DUM SPIRO SPERO (Latin for - while I breathe, I hope)

On starting this historical novel by Claire Marchant, my curiosity was piqued and I continued reading. I am new to this genre and still unsure it is for me. I wanted my review to be about how this book is written and not about what the book is about, which can be gleaned from the back cover.

Commencing in 1541 with Lady Eleanor Lutton at her home Milfleet, later changed to Saffron Hall where she successfully grows saffron which her husband, Sir Greville Lutton, sells in London and Paris. This has brought Greville wealth and Eleanor is grateful she has assisted her husband in the success of the Saffron she grows. Eleanor has also lost a baby, daughter Mary and is grieving. This is their story of love, loss and hope.

In 2019 with Amber Morton, an activist, who is cataloguing her grandfather's books at Saffron Hall after the loss of her baby daughter, Saffron. Amber is grieving for her baby and, at present, is living apart from her husband, Johnathan, who is also grieving for his baby daughter, but in a different way. This is their story of love, loss and hope.

Each chapter alternates between centuries, which I thought suited the novel and was relevant in the storytelling. I did not like long descriptions given in the novel but some readers will enjoy the atmosphere it creates. At 50% of this book, I was considering not commencing further, as I was forward-thinking the plot and struggling to continue. I found the book predictable in parts but the ending was thought-provoking.

For readers who enjoy historical facts the book is a must.

I WANT TO THANK NETGALLEY FOR THE OPPORTUNITY
OF READING AN ADVANCED COPY OF THIS BOOK

I was drawn to The Secrets of Saffron Hall because I enjoy historical novels. I was intrigued that the story is set in two different time lines, the 1500s, during the rule of Henry VIII and present day. I learned a lot about saffron and found the historical aspect very interesting. The day-to-day life of Eleanor as mistress of Saffron Hall and how she nutured and grew the spice was detailed and informative. The author researched her material well. I loved reading Eleanor's development as a character and watch her slowly come to love her husband. It was sad to see how little time her and her husband actually spent together, but I'm sure that is what happened, as courtiers did try to gain favor with the king in order to better themselves. There was a lot of beautiful description of the Tudor lifestyle and how it was for a young mistress of a household. It was lovely seeing Amber's growth as she pieced together the secret that Eleanor had hidden in her beautiful prayer book.

I recommend this book to lovers of historical mystery and lovers of anything Tudor related.

I would like to thank Clare Marchant, Avon Books UK and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book and exchange for a fair and honest review.

This was a magnificent , beautifully written, emotionally driven and unforgettable first book by Clare Marchant.

Each turn of the page was an enchanting, mystical experience, and it felt like I was being transported back in time, and living amongst the characters in a time long since past. The author did such a good job of weaving a spellbinding historical tale, and the rich history of the time practically shone off of the pages, The reading experience was truly an experience to behold.

With a dual time , past to present storyline revolving around the characters of Eleanor, in the turbulent, unpredictable Tudor England era of Henry VIII and Amber in the modern day ,both women linked by tragic circumstances that have parallels between the two timelines.

The characters were well defined and you could relate to the turmoil of both women.

Amber is suffering after the loss of her Daughter and has taken refuge, away from everything that is a reminder ,to stay with her Grandfather at the family estate of Saffron Hall .

While there , she discovers an old book of hours with a Latin inscription referring to a baby girl Mary , what happened to her? What is the mystery surrounding the tower at Saffron Hall , kept locked and forbidden to enter? Amber is determined to uncover the secrets hidden there . The past is revealed in snippets through the entries in the book of hours.
The lavish, vibrant writing epitomizes the religious unrest of the reformation and you sense the impending doom facing Eleanor and her husband Greville, through his aquaintances and shifting alliances and intrigues at court .
The immense amount of detail woven into this novel shows just how much research that went into the book, and made it that much more captivating and enthralling.


This book has so many things in it that make it so beautiful: it is intriguing, heartbreaking at times, extremely hopefully in others, and much more. Many moments had me on the edge of my seat holding my breath to see what would happen next, and I absolutely could not put this book down. ⁣This was one of those books that I nearly read in one sitting, as I hated tearing my eyes away from the pages, and I only put the book down when absolutely necessary; I was completely mesmerized by the story.
⁣
If you enjoyed historical fiction, I highly recommend this book, because as a history lover myself, I absolutely loved it!

