The story begins with the formation of a friendship between two little girls who normally would have never been friends. Judith Hampton is Engish but her loving aunt and uncle live on the border between England and Scotland and take her to the border festival where she meets Frances Katherine Kirkaldy. A punishment rock and a vicious little bee forges the girl's friendship forever.

Now it is years later, Frances Katherine is about to have her first child and Judith has promised to be there. Frances Katherine defies her husband's clan and requests that Judith be brought to her, despite the fact that they hate the English. Convincing the council of her bond with Judith, Iain Maitland, the clans laird and Frances Katherine's brother-in-law agrees to go to England and retrieve Judith. Besides, Judith is not only a woman but English, she will never keep to her word and agree to follow the barbarians into the Highlands.

Judith Hampton is packed and ready to leave when Iain Maitland and his warriors arrive at her home. Shocking the warriors by leaving without any hesitation, Judith begins the long journey to the Highlands and into Iain's heart.

As the book progresses Iain struggles with making Judith understand that he is laird and she should obey all of his commands. Judith has a hard time understanding all of the Highlanders rules. Once they reach the clan, Frances Katherine is overjoyed with Judith's presence. Fearing for her life with the birthing of her babe, Judith soothes Frances Katherine by telling her all of the knowledge she had acquired in the last few years about being a midwife. Her knowledge turns into the clans saving grace from the current evil midwife.

Now Judith is finally making her place with the clan. Wait, did I mention her father is the Maitland's sworn enemy?

Births, fights, a backwards Clan Council, one stubborn laird, and a kidnapping make The Secret a great read!

Judith is a great heroine. She's tough, strong, self-assured but knows when things are too much and allows herself to lean on Iain for his strength and support. Iain is such a good alpha. He is stubborn, strong-willed and forceful. However, he knows that his defenses are no match for Judith.

For series enthusiasts: The Secret has connecting characters with the book, Ransom, and The Secret should be read first.

As children, Judith and Frances met and formed an unbreakable friendship, not knowning that english and scottish are supposed to hate each other. Now the time has come for Judith to fulfill her childhood promise to Frances and come to the scottish highlands and help her with the birth of her baby. The highlander and laird Ian, Frances's brother-in-law, has come to England to escort Judith back to his clan and to Frances. He fully expects her to dishonor her promise and not come -she's english after all. He is shocked to find, not only a beautiful women, but one with a stubborn streak a mile wide that enchants all of his men -including himself. During the journey, Ian and Judith find themselves fighting their growing attractions. They both know that once they get to the highlands and to Ian's clan, they must go their separate ways. For Ian cannot be with an englishwoman and Judith is hiding a shocking secret.

I absolutely loved this book and its sequel Ransom. I loved the way Garwood portrayed Ian the best. He not an idiot and doesn't fight his attractions toward Judith -that's refreshing. He's tender and kind to her in so many ways, especially helping her get over her fears of birthing and then of her secret. He is so accepting of her and never degrades her -well almost never. I really liked that. Judith is great too, so strong-willed and yet not afraid to admit that she loves Ian.

This one is a shelf-keeper for me, as all of Garwoods highlander books are. A wonderful writer.

It's not in your best interests to share a secret even with a person you trust. When you betray someone's confidentiality, as he did, there are bound to be disturbing repercussions. I should never have told Chuck that secret, as the thing I shared was impulsive and not lasting. Perhaps it was a double entendre which he used to cause harm and hurtful feelings. It's easy to pass on someone else's secret to an unsavory character (or cast of characters as the man did) who won't be discreet. Judith found out the hard way when she learned the truth about dubious ancestral secrets of the Scottish Macleans from which her father descended.

On the journey South with her escort, propinquity and willingness led her into an alliance even that secret could tear to shreds. Keeping her promise to a childhood friend was the impetus for her sojourn but she was not ready for the heavy load this secret would put on her soul. Family secrets are better when they stay secret. At times, the burden is too great for a young, though sprightly, woman. She'd found her match and keeping this secret was of the greatest importance. When bad things happen in the past, it's necessary to leave them in the past and not stir up memories. The secret-bearer will always regret the outcome and hindrances to one's happiness which usually comes along with tale-bearing. It is never okay to pass on the secret someone has told you.