships come & go & the loss of local men.

Lexi's part of the story is how Lexi finds out the truth of what happened prior to her birth & also opens her eyes to the locals who she was unsure of.

I really enjoyed this book, it had a little bit of this & that. History, romance, sadness, music, a sense of appreciation & beautifully written. I enjoyed reading about how women were there during times of war, in small ways & large.

What a beautiful, well-written book that kept me captivated from the first page to the very end. The story toggles between Alexandra "Lexie" Gordon 1978 and her mother, Flora Gordon 1939.

Flora is a young woman who lives with her father and brother in the Scottish Highlands. She is in love with the laird's son Alec Mackenzie-Grant and her father is the game keeper for the laird. As the war begins, Flora joins the Wrens with two of her girlfriends, Birdie and Maire, and becomes an ambulance driver while Alec joins the Navy.

Alexandra "Lexie" is Flora's daughter who went to London to pursue a career on stage with a fantastic voice. She falls in love with her director, gets pregnant and he leaves her. After her baby girl, Daisy, is born, Lexie returns to her hometown in Scotland to the cottage she grew up in. Her mother has passed away and Lexie wants to find out more about her father.

I really enjoyed this book with all the history in it as the WWII unfolded. The characters are all really good (except one) and I loved the story line between the two time periods. There were a lot of Scottish terms I was not familiar with that I did stop to look up which made this a longer read for me than usual.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC of this wonderful book in exchange for an honest review.

The story is told in two time lines. Flora lives in Loch Ewe. Her father is the gamekeeper for the laird. She and her brother are best friend's with the laird's son, Alec, and when they grow up realize that they feel more than friends but his father is against the union. During the war the town houses a naval base so Flora works with the Wrens and Alec is a naval officer working the Arctic runs.

The second time line is the late 1970's when Lexie, Flora's daughter, comes home from London with her daughter, Daisy. She had a flourishing career in musical theater but lost her voice. Her mother has just died and she hopes to stay in the cottage until she comes up with a new plan for her life.

I loved this story of love, resilience and protection. The town wrapped Lexie and Daisy up in love and support and we watch her grow from a bitter young woman into someone willing to accept the love that is extended to her. There were so many colorful characters, Bridie who was one of Flora's best friends, becomes a surrogate grandmother to Daisy. Davy was a young boy during the war who was sent to the country to be safe and after the war he came back. Elspeth, her childhood friend, who she had lost touch with over the years but upon coming home gives her a new purpose. The countryside was lush and green and brutal with the storms. The war years were so vivid to me with the storms and the soldiers.

Flora was always evasive when Lexie would ask her about her father. She knew who he was but never what happened or how they fell in love. There were no pictures of them together and she never talked about the time during the war. Lexie sets out to find out what the secret is. It wasn't revealed until the very end and I could not have been more surprised.

I found Fiona Valpey's books while reading Kindle Unlimited last year and now she is one of my favorite authors. I hope there are a lot more of her books in my future.

Thank you to Netgalley and Amazon Publishing UK for providing me a copy of this book. These opinions are my own.

A real feel-good read, I couldn't put this book down. Set in rural Scotland the story alternates between Lexie who has returned to the place she grew up along with her baby daughter, and her mother during Ww2. One us a love story and the other is about finding a slower pace of life and finding what is important in life.