What a find. You have a young woman, in love, married to a sea captain whose job is to bring slaves to the Americas. Abagail will be forced into a moment that will change the course of her life and centuries later that of a women named Rachel. It pulls you so completely from the first page. Fascinating.

The Widow's Secret by Katherine Swartz is an enjoyable and quick read. I enjoy reading books with dual time periods when done well and Mrs. Swartz does not disappoint. Her characters in both time periods are realistic and lively. Our two main characters seem to have some things in common which is another thing which adds to the things that tie them together in a way that the geograpby of the story does not. I learned a lot in this book and found the history and marine archaeology fascinating. Well researched!

A heartwarming novel about the roles History plays in our Present, and how learning of the past can eventually help to free us and to impel our own character evolution. A marine archaeologist, summoned to a previously undiscovered shipwreck in Cumbria, England, eventually uncovers the ship's truth and undergoes her own rite of passage.

The Widow’s Secret is a dual time-line story, which is always an interesting premise for me if it is written well and the author is skilled at blending the two time-lines together, which Katherine Swartz most definitely is.
The story switches between Rachel a marine archaeologist investigating a shipwreck off the coast of Cumbria and in the 1760's Abigail Fenton the wife of the ship's owner. Rachel is using work to escape from a troubled marriage and a troubled relationship with her mother. Abigail has married a man who gets involved in the slave trade to help pay off his mounting debts, but she learns to question the morality of slavery.
A truly engaging read that weaves the two tales together beautifully.

Absolutely brilliant book about 2 women from very different eras. The story of the 18th century shows us that far from erasing the history of slavery, we should remember that history teaches us lessons so that we don’t repeat them. The story of the present day shows us we should talk to each other to prevent misconceptions.

Some novels are forgettable. The Widow’s Secret is not. The Widow’s Secret is a unique dual timeline story set in Whitehaven, a small village in northern England. The present story is about marine archaeologist Rachel Gardener, who tends to place her career ahead of her relationship with her husband, to his annoyance. The past story is about Abigail, the wife of an eighteenth-century maritime trader.

A good dual-timeline story always has a clear relationship between the past and the present story. With The Widow’s Secret, it doesn’t take long to work out that the link must be the ship Rachel is investigating, given that Abigail’s husband was a ship’s captain. We watch Rachel discover aspects of Abigail’s story in the present, then see more of Abigail’s life in the past story.

Abigail is definitely the heroine in this story. Her prospects for making a good marriage are rapidly declining when she meets Mr Fenton, a newcomer to their village. He is a ship owner, a man with excellent prospects, and she is delighted to marry him. Her delight is tempered when she is unable to present him with a son. He gifts her a slave, a young girl, which raises more discord in their marriage.

As Abigail’s circumstances change, she has to reconsider everything she was raised to believe. And that’s what makes her a brilliant character. She’s not content to believe what everyone around her believes. Instead, she makes her own decisions based on Christian values. And that includes some tough decisions.

As the news is constantly reminding us, the USA is still suffering the aftereffects of slavery. What’s less well-known is the role of the English in the slave trade. The Widow’s Secret is an outstanding novel that shows the power of looking beneath our obvious differences to our underlying humanity.

Recommended. Thanks to Lion Publishing and NetGalley for providing a free ebook for review.

The Widow’s Secret is a topical and relevant novel set in the present day, and the 1700’s. Rachel is a marine archeologist who travels back to her home county of Cumbria to examine a ship wreck found off the coast of Whitehaven. When she identifies that an artefact found in the wreckage could relate to the slave trade, she is intrigued and is determined to discover the story behind the ship. In the 1700’s, Abigail is relieved to finally be married to a successful merchant but becomes uncomfortable with his recent decision to trade in human beings.
I found this book to be incredibly well researched and written in a suitably considered way. Abigail’s slow realisation that she believes the slave trade to be inhuman, and the finding of her strength to stand up and protect the person she loves the most is an inspiring storyline. The setting of both narratives in the sometimes bleak Lake District also adds to the dark mood of the novel. A Widow’s Secret is present in both the modern day and the past, and the book approaches difficult elements of our history with great sensitivity.