Highly recommend!

love love love this book. From the first page it pulled me in, and didn’t let go. I just finished reading, and my heart is pounding from everything that happened in the last quarter of the book.
Wow. So worth the read. It’s a book I won’t soon forget.

This is a lovely book about uncovering secrets of the past. Both the story lines in the present and the past were enjoyable to read and I like how things came togehter. There is both sadness and happiness. I'd love if this book would have a sequel. I am wondering what happened after the diary finished. I'll certainly read more by this author!

I don't tend to read Historical Fiction but I really enjoyed this. With its present-day storyline interwoven with a 500-year-old mystery it had just the right balance for me. I also loved the descriptions of olden time Norfolk as I recognised many of the places from my childhood. I highly recommend it and it had me hooked!

I really enjoyed this dual timeline novel. The book interweaves the story of a grieving mother in the modern-day and a young wife in the time of Henry VIII’s marriage to Catherine Howard. Both were written sympathetically and I thoroughly rooted for both characters. However, it was the historical timeline I found absolutely captivating. I loved being immersed in Eleanor’s story - the fear and uncertainty of living under a capricious king in times of religious upheaval, and the sense of doom contributed to by the reader knowing what will befall the queen, although unsure of how that will impact this particular family. The farming of the saffron itself was also of great interest and whilst aware of the value of saffron, I felt like I was learning something as I read. The author's historical research was clearly well done and she held my attention throughout. I am looking forward to reading more of her books.

I do love a good historical thriller and this one took us back to the time of Catherine Howard. A nice change from Anne Boleyn! The court, the anguish of trying to survive as a woman is highlighted on every page. What I really felt worked well is the dual time line and that despite the hundreds of years inbetween, there are some stories that women share. Two women can connect over many years when their pain is this personal and heartbreaking. The character in the present day and the one in the past told their stories well and the overall message and story was heartbreakingly good.

A really nice writing style and I'm very pleased I found this author!

Two ladies, living centuries apart, both dealing with a similar problem, can they help each other come to peace?

Two stories come together in this book as we learn of Eleanors life in the 1500s and more recently Ambers. The main focus of the story is Eleanors life and as such includes a lot of historic detail which brings the story to life. It’s a lovely tale of love, tradition, rules and family and how different life was then.
It is well written for a dual time book, although you would have to question why it has taken over 500 years to make the discoveries that are made.
Although I really enjoyed the book, at times it could be a little repetitive and some of the themes in the book I feel I have read about quite a bit in other books recently, just with variations in the telling.
For me, I almost wish I haven’t read the prologue as I feel the whole book just leads up to this reveal at the end, yet you had already found this out and the story does not continue beyond this point. I would have loved to know more of what happened to Eleanor and her family after the events at the end of the book.
All in all I really enjoyed this read and would recommend it to fans of dual time and historic fiction books.


Thank you to Netgallery and the publishers for the chance to read this book, in exchange for an honest review.

Two women, different centuries, same location, parallel stories. Amber suffers the lost of her baby, so she relocate to grandfathers Saffron Hall where she finds an old book of hours a Latin inscription referring to a baby girl Mary. Mistery starts to reveal itself.

Lovely to read and very well researched.

The secret of saffron hall by Clare Marchant, weaves a story of loss and acceptance and a haunted ancient castle into a beautiful tapestry. Her story is cleverly written and enthralling to read. Well done!

The secrets of saffron hall is a lovely historical story set in two time lines. The 1500's when the King was Henry of many wives and modern day time. There are links between Saffron Hall in tudor times when Eleanor was the mistress and when Amber is living there temporarily with her Grandfather following the loss of her baby.
While grieving and trying to keep herself busy Amber discovers an old book of hours with latin incsriptions referring to Eleanor's life and her children, one in particularly - Mary.
What is the mystery of Saffron Hall and why is she drawn to the tower and what secrets does it hold behind that locked door?
The past slowly unfolds and the writing reveals how life was during this uncertain religious time when Henry was disobeying the Pope. We learn about Eleanor's life running the hall on a day to day basis and how her husband Greville is away at court trying to earn favour with the king.
Lots of beautiful descriptions of tudor life and how life was for a young wife 500 years ago.
Heartbreak and secrets are revealed and eventually all the pieces of the puzzle fit together.
I did enjoy this story I believe the author Clare Marchant did a great job but I felt the modern element of the dual time line was repetetive and the characters in our time line were not developed enough.
Thank you to Netgalley and Avon publishing for the opportunity to read this.

