The Secret Path

by Karen Swan

The instantly addictive 20th novel from Karen Swan, taking you from the high pressure of a London hospital to the lush beaches and ancient towns of Costa Rica

In Costa Rica, amid startling white beaches and hot, dense rainforests, the luxurious world of the super-rich butts up against something darker, something sinister. . .

Tara Tremain has worked hard to leave the controlling grasp of her extremely affluent family far behind. With her own career in medicine, she doesn’t need the Tremains’ expectations weighing her down anymore. But pulled back into the family’s orbit one last time for an unmissable party in the jungles of Costa Rica, she finds herself flung into action: a local boy is desperately ill and she must trek for days into the jungle to save his life.

What Tara could never have predicted is that the one person who can help her in this impossible journey is Alex Carter, the man who destroyed her life ten years ago . . .

Genres: Romance, Fiction, Mystery, Audiobook, Chick Lit, Summer, Contemporary

416 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2021

About the author

Karen Swan began her career in fashion journalism before giving it all up to raise her three children and a puppy, and to pursue her ambition of becoming a writer. She lives in the forest in Sussex, writing her books in a treehouse overlooking the Downs. Her books include Christmas at Tiffany's, Summer at Tiffany's, The Perfect Present, Christmas in the Snow, The Summer Without You, The Paris Secret, and Christmas Under the Stars.

Reviews

[Dale Harcombe · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story starts when Tara Tremain is twenty. The daughter of a billionaire, she is still determined to earn a living and in the process help others as a trainee doctor. But then she meets Alex Carter and those plans change in a heartbeat. Life seems perfect until suddenly it is not.
Fast forward ten years and Tara has a successful career, good friends and a man who loves her. All is fine until she is pulled into her rich and powerful family’s orbit and a celebration in Costa Rica, There she ends up trying to save a young boy's life. At the same time she meets up with the one person she never wanted to set eyes on again. Can he be trusted to help her negotiate her way through the jungle to find the man she needs to help save the desperately ill child?
Coming from a place in Australia with reputedly some of the whitest sands in the world, Costa Rica with its black sand beaches and its jungle with its red eyed tree frogs, sloths, howler monkeys and jaguars just to mentioned a few creatures, provides an exotic location. Location alone makes this an interesting read. I enjoyed this story. The main characters were interesting and the setting incredible.
I didn’t like Tara’s friend Holly. Plain spoken she may be, but I could have done without her regular use of the f word. Some situations in the plot stretched credibility. Just how much can some people survive? And I thought at least one situation towards the end could have done with more clarification. But still, overall an entertaining read that had me turning pages faster at times.

[Veronica ⭐️ · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love Karen Swan's novels; there is romance, suspense, danger, beautifully described locations and strong intelligent women. The Secret Path is no exception.

We first meet Tara when she is twenty years old, madly in love with Alex, she is ready to throw in her medical degree to live a life of marital bliss.
I think Karen Swan portrayed the young Tara and her friends skillfully. They were all intelligent young women but there was still a naivety about them. When Tara is betrayed by Alex she is heart broken and puts all her energy into her studies.

Fast forward ten years and Tara is a surgeon in a busy London hospital. Swan hasn't given her readers any clue to what happened during the previous ten years and I had plenty of unanswered questions. This kept me turning the pages as I was invested in what Tara was doing now but I also wanted to desperately know what happened ten years ago.

The story moves to the Costa Rican village of Puerto Viejo when Tara and friends go on a much deserved break. The evocative descriptions of the small village and its surrounds brings it all to life on the page.
Karen Swan introduces the theme of western medicine versus traditional herbal medicines that have been handed down through the generations when a small boy from the village is ill and his mother won't allow Tara to treat him as he is being treated by the local shaman. Also highlighting people's rights over their own treatment or refusal.
In a last bid to help the boy Tara agrees to trek through the jungle to find a rare plant that is believed to have healing powers.

Through Tara's family's legacy project and move to eco tourism Swan explains the need to protect the wildlife habitats as well as the indigenous cultures, promote reforestation and reduce carbon emissions or we will lose these beautiful forests forever.

Whilst reading The Secret Path I went through a roller coaster ride of emotions. The danger was palpable and the suspense rose and fell time and time again which had me glued to the pages.

