About the Book

Book: Secrets of the Heart

Author: Vickie McDonough

Genre: Christian Historical Fiction

Release Date: October 7, 2025

A Southern belle nursing a wounded stranger must choose between family duty and a love that defies everything she’s ever known.

Hannah Madison’s life is comfortable, well-ordered, and safe. She knows what to expect. Including her mother’s plans that Hannah marry Jamie Reed, the heir to the neighboring plantation. But her sheltered life is disrupted when she stumbles upon a seriously injured stranger in the Reeds’ barn. He seems to need her help. As she nurses him back to health, Hannah is drawn to the handsome man with amnesia that she calls Adam. And as her feelings for him grow, Hannah must decide whether to follow her heart or honor her family’s expectations.

Adam remembers nothing prior to the day he met Hannah. Nothing of his true identity or the dangerous secret he carries. All he knows is he can’t help falling for his graceful and kind caretaker. But when his memories return, he’s faced with an impossible choice— pursue his love for Hannah and betray his family, or sacrifice his own happiness to preserve his family’s unity.

Can Hannah and Adam find the right path when duty and love collide?

Click here to get your copy!

About the Author

Vickie McDonough is the CBA, EPCA and Amazon best-selling author of 54 books and novellas. Vickie grew up wanting to marry a rancher, but instead, she married a computer geek who is scared of horses. She now lives out her dreams penning romance stories about ranchers, cowboys, lawmen, and others living in the Old West. Vickie’s books have won numerous awards including the Booksellers Best, OWFI Best Fiction Novel Award, the Inspirational Readers’ Choice awards. When she’s not writing, Vickie enjoys reading, making cards, gardening, and traveling.

More from Vickie

Most of my writing career I’ve been an author of western historical fiction set in the late 1800’s, but a visit to Charleston and Savannah while on vacation, stirred up a desire to write in a different time period. I was born and raised in Oklahoma, a state that is only 118 years old. I was quickly enchanted by Charleston’s rich history and fell in love with the centuries-old homes and cobblestone streets.

While in Charleston, my husband and I toured an antebellum plantation called Drayton Hall, which was built in 1738. It’s located on the Ashley River about 15 miles northwest of Charleston. Touring the magnificent old home gave me lots of fodder for a new series set in South Carolina. For instance, did you know that ballrooms were often located on a third or fourth story because you could get better cross-breeze which made the temperature a bit cooler, and it was less likely that mosquitoes would plague the guests on the upper floors.

Secrets of the Heart  is set 22 years after Mutiny of the Heart, book 1 in my Windswept Brides series. When I sat down to begin writing Secrets of the Heart, the only thing I knew for certain was that I wanted to continue the story of the Reed family. I had thought the book would be mostly Jamie’s story, who was a young boy in the first book in the series, but the story took an expected turn. I ’ve always like forbidden love stories, where the hero and heroine seemed destined to be together, but everything is working against them. I had to add that to my story.

Interview with Vickie

When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer?

I’ve always been an avid reader, but I first decided that I might want to write a book was after two stories started running through my mind. I wrote them both down just to get them out of my head. At that point I started to consider that I could actually write a book. I studied the craft of writing, joined several writers group, and started attending writers conferences. I learned about all aspects of writing.

How long does it take you to write a book?

It depends on the length of the book. A trade fiction that is 75,000 usually takes 6 – 8 months. A novella that is 25,000 words would usually take 4-6 weeks.

What is your real-life work schedule like when writing? 

I normally write between 10 – 2 each day, unless I’m on deadline. Then I write and write like crazy to get finished. Then there’s the cooking, cleaning, and laundry that all wives and mothers deal with.

What are your favorite books to read?

Historical Christian western books set in the late 1800s.

Next is modern day suspense books.

When did you write your first book and how old were you?

I was 47 when I first started writing. The youngest of my four sons was ten then, and I had two teenagers and a twenty-two year-old.

How do you create your main characters? 

It varies a lot. Sometimes I get the idea of a character’s story like I did in my novella called Laney. I knew Laney was running away from an abusive situation and she would sneak onto a wagon train, but that’s all I knew. Other times, I brainstorm a story idea with my critique group, and through that, my characters start to develop.

What would you say is the most difficult part of writing a book?

Pushing through the middle part. When i start the book, I’m excited and ready to write, and the same is true at the ending when I’m excited to finish the characters’ story. In the middle, it’s a bit harder because I realize how far I still have to go. They key is to make something exciting happen, and that gets me going again.

What do you like to do when you’re not writing?

All kinds of things. I read a lot, watch my favorite tv shows or a movie. I enjoy gardening and currently have flowers, squash, and broccoli growing in my gardens. I love to travel too. I also handmake cards for friends and 3-D pictures from card stock.

What does your family think of your writing?

My husband is proud of me, but my boys don’t say much about it.

Do you base your characters on real people?

Only in that I may include a trait that someone has. In A Wagonload of Trouble, which is one of my few contemporary stories, my hero is a computer nerd like my husband, and he jingles the coins in his pocket like my husband used to do.

Have you experienced writer’s block, and how do you handle it?

I haven’t experienced it very often, but I’ve learned the key for me is to walk away from my computer and do something else. I give the story time to percolate in my brain.

What was one of the most surprising things you learned in creating your books?

Since writing is a solitary job, I didn’t expect to make so many friends along the way. I met many of them at writers conferences that I attended annually.

How many books have you written?

54 books and novellas.

Which is your favorite?

I think The Anonymous Bride is one of my favorites. It has a lot of humor in it and a spunky tomboy that makes a lot of mischief. I also really enjoyed writing Mutiny of the Heart. It is quite heart-tugging and has a precocious little boy you’ll love. I also admire the hero and heroine and how they handled the difficult things that I threw at them.

Where can readers find out more about you and your books?

You can find my books on Amazon. Just look up: Vickie McDonough books. They are also listed on my website, although I confess that I need to update it. http://www.vickiemcdonough.com

Any current or upcoming projects you’d like to tell us about?

Mutiny of the Heart, book one in my Windswept Weddings series, released last month. It is the prequel to Secrets of the Heart. You can get it on Amazon. Book 3 in the series is Dueling Hearts and you can pre-order it on Amazon.

Christmas Mail-Order Brides is a novella collection that I wrote with my friends Carrie Turansky and Susan Page Davis. It just released, and you can also find it on Amazon. It is free on KU.

Blog Stops

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, October 18

Texas Book-aholic, October 19

Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, October 20

Pens Pages & Pulses, October 21

Devoted To Hope, October 22

Locks, Hooks and Books, October 23

For Him and My Family, October 24

Abba’s Prayer Warrior Princess, October 25

Simple Harvest Reads, October 25 (Guest Review from Marilyn)

The Mommies Reviews, October 26

Books Less Travelled, October 27

Cover Lover Book Review, October 28

Holly’s Book Corner, October 29

Pause for Tales, October 30

Stories By Gina, October 31 (Author Interview)

Alyssa Madjeski, October 31

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, Vickie is giving away the grand prize of a $50 Amazon Gift Card!!

Be sure to comment on the blog stops for extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.

https://promosimple.com/ps/3d280/secrets-of-the-heart-celebration-tour-giveaway