The Herbalist's Secret is a well written compelling read which I really enjoyed. It has an interesting plot, the characters are well drawn and the the scenes are atmospheric.
I was very surprised to find that this was a debut novel and I am already looking forward to reading the authors next book.
Highly recommend!

The Herbalist's Secret sets a great scene, at an isolated location in Scotland with a quirky house guarded by gargoyles on the roof. We know from the beginning scene that two children drowned here, and their ghosts will haunt the story throughout.

Kitty Gray dreams of being a doctor, but when her parents marry her to a rich Glaswegian bachelor, Charles MacClean, these dreams die, as women are not allowed to pursue medicine in this time period. Although she has high hopes for happiness, marriage soon disappoints Kitty, and she is happy to isolate herself at Ardbray House.

There is a second time period set in 2003. Greer and her husband Colin are caretakers of Ardbray House, while for decades it has waited a buyer. A possible buyer appears from America, Caitlin Black. She is quirky and has secrets, but she is drawn to the house. Slowly, Greer begins to have hope that she can escape Ardbray House.

The writing in The Herbalist's Ssecret is lush and mood setting. The author is especially good at setting the mood in the past. A lot of issues are addressed in this book; the cruelty of working conditions in the late 1800's, the lack of opportunities for women and how they had to accept whatever marriage served them. There wasn't as much talk of herbs as I expected, due to the title, although each chapter started with a snippet about various herbs.

I wish I could give a different score for the first half and the last half of the book. In the first half, I think the author tried to address a lot of things, and the story felt a bit dense and heavy. I kept waiting for the story to pick up, even though the author was setting a great atmosphere. In the second half of the book things really picked up and I was drawn into the storyline.

I would give this book a 3.5, mainly because it took me some time to be drawn into the story. I am rounding up, because I do think the writer is talented and has great potential.

Thank you to NetGalley, Annabelle Marx, and Storm Publishing for allowing me to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I liked this gothic story quite a lot. The house and the ghosts and Kitty's story, a familiar but still tragic one of oppression and misogyny, are all handled well and are compelling, and the twists that come at the end are good. But Greer, the housekeeper whose voice is most heard, never really comes to life, and her husband is such a non-entity that he doesn't really need to be in the book at all. We get a little of Greer's own desires and interests, but they remain on the light side. Caitlin, upon whom the synopsis blurb focused the most, doesn't really get fully-fleshed out either, and it's a disappointment that the two women of the contemporary part of the novel don't get a bit more fully realized.

Dual timeline spanning over 100 years with an eerie house in the Scottish highlands at the centre of both.

Descriptive and character driven, with ones you can’t help fall in the love with. Which is hard as you know this is going to be a tragedy from the first line.

I loved the excerpts at the start of the chapters and found out a lot regarding medicinal plants.

I did mostly enjoy this story, however there was one timeline I definitely preferred coming back to.

Thank you to NetGalley and Storm Publishing
4/5 ⭐️

I'm not really sure why this book didn't quite work for me. It has all the elements I love in historical fiction. It has a duel timeline and POV, family secrets, tragedy, ghosts, and the healing power of herbs. I liked all of its pieces, but for some reason, it seemed disjointed.

I enjoyed both narratives but ultimately would have preferred just Kitty's story. It felt to me that there was something missing connecting the two timelines. It was, however, beautifully written.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Absolutely the best mystery I have read all year! The plot and characters are absolutely amazing. An absolute must read. Love that the ginger cake recipe is included at the end of the book. Will definitely be making that!

A dial timeline novel set over 100 years apart set in the Scottish Highlands, this is a solid read for the autumn, Kitty was my favourite character as a forward thinking woman in the 1880s who reminded me of my grandmothers.A book focused solely on her story would also have been interesting.