The Secret Path is a story about love, betrayal and forgiveness. It is filled with enthralling imagery and breath-holding suspense.
*I received my copy from the publisher

[Floor tussendeboeken · Rating 2 out of 5]

The concept is good, but the product itself.. Meh
I wanted to feel all the feels as we followed the main character, but I ended up just not caring about her.. Oops! So nah not my cup of tea, but I can see why other people like it

[Myrthe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Boek dat - tegen verwachting in - grote indruk op me heeft gemaakt. Het bestaat echt uit plottwist na plottwist, maar op de beste manier mogelijk. Elke keer blijkt het weer een ander verhaal te zijn. Klein minpunt: hiervoor moet je wel even door de eerste +-100 pagina's aan basic chicklit heen zien te komen. Maar daarna wordt het echt een heel spannend verhaal.

(spoiler vanaf hier)
Enige wat me niet zo aanstond was de affaire tussen Alex en Tara. Het verraad dat Alex heeft gepleegd (Tara letterlijk ten huwelijk vragen en zwanger maken om met haar rijke vader in contact te komen ?!?!) lijkt mij geheel onvergeeflijk. Als je er dan nog in kan komen dat Tara hem 10 jaar later vergeeft, begrijp ik alsnog niet dat ze accepteert dat hij haar eigenlijk zoent tegen haar wil in en haar opeens ten huwelijk vraagt nadat ze elkaar 3 maanden niet hebben gezien. Major red flag maar oké.

De andere verhaallijnen, over trauma's, over een ingewikkelde verhouding tussen westerse geneeskunde en alternatieve/spirituele geneeswijzen en over het zijn van een jonge vrouw, zijn allemaal prachtig geschreven. Daarom alsnog 5 sterren

[Michelle · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was so looking forward to reading Karen Swan's latest book, but it was disappointing in terms of romance.
I like the adventure part, and the part about saving the planet. The romance was lacking, and I couldn't imagine taking anyone back after being so betrayed! There was also no reason other than attraction as to why the two main romantic leads got back together.
I just couldn't buy the romance and the fact that they would want to be together. What Alex did was unforgiveable in my view and he did nothing to redeem himself in Tara's eyes.

[Knygų Romantikė · Rating 5 out of 5]

5⭐️
Uch kiek įtampos šioje dalyje teko. Tarsi gyvenime pasisekė tiek, kad jos vietoje norėtų būti daugybe žmonių, bet ar iš tikrųjų pinigai yra viskas, kas žmogui suteikia laimės? Tačiau širdis neturi to radaro, kad atskirti, kas šalia tavęs yra dėl tavęs pačios, o kas dėl pinigų ir tavo tėvų įtakos. Šioje dalyje šiek tiek pasitelkta genčių istorijos ir antgamtiškų dalykų, bet man tai suteikė šiek tiek prieskoniuko, nes tai nėra įprasta šiai autorei.

[Sherrie · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's a much better read than I had anticipated, not mushy and cheesy, as so many similar books are. There's romance but not too sloppy. A good summer read.

[Ivana - Diary of Difference]

Finished - review coming soon!

[theliterateleprechaun · Rating 5 out of 5]

Known for her evocative locations and deep complicated love stories with twisting plots, Karen Swan has written a masterpiece that kept me spellbound for hours! In “The Secret Path,” Swan transports us to the deep, dark jungle in Costa Rica where a doctor and a botanist are forced to face their past in order to save a little boy and, ultimately, themselves. This is one adventure you will NOT want to miss.

Dr. Tara Tremain and her cardiologist boyfriend, Rory Hutchings, are heading to Costa Rica for an important family celebration. Exhausted from the demands of their job, they’re both looking forward to some down time together. Unfortunately, life has other plans for them. When Tara hears that one of her dad’s employees has a sick son, she offers to see if she can help him and heads off for a day’s journey into the dense jungle. After a random attack, Tara’s guide needs medical attention. When she finally manages to get him to the ranger’s hut, she can’t believe her eyes. The last person she expects to come to her rescue is someone she didn’t ever think she’d see again. After he broke her heart ten years ago, can she risk it all to let him save her?

This was 75% adventure, 20% family drama, and 5% romance. The perfect mix for a reader who hates cheesy romance. I’ve been in the jungle in Costa Rica, seen the capuchin monkeys and scarlet macaws, and Swan instantly whisked me back there with her descriptive writing. At a time when travel is restricted, this was a welcome armchair travel. I loved the twists and turns in the plot increasing my heart rate and reading pace. This is a SPECTACULAR read and one I won't forget easily.

Publishes May 3, 2021.

