A Stranger’s Secret by Laurie Alice Eakes
Published by Zondervan on April 21st 2015
Genres: Christian, Fiction, Historical, Regency, Romance
Pages: 352
Format: Paperback
Goodreads
As a grieving young widow, Morwenna only wants a quiet life for herself and her son. Until a man washes ashore, entangling her in a web of mystery that could threaten all she holds dear. Lady Morwenna Trelawny Penvenan indulged in her fair share of dalliances in her youth, but now that she’s the widowed mother to the heir of the Penvenan title, she’s desperate to polish her reputation. When she’s accused of deliberately luring ships to crash on the rocks to steal the cargo, Morwenna begins an investigation to uncover the real culprits and stumbles across an unconscious man lying in the sea’s foam—a man wearing a medallion with the Trelawny crest around his neck. The medallion is a mystery to David Chastain, a boat builder from Somerset. All David knows is that his father was found dead in Cornwall with the medallion in his possession after lying and stealing his family’s money. And he knows the widow who rescued him is impossibly beautiful—and likely the siren who caused the shipwreck in the first place—as well as the hand behind whoever is trying to murder David. As Morwenna nurses David back to health and tries to learn how he landed on her beach, suspicion and pride keep their growing attraction at bay. But can they join together to save Morwenna’s name and estate and David’s life? Can they acknowledge the love they are both trying to deny?
A Stranger’s Secret was an interesting book to read. The big mystery of who was behind the wrecking of ships, the death of David Chastain’s father, and the stolen medallion were all so wonderfully written. There aren’t too many obvious clues, so you may pick a guilty party and be completely wrong, like I was.
I believe this is the second book in the Cliffs of Cornwall series, the first book being A Lady’s Honor. I haven’t the first, but this one seemed easily read as a standalone. Although, I would like to go back and read A Lady’s Honor just for some perspective.
While I did enjoy A Stranger’s Secret, I didn’t absolutely love it. The story did seem to drag along in some places. There were some motives, as well, that didn’t seem completely explained. Those minor problems are easily some I can look over.
Beautiful Lady Morwenna is an admirable character. She didn’t have a perfect past or possess a reputable reputation. Instead, she made some choices in life that resulted from a lack of warmth and affection, since her parents were nearly nonexistent. She always had gotten compliments for her physical beauty, but her bravery and determination were more beautiful than anything.
David Chastain washed up on the beach after wreakers maliciously guided the ship straight into the rocky coast. Naturally, he’s suspicious of everyone and that includes Lady Morwenna. He has his own secrets, but seeks to find answers as to what exactly happened to his father and why it’s all connected to Morwenna’s family.
The outcome was satisfying enough for me. I’m happy that things worked themselves out in the end. It’s worth a read.
