This is a book of two parts. In the opening section, twenty-year-old Tara Tremain is a trainee doctor madly in love with Alex Cater, a biology student, so much, so she agrees to marry him – although she is yet to tell him that she is pregnant. But she finally confesses that she comes from a wealthy family – that her parents are billionaires. To her great relief, he doesn’t seem at all fazed by her family’s wealth. But then Alex begins to act unusually, and he goes on to betray her in a way that will devastate her for the next decade.
The second part of the novel picks up ten years later, with Tara now a successful doctor and in an easy relationship with Rory, a man who loves her. But then she has to go to Costa Rica for an unmissable event and a vacation. At first, she enjoys the white beaches and the beautiful tropical landscape, and she starts to unwind. Although the recent death of a young patient is playing heavily on her mind. So when she discovers a child on the island is desperately ill, she resolves this will be one child she will save. But to save him, it means several days trek into the rainforest. Only one person can help Tara – Alex, who shattered her heart ten years earlier. But how can she trust him, of all people?
Like her previous novels set in exotic locations, there is a beautiful sense of place in The Secret Path, and we get to experience the wonder of the dense jungle and the pristine beaches. And it’s also a fabulous read with a twisty love story at its heart. The Secret Path is the perfect escapist read, great for the beach or a lazy day on the couch.
Reviewer: Karen McMillan
Macmillan Publishers, RRP $34.99