Thank you to Karen Swan, Pan Macmillan and NetGalley for a spectacular advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

[Rachel Gilbey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Omg that was amazing. Actually amazing doesn't quite do justice to Karen Swans latest and my new favourite book from her.

With romance, adventure, hair raising moments, revisiting your past, drama and the most impressive setting, I couldn't help but devour this book.

I went to this with only knowing its part set in Costa Rica, and was hooked on all elements of the story.

The amount of research that must have gone into this book, of the indigenous tribes of the jungle, their customs and believes, which all felt rather authentic.

I literally could barely put it down and even very almost missed a tube stop, because of the action.

And after a few summer releases from this author that were dual timelines and featuring more history than I prefer (but that I still really enjoyed), I'm so happy to see this is back to her normal writing style and for me so much the better for it.

I just couldn't get enough of this story and would have happily read another few hundred pages, had they existed. I was enjoying it that much.

A wonderful story to lose yourself in, and to learn the perils of the Costa Rican jungle. Just wow.

Thank you to Pan and Netgalley for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily.

[Elke Eelbode · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dit was weer genieten!
Een waaier aan emoties gaat doorheen dit boek waarin we het hoofdpersonage Tara volgen.
Als arts zet ze alles op alles om het kind van een oude vriend te redden in de jungle en dit gaat niet van een leien dakje. De spanning blijft doorheen het hele boek en er gebeurt altijd wel iets wat maakt dat het helemaal niet verveeld. Naar het einde toe volgend de gebeurtenissen alsmaar sneller en sneller en wil je weten wat het einde zal zijn.

[Hannah · Rating 5 out of 5]

This one had everything there is to love about a Karen Swan book. The depth, the character development, the complicated love affair. Costa Rica was an excellent location and Tara and Alex were great lead characters. 5 stars

[Zoe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Absorbing, escapist, and heartwarming!

The Secret Path is an atmospheric, passionate tale that sweeps you away to the lush wilderness of Costa Rica and immerses you into the life of Dr Tara Tremain as she tries to juggle a successful career, a handsome boyfriend, a well-deserved vacation, a friend’s severely sick son in serious need of medical intervention, and the one man who shattered her heart to pieces ten years ago.

The prose is smooth and seamless. The characters are altruistic, resourceful, and scarred. And the plot is a beguiling, twisty tale of life, loss, love, familial drama, friendship, deception, heartbreak, forgiveness, danger, and romance.

Overall, The Secret Path is another emotional, entertaining, enticing tale by Swan that keeps you engaged from start to finish with its beautiful depictions of island living, tantalizing adventures, and complex, romantic entanglements.

Thank you to Publishers Group Canada for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.

[Booksandchinooks (Laurie) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love Karen Swan’s books. With every one of them you know you will be immersed in the story with her wonderful and descriptive writing in a great setting. This book takes place in Costa Rica and you feel you are right there with the characters. Tara, a doctor, goes to Costa Rica to attend a family event and then finds herself in the jungle to help a sick boy. Much to Tara’s chagrin she also has to deal with a man from her past. I loved the detailed writing and the great characters. This book is perfect for summer reading. Thank you PGC Books for my free review copy.

[Rebecca Mallory]

Not going to lie... first impression was this book was cheesy. However, it completely and utterly sucked me in and I 110% enjoyed every second of it. Exactly what I needed in this moment. Not the strongest writing but a quick eventful story that has everything you want! Quick easy read to help me get back on my reading goal for the year! I will be looking for other titles by this author.

[Agi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tara is happilly in love in Alex and he even asked her to marry him. But then he betrays her in the worst possible way and Tara’s world turns on its head.
10 years later, Dr. Tara Tremain, her boyfriend Rory and her best friend with her family, travel to Costa Rica for a very important event involving Tara’s family. They’re looking forward to some me – time, to unwind, especially Tara, as she’s just lost her first patient during operation. However, fate has some other ideas – one of her father’s employee’s son is very sick and the only remedy is to be found deep into the jungle. Without thinking long, Tara and the boy’s father get on the road. But after a random attack, Tara finds herself, looking for help, in the ranger’s hut and she can’t believe her eyes – there he is, the one person she never wanted to settle her eyes on. But Alex is also the only one who can help her right now, and time is of the essence. Will Tara be able to forget her broken heart and help the sick boy?

