I have read all of the books in this St Kilda series and the latest offering is a very satisfying end to the story. Well written, giving a really interesting insight to life in St Kilda. Recommended.

Karen Swan’s The Midnight Secret is a haunting and evocative tale set against the windswept, isolated beauty of St Kilda. With her exceptional skill for blending romance, history, and suspense, Swan crafts a story where secrets simmer beneath the surface and the past refuses to stay buried.

At the heart of the novel is Jayne Ferguson, a woman whose life is defined by the secrets she keeps and the burdens she bears. Her marriage to the island’s most handsome man is a dark blessing, overshadowed by his cruelty. Jayne’s inherited gift of second sight only brings visions of death, adding another layer to her quiet torment. Swan masterfully explores Jayne’s inner world, showing how fear and resilience shape her choices as she navigates a harsh marriage and the ominous realities of her gift.

The story takes a darker turn with a tragic death that intensifies Jayne’s predicament. As St Kilda faces evacuation, the island’s tension boils over. Swan’s portrayal of this historical event is rich with atmosphere, capturing both the physical isolation of the islanders and the emotional upheaval of leaving their homeland. The narrative twists when a murder shatters the fragile peace, drawing suspicion toward Jayne’s closest friends, Effie, Mhairi, and Flora.

Swan’s writing shines as secrets unravel and the island’s close-knit community fractures under the weight of betrayal and desperation. She masterfully maintains suspense, with Jayne’s prophetic dreams casting a shadow over the story and keeping readers on edge. When the villagers are scattered on the mainland, Swan doesn’t let the tension drop—instead, she deepens the mystery as Jayne realizes that the ghosts of St Kilda still linger.

The Midnight Secret is more than just a historical romance. It is a layered and atmospheric novel that explores friendship, survival, and the cost of knowing too much. Swan’s ability to create complex characters and weave an intricate plot makes this book an absorbing read. Fans of historical fiction with a touch of the supernatural will find themselves captivated by this story, long after the final page.

I have followed this series with great interest over the last few years, and I was so thankful to receive this ARC.
We are back to visit the characters of the Wild Isles series, and this time, the story begins with the POV of Jayne, a woman who can foresee certain events. She's married to Norman, a nasty piece of work, but she doesn't have the strength to fight back in any way.
What she witnesses during her last night on St. Kilda is something she doesn't realise will be significant until further on in the story.
Through this book, we follow Effie, Mhairi, and Flora, key characters in the first three books, and each is left with loose ends that are slowly tied up through The Midnight Secret.
As the book progresses, we visit Canada, different parts of the Highlands, and a return to St Kilda.
The stories of the fictional St Kildan community leading up to the catalyst that finds them leaving their beloved island and all they know and following them as they try to settle on the Scottish Mainland were beautifully crafted.
The entire series is just amazing. Karen Swan made me care about every character, and their stories unfolded unforgettably, so each addition to the series enhanced the previous book.
I hope we will see more series in this vein from the author.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Pan MacMillan for an ARC.

The last book in the saga of the people of St Kilda, an island off the shores of Scotland . Moved onto the mainland, the stories of the characters are told, Stories of love, abuse, betrayal and murder. Enthralling reading, perfect for a cold spring day.

Thank you Pan Macmillan and NetGalley for the advanced copy for review!

I've been looking forward to the conclusion of The Wild Isles series since we were first introduced to the girls in The Last Summer. Jayne has been a character we've become familiar with from her interactions with Effie, Mhairi, and Flora in the last 3 novels. We've finally reached the end, and received answers to many of the mysteries and questions from the previous novels! Just a note that the novel's title seemed to have changed from 'The Hidden Heart' to 'the Midnight Secret' over the last year before release.

I was a bit surprised that this novel took a different structure this time. The first 3 novels heavily focused on each of their respective main characters, while this novel was much more brief in the 'Jayne' focused storyline. I'm guessing this may be in part due to the reader's familiarity with the overall plot of the islanders evacuation at this point, and having *most* of the picture of what's happened from various character POVs. I would nevertheless have liked to explore Jayne's backstory a little more, as she didn't feel as fully fleshed out as the other 3 girls.

