Book Review: The Secret (Highlands' Lairds #1) by Julie Garwood

My adventures with Julie Garwood continue. I am so glad that she has a huge backlist for me to look forward to. Her books are so entertaining and outright fun to read and The Secret was no exception.

The Secret (Highlands' Lairds #1) by Julie Garwood

Judith Hampton was as beautiful as she was proud and loyal. Her dear Scottish friend from childhood was about to give birth, and Judith had promised to be at her side. But there was another, private reason for the journey from her bleak English home to the Highlands: to meet the father she had never known, the Laird Maclean. Nothing prepared her, however, for the sight of the Scottish barbarian who was to escort her into his land...Iain Maitland, Laird of his clan, a man more powerfully compelling than any she had ever encountered.

In a spirited clash of wills and customs, Judith reveled in the melting bliss of Iain's searching kisses, his passionate caresses. Perplexed by her sprightly defiance, bemused by her tender nature, Iain felt his soul growing into the light and warmth of her love. Surely nothing would wrench her from the affection and trust of Iain and his clan...not even the truth about her father, a devastating secret that could shatter the boldest alliance, and the most glorious of loves!

4 out of 5 stars

The Secret was incredibly entertaining. It’s light and fun with great humor, awesome characters, and so many witty scenes, I had a fantastic time reading it.

I loved learning all about Judith and her secret. She had such a big heart, was caring, and very strong-willed. I liked her and Iain's meeting and the underlying sparks between them and how she completely bewildered him. He's a typical grumpy laird but he was totally sweet too. There were a lot of engaging and witty scenes between the two of them that really helped build the story. She was stubborn and he was set in his ways but I liked them truly seeing the other and changing their ways. He was fighting his attraction to her and it was rather adorable. There are a lot of confusing feelings between the two but I liked that back and forth and the building chemistry.

There's a bit of drama but it's mild and easily resolved but it was just enough to keep me hooked and keep the story moving along at a decent pace. I loved all of Iain’s warriors and how they tried not to like Judith but she won them over. I loved the storyline of Judith and her best friend and how they met. That was super cute and I was instantly invested. Iain’s got his own issues happening with alliances and council members that added another layer to the story I enjoyed.

This was a really enjoyable story and I had a wonderful time reading it. It's one of those stories where I lost track of time while reading because I was so into it and totally invested. I'm totally loving Julie Garwood and her light, fun reads, and this time period is the best.