It was great to go back to Goswell again and have a bit of contact with characters from the previous Goswell books. It's not necessary to read them in order as each book is a standalone story.
This one alternates between the past in 1760s Cumbria with a woman Abigail who gets married to a ship owner, James Fenton. She soon discovers some things about him and his business that trouble her--dealing with the slave trade--and she goes on an internal journey to figure out how her life and faith can reckon with this news. The present-day story deals with marine archaeologist Rachel and her rocky marriage, some of which is due to her upbringing and things she believes about her parents. When she goes to investigate the ruins of a shipwreck, she also visits her mother and uncovers some painful truths about the past.
With the events going on in today's world with racial reconciliation, this book is a timely look at the past and how far we have come and how far we still have to go. Swartz deals respectfully with the past events, and even though the attitudes and practices were highly acceptable at the time, Abigail's disquiet and discomfort about them will stir thoughtfulness in the reader.
I actually liked the historical story better than the present-day one, because I didn't really connect with Rachel and her blindness toward her own faults. Yet overall, the stories intertwine and each helps the other along. There is a beautiful faith thread that is quite meaningful as well.
I don't honestly get the title, because there's not really a widow in the book (or at least there isn't one until the very end).

I’ve enjoyed all of the novels set in Cumbria by Katherine Swartz, and this one didn’t disappoint. As with the other ones, this one had a time-split aspect, which told the modern-day story of Rachel alongside the one of Abigail in the late 1700s. I appreciated the topic of the slave trade as told through a shipwreck that connected the two stories. I also appreciated the growth of the two main female characters, especially Abigail as she came in contact with John Wesley. An enjoyable read.

THE WIDOW’S SECRET by Katharine Swartz is a well-written novel that is told using a dual timeline, focusing on the points of view of the two main characters in each time period. Rachel is a marine archaeologist investigating a shipwreck from the 1700s and the mystery of why and how it got to be in the harbor. This provides a backdrop for Rachel’s journey of self-discovery and understanding why her relationship with her husband and her Mom is not what she wishes it to be. At the same time, Swartz weaves in the story of Abigail Fenton, wife of the slave trader whose ship Rachel is researching, and her evolution into the woman she was proud to be.
Swartz does an excellent job of creating a story that was interesting and kept me invested in both characters and their evolution. I also enjoyed learning more about a part of England’s history that I was unfamiliar with.
Swartz’s novels never disappoint! She always gives her readers stories full of heart and emotion that resonate and stay long after the book ends. I highly recommend this one.
Thanks to the Publisher and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this novel. All opinions are my own.
#TheWidowsSecret #LionFiction #KatharineSwartz

I received a free electronic ARC of this historical/modern novel from Netgalley, Katharine Swartz, and Lion Fiction publishers. I have read this novel of my own volition, and this review reflects my honest opinion of this work. I had not been previously exposed to this author, mentally grouping her in with modern romance tales, so I thank you, Netgalley, for introducing me to her excellent historical facets.
I am pleased to recommend her to friends and family and look very much forward to reading "The Emigrants Trilogy", written with Kate Hewitt and currently available on Kindle Unlimited.

Our tale comes to us in the voices of two protagonists, in two different time frames. Sounds complicated, but very well done and easy to follow. We see 1760's Whitehaven through the eyes of Abigail Heywood Fenton. Whitehaven is an Irish Seaport, Copeland district, the administrative county of Cumbria. With the rapid increase of American trade, Cumbria is slowly dwindling as a shipping city, as ships putting out of Glasgow, Scotland had the trade winds in their favor, winds that cut fully twenty days off of the trip to the Americas.

Abigail's new husband James Fenton is the proud owner of two sailing ships, 'The Pearl' and a second ship currently being built in Whitehaven. 'The Fair Lady', will be named for Abigail. The post-wedding trip of 'The Pearl' was disappointing, as American tobacco growers had pre-sold their crops to a single entity. The Pearl sailed into Whitehaven a year after their marriage, carrying only a few sacks of rice and bundles of furs, minus the money crop James was counting on to set himself up as a successful trader and solidify his new family into the middle class. James then sent 'The Pearl' south to join the lucrative triangle of many successful Irish shippers, traveling Whitehaven to the African Coast carrying trinkets and merchandise to barter for slaves, then carrying slaves to the West Indies and southern Gulf Coast, returning to Whitehaven with sugar, rum, and spices. Or so he hopes.

Through the eyes of Rachael Gardener, a marine archeologist working for Bristol's 'Center for Maritime Archaeology', we view modern Cumbria. Rachael grew up in Cumbria but is estranged from her mother. She will, however, take on the job at Whitehaven and make the time to touch base with her mom. A mining company, looking to expand their diggings, has pulled up obvious signs of an ancient shipwreck in the clay sample from their test drill a quarter of a mile off the coast of Whitehaven. Because it is a commercial request time is tight, so Rachael intends to leave right away, something her husband Anthony doesn't understand or care for. Not sure how to breach the ever-growing distance between them, Rachael heads down the coast with a heavy heart.

