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The Secret Wife: A captivating story of romance, passion and mystery Paperback – Illustrated, November 8, 2016

by Gill Paul (Author)
4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 50,897 ratings
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The USA Today bestseller

‘A cleverly crafted novel and an enthralling story… A triumph.’ DINAH JEFFERIES

A Russian grand duchess and an English journalist. Linked by one of the world’s greatest mysteries…

Love. Guilt. Heartbreak.

1914

Russia is on the brink of collapse, and the Romanov family faces a terrifyingly uncertain future. Grand Duchess Tatiana has fallen in love with cavalry officer Dmitri, but events take a catastrophic turn, placing their romance – and their lives – in danger . . .

2016

Kitty Fisher escapes to her great-grandfather’s remote cabin in America, after a devastating revelation makes her flee London. There, on the shores of Lake Akanabee, she discovers the spectacular jewelled pendant that will lead her to a long-buried family secret . . .

Haunting, moving and beautifully written, The Secret Wife effortlessly crosses centuries, as past merges with present in an unforgettable story of love, loss and resilience.

Perfect for fans of Kate Morton and Dinah Jefferies.

Read more Read less
Previous page
  1. Print length
    416 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Avon
  4. Publication date
    November 8, 2016
  5. Dimensions
    0.9 x 5 x 7.7 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    0008102147
  7. ISBN-13
    978-0008102142
  8. See all details
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  1. Honest communication was the only way through an emotional impasse; Kitty had learned that over the summer. Brooding never helped anyone to heal, but talking did.
    Highlighted by 703 Kindle readers
  2. Why was life so relentlessly brutal, just one challenge after another? Why did evil so frequently triumph?
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Women & Children First The Affair No Place for a Lady The Second Marriage The Collector's Daughter The Manhattan Girls
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Customer Reviews
4.4 out of 5 stars
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Editorial Reviews

Review

‘Meticulously researched and evocatively written, this sweeping story will keep a tight hold on your heartstrings until the final page’ Iona Grey

‘A cleverly crafted novel and an enthralling story: the heartbreak genuine, the research brilliant. I love the way the present narrative throws light on the past story so that the transitions are smooth. A triumph.’ Dinah Jefferies

‘A marvellous story: gripping, romantic and evocative of a turbulent and fascinating time’ Lulu Taylor

‘This was just magical. At the last line, tears rolled down my cheeks. Highly recommended.’ Louise Beech

'A heart-warming affirmation of the tenacity of human love' Liz Trenow

'Gill Paul has crafted a beautiful book. The passages set in Russia in 1914 are so richly described and researched that I felt as if I was living in the pages myself. I adored it.' Amanda Jennings

‘This is an intriguing and involving book that explores a really fascinating period in time in a clever and highly enjoyable way. I was hooked into both timelines from the start.’
Joanna Courtney, author of The Chosen Queen and The Constant Queen

‘A beautiful and moving story, beautifully and movingly told. I read it in just two sittings . . . I enjoyed every page’ John Julius Norwich

‘Gill Paul has clearly done her research in this absorbing story that cleverly blends imagination with historical fact. The closeted and ultimately doomed Romanov family have always fascinated, especially the four grand duchesses, and the older strand of this dual narrative story is told by one of the girls' secret loves. Tragic, touching and authentic-feeling.’ Kate Riordan

‘A marvellous moving adventure, full of vivid colour and atmospheric detail. If you loved POLDARK you’ll love this!’ Lulu Taylor

‘Like VANITY FAIR crossed with POLDARK… Stunning epic’ Claudia Carroll

‘A terrific adventure story, full of romance and atmospheric detail – a great escapist read’ Liz Trenow

Book Description

Love. Guilt. Heartbreak.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Avon; Illustrated edition (November 8, 2016)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 416 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0008102147
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0008102142
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 11.6 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 0.9 x 5 x 7.7 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 50,897 ratings

