A brilliant dual timeline story with plenty of twists and turns to keep me gripped completely. I loved the begrudging relationship that formed between Sydney and Phoebe - both so in tune with the puzzling mind required from the house. The impact of Phoebe on the household was such a positive one and her friendships with ‘below stairs’ just lovely.
This is such a clever story - the balancing of relationships within the house, the strength of the characters across the years and the puzzles and games established by Bellingham to the detriment of his sons childhood and inheritance.

The Legacy of Halesham Hall by Jenni Keer is a gothic-style story, reminiscent of Daphne du Maurier novels. The dark brooding man and the eager young girl.

Phoebe Bellingham just lost her parents in a boating accident and wanting to connect with her family, takes her to Halesham Hall. She has revenge in her heart for the wrongs that were put on her father. She is determined to solve the house puzzles and claim the Bellingham inheritance.

The story is a dual timeline, set in the Victorian era and just after WWI. Phoebe is a young woman who has been raised with love and is a happy young lady, that is until she meets the master of Halesham Hall. She gets herself ingrained into the household, against the wishes of the master. She starts working in the kitchen and other ways to help out all the while trying to solve the puzzles.

Sydney was young when his mother left the house, and Leonard was a young man still in school. The father was a master manipulated and a tyrant. He owned a company that made puzzles and his wish was for one of his sons to take over the company but in order to do that they had to solve the houses puzzles which were many. The house was built with a series of clues. The son that could solve the puzzles gets the company. The rest of the inheritance goes to the one who solves all the puzzles.

Phoebe becomes close to the master of the house. She has come to the house but did not tell the master all of her secrets, she has the Bellingham name but not from blood. Her father married her mother when she was pregnant with Phoebe.

I loved Phoebe, she was a young woman not of her time, strong, independent, and loving. She finds he feelings change for the young master. As time goes on, she gets ever closer to solving the puzzle and claiming her inheritance.

Can she get past her feelings for the master? Will she solve the puzzle?

I usually don't read this kind of novel but I really did enjoy this one. I loved the characters, the storyline was really not unique because of the gothic style but all in all a great story.

I give it 5 stars!

I received a copy for review purposes only.

Such a interesting and intriguing story, the surprises and twists kept me avidly reading along.
I enjoy duel timelines, and this one was no exception. There was many times when I gasped with surprise, or found myself changing my opinion on the characters! This book certainly kept me on my toes!
Without giving any spoilers away, I can say that I didn’t guess the outcome at all! I enjoyed watching Phoebe attempt to work out the riddles and find out her own history, linked to the Hall. It’s true, not all things are as the seem on first sight!
Cleverly written and with characters that you may find odious one moment, then likeable the next, it’s all in their backstories that unfold as you read.

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

I couldn’t put this book down. It’s a dual-timeline novel, the first being in the 1890s. We read about the Bellingham Family, who own Bellingham Games, a family really well off.

Clement Bellingham, the head of the family isn’t a nice person, he’s abusive to his wife and two sons. One night, his wife runs away, leaving him, and her sons to cope with their with father's temper.

Their father raises his sons with the belief that women aren’t to be trusted, they are also set against each other by him.

1920 is the second timeline, one of the brothers daughter comes to Halesham Hall after her parents die, and soon she begins to understand how her uncle was raised.

Reading this book you can visualise nooks and crannies of this odd home, after Clement changed it, when his wife left. I couldn’t tell how this story would end.

I highly recommend this book.

I read this wonderful book in two sittings. I loved the quirkiness and darkness of Haversham Hall. I was drawn in by the family dynamics and control issues of the family and how the Hall was structured to in part be a menace to the staff.
Love, loss, control, inheritance all play a major part in this wonderfully written story. We flit between the late 1800s and the 1920s.
The story centres around Sidney, Phoebe and Murray. I fully recommend this book as it's incredibly clever and Jenni must have put her heart and soul into the research and intricate detail. Can't wait for her next book.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers Headline for an ARC of “The Legacy of Halesham Hall” by Jenni Keer. I thoroughly enjoyed reading and was completely absorbed in the dual timelines.
I recommend this book to lovers of mystery. I really enjoyed reading and look forward to reading more books by the author.

In 1920 a young girl, Phoebe knocks at the door of a large country house which is disturbingly gothic with unusual turrets & decor. In 1890 in that same house a young boy watches his mother slip away in the night, never to be seen again. After which his bitter father redesign the interior of the house and the garden to inspire fear and confusion in all who visit, live and work there - in particular to make the job of female servants harder. The lad and his much older brother are set against each other as the father decides to create a puzzle to solve within the house, secrets to be found in order to decide which will inherit.

Phoebe enters the house wanting to meet her estranged Uncle, Mr Bellingham, after the death of her parents. She has plans for revenge not ones of love or loneliness. Her father was disinherited, her uncle painted as cruel and evil. Her Uncle seems to enjoy playing games and manipulating people much as his father before him and chooses to employ her as a housemaid rather than acknowledge her as a family member. Meanwhile the puzzle of the house remains unsolved and the question of full inheritance is unresolved.

The dual timelines were both full of mysteries to be unravelled. I was thoroughly absorbed in both the story of the young Bellingham boys and Phoebe 30 years later. I found myself rooting for all 3 to find happiness, but not at all sure how that might come about. The story is fairly dark in places and it creates a wonderfully atmospheric book. I didn’t expect quite so many secrets and lies. The main players in the story were all, in their own way, likeable puzzles themselves being slowly completed throughout the pages.

The Bellingham family are no strangers to secrets nor triangulation tactics.

