"A Stranger's Secret" Review

Lady Morwenna Trelawny Penvenan made many mistakes in her younger days. Now that she is a young widow and mother, she is determined to make things right for her son, who is the heir to the title of Penvenan. Everything becomes even more complicated when Morewenna is accused of purposely crashing ships off the coast of her land in order to steal their goods. When a mysterious, unconscious stranger washes up on the shore – with the Trelawny medallion around his neck, no less – she really doesn’t know where to turn next. 

David Chastain wants nothing more than to find out what happened to his father and return to his ship-building business. He definitely didn’t plan on being in a shipwreck and winding up under the care of a beautiful lady of the manor.  

As Morwenna and David spend more time together, it is discovered that each may hold secrets that could answer questions for the other. Did Morwenna’s adventurous parents have something to do with the death of David’s father? And does Morwenna have something to do with the multiple attempts to keep David quiet?

As the questions mount, David and Morwenna are drawn together. But can they trust each other enough to find out the truth? 

A Stranger’s Secret is the second in the “Cliffs of Cornwall” series.

When I requested this book, I didn’t realize that it was the second in a series. I knew that it was labeled a ”Cliffs of Cornwall” novel, but it didn’t say anything about it actually being a series. That being said, I was a bit lost through some parts of this book.  

I was able to pick up on most of the background for Morwenna eventually, but the other characters continued to be confusing even as I kept going in the story. The names of the secondary characters were not always recognizable, which made it harder to keep them straight – especially when they were sometimes referred to by their first names and sometimes by their last names. I felt as if I needed a character list at the beginning! And while the main characters were well-drawn, the other ones seemed to just be thrown in here and there when needed. There was a real disconnect between the main characters and the secondary ones, and I don’t really know how that could have been rectified.

 
Even though the characters were sometimes confusing, the overall storyline was good. I liked how Morwenna and David met and the circumstances and emotions that played out during their relationship. As I said earlier, the main characters were much more fleshed out than the others which made me care more about them than I was expecting at the beginning of the book.

The secrets and mysteries in this novel were really what kept it going. At times it became a bit slow when Morwenna and David would start on their inner monologues. But then another part of the mystery would unravel (or poor David would be drugged again – seriously, how many times did that happen?) and the story would again pick up.

As for the spiritual aspect, it was there – David and Morwenna both professed faith in God – but it probably could have been developed a little bit more. I wasn’t completely unsatisfied with how their faith was portrayed. I just thought it needed some more depth to it. I did enjoy Morwenna’s obvious devotion to her young son. Her affection for him was touching, as was her determination to do the best she could for him and for his future.

Overall the plot in A Stranger’s Secret was good even if the characters sometimes made it confusing. 

I will give  A Stranger's Secret ... 3 BookWorms.

A Stranger's Secret
by Laurie Alice Eakes
Zondervan Publishing
Publication date: April 21, 2015
352 pages






Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Zondervan Publishing. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this is accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."