About the author

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Gill Paul

Gill Paul

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Gill Paul is the bestselling author of twelve historical novels, many of them describing real women she thinks have been marginalized or misjudged by historians. They include A BEAUTIFUL RIVAL, about the bitter rivalry between cosmetic titans Elizabeth Arden and Helena Rubinstein; THE MANHATTAN GIRLS, about Dorothy Parker and three friends navigating life, love and careers in Prohibition-era New York, like a 1920s version of Sex and the City; THE COLLECTOR'S DAUGHTER, about Lady Evelyn Herbert, the first person to enter Tutankhamun's tomb in modern times; JACKIE AND MARIA (retitled THE SECOND MARRIAGE in the UK) about Maria Callas and Jackie Kennedy's rivalry over Aristotle Onassis; two bestselling novels about the Romanovs – THE SECRET WIFE and THE LOST DAUGHTER – as well as WOMEN AND CHILDREN FIRST, which was shortlisted for the 2013 RNA Epic Novel of the Year award, NO PLACE FOR A LADY, shortlisted for a Love Stories award, and ANOTHER WOMAN’S HUSBAND, about links you might not have suspected between Wallis Simpson and Princess Diana. Her novels have reached the top of the USA Today, Wall Street Journal, Toronto Globe & Mail and kindle charts, and been translated into twenty-three languages.

Gill also writes historical non-fiction, including A HISTORY OF MEDICINE IN 50 OBJECTS, and she speaks at libraries and literary festivals on subjects ranging from Tutankhamun to the Romanovs.

Gill lives in London, where she is working on her fourteenth novel, and she swims daily in an outdoor pond.

Customer reviews

4.4 out of 5 stars
4.4 out of 5
50,897 global ratings
Fictional Possibilities Paired with Historical Facts
5 Stars
Fictional Possibilities Paired with Historical Facts
Gill's historically based books throw you into vaguely known history in a riveting way, with great detail giving the reader factual insight paired with fictional possibilities!
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Top reviews from the United States

Nokomis Girl
5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing work of literature
Reviewed in the United States on February 8, 2024
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This is by far one of the best novels I have ever read. The story line is captivating from the first word to the last. Am amazing love story between two people against all odds.
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LoveToReadGoodBooks
4.0 out of 5 stars Two stories woven together
Reviewed in the United States on January 29, 2018
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SYNOPSIS:

Kitty’s modern story of broken love, denial, and resolution takes place as she cleans out and fixes up an isolated lakeside cabin inherited from an unknown grandfather. Running from a cheating husband, she turns her back on both him and her emotions by digging into the project of making the cabin inhabitable after 30 years of neglect.

Who was he? Why did her family tell her that her grandparents were dead before she was born when that wasn’t the case? And how did a Faberge pendant with real jewels get under the rotting outdoor staircase?

Those are the questions that open the door to the different time and place of her grandfather Dmitri’s life. Love, war, passion, regret, and resignation are the themes of his story that intertwines with one of the Russian Romanov sisters during World War I, the subsequent Bolshevik revolution, and picking up the pieces of his shattered soul to create a new life from the ashes of total loss.

REVIEW:

Kitty’s story in modern times is superficial and banal in comparison to her grandfather’s. It’s standard boiler plate and not much more. As a stand-alone, I give it 2 stars at best.

It took a big leap of faith to accept that the glint of a small gold pendant laying in the dirt under a rotting outdoor staircase after THIRTY YEARS of snow and rain would catch her eye. Please.

In addition, the resolution of her broken love story came way too easy. A long string of unread emails from her husband Tom, one letter read by Kitty, and no real conversation brings resolution? I’m sorry, but it goes against Kitty’s character profile as set up by the author.

Then there was the “sex scene” at the end of Kitty’s and Tom’s first meeting after their break up. It literally made me groan out loud. Not because it was poorly written, but because it was (again) so superficial and boilerplate. After their dinner conversation of reconnection, a vulnerable exchange that ignites a spark of deep recognition on both sides would have more than sufficed as a reunion that opens the door to rebuilding a future together. The reader’s imagination could take it from there. As written, however, it only made me want to brush away Kitty’s story like you would a pesky fly buzzing around your ear.

Dmitri’s story, however, is in a whole other league.

The multi-textured backdrop for a complex protagonist with clear motivations makes it rich and rewarding on many levels. His story will stay with me for a long time.

Without giving spoilers, the intimate look it gives you into the Russian side of World War I and the social ramifications of their revolution in the individual lives of the common man—as well as those of Tsar Nicholas’ Romanov family—will break your heart. There were moments when I gasped out loud and my hand flew to my face to cover my mouth as events unfolded.

Insights to Dmitri’s motivations are honest and deep. The author perfectly captures the pure love—as well as raw angst—running rampant in Dmitri’s psyche as he struggles with his choices and their ramifications in a world that’s falling to pieces around him.

