Professor and historian James Postlethwaite was contacted regarding two trunks full of journals that had been found during the restoration of Elloughton Park. James inventories the contents of the trunk and is immediately drawn into the story of Lord Corbyn Carlisle of Elloughton Park and, surprisingly, maid Ginny Farmer. The story takes place in the late 1700s, and the fact that there was an opportunity to see primary source documents from a titled person and a servant was rare. James involves one of his graduate students, Grace, in his research and the two uncover a most unusual and beautiful story.

I loved this book a lot more than I thought I would. I always love dual timeline stories, and you don't find many books that take place in the late 18th century. The author indicated in his notes at the end that he did take some artistic liberties, but much of the story and time period came from his research, so there was much historical accuracy. I loved Ginny's character - a girl who did not have any chances or opportunities in life but found a way to care for herself in a society that did not treat women or the working class kindly. The writing itself was strong, and had a way of drawing me in. This was a book I had a hard time putting down. I'm hoping since it is billed as a "dual timeline mystery" that there will be more James and Grace books.

This is a historical novel based in both the modern day and the past.. In the modern day we have university historian, James, who discovers the diaries of Ginny Farmer in the attics of Elloughton Park - how did they get there and what is Ginny's story? As James reads the diaries so the story of Ginny Farmer unfolds to the reader.
This is one of those novels that starts well & has the making of a fascinating and in depth historical novel. Unfortunately I didn't feel the book continued quite so well and developed into quite a mediocre offering of this type. What could have been great became quite run of the mill.
So what went wrong? I felt this book slid into a rut of well used plot devices and became quite predictable. In the modern day James has a post-graduate working with him. Predictably this turns into the start of a relationship, an argument and then a coming together at the end. I didn't feel the book needed any of this. It was predictable and detracted from the main historical story.
I didn't get the feeling that this book was as well researched as it could have been. Ginny's rise from an orphanage to mistress of a stately home just didn't ring true for me. There needed to be more historical depth to make this work and it just wasn't there.
As a run of the mill quick read this is a good enough book. Perhaps light holiday reading when you aren't giving the book your full attention would be fine. However this isn't a great read & I felt it lacked much that would have made it so.
I received a free copy of this book via Netgalley.

What a wonderful dual timeline historical read. I love books like this and once I get going I just can't stop reading.

A journal, a story, a scandal and so much more. This book takes you on a ride you will never forget. The journal belongs to Ginny Farmer and is from 1785, full of mystery and intrigue that makes you want to read more.

This is an easy to read book, it flows well and is very well written. It draws you in to the past yet takes you back to the now!

A great read and very interesting and entertaining. Definitely recommend.

Unfortunately, I could not read the book as the font was unreadable and I could not edit it. Therefore, I will give it 3 stars as a middle mark.

I want to thank Netgalley and the author for gifting me the ebook. I honestly tried to get through the book. I know it is suppose to be written like a diary entry. But just wow....hard to follow due to you don't know who is talking. It seems rushed throughout the whole book. Good concept but I just think it is delivered poorly.

The book is set in 2 time periods, past and present. The Present characters are less developed but overall I enjoyed the past storyline, even it at times I struggled with the plausibility of some of the past storyline. There was a certain beer referenced so often in the present story that it annoyingly resonated of product placement. Regardless, a well written story and a solid 3 star read. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy of this read.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read an ARC of this book in exchange for honest feedback.

What a surprise this book was? When I first started, I thought I would never like it. Nobody seemed especially likeable and there were journals involved from the 18th century and a professor and his assistant doing research. The professor couldn't even see the obvious so it was hard to believe he had any smarts.
But I kept at it and soon I couldn't put it down. It's all a bit unbelievable but I didn't care. It was fun and I was rooting for the female protagonist whose journal we were rooting even though it was obvious, there was going to be a happy ending. The professor and his assistant started mimicking the two people from the 18th and their future wasn't so obvious.

So if you need a break from life and want a fun romp through part of the 18th century, I recommend this book.

An interesting book, riveting and well written. The historical part is well researched and gripping, I loved Ginny and how she fought and wanted to improved.
The contemporary part is a bit weaker but I enoyed.
Vivid and well researched historical background, good character development and storytelling.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

Scandals And Secrets…
Scandals and secrets are revealed in this dual timeline drama which moves seemlessly between an 18th century England and the present day. A colourful cast of characters populate the intriguing storyline. Enjoyable reading.

