A Deadly Secret

Imperiled Young Widows #3

by Melanie Dickerson

Lillian Courtney’s husband’s criticizing and bullying ways culminate with him physically striking her, and she runs away to the Isle of Wight, taking her young daughter with her. Her husband follows her there—and is found dead the next day. Her mother-in-law accuses her of killing her husband, then tries to take her child away from her. Lillian is devastated at the prospect of losing her daughter.

Nash Golding, Earl of Barrentine, was not looking for trouble. He was only trying to keep his secret safe—the secret that he is a novelist publishing amusing satires under the pen name Perceval Hastings. His family would be aghast if his secret were made public. As an earl and a member of the House of Lords, working as an author of satirical novels is beneath him. Early one morning, after sending his latest manuscript to his publisher, he emerges from a tiny village post office to witness a man, obviously up to no good, stalking a young lady. Nash follows them and is forced to be of service to the lady—in saving her life.

Nash strives to keep the pretty widow safe from her late husband’s devious family members, who wish to gain control of her daughter. But while he is protecting them, will his own secret be revealed? His position in society and in Parliament will be irreparably damaged when it is discovered that, not only is he the notorious satirist, Perceval Hastings, but he is also harboring a poor widow suspected of murdering her husband.

Lillian is falling in love with the handsome earl, despite her fear and lack of trust. Nash, in turn, finds that neither his reputation nor his heart is safe when the lovely Lillian is near.

Don't miss this latest Regency Romantic Suspense novel by New York Times Bestselling author, Melanie Dickerson!

Genres: Historical Fiction, Regency, Romance, Historical, Christian Fiction, Fiction, Christian

270 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 17, 2022

About the author

Melanie Dickerson is the New York Times bestselling author of happily-ever-after romance. She believes in love, laughter, afternoon tea, and the power of story.

With a million books sold and numerous awards, including two Christy Awards, two Golden Quills, a National Readers Choice Award, Christian Retailing’s Best, and Book Buyers’ Best Awards, her books have hit #1 in her category on the New York Times bestseller list.

When she’s not writing, Melanie can be found watching Pride and Prejudice for the hundredth time, cozying up to her handsome hero husband, or shaking her head at her slightly unhinged Jack Russell terrier. She lives in the beautiful foothills of the Appalachians near Huntsville, Alabama.

Reviews

[Morgan's Endless Bookshelf · Rating 5 out of 5]

This one was my favorite of this series so far, I think! The main character had a daughter she was extremely devoted to, which was a great change to the formula of this series, and I don't actually think I've ever read a Melanie Dickerson book with a mother main character. While there were a few mentions of marital intimacy, nothing was very obvious.

[Jenelle Hovde · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a fun read full of romance and danger! Perfect reading by the fireplace :).

[Suzy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Intrigue and husbands

This was a sweet clean story. It didn't call to me, I really thought there would be more intrigue and thrill. The characters didn't bloom for me. They were just not deep enough for me.
Nash is a great guy, Lillian has had a rough life, but can a chance meeting make a new future. The mother in law is great, always helping.

[Natalie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Definitely not the most realistic of Melanie Dickerson’s books. This one seemed pretty far fetched given the time period the book is set in. There were also some plot holes and the stakes seemed pretty low, but for all that, it was still a quick and cute read.

[Jacquelyn 💐 {This Rapunzel Reads} [Jesus Christ, my Living Hope] · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was good, but not my favorite of hers. I’m not really into this series though with the whole evil first husband who dies and then the ladies fall in love with the perfect man the second time. Lillian was a sweet character, but she did frustrate me by not just talking to Nash. Nash was a really good guy! Bella was such a sweetheart! I loved her and wanted to wrap her up in my arms! Priscilla was also a sweetheart and my heart broke for her. I was happy with the way everything worked out in the end! Overall, it was a good read.

[Zoe · Rating 4 out of 5]

I never like writing bad reviews, as a writer myself I know the kind of work it takes to write a book. But sadly I did not enjoy this book.
There really didn’t seem to be much of a plot, just a jumble of events. And it really just seemed a copy of the last two books in the series just with different characters. The worst part is the romance was basically none existent. Even after they married there was like no love between them.
To me the characters seemed shallow and didn’t really have personalities.
I also still have several unanswered questions which I doubt will be answered in the next book so I wish they had been resolved at the end of this book.
It’s so disappointing that Melanie Dickersons books and writing aren’t what they used to be. I never like seeing an author I have fallen in love with go down hill but that seems to be the case here.

[Deon · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this on #KindleUnlimited

[Thatbookgirl · Rating 5 out of 5]

Have I said how much I love this knew series? Melanie Dickerson usually writes about these hero’s and heroines that find love the first time they go looking. But this series is about the girls that got it wrong and had to go through some hard things first before finding a good man. I feel like this is so much more relatable and teaches girls that they won’t always get it right.

[Abigail Catherine Ryan · Rating 5 out of 5]

So excited for the next book! These widow romances are so sweet and lovely!