It was an absorbing, captivating and thrilling read and Karen Swan has – again – took us on a journey to incredibly interesting country, in that case Costa Rica, writing not only a lovely story, but also touching upon so many important things, like the state of health care in countries not so well developed and environmental protection and tradition, showing the struggles between native tribes, landowners and conservationists, who all have their own reasons how to use the land. It swept me away immediately, the descriptions of the Costa Rica’s wilderness were gorgeous and so vivid and I couldn’t have enough of them – the feel of the rainforest, of the wilderness, of fauna and flora was there, so beautiful and overwhelming.

The writing style is polished to perfection, it’s eloquent, vivid and rich but also incredibly approachable and runs smoothly and seamlessly. It’s so easy not only to imagine all the things the author writes about, but to see all the sights through her eyes and feel the heat and humidity and the danger that lurks behind every corner. I loved how atmosperic and well written it was. I loved the twists and turns in the plot, each one was more unxecpected and more dangerous than the other and it truly captivated me and my all the time increasing heart rate. This time the author has shifted the proportions in her story and while the romance was there, it was not as significant as the adventure and personal drama. I absolutely enjoyed it, though I must also admit that this time the romance didn’t convince me so much. Alex did the worst thing that Tara could have imagined and in my eyes he didn’t show any remorse, she said herself that she’s sure he would do the same over and over again, and for me it was a deal breaker to be honest. I didn’t want them to end up together. I couldn’t warm to this relationship and I had this feeling that Tara was happier with Rory. She didn’t sell this relationship to me, sadly.

The characters are of course brilliantly written and developed. They’re full of life and full of flaws, they make mistakes and I didn’t always agree with their decision but it’s only made the reading even more interesting. I liked Tara and her determination and passion very, very much. She has worked extremely hard to prove what she’s worth and didn’t want her father’s wealth get in her ways and when, then for good cause. Her adventures were like watching „Indiana Jones“ somehow, what with the car chasing, flat tires, the threat of jaguars or monkeys throwing coconut at you and the boats going over waterfall. I mean, wow. I was wondering what’s going to happen and if there is an end to the troubles that Tara seems to put herself into – voluntarily or not. But also, with this danger, the story was suspenseful and filled with tension and I really liked it. I was scared of Holly at the beginning, to be honest, but the 10 – years – later Holly, even if still so blunt and to the point, showed that she also has heart in the right place. I adored the background characters as well, we can’t forget the Indigenous people, with their traditions, they were so lovely captured by the author. The only character that made me feel unsure and I didn’t trust him till the very end was Alex – sorry, but I simply couldn’t warm to him and his ways. But, nevertheless, even those characters that were not our favourite ones, have depth to them and even though we may not agree with them, they all have their own, interesting and thought – provoking stories to tell – and what stories those are, with their beliefs and the many sacrifices they have to make, daily.

Overall, „The Secret Path“ is another winner from Karen Swan. It’s an adventurous, twisty and thought – provoking tale of love and hate, trust and betrayal, of family bonds and friendship, of deception and forgiveness. It’s like a breath of fresh air, with unique setting and pacy plot, emotional and enticing. You will quickly find yourself immersed in the characters’ lives and in the beautiful and wild setting and adoring the tantalizing adventures. I loved it, from the start to finish, this atmospheric and riveting page – turner. Highly recommended!

Copy provided by the publisher in return for an honest review/ Paperback copy purchased

[Dovile Milkerienė · Rating 5 out of 5]

Labai patiko👌 Įtraukė,nebuvo nuobodi,lengvai skaitėsi,ir net pravirkdė😩😁🙈❗

[Toni · Rating 1 out of 5]

Utter rubbish from beginning to end.

The characters were all flat, 2-dimensional, and just completely stupid and gullible. Tara was not convincing at all as anything – not as a doctor, not as a partner, not as a secret rich girl, not even as a leading character. She had no personality and no self-awareness, and was a vapid little wench most of the time, swooning over men that anyone could see wasn’t interested in her, so I couldn’t and didn’t sympathise when she got her heart broken – not that I even liked the character that did it. Her best friend Holly was an equally stupid dumbshit, it’s amazing these two qualified as doctors. Thank god these characters are not real people!

The first chapter was horrendously cringeworthy, and the rest was just f***ing tedious – there was a whole chapter (A WHOLE CHAPTER!!!) dedicated to these bores simply boarding a plane! And then there were whole patches simply describing the jungle for pages on end, being in an accident for pages on end, surviving an accident for pages on end…bore off please. Too much of the word count was used for pointless descriptions that the story completely missed out on tying up the loose ends of the more interesting sub-plots, like what happened to the little girl Tara had been operating on, how Rory and Tara broke up (I sooo would’ve hung around for that bitch fight) , literally anything but the constant showing of stuff that had already been mentioned.