I am not a fan of dual timeline books but "The Secrets of Elloughton Park positively surprised me. The flow of the book and it's structure was really good. And I felt the author did a really good job switching between the past and the present. Despite the dual timeline nature, it was Ginny's story that really hooked me in. I loved how Ginny stood up for herself and faced every challenge head on despite her circumstances. I also loved the descriptions of 18th century Georgian England. I initially didn't like James 's character, but he grew on me and by the end of the book I was cheering on for James and Grace as much as I was cheering for Ginny and Corbyn. I enjoyed the book but I did wish that the present day events were written as well as the past events hence the four star rating. But overall this was a very engaging and descriptive book. I do also hope that the author writes a sequel to the book featuring more of Ginny's diaries showcasing more of her life as Lady Virginia Carlisle.

Thank you to NetGalley and Sapere books for the advanced e-copy.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for a free ARC of this book. I have chosen to write this honest review voluntarily.
I realise that there are some historical inaccuracies in this book, in addition to those described by the author in the final pages, but the eighteenth century story is interesting and very readable. I did not enjoy the modern - day storyline where Grace's behaviour seemed juvenile for the mature student she is supposed to be and James never seemed to do any of the work he is paid for. My 3-star review is a reflection of my enjoyment of half of the book.

The Secrets of Elloughton Park by Stephen Taylor. Sapere Books, 2021

An engaging, well-written story of the astonishingly literate cinder-maid fourteen-year-old Ginny that begins in 1783 and early-thirties James, a present-day history professor. The two are linked by a set of diaries found at Elloughton Park, a Nottinghamshire country estate turned hotel-conference centre. Ginny and James each has a developing relationship with another important character in the story; these have parallel, unexpected, and somewhat converging elements. So, two separate stories, two well-balanced plots that the author successfully manages to tell from main characters’ perspectives, then satisfactorily wrap up each story by the end.

Toby, James’ university friend and fellow history academic, chances upon the diaries at a history conference, realizes their value and sets up the research opportunity for James. I found Toby’s manner of speaking jarring, unrealistic, unlike any young academic I’ve ever met, so was to find very little trace of him after the first chapter.

Disclosure: I received a review copy of The Secrets of Elloughton Park for free via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. #TheSecretsofElloughtonPark #NetGalley.

This was a fascinating read. Set over two timelines a present day historian who gets more and more enchanted by
a woman of two centuries ago and is enthralled by her.

James Postlethwaite is fascinated by social history and is very excited to come across the journals of Lord and Lady
Carlisle of the 18th century. What was hidden amongst the papers was the quite very well known writings of a cinder maid
Ginny Farmer whose account of her life of so very humble beginnings abandoned in a foundlings hospital, then her appointment as a maid in the kitchen and her rise to the ranks of a lady's maid. This position sadly brought her to the attention of the drunken master of the house, she was raped and then fell pregnant and was kicked out. This was the norm.

Ginny's meteroric rise from being penniless and destitute to become a prostitute was not a surprise. For a young woman,
with no references, no training and no family or money there was no other choice but here too she landed on her feet and
slowly developed an aura of being someone who came from a very good family but had fallen on hard times (or been kicked out by her family) and had to make her way in the world. Becoming the sole mistress of one Lord was something Virginia as she was now known, was not something she favoured but she took the step until that too was terminated by her protector. Going solo again Lady Virginia was befriended by unusual men - men who did not look on her just as a prostitue but as a friend and someone whom they mentored, and encouraged to learn more and more.

This was what the journals depicted and this was what was so unusual. James relationship with his student protegee and
his feelings towards her and his inability to express them was just a secondary story.

The real story was Ginny alias Lady Virginia and what a fascinating story. Lots of history, and a lot of details of society
and how it evolved at the time - very descriptive. Very detailed of Georgian times.

Historian professor James Postlethwaite is given the opportunity to read a series of journals from the 18th century belonging to Lord and Lady Carlisle of Elloughton Park in Nottinghamshire. Among the journals, he is surprised to also find the diaries of Ginny Farmer, a cinder maid.

Excited by the fresh perspectives the documents offer, James immediately acquires them for his university.

The journal starts with Ginny who wanted to improve her writing and was advised to keep a journal.
As James reads the diaries, it becomes apparent that Ginny was involved in a long-buried scandal. Enthralled by her tragic story and admiring her courage and resourcefulness, he sets about discovering her fate.