For decades, siblings have been pitted against each other in a toxic display of sibling dynamics. In the 1800s, Sidney and Leonard learn that to be considered worthy of inheriting the family estate, they need to compete…with each other. Their father owns the Bellingham Board Game company and one of his sons will inherit it. While he was successful outside the home, Clement Bellingham is anything but successful as a husband or father. Hidden from others, the abuse runs rampant in the Victorian mansion. In the 1920s, Phoebe returns to claim the inheritance and uncovers the secrets surrounding her uncle’s childhood.

The author explores the mystery surrounding family secrets and how often there is more to the story than is ever shared…good and bad. Solving puzzles is forefront in this story and it was interesting to see how each approached a solution. Despite not liking board games, I thought this was a clever plot and eagerly 'played' along! The gothic mansion is a fantastic setting and I could imagine sneaking around and exploring it. The pacing and twists were orchestrated perfectly and the characterization was stellar. Keer crafted them as real people and I really cared about what happened to them, hurt for them as they were mistreated and wished happiness for them as they found romance. Atmospheric and daunting Halesham Hall was definitely a character itself!

What a gorgeous cover! It pulled me into the story and made me wonder what secrets this mansion held.

I was gifted this advance copy by Headline and NetGalley and was under no obligation to provide a review.

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

I really wanted to like this book in its entirety but I just couldn’t. I really enjoyed the puzzle portion of the book and the house with all its odds and ends. Ultimately it was where the story went and how the book ended that ruined it for me; I found that I just could not get behind the storyline twist.

This book invites you to solve clues to find treasure with Phoebe in 1920. Halesham Hall, however, is not ready to

divulge all its secrets. just yet. Set in beautiful grounds, the hall hides terrible family abuse behind the Bellingham

facade. The story l is compelling and keeps you guessing till the end., A great atmospheric read. .

This book kept me guessing the whole way through. Just when I thought I’d guessed what was going to happen it didn’t. The story of a family involved in the thinking up and making of new games. The father alters the house to naked sure his sons find the clues so one of them can inherit the business. The two sons are many years different in age and it’s a surprise who claims it. Phoebe turns up On the doorstep of Halesham Hall wanting revenge but instead finding love in a most unexpected way. I loved the way it all came together at the end. Wonderful

An intriguing pre-war dual time line story that is a highly enjoyable read. The characters are well drawn and well thought out, realistic enough to be believed.

The backdrop of the old, gothic mansion and the theme of board games enriche the story. There is sufficient intrigue to keep the reader interested in the plot which, although slightly predictable towards the end, does provide a satisfying ending.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and look forward to reading more from this author.

An enjoyable historical dual timeline story, but I did find it a little predictable, especially the end.. Romances, sibling rivalry, mysteries and an original idea of a puzzle set within the gothic style family mansion kept me reading but I wasn't racing to finish it, but I did enjoy the easy writing style and would class this as a solid holiday read.
Thank you to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for this e advance review copy.

What a fabulous story this is! Full of twists and turns that left my head spinning, this book had me hooked from the first page right through to the last. There are so many puzzles to solve, so much to discover, and such an intriguing, exciting story! With a fantastic dual timeline (which I love) I was completely immersed in this extremely well plotted, well written tale. The characters are wonderfully depicted, the description is absolutely vivid, and the storyline is so enthralling, urging me to read on, piquing my interest and never letting me go. I absolutely loved it!!

When I read the review of this book and saw that if you like Kate Morton's books, you would enjoy this I immediately requested it.
A young woman appears at her uncle's home after her parent's death. What she find is an old house with twists and turns (stairs that go nowhere, hidden hearing devices, etc.) made by the owner's father who owned a company that make games. Set in two time periods, the story goes into the backstory of the house and its occupants. Family secrets are the recurring themes of the book. I particularly enjoyed reading about the different games and clues to find the secrets of the house and who is the rightful heir. The book dragged a little in places but I did enjoy it.

Wasn't sure about this book at the start but as I love books about old properties I continued. I am so glad I did as this book just got better and better. Flicking between two timelines is sometimes confusing but worth getting on board with it. Lovely ending totally recommend
Thank you netgalley for the advanced copy

I thought this was a really intriguing read and I found myself completely hooked needing to know more about the secrets of Halesham Hall. I really liked the main character Phoebe and seeing the affect growing up in the hall had on the Billingham boys.

The Bellingham family live at Halesham Hall, and run a successful games company. When their father is dying, Sidney and Leonard are faced with a series of puzzles to solve - whoever solves the final clue first will inherit the company.

Twenty years later, Phoebe Bellingham arrives at the hall to revenge her father, and finds herself facing the puzzles. Can she solve them and fix the wrongs of the past?

A dual timeline novel, with wonderful descriptions throughout. A few twists and turns, weaving the past and present. Jenni Keer is a fabulous storyteller, I really enjoyed this book.

There is more to Halesham Hall than meets the eye. It’s 1899, and Leonard and Sidney Bellingham’s father likes to play games. So he pits the brothers against each other with a series of clues to discover the mystery of the staircase that goes nowhere. The winner of the challenge will inherit Halesham Hall. Twenty years later, a young woman professing to be a Bellingham will arrive on the Hall’s doorstep. Can she reveal the final piece of the puzzle that her father failed to find?

I enjoyed this book. Interesting and intriguing. It is well worth a read.

This was an interesting read. I was expecting more of a mystery, but ended up with a general historical fiction book. I was not disappointed, but I was also not wowed by the story.

Phoebe Bellingham has arrived at Bellingham Manor in 1920 with the goal of determining if she is indeed the rightful heir to the property. To do that, she has to look into her family’s past, back to 1860 when Sidney and Leonard Bellingham’s mother disappeared. To the nasty rivalry between the two brothers and their fight to gain control of the family’s lucrative board game business. The brothers were willing to go to any length, as Phoebe will discover. I loved the portion of this book that was set in the Roaring Twenties, great atmosphere and creepy family dynamics