Known for her evocative locations and deep complicated love stories with twisting plots, Karen Swan has written a masterpiece that kept me spellbound for hours! In “The Secret Path,” Swan transports us to the deep, dark jungle in Costa Rica where a doctor and a botanist are forced to face their past in order to save a little boy and, ultimately, themselves. This is one adventure you will NOT want to miss.

Dr. Tara Tremain and her cardiologist boyfriend, Rory Hutchings, are heading to Costa Rica for an important family celebration. Exhausted from the demands of their job, they’re both looking forward to some down time together. Unfortunately, life has other plans for them. When Tara hears that one of her dad’s employees has a sick son, she offers to see if she can help him and heads off for a day’s journey into the dense jungle. After a random attack, Tara’s guide needs medical attention. When she finally manages to get him to the ranger’s hut, she can’t believe her eyes. The last person she expects to come to her rescue is someone she didn’t ever think she’d see again. After he broke her heart ten years ago, can she risk it all to let him save her?

This was 75% adventure, 20% family drama, and 5% romance. The perfect mix for a reader who hates cheesy romance. I’ve been in the jungle in Costa Rica, seen the capuchin monkeys and scarlet macaws, and Swan instantly whisked me back there with her descriptive writing. At a time when travel is restricted, this was a welcome armchair travel. I loved the twists and turns in the plot increasing my heart rate and reading pace. This is a SPECTACULAR read and one I won't forget easily.

Publishes May 3, 2021.

Thank you to Karen Swan, Pan Macmillan and NetGalley for a spectacular advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

The Secret Path is an adventure with some romance thrown in. Set in Costa Rica, Dr. Tara Tremain is set on helping out an employee's sick son.This sets off a series of events in the jungle that keep you racing to the end!
Thanks to Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for my honst review.

Thank you to Netgalley, Karen Swan and Pan MacMillan for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!!!!

Wow! Wow! Wow! Karen Swan has done it again! Like wine, Swans writing gets better with more books! Her last two have been my absolute favourite and the issues she is discussing are important and she treats them with such dignity and respect.

The characters in this book are wonderful (well, not all of them, but the bad ones are written SO WELL!) I felt a connection to Tara and feel there are aspects to this character that encompass so many parts of different women. I also love her her bestie and while she can be blunt and to the point, she can easily wade through all the crap. Even the characters we love to hate carry aspects of those who have made a seemingly selfish decision for some right reasons? The character in mind is a complex mix of good and not so good, yet has a big heart. And of course we cannot forget the Indigenous characters in this book. Their beliefs, their way of life, the sacrifices they make on the daily - they make us look like utter wimps and are a great reminder that not all of us have it so bad.

The setting. THE SETTING!!!!! First of all, I love London. I have yet to get there thanks to covid, but that city holds a special place in my heart and I love all books set there. And Costa Rica. It reminded me of some hopes and dreams I had that got buried in a drawer and now want to see the light of day again.

My heart fell so in love with this book. I will absolutely be purchasing a copy for my shelf and envision myself reading it again and again. I HIGHLY recommend this one and please let me know if you read it!!!!

The Secret Path deserves far more than five stars! Having read every book written by Karen Swan, I feel that this one is her best yet. It contains every emotion; from sweet romance, to heartbreak, elation, terror, and pure love. Alex and Tara are fated from the beginning; a love story set in the stars but lived here on earth. I loved the descriptions of both London and Costa Rica; the city-scapes and hectic lifestyle, contrasted with the lush jungle and spirituality. This novel is one to be savoured and enjoyed more than once.

I am a huge fan of Karen Swan. I buy all her books and tend to read them right when they are released. I don’t even read the blurbs anymore-I see her name and know that I will enjoy the book. I think I know what to expect. Many have a dual timeline, one in the present and one in the past. There will be a romance and after some drama there will be a HEA (Happily ever after) ending. Her books are set all around the world and her evocative writing takes me to that place as if I am actually there. During this time when we can’t travel books are my only way to visit these destinations. “The Secret Path” promised a Costa Rica setting which coming out of a long Canadian winter sounds just about perfect.

Although this book included many of the expected elements it also really surprised me. There was no real historical timeline, just the story of one woman in her student years then again ten years later. Reading of her youth and the doomed love affair I was hoping very strongly that the endgame romance wasn’t going to be with the same dreadful man from her student days. He did her wrong in a way that I would never forgive, and I really didn’t want them to end up together. Sadly, my fears were realized, and he was the love interest for the rest of the story. There was a HEA ending but I admit that I never could get on board with their relationship, and it left me feeling a bit uneasy and not fully satisfied.

Luckily, the plot was not all about the romance. I was shocked to see this was more of an adventure/survival story than exclusively a romance. All the danger made it quite suspenseful and although some of it was over the top it kept me reading to see what crazy situation Tara would end up in next. There was everything from car chases to runaway boats going over waterfalls to the threat of jaguars. The trouble for Tara was never ending and her survival was often unbelievable, but I don’t expect fiction to always be realistic. I feel like this was quite a departure for Swan. I haven’t read some of her early books, but I think this is a new direction. I admit that I missed the historical aspect as that is usually my favourite part of her books, but it was interesting to see her do something different.

Thank you to Pan Macmillan for providing an Electronic Advance Reader Copy via NetGalley for review.

I love how Karen’s endings always answer the burning questions you have while reading her novels. She is the queen of mystery and intrigue and this new book doesn’t disappoint. There is almost always something I couldn’t have ever predicted.
These details she puts into her writing make me an addict for her new releases and I have to keep coming back for more and more.

She also tends to touch on controversial topics and she does this with such grace. This specific instance she compares modern medicine with the holistic herbal approach.
She does all this while also pulling on my heartstrings and teaching me important lessons on eco tourism and sustainability. She is the whole package, and I can not rave about Swans books enough.

Thank you Pan Macmillan for a copy of this book. All thoughts are my own.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publishing house and the author for the opportunity to read an advance reader copy of this book in return for a review based upon my honest opinion.

This book was a wonderful escape into the jungles of Costa Rica. In a time when travel
Is not possible, reading a book that swept me away to the mystical rainforests was absorbing. I loved Tara’s story, I was caught up in her tale following her from the depths of despair to the top of her field to the jungles loved from her childhood.

I have to say when I started reading I initially didn’t really care for the story, I found it bland. The beginning of the book is in 2011 and I found it a tad irritating but as I read I realized it was just the back story to the good part ten years later. I liked the present part a lot and enjoyed the dynamics between the characters. Great ending as well.

The Secret Path
4/5 ⭐️

Thank you @netgalley and #publishersgroupcanada for this e-ARC! This one was released May 3 here in Canada. I’m so slow on my reviews lately, if you’re in Australia, I’m right on time because it’s being released this week 😂 So for those who haven’t yet, run don’t walk, this is an excellent summer read!

She only got one star knocked off due to it being very descriptive at times that I didn’t I always find to be necessary.

What would you do if you found the love of your life and lost them? Twice. This by description seems like a basic love story but factor in excessive amounts of wealth, the Costa Rican rainforest and a kidnapping, and it is anything but!

I have always wanted to go to Costa Rica and this book has now moved it to higher priority.

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