I actually hate writing such negative reviews but I had to with this one unfortunately, it got on my nerves so much, but I always finish reading books to the bitter end.

“The Secret Path” – pffft, more like “lead up the garden path”. Made In Chelsea in book form.

[Emilija || knygu_grauzike · Rating 3 out of 5]

2024 || #19
Karen Swan "Slaptas kelias" 🌺
★★★,25☆☆

Dar viena jaudinanti autorės knyga, kuri šįkart skaitytojus nukelia į Kosta Riką ir pasakoja karščiu, saule bei džiunglėse slypinčiais pavojais alsuojančią meilės ir išdavystės istoriją.

Nors gimė turtingoje šeimoje ir galėtų gauti viską, ko tik panorėtų, Tara trokšta susikurti gyvenimą pati. Būtent todėl savo kilmę ji nutyli, tačiau tai neapsaugo nuo skaudžios išdavystės... Bet dabar viskas jau praeityje: moteris džiaugaisi savo darbu bei ją supančiais mylimais žmonėmis. Visgi, šeimai svarbia proga išvykus į Kosta Riką, tenka gelbėti sergančio vietinio vaiko gyvybę ir leistis į džiungles ieškoti vaisto, o šio žygio palydovu tampa žmogus, kurį Tara savo gyvenime vėl pamatyti troško mažiausiai...

K. Swan knygų skaičiau jau ne vieną. Jos vis kitokios, savaip išskirtininės, nukeliančios į įvairiausius pasaulio kampelius, įtraukiančios ir nesunkiai skaitomos. Tačiau ši istorija kol kas man paliko mažiausią įspūdį. Nuo pat pradžių nesudomino, puslapiai vertėsi lėtai, pasigedau ir visada autorės kūriniuose gana ryškios romantinės linijos, ir žadėtų amą atimančių siužeto posūkių - kol veiksmas įsisuko, teko nemažai pavargti :)

Šioje knygoje daugiau dėmesio skiriama ekologijai, Kosta Rikos gamtos grožiui (reikia paminėti, jog autorė jį perteikė laabai vaizdingai), tradicijoms, gydytojos darbui, šiuolaikinės medicinos ir šamanų gydymo priešpriešai. Visgi, istorija tikrai nebuvo prasta, pasitaikė ir gražių minčių, jausmų bei širdį palietusių momentų, bet, matyt, lūkesčiai knygai buvo per aukšti 🤷‍♀️

Rekomenduoju ieškantiems vasarą primenančios, lengvos, tačiau tikrai ne lėkštos knygos, kuri privers nusikelti į dar nepažintus kraštus ir išgyventi jausmingą istoriją ✨️

"Mama man visada sakydavo: jei žmonėms lemta būti tavo gyvenime, sutiksi juos antrą kartą net nesistengdamas."

"Kartais kalbų nepakanka, Ta. Privalai veikti. Turi būti pasirengęs peržengti ribą, jei nori ką nors padaryti."

[Emma Cook · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5

[Zoe (Zthecapybara) · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really good holiday read. It took some time to set up all the characters and the back story but I enjoyed the narrative once the "ten years later" section began.

[Iselleleest · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tara Tremain heeft zich dankzij haar carrière als arts eindelijk losgemaakt van haar extreem rijke familie. Maar als ze wordt uitgenodigd voor een belangrijke familiebijeenkomst in de jungle van Costa Rica kan ze daar niet onderuit.

Als ze aankomt in het afgelegen resort van de familie, omringd door parelwitte stranden en adembenemende regenwouden, wordt Tara geconfronteerd met een noodsituatie. Een jongetje is doodziek en ze moet diep de jungle in trekken om zijn leven te redden. Maar de enige die haar daarbij écht kan helpen is Alex, de man die tien jaar geleden haar leven verwoestte...

'De mensen die voorbestemd zijn om deel van jouw leven uit te maken, zul je twee keer ontmoeten zonder dat je er invloed op hebt.'

Een cover om bij weg te dromen. Heerlijk zomers. Zomers als de nazomer die we cadeau hebben gekregen.
Een oase van rust die over mij heen komt door alleen maar naar de weergegeven oceaan te kijken. Wetende dat er heel wat fijne, ontspannen, leesuurtjes in het verschiet zullen liggen.

