"The Skylark's Secret" by Fiona Valpy was a lovely story set in the highlands of Scotland, told in two timelines, depicting love, family bonds, war, and hardships. Enjoyable and heartfelt. Thank you NetGalley, the author and publisher for the review copy. All opinions are my own.

Over the years my reading habits have changed and I no longer reach for historical fiction as much since my brain can't seem to follow along with all of the variety of characters. I do no feel like I can give a fair review for this book because of this so I am just going to move it onto my "in the future when life slows down" tbr.

Loch Ewe Scotland 1940: Flora Gordon and her father Ian live in Keeper’s Cottage in the remote North-West highland village of Aultbea and her dad is the local gamekeeper. The residents of the little fishing community have a peaceful life nestled on the banks of Loch Ewe until during the Second World War and it finds itself the main base for the Royal Navy’s Arctic convoys, suddenly the harbor is busy with naval ships and it soon becomes a German target. The laird is a horrible man, a bully and his son Alec is not at all like his father. Growing up Alec, Flora and her brother Ruaridh are best friends and they had a great time playing together. Alec is now an officer in the Royal Navy, he’s stationed at Loch Ewe and when he and Flora develop feelings for each other the laird isn’t happy. He makes it very clear to Flora that she’s nothing but the help and will never be good enough to marry his son.

Loch Ewe Scotland 1978: Lexie Gordon is a single mother, she returns to the village of Aultbea with her daughter Daisy and they live in the tiny cottage where she grew up. Once she was a professional singer performing in the London West End, until she strained her voice and damaged her vocal chords. By returning home to Aultbea, Lexie assumes the locals will think she’s failed, she’s embarrassed and it’s not the case at all. Lexie has always known her father died during the war, the details about her dad are rather sketchy and now that her mum Flora has passed away has she left it too late to find out more about her parents relationship and his family?

Lexie begins to ask her mum’s best friend Bridie questions about her mother’s past, she discovers her mother was an incredibly strong and courageous woman who made big sacrifices for the people she loved and especially to protect her daughter. Lexie remembers her mum singing the local Scottish folk songs and she begins to rediscover her love of singing by sharing them with Daisy, her little friends at playgroup and with the handsome Davy at the local pub.

I loved The Skylark’s Secret; it’s a story about love, sacrifice, secrets, war, self discovery and the narrative is set in beautiful Scotland. I particularly enjoyed reading about Loch Ewe, the Scottish countryside, the local food, yummy mince and tatties and I had no idea during the war children from the cities were evacuated to the countryside. I have read all of Fiona Valpy’s books and The Skylark’s Secret is my favourite and five big stars from me.

Another great book by this author . I love how she intertwines historical with fiction . Thoroughly enjoyed this book . Thanks for allowing me to read

I've read one other book by this author and whilst this book gave me the same feelings, I enjoyed it. The narrative unfolds across dual timelines, offering a rich exploration of themes such as love, loss, family, and friendship.

What a sweet, touching, emotionally charged book about a small village in Scotland during WWII. Lexie has returned to the village on Loch Ewe after her mother's death. She's back with her toddler daughter after a short lived career on the London stage. She has lots of questions about her missing father and her mother's life during the War. Told in alternating chapters (Flora (mom) in 1940 and Lexie in 1979) we learn the story of each of their lives.

This is a touching, sometimes gut-wrenching tale that's sure to bring tears to the reader. It's a simple story filled with local references and stories about life during the war. I really liked it. This is not Pulitzer material, but it is a good story, engaging characters, a few surprises, and several moments that will draw out your emotions. Something you can share with your women friends and your mom.

This story is told in dual timelines
This is a book about love, loss, family and friendship
This book is wonderfully written and it’s obvious that it’s so well written

A deep and emotional story that felt so realistic. I will be looking forward to more by this author.
I was given a complimentary copy of this book. All opinions expressed are my own.

Set in 1939 and 1977, this is a duel perspective story, with chapters that mostly alternate.
It works very well at evoking the 1940s, but I didn't find it did much about the 1970s.
I enjoyed the unveiling of the story, and the theories I dreamt up were quite different to how the story evolves!
I thought the effects of war were well demonstrated, but on families, and on those in the forces.
I was given this book in exchange for an unbiased review, so my thanks to NetGalley and to Amazon Publishing.

Really nice read, past and present narrative weaves well, offering insight into the historical events.
Thanks to NetGalley for the eARC.

I wish I was able to have read this book. I was unable to download the file at that time, so I can’t give this title a proper review.