How the author wove in the clues of the past to Kitty in the future was elegant and satisfying. All in all, I give Dmitri’s story a solid 5 stars.

Put the stories together, the book earns 4 stars. But only because Dmitri, Tatiana, and Rosa carry the day.

RECOMMENDED FOR:

Lovers of historical fiction, Romance, and Russian history.
18 people found this helpful
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Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent book!
Reviewed in the United States on April 4, 2024
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This book was excellent! The transition from past to present was seamless. The story was very well told. I would recommend to anyone looking for a good romance
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Roma Aukle
5.0 out of 5 stars A must read for historical fiction fans!
Reviewed in the United States on April 6, 2017
Verified Purchase
This book is a treat to historical fiction fans and I found it difficult to put it down!

Kitty, has just learned of the infidelity of her husband and the shock of it causes her to leave for a remote cabin in Lake Akanabee, which she inherited from a great-grandfather she barely heard of. This escape leads Kitty to unravel a mystery that has long remained so in history.

The story alternates between the era of the Russian revolution, which led to the execution of the last royal family in Russia, the Romanov, and 2016, the year Kitty is in. During the Russian war one of the daughters of Tsar Nicholas, Grand Duchess Tatiana who served as a nurse falls in love with one of the injured soldiers, Dimitri. The story goes on to show how the deteriorating situation in Russia threatened the sovereignty and the security of the Romanov family and the inevitable impact on the relationship between Tatiana and Dimitri.

When the royal family were kept in captivity, it became evident that their survival was threatened. Dimitri carried out several attempts to rescue the royal family until the news that they were all brutally executed by the Bolsheviks dropped.

While Dimitri managed to re-build a life in America afterwards, the certainty of the death of all the Romanovs was never proved and Dimitri always wondered about Tatiana's fate.

Did Dimitri finally get his answers about what really happed to the family and especially Tatiana?

How is the fate of the Grand Duchess Tatiana, Dimitri and Kitty linked?

The account of the suffering that the war brought on her characters is both vivid and haunting. Gill Paul also beautifully portrays a love that survived the trials of war and separation.
15 people found this helpful
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CATHY Eckers
4.0 out of 5 stars A good read
Reviewed in the United States on October 30, 2023
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This book was well-written and hard to put down. I very much enjoyed it. It was very interesting how the author intertwined actual history with fiction. I found myself reading as much as I could about the Romanov family.
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LADH
5.0 out of 5 stars Captivating
Reviewed in the United States on January 17, 2024
Verified Purchase
Excellent historical fiction. Learned a little history and was entertained in the process. Character development strong. Couldn’t put it down!
One person found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

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Divya Skariah
5.0 out of 5 stars Best seller indeed!
Reviewed in India on July 24, 2020
Verified Purchase
From the time I've received this book I've been unable to put it down and I finished it in a day's time. It's one of those books that keep you hooked till the end... Definitely a best seller and a must buy!
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E.K
5.0 out of 5 stars Its really fantastic!
Reviewed in Germany on January 21, 2020
Verified Purchase
Was wonderful.
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Quikou
5.0 out of 5 stars The secret wife
Reviewed in France on June 21, 2019
Verified Purchase
Excellent, wonderful, a marvelous romance between history and today life.
The Romanov history is just a tragedy of people' craziness.
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lyntrom
5.0 out of 5 stars When the secrets are told a beautiful love story emerges
Reviewed in Canada on April 6, 2017
Verified Purchase
Although this is fiction, the author did an excellent job of blending known facts from the tragic Romanov past with a beautiful love story. A modern day novelist who has inherited a cabin in the Adirondacks from a grandfather that she did not know, begins to search for her own history after her husband has betrayed her. As she gathers facts from what she finds at the cabin and seeks out sources who can help her fill in the gaps, a mesmerizing love story, that dates back to her grandparents during the time of the Russian revolution, emerges. It was a captivating read and spurred me to read more about the tragic demise of the Romanov family. It was fascinating as well after reading this story to find a actual picture of the "lovers" when I searched the web.
5 people found this helpful
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Sandra Pan Giles
4.0 out of 5 stars Intense
Reviewed in Italy on November 29, 2017
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So many historical details, romantic without being sappy. Great novel, another version of Russian history...who knows how did it really go.
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