The journals take him on a turbulent journey from a Bristol orphanage to the seedy underbelly of Georgian London. And as James delves deeper into these journals the past soon begins to chime eerily with the present…

This is a dual timeline romance that is beautifully written and has great characters. I absolutely adored Ginny and really felt for her when she was powerless to stop some of the things that happened to her and how unfair life was for a woman in the 18th century.
I loved her determination to improve herself through extensive reading and taking lessons in elocution and French.. She took charge of the direction of her own life and succeeded.

The only thing I did not love was the romance between the professor and his student. I feel it did not really add to the story for me the star of the book was Ginny and the journals.

Not the usual dual timeline historical fiction you would expect. Far better!

Alternating between Georgian and present day England, this book reveals the story of Ginny and Corbyn in the 18th century, while following the life of a historian professor these days.

The past narrative dominates the book, and just like our university professor, you can easily get addicted to reading the diaries of Ginny and Corbyn. There's some mystery, and the back and forth between the two timelines creates further suspense. I always love a strong female character and Ginny ticks the box. Corbyn's struggles with melancholy and depression give his chapters a real human touch.

Present day events and characters are not developed as nicely and in detail, but that did not stop me enjoying this novel very much.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Sapere Books for an Advance Review Copy.

The Secrets of Elloughton Park is a captivating dual time period novel. I enjoyed the Georgian period of the novel as I feel the Georgian period does not get a lot of love. The novel starts with historian James Postelthwaite being told about some intriguing diaries of a Lord and Lady Carlisle that were found at the ancestral home now turned hotel Elloughton Park. While investigating the diaries, James discovers another dilapidated set of writings, the writings of one maid of service, Ginny Farmer. This discovery is unusual as most servants in the Gerorgian period could not read or write. What transpires is a way to read about the everyday life of someone from the “lower classes”.

The novel is interspersed with chapters from Lord Carlisle and Ginny’s persepectives and the mystery of how the diaries came to be found together. I really enjoyed the glimpses into Gerorgain life and felt that it was well written and researched. I will say I enjoyed the Georgian portion a bit more than the modern portion, but that is usually the case with dual time novels. This is the 1st book that I have read by the author, Stephen Taylor. I look forward to his next novel.

Thanks to Netgalley, Sapere books, and the author for the chance to read and review this book

An enjoyable, pleasant read with a dual time line between 18th century Georgian England and the present day. The 18th century characters seemed better drawn than the modern ones but with each set of characters the story mirrors the romantic developments between them.
An easy read with lots of interesting historical detail but sadly a bit predictable in its outcome.

This was written so nicely and I found myself so pleasantly interested in the change of point of views.
Although I did not find the present timeline as much fun, the journey between the 18th century England and the present was refreshing and makes it of a nice break between the two.
Would definitely recommend for the lovers of historical fiction.

"The Secrets of Elloughton Park" is told in two timelines. The present revolves around an historian and his grad student (non traditional) who are researching the manorial records purchased from a hotel--formerly Elloughton Park. The historical timeline follows Ginny Farmer, initially a kitchen servant raised in the Foundling Hospital, and Corbyn Carlisle, who becomes Lord Carlisle after his older brother unexpectedly died of measles.

Of the two timelines, I just wasn't that interested in the present. That storyline felt very secondary and wasn't fully developed. The historical timeline felt just so wildly unlikely, I didn't really know what to make of it. I definitely wasn't previously familiar with the term "mabel."

Overall, this was an easy read.

The Secrets of Elloughton Park is a compelling dual timeline book set in England in the 18th century and the present time. The Georgian era is fascinating to read about and the historical details are beautifully incorporated including the youthful journaling of a young maid, Ginny. Said journal unexpectedly shows up in the midst of those of the Lord and Lady of Elloughton Park, thrilling James beyond measure. Rarely does the writing of a maid appear (many maids could not read or write and/or they lacked writing materials and time was rare). Ginny's writing is a treasure in more ways than one. It leads to layer upon layer of mystery, lust, love and deception.

Taylor writes about upper and lower classes and does not gloss over the gritty details of impoverishment and impropriety in an age where when women relied on men for almost everything, especially financial security. Without it, women's options were limited. In this book we see a wide variety of relationships, some which are loving and others which are not. Socioeconomic mores are incredibly interesting. Just know there are several adult situations. My favourite aspect of this book is the journal of the young Ginny; however, I did not enjoy several of the relationships.

My sincere thank you to Sapere Books and NetGalley for this look into societal circumstances and reactions/interactions of interesting characters.