Het verhaal brengt ons terug naar het jaar 2011. Waar we kennismaken met Twig, Twiglet en Piglet. Oftwel: Tara. Zij is alles in één. Een personage dat levensecht wordt neergezet door Karen Swan. Haar schrijfstijl leest vlot. Is betoverend. Beeldend. Je ziet het als een film voor je. Realistisch. Niet perfect en daardoor júíst perfect.

Ze weet de innerlijke strijd, de emoties, in woorden te vangen en daardoor is het onmogelijk om niet met Tara mee te leven. Meerdere keren verscheen er kippenvel op mijn armen. Geraakt door het verhaal. Met vlagen heftig. Maar ik was vooral aan het genieten. Genieten van het verhaal dat zich 10 jaar na onze eerste kennismaking met Tara afspeelt.

Op reddingsmissie door de jungle. Overgegeven aan de elementen. De schoonheid, en ook het gevaar, van de natuur. Dit verhaal heeft álles. Het is mysterieus, spannend en soms hartverscheurend. Het komt binnen. Een verhaal over verlies, rouw, ambitie en een vloek. Maar ook over hoop en het terugvinden van jezelf.
Een verhaal met een diepere laag. Ik ben fan! En ik voeg bij deze Karen Swan toe aan mijn lijstje met favoriete auteurs. ****

[Svenja · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mit Anfang 20 ist sich Tara ziemlich sicher, dass sie mit dem schönen Alex ihre große Liebe gefunden hat. Sie will ihn heiraten, mit ihm eine Familie gründen und ihre berufliche Zukunft dem anpassen. Doch dann bricht Alex ihr das Herz. Zehn Jahre später trifft die Kinderärztin Tara Alex im Rahmen eines Familienprojekts in Costa Rica wieder und mitten im Dschungel muss sie einem Kind das Leben retten und helfen kann ihr natürlich nur Alex.

Tara hat mir am Anfang gar nicht gefallen. Blind vor Liebe ist sie so naiv und man möchte sie schütteln. Die 10-Jahre-später Tara fand ich deutlich angenehmer. Wer leider gar keine Sympathiepunkte gesammelt hat war Alex. Ich fand ihn zu egoistisch und knallhart.

Dieses Buch ist weniger eine Liebesgeschichte, sondern mehr ein Abenteuerroman, der in den Regenwäldern Costa Ricas spielt. Es gab überraschend wenig Interaktion zwischen Alex und Tara und erst auf den letzten 150-200 Seiten nimmt diese Geschichte richtig an Fahrt auf.

Das heißt aber nicht, dass die 300 Seiten davor langweilig waren. Mir haben die kleinen Abenteuer in Costa Rica total gut gefallen und das Setting wurde von Karen Swan sehr atmosphärisch rübergebracht.

Das Buch ist nicht langweilig und die Story recht spannend, aber ein paar Abzüge gibt es bei den Charakteren und der fehlenden Romanze.

[Lucy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have read a couple of Karen Swans Christmas books which I really enjoyed, I was looking forward to reading this however it didn’t match up to the previous books for me.

I found the story fairly flat, it got going in the last hundred pages or so, however by this point I just wanted to be finished.

The description of Costa Rica was lovely, & the the exploration of tribes and the history there however I didn’t really care for the main characters.

There is a book for everyone, this one wasn’t for me however it may be for you!

Thanks to the publisher and netgalley for the opportunity to read & review this book.

[Vaida Kurpiene]

Kai norisi pailsinti smegenis nuo kasdienybès ir darbų - pats tas meilės romanas. Dar prieš aštuonerius metus sakiau, kad nemėgstu. Klydau.
Meilė ir nuotykiai man padeda pailsèti. Ir visada žinau, kad baigsis gerai, nors ir ne visada tai įtikima, bet tai juk pasaka, taigi kam rūpi realybė? :)

Šios autorès knygas skaitau visas iš eilės. Pirmą pirkau netyčia ar net gavau iš vyro dovanų. Kitas įsigyjau labai tyčia;)

[Melissa · Rating 2 out of 5]

I didn’t really like the main characters of the book and it didn’t quite feel like a romance novel to me. It seemed more like an adventure novel with beautiful descriptions of Costa Rica so if you like that, it’s probably an enjoyable read but it just wasn’t my type of book

[Amanda · Rating 1 out of 5]

I am disappointed in this book! I usually love Karen Swan novels but this just didn’t do it for me. It was really boring and I felt like not a whole lot happened.