I'm assuming the other reason is that this is the concluding novel - Karen Swan had a herculean task of tying up all the loose threads from the previous novels. The chapters alternated between the different girls - and for the most part we received resolutions to the questions and cliffhangers we were left with over the last few years. I generally appreciated the thoroughness with which the girls' stories were resolved (if not together almost tied up a little too neatly). The Midnight Secret isn't a lengthy novel, so I was surprised when the author decided to add in a dash of additional drama for each of Effie, Mhairi and Flora's storylines. For anyone who watches Korean Dramas - it reminds me of the last 1-2 episodes of a series where our leads are almost at their Happily Ever Afters - but end up having to overcome an extra 4-5 hurdles. Thrilling to say the least!

Overall I appreciated the mystery being resolved, the variety of the characters we got to know, strength of friendships, and the detailed description of the setting which allowed me to fully immerse myself in The Wild Isles series.

Rating this 4 out of 5 stars!

This was an INCREDIBLE ending to the series about the island of Kilda. I was so excited to read this, but also so sad as it meant the series was coming to an end, but rest assured, it does not disappoint! I devoured this in one day and it felt so good to read about now familiar characters and to see various strands of the story be tied up. It is just a brilliant story and one that I recommend to absolutely everyone when they ask what I have read lately. The characters feel so real and authentic, the situations they find themselves in are utterly fascinating and it is just a gripping read- would heartily recommend!

This is the final book in The Wild Isles series following the lives of the fictional last residents of St Kilda and it is everything one could wish for. There are plot twists and turns, ups and downs for the main characters, a totally unexpected denouement and some happy endings. Very satisfying. I highly recommend the whole series.
*****

Karen Swan is undeniably a masterful storyteller, and her ability to weave engaging storylines filled with atmospheric settings and complex characters is what I loved about the first two books in this series. They were captivating, filled with depth, intrigue, and a perfect balance of romance and drama. Unfortunately, the third book started to lean into the chick-lit category, and this final installment took it even further, losing some of the authenticity that made the earlier books so compelling. Perhaps there was just not enough St Kilda for me.

While I enjoyed reading about all the familiar characters, some of them fell into cliché territory, making their stories feel predictable. The plot twists, which in the past had been exciting and unexpected, felt a little formulaic and the dialogue at times was cringeworthy. And don’t even get me started on the happy ending which wrapped things up so neatly.

That being said, despite its flaws, the book still had some moments of charm, and Swan’s storytelling ability kept me engaged throughout. It just didn’t quite reach the same level as the first two books, leaving the series with a somewhat disappointing conclusion. If you’re a devoted fan of Swan’s work, it’s still worth reading, but those who fell in love with St Kilda and the atmosphere of the earlier books might find this one a little too light and predictable.

Set around the evacuation of St Kilda and it's last 36 inhabitants. A little slow to get started but soon gathered pace to become a good mystery story.

I was very excited to finally read the conclusion of this series. I thought this was Jayne’s story but it turned out to be told in multiple voices, continuing the story of each of the girls from the first 3 novels. I did enjoy seeing the next part of all their stories, although I did feel some of the bumps in the road felt a bit contrived (everything magically un-working itself out, only to come back together for the ending). However, I still enjoyed it and found myself looking up the real setting and context.

WOW, what a way to end a series! This, the final book in the Wild Isles series certainly ended as well as it started, what a finale. I have loved every book in the series, in each one the intrigue grew and the tension mounted, so I have been anticipating reading the final part and I was not disappointed.

The story is a mixture of history and romance built around the evacuation of St Kilda in 1930. From Karen Swan's storytelling, I felt like I knew the Islanders, even if these characters were fictitious, I got to know about the Islander's lives and how great the change was from St. Kilda to the mainland. The fictitious storyline is full of intrigue and kept me guessing till the end.

