The Widow’s Secret

Kate Hewitt

She looked down at the sweet little girl – and knew she wouldn’t listen to what anyone else said. She had to do what was right. Even if it meant going against everything she was taught to believe and keeping a secret from the person closest to her…

England, 1766: Abigail is happily married to James, a tobacco trader turned sea captain, and is looking forward to starting a family and settling down in Whitehaven, deep in the Lake District. But after a series of devastating losses, she finds herself in turmoil, with her future suddenly seeming unknown…

When James announces that he will captain a ship to Africa and then the Americas for a year, it sparks a series of surprising and heartbreaking events – involving some of the darkest evils in humanity’s history, and a tiny, terrified slave girl who’s brought back to England. This helpless child forces Abigail to reconsider everything she thought she knew–and will change her life forever…

Now: When a shipwreck is discovered off the coast of Cumbria, local expert Rachel is brought in to investigate. Her first thought is that this will be a perfect distraction from her troubled marriage and the memories of her past that she is desperate not to think about. But then it becomes clear the wreck is a slaving ship from the 1700s – one that was recorded as sinking in the Caribbean – and Rachel begins to wonder if there’s more to this terrible mystery than meets the eye.

Faced with uncertainty about both the past and present, can Rachel learn from Abigail’s extraordinary story and take the first step towards a brighter future of her own?

The Widow’s Secret is a completely heart-wrenching and powerful story of courage, redemption, and compassion. Fans of Lucinda Riley, Barbara O’Neal and Fiona Valpy will be absolutely captivated by this unforgettable read.

This novel can be enjoyed as a standalone.

Previously published as The Widow’s Secret by Katharine Swartz.

Readers love The Goswell Quartet:

WOW!!!!… clear your schedules and grab the tissues as you will need them!!!… I was utterly glued to the pages carrying my phone to read it on my Kindle every chance that I got and I had tears absolutely streaming down my face… I was completely mind blown at the end and just when I thought I had run out of tears they started pouring out again…This book will stay with me for a long timeabsolutely unputdownable I LOVED it.” Bookworm86 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Amazing!I was reaching for the KleenexMy emotions were running wild from the first page to the lastcompletely heartbreaking and captivating… This story of love, hope and second chances is one that I won’t forget… PhenomenalI loved it.” Page Turners ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Will grab your heart and simply not let gogripping and emotional… This has zoomed right to the top of my list of favorite books!Vegan Book Blogger ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐


I stopped reading all my other books just to finish this one!Absolutely perfect. This gem gives me all the feels!!” Goodreads reviewer

Right from the very start I was pulled in… These are characters that stayed with me… I loved this book from beginning to end.” I Wish I Lived in a Library ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Readers love Kate Hewitt:

“Had me crying so badly. It broke my heart, never has any book been able to just wipe me out with such gut-wrenching sadness… BEAUTIFULLY DONE.” NetGalley reviewer ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Not only broke my heart but shattered it… When the tears [came] though, they didn’t stop. It is such an emotionally charged novel… An absolute tear-jerker of a read for which I highly recommend having a box of tissues on standby.” Goodreads reviewer ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

“I’m not someone who cries easily but… [I] thought this book might just break me into tiny pieces. This is an incredibly moving, powerful and heart-breaking story… Will stay with me.” Novel Deelights ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

SPECTACULARLY written, this contender for my most cherished read of 2022 needs to be on every historical fiction reader’s listI will remember this book for a very long time.” Goodreads reviewer ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

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