[Bridget · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've now read three of Karen Swan's novels, including this one and I really enjoyed The Secret Path as much as the other two.

In The Secret Path, the story kicks off in 2011 when Tara Tremain is twenty years old and Alex Carter has just asked for her hand in marriage. She is very much in love and is prepared the drop out of her medical classes for him. But then Alex betrays Tara, so she carries on with her medical degree. Ten years later, Tara is in Costa Rica on holiday with friends and to meet up with her family as they are attending a ceremony for the handover of the rain forest legacy project her father bought years ago back to the government. Whilst there, Tara tries to help a young child who needs urgent medical treatment to live, so ends up trekking through the rain forest and for various reasons meets up with Alex again.

There was a great deal going on in The Secret Path and I desperately didn't want to put this novel down. The tale was so intriguing and I wasn't fully sure which characters I could trust. Karen Swan's descriptive prose of the rain forest were delightful and the ending was neat. This is another great story from a fabulous author that readers will adore.

I received a complimentary copy of this novel at my request from Pan Macmillan via NetGalley. This review is my own unbiased opinion.

[Maria Naydenova · Rating 5 out of 5]

С всяка следваща книга на Карън Суон знам, че се впускам в истинско приключение, но тази беше точно такава, че и нещо отгоре. Истинска екзотична разходка в джунглите на Коста Рика, в търсене на чудодейна билка за болно дете.

Буквално ме погълна цялата история, с колоритните си описания на това тайнствено място и култура, с всички особености на местното население и техните обичаи. И всичко това преплетено с една история за втория шанс и една неизживяна напълно голяма любов. Винаги съм имала някаква слабост към такива истории за първата голяма любов и втория шанс. Но тази имаше толкова много емоция, наред с цялото приключение в джунглата и истинския екшън в края, който буквално ме караше да затая дъх и да нямам търпение да разбера развръзката.

Самите герои също бяха толкова пълнокръвни, че буквално всеки един от тях изглеждаше толкова реален с всички вътрешни борби и несигурност.
Описанията на природата просто ме пренасяха там и сякаш виждах и усещах всичко до най-малкия детайл.

Може би една от най-добрите книги на Карън Суон, които съм чела. Истинско удоволствие от сюжет, едни силни герои, емоция, екшън и изобщо пълния пакет за една запомняща се история.

[Louise Marley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Karen Swan is one of my favourite authors, so I was thrilled to receive an early copy of this book.
The Secret Path has two flawed but fascinating main characters. Alex, who admits he is prepared to do anything (no matter how morally reprehensible) if he believes it is the right thing to do, and Tara, who has always found it hard to trust anyone. The start of the story shows how Alex cruelly betrays Tara's trust, leaving her miserable and embittered. Skip forward ten years and Tara has worked hard to create a career for herself as a doctor, away from the influence of her loving family's toxic wealth. When her father invites her to his home in Costa Rica for a special event, her first instinct is to decline. Unwilling to hurt him, she decides to take her friends because she knows they will enjoy the holiday. Once there, the young son of an old friend becomes ill and Tara volunteers to trek through the jungle to find the cure. Unfortunately, the only person available to act as Tara's guide is her old enemy Alex...

I found myself still thinking about this book several days after finishing. I've always enjoyed stories with complicated, flawed characters - you know, the ones who make you yell 'No, I can't believe you did that!' at the book. Alex exists in his own world with his own moral code and hurt Tara so badly that ten years later she still hasn't recovered. When they meet again, to say they have a lot of unresolved issues and tension is an understatement. The descriptions of the jungle (and the wildlife and the insects) are so fabulous you can almost hear the rain dripping from the lush vegetation; you'll certainly be reaching for the mosquito spray.

No one does destination fiction as well as Karen Swan. The jungle setting and lovers-to-enemies trope reminded me of that old film, Romancing the Stone - there is also an action-packed finale. Refreshingly, Tara is not a trust-fund princess and is quite capable of surviving in the jungle on her own. Finding her way through it, however, is a different matter!

The Secret Path is one my of favourite reads this year. Karen Swan's fans will love it, along with anyone who loves destination fiction and a cracking good story.

Thank you to Karen Swan and Pan for my copy of this book, which I requested from NetGalley and reviewed voluntarily.