A Secret Escape

Sarah Morgan

‘Friendships were supposed to make
you feel better, not worse.’ 

AT what point do you tell your ‘forever’ best friend – the friend who has ignored you for the most difficult eighteen months of your life – that enough is enough?

Summer wouldn’t be summer without the gift of a sun-soaked story from bestselling author Sarah Morgan (pictured below) whose novels of romance and real-life human dramas have won her an army of fans across the globe, and always come packed full of her trademark humour and warmth.

And A Secret Escape is classic Morgan magic… another delicious slice of seductive storytelling that whisks readers away to the heart of the beautiful Lake District and the exclusive Forest Nest resort, an idyllic collection of luxury lakeside cabins where the only night sounds are plaintive bird calls and the occasional hoot of an owl. And it’s here that two childhood friends, Milly and Nicole, who had once been more like sisters, will spend the summer season trying to reconnect, rewire and repair the special bond they once shared amidst a maelstrom of misunderstandings, painful secrets and complex family relationships.

Even though 35-year-olds Milly and Nicole have been friends since their early days, their lives have taken very different paths. Actress Nicole – considered to be one of the most beautiful women in the world – achieved global fame at the age of 21 after starring in a film which broke all box office records and now lives the high life in Los Angeles.

Milly, one the other hand, was married young to husband Richard, is mother to Zoe, now aged 13, and works in her family’s lakeside Forest Nest resort . 

Despite Nicole’s film star status and hectic lifestyle, the two women stayed firm friends until eighteen months ago when Richard walked out on his wife and daughter, the couple divorced, and Milly and Zoe had to move house. What hurts Milly just as much is the fact that Nicole has never once contacted her since she told her about the painful divorce.

But now Milly – who is clinging tightly to Zoe and what else she has left of her life – has had a call from Nicole begging for her help. She claims she is now the most hated woman on the planet, needs somewhere private to hide, and the only safe place she can think of is Milly’s holiday home business far away from

LA. Milly knows she should refuse but she can’t ignore the desperation in her old friend’s voice so, despite her misgivings and the thought of more emotional stress, she agrees to let Nicole stay. Over a summer of tentative conversations and shared memories, the two women start to reconnect, and there’s a potential new romance for Milly too. 

But then the biggest bombshell of all lands and their fragile renewed friendship is put to the test once more. Can they come together in this time of need, or will this summer break their bond forever?

There is so much to enjoy in this escapist summertime odyssey as Morgan spreads her stardust over a moving and relatable story which explores the dynamics of a damaged friendship and celebrates the boundless love that flows between the different generations of a family. Against the breathtaking backdrop of the Lake District’s stunning fells, peaceful lakes and alluring sense of space and solitude, we witness the unravelling of secrets and relationships, and observe the slow rebirth and re-blossoming of Milly and Nicole’s ‘rare and special’ friendship.

But, as always in life, there are stumbling blocks along the road to happiness, and the friends must accept that some secrets cannot be hidden forever, and a willingness to genuinely forgive is an essential component of any successful relationship. Enjoy drama and romance, a charismatic cast of characters, two delightful leading ladies, and that irresistible and uplifting sense of feelgood that imbues this author’s wonderful stories, and you have a summer of loving that is set to steal the show!
(HQ, paperback, £9.99)