A lot depends on Rachael's findings on the old shipwreck. Fairly close to shore, it is not in the area of huge rocks further out in the bay where so many shipwrecks lie, and the iron piece found in the drill core could be a part of the equipment used on slave-carrying ships. If it was a slaver, there have been so few found sunken that it would be considered a historical site to be fully explored, as very few have ever been discovered. If it was simply a merchant ship, despite its age, the mining company would be able to continue its plans to expand the mine, destroying the shipwreck site in the process.

And too, Rachael has personal problems to sort out while she is in Cumbria. Her relationships with both her mother and her husband are in jeopardy. She must find a way to breach the silence between them, to salvage her relationships with the two most important people in her world. Or face the prospect to continuing on, all alone...

Katherine Swartz gives us the story of two women from two different times. Rachel is a present day marine archeologist called into investigate a previously undocumented shipwreck. She suspects the ship was involved in slave trade along the English coast. In the 1760's Abigail was the wife of the ship's captain who was a slave trader. As Rachel digs into the shipwreck and Abigail's life she is forced examine her own life. Both women must come to terms with their own family dynamics.
This book is a fascinating look at a time in English history that, as an American, I had little knowledge of. Thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
.

He is standing on the ship like a ghost asking for forgiveness. Rachael is married to Anthony . She works at Maritime Archaeology. She also does freelance work and has a PhD.There is word of a shipwreck to explore.there are multiple points of view. It's 1763 in Whitehaven and Abigail is talking to her mother Caroline.I tryed to like Abigail but I was bored by her point of view

An interesting and informative read. Rachel and Abigail’s stories are centuries apart but come together when Rachel is called to help examine the remains of a slave ship. This is an informative story which is hard to read in places. It is hard to comprehend how slaves were treated and how they were viewed. This is a story that will stay with me for a long time.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy.

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

This was an enjoyable dual timeline story, told in the 1760s and the present. In the past. I really enjoyed both storylines, Abigail in the past, Who marries a ship’s captain, who is stronger than she thinks and Rachel, a marine archaeologist, in the present who is brought close to her hometown to study a wreck, who discovers she doesn’t really know herself. Both storylines were very well written and researched, the author did a great job keeping the story seamless and keeping it interesting.

Will definitely be checking it more books by this author.

Told in split time, The Widow's Secret is the story of two women coming to terms with who they are and realizing that is not who they want to be. Through the lives of Rachel and Abigail--though centuries apart--we learn the value of letting go of the past and the beauty of accepting the grace to begin again, in a new way, a better way. With The Widow's Secret, Katharine Swartz has crafted a novel that is both thoughtful and thought-provoking, and its message will not soon leave your mind.

A heartwarming novel about the roles History plays in our Present, and how learning of the past can eventually help to free us and to impel our own character evolution. A marine archaeologist, summoned to a previously undiscovered shipwreck in Cumbria, England, eventually uncovers the ship's truth and undergoes her own rite of passage.

This dual-narrative novel had been pulled in from the very beginning.

It is set in the 17th century and also modern times with Rachel in Cumbria investigating a shipwreck. Sometimes, in dual-narrative novels, it can be clunky or difficult to follow as we swap between views and settings, but Katharine Swartz does this perfectly, it's easy to follow and I was absorbed in both time periods.

I like that it was set in Cumbria, having visited there a lot, it's nice to have an area included which is different - often historical books are set in London, Liverpool, Paris... very rarely somewhere this far north and so it added an extra depth to the story.

I enjoyed finding out what happened, getting to know the characters and being swept away amongst the pages.

The Widow’s Secret is a dual time story, one of my favorite genres. This was a wonderful addition to the genre.
The story revolves around Rachel in modern times an archeologist investigating a shipwreck off the coast of Cumbria. She is using work to escape from a troubled marriage and a troubled relationship with her mother.

In the past we have Abigail the beloved wife of a slave trader. Abigail starts to have misgivings about slavery and the slave trade, but how is she to reconcile her misgivings to the livelihood that her family depends on? I will say that I preferred the storyline in the past as I found Abigail a more sympathetic and likeable character.

Overall the story was interesting and well written. I recommend it for anyone who likes dual timeline novels.

My thanks to Netgalley, Lion Hudson and Katherine Swartz for the chance to review this novel.

"The Widow's Secret" was an enjoyable, but sometimes uncomfortable, read. It's well-written, with interesting characters and a good plot. I particularly enjoyed the way the chapters swapped between the modern day and the 1700s - two stories which gradually meld together into a fairly solid novel.

My thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for an advance copy to review. This review is entirely my own, unbiased, opinion.