Fall is here and nothing is better than curling up on a weekend with a great story, a cup of coffee and a warm blanket. I have a great story to tell you about that captures a family history that spans years and a huge secret. You need to check out The Secret Keeper for an excellent read.

From Kate Morton, the New York Times and internationally bestselling author of The Distant Hours, The Forgotten Garden, and The House at Riverton, comes THE SECRET KEEPER (Atria Books; $26.00; October 16, 2012), a spellbinding new novel filled with mystery, thievery, murder, and enduring love.

Check out this synopsis….

During a summer party at the family farm in the English countryside, sixteen-year-old Laurel Nicolson has escaped to her childhood tree house and is happily dreaming of the future. She spies a stranger coming up the long road to the farm and watches as her mother speaks to him. Before the afternoon is over, Laurel will witness a shocking crime…A crime that challenges everything she knows about her family and especially her mother, Dorothy-her vivacious, loving, nearly perfect mother.

Now, fifty years later, Laurel is a successful and well-regarded actress living in London. The family is gathering at Greenacres farm for Dorothy’s ninetieth birthday. Realizing that this may be her last chance, Laurel searches for answers to the questions that still haunt her from that long-ago day, answers that can only be found in Dorothy’s past.

Dorothy’s story takes the reader from pre-WWII England through the blitz, to the ’60s and beyond. It is the secret history of three strangers from vastly different worlds-Dorothy, Vivien, and Jimmy-who meet by chance in wartime London and whose lives are forever entwined.

The Secret Keeper explores longings and dreams and the unexpected consequences they sometimes bring. It is an unforgettable story of lovers and friends, deception and passion that is told-in Morton’s signature style-against a backdrop of events that changed the world.

My Thoughts:
I would really call the book a saga. It it written from today’s point of view and yet stretches back 60+ years. I love the way the author weaves her story and goes back into history especially into war torn England. With bombs bursting around them, Dorothy’s story begins with events that will eventually change her own children’s lives forever.

The author weaves an amazing story of secrets. With Dorothy turning 90 and very close to death, Laurel, the daughter flashes back on a image that she can never block out of her mind. The one thing she could never find out was who was the stranger that came to their home that fateful day? what was is connection to her mother? Laurel decides to do some research and goes back into history herself to find some answers.

The Author keeps the story moving along with interesting twists and turns in the story. You meet several of Dorothy’s friends with whom a bond was forged during the stressful times in which they lived. Secrets and mystery from the time keeps you turning the pages. Kate Morton develops the family dramas and history so you are completely enveloped into the saga of The Secret Keeper.

I really enjoyed reading this awesome novel. The author is a master at crafting the story, just giving you bits and pieces until it all come together in the end. A perfect story for a cozy weekend or vacation. I think you will enjoy this story too.

About the author:
Kate Morton, a native Australian, holds degrees in dramatic art and English. She is the author of The House at Riverton, The Forgotten Garden, and The Distant Hours, which all became #1 bestsellers in the UK and Australia and New York Times bestsellers in the United States. Kate Morton currently lives with her family in Australia.

Disclaimer: Chris has personally reviewed the product listed above. She has not received any monetary compensation for her review but did receive a free product to try out so she could evaluate and use it for her review. Her thoughts & opinions in this review are unbiased & honest and your opinions may differ.

As a teen you may have enjoyed the series about the Wakefield twins and all of their friends at Sweet Vally High. The author and creator of these books has been busy bringing more excitement back to Sweet Valley. Several years ago, Sweet Valley Confidential came out to share the lives of the Wakefield twins all grown up and now there is a second in the series soon to hit the book stands.

The Sweet Life by Francine Pascal
The Sweet Life, first published as a six-part e-serial this summer, will be available in one hardcover volume on October 30, 2012 (St. Martin’s Press)

For Jessica and Elizabeth, the sweet life begins at 30…

Beautiful blonde twins Jessica and Elizabeth Wakefield are back in The Sweet Life, now available in one volume!

Three years after the events of Sweet Valley Confidential by Francine Pascal, Elizabeth and Jessica Wakefield are back in Sweet Valley and inseparable once more. Things are looking up for both twins: Elizabeth is a star reporter at the LA Tribune, and Jessica’s PR career is on the fast-track. But while the professional lives of the Wakefield sisters are secure, their personal lives may be in jeopardy. Jessica, now a mother, finds that managing parenthood, marriage, and a job is harder than she expected, while Elizabeth and Bruce must face a scandal that could strengthen their bond…or tear them apart forever.

Meanwhile, life goes on in Sweet Valley. Families are made, hearts are broken, and . . . Lila Fowler is a reality TV star? Some things never change.

My Thoughts:
I never read the Wakefield twins series before so this was a first novel for me. First impressions from the first few chapter is that this a written in the classic style of a soap opera. LOL

Jessica and Elizabeth have settles into their new lives somewhat, but have very highs and lows with their relationships. When a huge scandal erupts, it throws the lives of Elizabeth and Bruce, her love, into a tailspin. Jessica comes in with her PR knowledge to help and Elizabeth goes on the hunt for the truth.

This story is loaded with soap opera characters that manipulate, lie, and steal in order to get what they want, regardless of who they hurt. In a town called Sweet Valley, you hardly expect the bad behavior, but since Sweet Valley is close to the LA scene, it must be the truth! LOL As the story progresses, the drama and deception increases and keeps the pages turning faster and faster so when the truth comes out, what you think will be the ending, is not what you get.

For some fun, light reading full of drama, some mystery, lots of deception, lies and gossip and even some love, you have to check out The Sweet Life! The Wakefield Twins will never be the same again.

About the author

FRANCINE PASCAL is the creator of the Sweet Valley High series and one of the world’s most popular fiction writers for teenagers and the author of several best-selling novels, My Mother Was Never A Kid (Hanging out with Cici), My First Love and Other Disasters, as well as the series Fearless. Her adult novels include, Save Johanna! and La Villa and the non-fiction, The Strange Case of Patty Hearst. She also collaborated on the Broadway musical, George M! and has also done revisions on the musicals Carnival and the English version of Mack & Mabel. As a theater lover and Tony voter, Ms. Pascal is on the Advisory Board of The American Theatre Wing. Her favorite sport is a monthly poker game. She lives in New York City and France.

Disclaimer: Chris  has personally reviewed the product listed above. She has not received any monetary compensation for her review but did receive a free product to try out so she could evaluate and use it for her review. Her thoughts & opinions in this review are unbiased & honest and your opinions may differ.