I really really enjoyed reading this book. It had all the elements I like in a novel. It's well-written, with a good detailed plot and deep interesting character development. The author managed a dual plot line wonderfully, juggling the early 1700's with current day seamlessly. In the 1700's we are introduced to a young woman who is married to a man who owns several ships and who deals in slave trade. In the current day we have Rachel, a young marine archaeologist of sorts who is sent to the Cumbria area of the Lake District in the UK to investigate a sunken ship to determine if it holds historical value. Rachel is originally from this area and has a strained relationship from her mother, who is getting along in years, and with whom she has a strained relationship since her father's death some 25 years ago. The story is full of history, friendship, sorrow and love. So interesting and such a wonderful read. I loved it and definitely recommend.

I would like to thank the author, publisher and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.

The Widow's Secret, Katharine Swartz

Review from Jeannie Zelos book reviews

Genre: General Fiction (adult), Historical fiction

A dual POV novel, in the present Rachel is researching the history of a wreck, a ship she believes to be a slave ship, and then we see the past, where Abigail Fenton is the wife of the ship's owner.

Its an interesting story, Rachel isn't just learning about the ship's history but examining her own. She loves her husband, he loves her, but its a tense relationship, with Rachel not understanding her actions so how on earth can her husband?
I got the feeling this was a tipping point in their marriage, that Rachel had always been a prickly, closed off person, and we see from her relationship with her mother that she doesn't exactly have a loving role model there. It seems to stem from when her adored father died when she was young, but its spilled over and now her marriage is in danger. She doesn't want that but doesn't know how to be the person she wants, open, friendly, loving.
Then back in the past we've Abigail, lovely young lady, adores her husband and he loves her. Typical of the time though they are restricted by society and what's deemed correct. Abigail is unsure of the belief commonly held that slaves are more like animals, her own experiences make her doubt that, putting her in a hard position with her husband and contemporaries. Can she speak out? What about the effect on her family? If she doesn't though what does that make her?

Its a good story, and Rachel is escaping to the past rather than face up to the issues in her present life. It hits back though, events make it so that she needs to take action or lose everything. In a strange parallel Abigail too has to pick a side, contemporaries, friendship, marriage and the accepted view of slaves, or can she voice her opinions, and maybe hope to bring about change in a small way, but risking her marriage and her position in society?

There's a thread of Christianity running through the past, but not in an overbearing way – its something I avoid, but here it fits the story and isn't dominating it. Its was interesting reading about the past, the slaves ( awful trade. One wonders how many really felt as Rachel did inside) and wondering what the future held for the characters involved.
I really felt for James, a good man, but carried along with accepted beliefs until confronted with the harsh truth. For anyone with a conscience that makes things tough, and I felt his struggle. Its easier to think everyone involved in that trade was awful, bigoted, a bully, but James was a gentle man, adored Abigail but initially really didn't see wrong in what he did. Then as facts began to solidify in his mind he was struggling, what to do? Risk everything he had earned? Leave things as they were and live with his conscience? What about Abigail, he can see her actions in a different light now.
Its very complex, being horrified at his actions and then seeing them for his POV.

I loved Antony, Rachel's husband, such an incredibly patient and understanding man and yet eventually he feels he's tried and tried, and needs Rachel to make an effort too. I did feel that for such huge issues as they have, the ending was a little slick, very quickly all those issues were put behind them, when really I felt they would need a huge amount of work. Of course this is bookland, where problems can have quick situations leading to a HEA, but I would have liked a bit more time for them, a little more delving into the issues, and how they were going to get past them. Its simply not possible to have a blinding revelation and say all will be well......

Stars: Four, an interesting read, the abhorrent slave trade looked at through eyes of the time, and of course through Rachel's current day view. I enjoyed the story, just felt the ending was a little too easily fixed and settled.

ARC supplied by Netgalley and publisher

An entertaining and well written book. Well crafted plot and characters. I a always enjoy a good time slip plot. I received an arc from the publisher and this is my unbiased review.

This was an entertaining read about two women from two different periods in history. We have Abigail Fenton from the 1700’s who adopted a black slave girl and was married to a man who procured and sold slaves. Then there is modern day marine archeologist Rachel struggling with her marriage and an ailing mother . The story line has the past meet the present when a shipwreck is discovered and a watch with Abigail’s husband is found. This book deals with loss, slavery, regrets, Christian beliefs and the ability to see the worth of others even though risks and heartaches often result.

A curious book in two interleaved parts, one modern and the other set in the 1770s. The parallels between the two parts hinges off the female protagonists and, whilst I am male, I certainly empathised with Abigail in the 1770s as inevitably women were expected to be seen and not heard and all too frequently treated as nothing more than chattels. A "rebel" by "life experience", she manages to eventually forge a path of her own. Much less sympathy for Rachel in the modern day who, whilst also conditioned by her up-bringing, did not cope as well as Abigail - and that seemed to be by choice rather than failed effort.

Worth reading? - I believe so as the counterpoint of these two women, their life parallels and their successes or failures in dealing with themselves make for an interesting read.

Interesting dual story following two lives and two marriages. Set mostly in and around Whitehaven,some new and intriguing facts around the slave industry and the modern problems surrounding dementia. An enjoyable read.

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book for an honest review.

This book is about two women from the 1700’s and modern day. Abigail is a ship owners wife and Rachel who is a marine archeologist and is is asked to research a wreck off the coast of Whithaven in Cumbria .Is it a slave ship belonging to Abigail’s husband or not ?and what is it doing off the coast of Cumbria. . It’s a story about love and redemption in different centuries of two unhappy women each with their own set of sad circumstances .

The characters were well developed the book well written in an easy style with some interesting if very disturbing historical data.

"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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.
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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’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.

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).

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.

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.

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.

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 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!