For those who enjoy a good historical fiction, which switches between present day and past events - then this book will be a satisfying read.
The events surround Saffron Hall - with Eleanor in the late 1530’s whose husband is trying to gain favour with the court of Henry VIII - and with Amber who is visiting her grandad at the Hall during the present day.
The author was very good at switching between timelines and tying the events together to gradually weave an intriguing story.
I liked the characters, there was obviously a lot of research that had been undertaken to help establish the timelines and the story moved along at a good pace.
If you like historical fiction then you will like this, however I need to mention that I had a spooky premonition while reading - this book is a new release in August 2020 however I know I have read this book before. To the point that I knew exactly what was going to happen, what “secrets” the Hall held and how it would end.
I genuinely cannot explain how or why, but maybe for those who have read a lot of historical novels they will unravel the “secrets of saffron hall” before the end as the clues are there and maybe that’s what happened to me!
Still a book I enjoyed and I rated it 4⭐️.

I enjoyed this book, which moves slowly at first, then the reader is gradually drawn into the story, as it speeds up..
It concerns the discovery of a Book of Hours, by Amber, who is hurting from the loss of her baby. This book goes back to King Henry VIII. It relates the story of Eleanor, who marries a man that she does not care for, and gradually grows to love him.
The Book of Hours is hard to translate, and Amber has trouble doing it, but she finally succeeds, by painstaking work. Then she realises that Eleanor is trying to send her a message, through the veils of time, and only she can understand it. What secret is held in the Hall? Well, you will have to read the book to find out, as I am not going to spoil it for you,
In the meantime, Amber finds a new meaning to her life, due to the research. I shall say no more, for fear of spoiling the book, but I would highly recommend the novel.

Two women five centuries apart...a secret/mystery set at the time of King Henry VIII 1538. 2019 an ancient book found at Saffron Hall with a dark secret. I thoroughly enjoyed the history and the writing. Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for an early review copy.


I was hooked when reading The Secrets of Saffron Hall, it was an intensely gripping, emotional read, that kept me turning the pages until the early hours of the morning.

In the present, Amber’s grief is almost relatable, you feel her loss as keenly as she does herself, you want her to heal but not knowing if it’s possible.

The scenes in the past were beautifully depicted. Making me feel as though I was really there, living under the shadow of cruel, capricious Henry VIII, who looms large throughout.

Feeling the fear and difficulty of that time, the tightrope that everyone must have walked in order to stay in favour with the king. The book had me gripped until the end.

Highly recommend it.

Lovely well written story using the present and the past to link 2 characters in a tale of love, loss and tragedy spanning two centuries; the 16th century at the time of Henry 8th and the present day.

Unfortunately, I was unable to finish this one. I have been on a book binge for about a month now and this halted that for a few days. There was nothing particularly bad about this book, but there was nothing that enthralled me either. I didn't connect to the characters and the story was pretty bland for me. I feel like I have read this type of story too many times. It just wasn't for me!

I was drawn to this book because of the interesting premise, the cover, and I love Saffron. I also enjoy dual timelines when it's done well, and here it was. The different timelines did not jump back and forth in a confused manner and was smoothly done by the author. 

The women, Eleanor and Amber, are strong characters and who live in the 1500's and 2019, respectively. Their stories were certainly heartbreaking but I believe it's what made them who they are.
 
This did get a bit slow in parts for me, I think it was slightly more drama involved than I am used to. Regardless, it was still an enjoyable read and it was interesting to see how their lives related to each other.  

3.5 Stars! 

Thank you to Net Galley, Avon Books UK, and Claire Marchant for providing me this eARC in exchange for my honest reivew.

Release Date: August 6, 2020
Avon Books UK  
General Fiction | Historical Fiction

I thoroughly enjoy dual timeline stories and while this had some good things about it, I still felt a little dissatisfied.
First, the good...the writing is fairly well done and I liked the premise and the leads. The author did a good job of letting us get to know both of them. She also did a very good job of bringing the setting and other characters to life.
Now the not-so-good....While learning about saffron was interesting, it got to be very repetitive. Also, Eleanor, at the end professes such deep love for her husband and I don't see it - he was absolutely never at home!! Only long enough to get her pregnant. So how the hell, did she fall in love with him?? I was also just a bit let down with the ending, I would have liked to have a bit more information on what happened to Eleanor and her family.

**Thank you to the publisher and Net Galley in exchange of an honest review**