[K P · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Deadly Secret, by Melanie Dickerson, opens on the Isle of Wright. Lillian Courtney’s husband has been physically and emotionally abusive for years and finally she and her young daughter have come to the cottage she inherited from her grandfather. After several days, Lillian’s husband shows up. Yelling and banging on her locked doors. She knows he will be back. The next day, Lillian is surprised to learn his body was found at the bottom of a cliff!

No longer does Lillian need to worry about her husband; however, now she must be concerned about her mother-in-law. Shortly after returning to her former home, Lillian crosses paths with Nash Golding when he steps to save her from a strange man who is accosting her. She has no idea that eventually Nash will help her find freedom from her mother-in-law. He allows Lillian to rent a cottage on his family estate!

After Lillian and her daughter have happily settled into their new home, she learns that her mother-in-law wants to have her declared unfit and take custody of the child herself. Lillian and Nash plan to marry in an effort to thwart her mother-in-law’s evil plans. Hold tight to see how Lillian’s life changes if they move forward with a marriage!

[Felicia · Rating 3 out of 5]

The thing about the main characters in this series is that they do not have normal reactions to the things that happen to them. I know they are all very "brave" and that's like their main quality, but literally they get shot at multiple times and/or kidnapped, and they just carry on as if it was an every day occurrence. Never mind that at the beginning of the books their (scumbag) husband has died, and even if they hated him (but they always did love him because they are Good Wives) there is still an adjustment period to the trauma of your husband dying?! And within the month they're in love with the good guy.

In addition, I don't know what the "Deadly Secret" is referring to in this one. There's one secret, and it's not really deadly.

[Julie Huggler · Rating 5 out of 5]

a great short read from a favorite author

In this third book in Dickerson’s Young Widow series, there were a few things that I felt were a bit different than some of her other books. Perhaps she is setting us up for further reading down the line…

I enjoyed the book, the book was what I’ve come to expect from a favorite author.

Thought it’s #3, it can be read as a stand alone.

[Robin · Rating 5 out of 5]

An Excellent Story!

I have yet to read a book by this author which I didn't like. This is the first of her Regency romance stories I've read. As I hoped, it's very well done. The characters were interesting and varied. The plot contained a few unexpected twists. And it's a clean novel with a strong undercurrent of faith shown in the MCs' lives.
If you enjoy inspirational suspense, and/or Regency era stories, this might be a good selection for you.

[Hannah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Huge setup with likable characters, only to have various elements of suspense go poof upon the light of day hitting them. Through the story, serious dangers pop up, but fizzle repeatedly. I kept expecting the little girl to get kidnapped or something, but in reality the dangers are nothing more than a tool to get the MCs to marry and then her brother's tragedy is another tool to get them into each other's arms. Promising and with good characters but anticlimactic.

[Christy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Don't start this book late at night! I usually read for about an hour before bed, but I stayed up way past my bedtime, reading this book in one sitting...reclining...not sleeping when I should have been. I just could not stop reading this! I loved the characters, setting, and the mystery. If you love Regency romance, you'll love this fun, swoony happily ever after! 5 stars!

[Ophelia Sellers · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Deadly Secret

This book is captivating, with characters to fall in love with and an interesting plot. Melanie is one of my favorite authors and continues to live up to my expectations.

[LaShunda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow!

A tragic and beautiful tale of courage, with a splash of mystery, and adventure. To say I enjoyed reading this book would be an understatement. To be transparent, I had not expected to be so engrossed in the story, but am glad I decided to read it as it is a great read!

[Minino Minino · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sweet love story

I love All of her in books and can't wait for the next release! The characters in this book were very entertaining.

[Pam · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this installment of the Imperiled Young Widows series.

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Deadly Secret

Great book. It moved quickly and had some great twists in it to keep it from being predictable. I enjoyed it.

[Daisey · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was ok. Just more of the same. Clean

[Dorothy J · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great story

The characters learn to trust their feelings and grow in love snd confidence. The historical setting was fun and interesting.

[Rachel Brantley · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 ✨

The plot was basically a copy of the first 2 books. Not much action in this book, so that made it kind of disappointing. Still, a good story overall.

[Suzanne · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was a good book but left me with unanswered questions. Not that another book would answer them It could have been answered in the book or never brought up.

[Lorimar · Rating 4 out of 5]

I believe this is Melanie Dickerson’s first novel where the female lead has a child before the big swoony romance. And I have to say, I loved it!

[Karen Darling · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was not a fan of any of the characters in this book.

[Connie Cook · Rating 4 out of 5]

Easy read, regency romance about an abusive husband, and sister in law that was abusive. Kinda a twist for regency. It all worked out

[Paige · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ooooh this was so good!! I loved that it was not the typical historical romance, and very refreshingly different story line!

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hope the second time around

3 1/2 stars for this new Dickerson offering, another young widow who deserves and desperately needs to find hope. This one included several villains as well as mental battles win and lost. Nicely done!

[Joleen · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was simply written. I would guess this is meant for teens through young adults.

Far too repetitious. Clean, though, and a bit of a faith added now and again.