Thank for the arc netgalley in exchange for the review ..
With grateful thanks to netgalley and fiona valpy for an early copy in return for an honest review.
I have read another books by this Author so I knew it was going to be a good one.
i didn't realise how good!
this is one of the most wonderful authors it felt so real as if I was actually there even down to the colour of the sky and the sound of the skylarks singing, this dual time line worked absolutely perfect between flora in ww2 and her daughter
Lexie in the late 70's it flowed seamlessly, it really is quite a tragic tale of love and loss
I really can't praise this book enough and can highly recommend this OUTSTANDING book.

The Skylark's Secret is an absolutely captivating novel about the power of love and forgiveness set in a remote highland village in Scotland. The author, Fiona Valpy, creates an incredibly realistic setting, full of characters who come alive on the page and provide depth to this multi-layered story.

The story follows Flora, the daughter of a gamekeeper, as her home village is changed forever with the arrival of the Royal Navy's Arctic convoys. As tensions build in their disrupted home, she finds herself in love with the laird's son.

Many years later, her daughter, Lexie Gordon, returns to the same village, learning secrets about her mother and the village itself. She finds that her mother and her hometown have been keeping secrets that challenge everything she knows about herself. As she pieces together her parents' story, she is forced to confront her own emotions about her mother and the past, eventually discovering the power of love and forgiveness.

The Skylark's Secret is an emotionally powerful story that takes the reader on a journey of self-discovery and redemption. Fiona Valpy's vivid descriptions and nuanced character development draw the reader in and make them feel deeply connected to the characters and the story. This is a story that is sure to linger long in the minds of readers.

This novel centers around a mother and daughter and runs through two timelines. The mother’s story takes place during WW II in Loch Ewe in Scotland and the daughter’s story is set in the 1970s after her mother has died. There are several twists and turns to the story, but what I liked best was the great historical research that captured the strategic importance of Loch Ewe during the war. This is a good read for anyone that wants to be immersed in a story and learn a bit of history that they may not have known about.
Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.

The Skylark's Secret
by Fiona Valpy

Set in in the highlands of Scotland this dual time line story set is set in the 1940’s and 1970’s. It follows Lexie who lives in London and is very disillusioned with her current life and decides to visit her dead mother’s cottage in the highlands. It also follows Flora’s story in the 40’s as a wren and also the gamekeepers daughter and the class prejudice that existed and the two stories intertwine as Lexie returns to the highlands where she grew up and finds out the secrets that were hidden begin to emerge .

Another exceptional read by Fiona especially if you enjoy the WW2 timeline and changing times. 4.5/5

This was a story based on true events in Scotland - Loch Ewe. It follows the lives of Flora, here best friends Mairi and Birdie. It also follows Alec, the rich son of the land owner and best friend of her brother, Ruaridh. Alec signs up when Great Britain enters the war in the Navy. Ruaridah also enlists but is stationed at the lookout above the Loch. Flora, Mairi, and Birdie all sign up for the WRENS and are also stationed in their hometown of Aultbea. The life for them is hard, especially when the convoys start shipping supplies to Russia. Alec's mother, Helen, knows his love for Flora, but his father is against it. But Alec and Flora are determined, until one convoy changes everything.

In 1978, Lexie was a singer and dance in Broadway shows on the London strip. But once she became pregnant with her daughter Daisy, her voice changed and she lost her roles in the shows. Lexie moves back to Aultbea, to the Keeper's Cottage after her mother, Flora, passes away. It is there that she learns about the close knit community, the secrets it hides, and the people who really are there for you.

I enjoyed this story very much. A new subject I had no idea about during WWII, the convoys of supplies to Murmansk, Russia. The closeness of the community, and the strength they all had to make it through.

Thank you to Netgalley and Lake Union Publishing for this ARC. All opinions are my own. 4.5 stars out of 5.

I really enjoyed this historical fiction novel.
I loved the main character, Lexie and her journey to piece back together her past.

No child can ever really know their parents' lives before them, or even when their children are younger. THE SKYLARK'S SECRET sets this premise during the 1940's war effort and 1978 when a young mother returns to her childhood home. Growing up she and her mother did not get along well. Each of them had strong opinions and believed the other was wrong. This young woman now finds herself in her mother's shoes and decides she would really like to know more of her past. The story moves back and forth between the two women and each chapter pulls the reader further into the mother's hopes and dreams for her daughter and the daughter's realization that maybe she didn't know her mother at all.
This is a wonderfully told story, full of emotions. I've not read any of Fiona Valpy's back library but I'm on my way to check her titles.

When I think of women's fiction, I think of books just like this one, that gives all the feels. This is a perfect book to snuggle up with on any day.

I cannot believe I waited this long to read this book. It was ABSOLUTELY FANTASTIC, and a solid 5 star read for me. Valpy beautifully describes Scotland, and her well-developed characters had me in love with them all from the start. I will now go binge read all her other books!