The characters are wonderful and I loved the girls the story is based on. I felt their despair, their happiness and triumphs and tribulations along with them. The secondary characters were also very well written, I loved and hated them in equal measure.

Despite needing to know the end of the story I did not want it to finish. I guess I will just have to read them all again! I can not recommend this series highly enough but do read them in order.

I

A brilliant read. What a fantastic ending to a wonderful series of books it all came together perfectly, so well written with many interesting characters and storylines. Well done to the author and highly recommend them

This is the final book in the Wild Isles series and features Jayne, who has married Norman, a bully. They are leaving St Kilda, the island where they have spent their earlier years, hopeful for the future on the new isle where they are heading. The challenging life of the islanders is graphically described, the rugged coastlines beautifully portrayed.

The stories of Effie, Mhairi, and Flora, other women who have left the island, are also explored, and we discover how their lives continued. I became invested in their courage and determination to overcome the struggles in front of them. There are many twists and turns, along with secrets as the gripping plot unfolds.

This is a compelling, atmospheric story, superbly told. Recommended.

Was saving this for my half term holiday and devoured it on Day 1!

Lovely to be back on St Kilda with all the familiar characters. And also in so many other locations!

The scene with Effie, clad in a green evening gown, clinging to a mast through a storm is one that will stay with me.

Lots of twists and turns but resolution in the end.

Thoroughly enjoyed this series. Thank you Karen Swan. And thank you to Pan MacMillan and NetGalley for the eARC

What an utterly fantastic book, last in the series for the St. Kilda girls and I never wanted the book to end as it would mean farewell.

No spoilers or hints, just simple advice that you must read the collection.

Karen Swan is an amazing author but this series surpasses all of the other books I have read by her.

My thanks to Netgalley and Pan Macmillan for giving me the opportunity to read an advanced digital copy in return for an honest review.

A fantastic conclusion to The Wild Isles series. The main characters line up for their curtain call . The lives and story are all intertwined from this close knit community and your attention is kept carefully alive right until the surprising finale.

Oh how I envy readers who have yet to discover this series! The Midnight Secret rounds off all of the stories told in the previous books but Jayne has a more prominent place with various strands being brought together. There are various twists and turns along the way making it yet another book that I couldn’t put down.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC

The Midnight Secret is the final instalment of Karen Swan’s Wild Isles Series about the St Kilda community and their evacuation to the mainland. I was very excited to get an early copy of this one to read, having thoroughly enjoyed the rest of the series.
This book draws together lots of strands from the previous three novels, which makes its quite difficult to keep track of unless you remember all the details clearly. The preceding novels all concentrate on a different perspective but this one jumps between perspectives - all clearly signposted - but it does require you to take note of who, where and when you’re reading about, and its definitely necessary to have read all three preceding books to get the most out of this one!
I loved how the characters all have their own trajectory and in this book they all come of age in different ways. Some of the details in previous books makes more sense but there are also a few details which get lost along the way.
The whole series has made me curious about the St Kilda community and their story - and now I know the ending I’m going to go back and re-read them all again. Definitely will be recommending the series too.
Huge thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for this ARC.

This final story in the saga is told from the viewpoint of Jayne married to Norman - she sees visions of deaths amongst community members but can do nothing to stop them. Both on St Kilda and after the evacuation this leaves her feeling as though she is an outcast. She is stuck in an abusive marriage and is childless.

We follow the fortunes of both Flora and Effie - both with their struggles to find their identities and roles post St Kilda.

A revisit to the island allows Jayne to orchestrate events following her vision to allow justice to be done and hope to return.

The strands of the story are brought together well and the outcome highly satisfactory!

This is book 4 in the Wild Isle series from Karen Swan.
Its a return to the island of St Kildey were time seems to have stopped.
This one follows the islanders as they are evacuated from there home and follows there lives before they leave and after when they are spred across the world looking for there loved ones.
i havn't read the books that come before this one but will do now to get the full story from the islands.