The Secret Hours is the 4th book in the Castle Deverille series (that was initially to be a trilogy). The story jumps back & forth in time to reveal a family secret. Set in Ireland, the author's love for the this part of the world shines through and the characters are fine and admirable.
Personally I found that the writing was a bit florid in most of the descriptions and was somewhat impatient with her use of adjectives. However this book was well received by fans of this genre of romantic novel and was admittedly a decent read.

Another great book involving the Deverill family. I really enjoyed reconnecting with Kitty and her family. A wonderful story of life in Ireland over the years. Santa Montefiore delivers again!

I love everything Montefiore writes. This is no exception. I am so glad that the fourth book in the Deverill Chronicles has been released, but I am happier that it can be read as a standalone with no need to follow the plot from the first three. (That's a lot of reading to catch up on >.>)

Full review to follow soon.

The Secret Hours by Santa Montefiore is part of the Deverill Chronicles and is the fourth book in what the author initially thought would be a trilogy. Before reading The Secret Hours, I had read the first book of the trilogy, The Girl in the Castle, and loved it.

I really enjoyed The Secret Hours because many of the characters from the first book, including Kitty Deverill, pop up in this one and this book checks off many of the categories I love to read about including family saga, family secrets and historical fiction. I also love books set in Ireland.

Faye Clayton and her brother are surprised at the details of their mother Arethusa’s will. Faye’s brother wants to contest the will, but Faye decides to travel to Ireland to try to make sense of her mother’s last wishes. As Faye is learning about her mother’s life in Ireland and discovering a side of her that she never saw, it brings up the question of whether a child can ever really know a parent. Part of Faye’s journey is also discovering who she really is and what she wants for her own future.

This was an enjoyable read that makes me want to go back and ready the second and third books of the Deverill Chronicles. It also makes me want to visit that lovely village in Ireland.

I received a copy of this book from Simon and Schuster Canada via Net Galley.
#SecretHours #NetGalley #SimonAndSchusterCanada

What a delightful story!
I love a great family drama like this that takes the reader through a different time and culture - I enjoyed the foray into Ireland and issues that crossed many generations.
The characters were lovely and likeable and relatable.
The writing was charming and the descriptions enthralling.
I was happy that the main character was in her late 50's and was able to find her true self., and true love
I admired her mother's fierceness - it was very empowering!
I didn't realize this was part of a trilogy - even though I didn't read the others I was able to read this on its own without feeling lost

This is a great book to get lost in!

The Secret Hours is the fourth book of the Deverill Chronicles. The latest installment is a heartwarming story that takes place in two time periods in Ireland. We meet Arethusa Deverill (in the past) who fled to America and her daughter Faye (in the present) who returns to Ireland to scatter her ashes. Faye's mother didn't speak much of her family in Ireland and Faye is shocked to find she has a large family. Throughout the course of Faye's visit we about why Arethusa left Ireland from her diary that she has left Faye and we catch up with the Deverills in 1960s Ireland.

Like the other books in the series, the latest was a delight to read. We are treated to Irish history, family saga and secrets, and the beautiful scenery (and weather) of Ireland. Thank you to Simon & Schuster and NetGalley for the opportunity to review a copy.

Another great read

As the writer of a family saga, Ms Montfiore is top-notch. This latest chronicle is part of the Deverill series, but, in my opinion, can stand alone. So, don't be afraid to start out reading this excellent author with this book. I have enjoyed all the books that I have read by this author. Yes, they are long and involved, but you can just smell the Irish countryside and seaside. Highly recommended!

Thank you to the publisher for a time-limited e-arc via Netgalley. This review is optional and reflects my honest opinion.

This is the fourth book in the Deverill Chronicles series by this successful British author. The first in the series is called 'The Girl In The Castle', but I had not read any of the others in the series and it worked well as a stand alone. The story is told in two time periods, 1961 and 1894. Faye and her brother Logan are surprised to learn that their dead mother wanted her ashes to be spread on her family home - a castle in Ireland. They had always been told that her mom Arethusa had come to America as a young woman to escape poverty. Logan thinks it is ridiculous, but Faye leaves her husband and grown children to travel to Ireland to learn more about her mother's past. She has also been given her mother's diary to read. Through the diary and the people she meets in Ireland she not only learns about her mom, but her own life is changed forever as well. I really enjoyed this author's previous book ' The Temptation of Gracie' and found that this was was equally entertaining. I particularly enjoy how she captures romance of older characters, acknowledging that love is not only for the young.

The Secret Hours is the 4th book in the Castle Deverille series and is as enchanting and as beautifully written as the previous books.

The description makes you feel like you are at Castle Deverille in Ireland, you can feel the wind, the fog.

Faye has come to Ireland to fulfill her mothers wishes in her Will, why does she want her ashes to spread in Ireland and who is the the mysterious third party that stands to inherit. Her Mom never mentioned her past .

Some of our old favourites are back, Kitty, Bertie and many more.

The book is told from the past and the present: you will cheer them on, you will laugh and cry with them all.

Thanks to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster Canada, Simon and Schuster UK for the opportunity to visit Castle Deverill once again.

I'd like to thank the publishers for the free copy of this book to review. I have read all previous three books in this series by Santa Montefiore and I love this one just as much as the others. She has such a beautiful writing style that is is hard not to be drawn into her books and fall in love with her characters. I especially felt a connection to Arethusa as she feels like a real person and you are witnessing first hand her love, loss, grief, and happiness. I was surprised at the ending, for I had thought it would turn out a different way. However, I felt it wrapped up nicely. If there is another book in this series I will be sure to pick it up!

Thank you Netgalley, the author and the publisher for the opportunity to read a complimentary copy of this book in return for a review based upon my honest opinion.

When I saw this book on net galley, I knew I had to read it. I love this author, I love the way she writes her books; I knew nothing about this book. When I started reading this book I was captivated, it was like catching up with old friends. I did not realize there was a fourth in the Deverill Chronicles and this book was the best, it was a prequel and a sequel all in one. This book takes place after the end of the triliogy, but it also flashes back to before the triliogy. I absolutely loved it! I loved finding out what all my favourite characters have been up to, and I loved Arethusa Deverill’s story; to go back in time to find out what the characters are like when they were younger, it was actually amazing and the author did a great job with continuity. I’m not sure you would have to read all of the books to enjoy this book, it would be great as a standalone but for me who had loved the series already this book was everything I wanted it to be and more.

The story is told in the present day of 1961 and the past around 1898. Upon her mother’s death Faye and her brother Logan discovered that her mother had a past they didn’t know about in Ireland. Their very devout Catholic mother has asked to be cremated and her ashes spread in the wind on the hills above the Castle Deverell, she has given Faye a diary and bequeathed a third of her estate to a secret source. Faye throws caution to the wind, defies her controlling husband and goes to Ireland to discover her mother’s past, and in effect her past and finds a family full of history, love and secrets. Faye finds herself on those hills; can she ever go back from here to her dominating husband and humdrum life. The secrets she finds in her mother’s diary, how will they affect her and those she loves?

A wonderful story, with a great cast of familiar and new characters. Definitely shed quite a few tears while reading this one. It left me feeling like I need to be riding over the hills of Ballinakelly with the wind blowing in my hair. Thank you to Santa Montefiore for this book; it was amazing and if ever decide to write another Deverill chronicle I will be waiting.