I did feel this book is less about the gothic aspect of the location and more about emotions and for me that aspect was less successful but overall this is an enjoyable read to get lost in and transported to Scotland.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for a digital e-ARC in exchange for an honest review. This is a lovely, engaging, dark novel that takes place in the Scottish Highlands. I love the scenery, imagery, and story that unravels. This was a good read, with some bits that felt like they should've been explored more. It was enjoyable, but there was a lot of untapped potential too.

"Two small lifeless bodies lay on the sand, arms carefully placed by their sides. On the other side of the loch stands an imposing house. It's almost as if it gives a silent howl of distress, echoing over the hills, making the birds turn their gaze down to the beach where the two bodies lie, awaiting discovery."

With an blurb like that how could I not want to read this book. And what a book it is. Dual Timelines, 1889 and Kitty Gray, a woman with dreams as well as 2003 and Caitlin Black, a woman on a mission to restore the mansion and gardens she bought to turn into a retreat. But what will be uncovered and what secrets lie beneath.

This is a story that will take you on a journey and have you on the edge of your seat. It is a book about women, about loss and about family and taking what you have and making it work for you. It is a wonderful story and is so well written, descriptive and the characters are so true and real.

This is a great story and I loved every minute of reading it. 4 1/2 stars from me.

Thank you NetGalley and Storm Publishing for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book.

The Herbalist’s Secret is a dual timeline following two women: Kitty Maclean, a Scottish woman coming to live in the mansion of her new husband in the 19th century; and Caitlin Black, and American in 2003 who purchased the house with the dream of restoring it and turning it into a retreat.

Kitty Gray dreamed of attending university and becoming a doctor, until she is married off to Charles Maclean, one of Glasgow’s richest and most eligible bachelors.

Exiled in her new remote home in the Scottish Highlands, with its gargoyles and gothic arches, Kitty is given the task to design and build an herb garden for her husband’s house. Combining her medical knowledge and recent fascination with herbalism, Kitty spends her days in a world of herbs and their healing properties, until tragedy strikes.

Jumping in time to 2003, Ardbray House has been unoccupied for nearly 50 years, and it has earned a ‘bad luck’ reputation.

When Caitlin Black sees the house, she is drawn to it, hoping to restore the crumbling mansion and rebuild Kitty’s walled garden.

She enlists the help of long-time housekeeper Greer Mackenzie. But as Caitlin learns more about the history of the house, she uncovers a past haunted by misfortune and grief.

The truths that have held Ardbray House apart and unoccupied for so long surface when a human skull is unearthed from beneath the blood-red roses that climb beside the bay window of the drawing room. The heart-breaking secret of the herbalist who once was exiled there is finally uncovered.

This book is about loss and what allows us to resume our lives afterwards. All the women in the story have suffered professional and personal losses, but they find a way to turn toward family and love, and that effort helps them heal.

The description of the people and places kept my interest. I could imagine the remote, stately house and a woman trying to make the best of a marriage that was arranged for her, with no concern for what would stir her heart and make her happy. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys historical novels with a slow-burn mystery.

I will update my review after finishing it, but as of right now it's only 3 stars. It's slow going, the atmosphere is very gloomy and grey (which I'm sure is the point, but makes it even more slow and not exactly compelling to pick up.) The description of the book makes it seem like right away we'll learn about murder and ghosts, but I'm over 30% in and nothing much has really happened. I like Kitty well enough, but the chapters are very long and nothing in the modern day ones really say or indicate much, and the ones set in the past are only starting to get good. Maybe we're supposed to be as bored as Kitty is in her day to day life and it will slowly start to blossom. We shall see, and I will update as I go.

An evocative and unforgettable mystery set in the wild and beautiful Scottish Highlands.A physic garden is a type of herb garden with medicinal plants. Modern botanical gardens were preceded by medieval physic gardens, often monastic gardens.Certainly the founding of many early botanic gardens was instigated by members of the medical profession.The naturalist William Turner established physic gardens at Cologne, Wells, and Kew; he also wrote to Lord Burleigh recommending that a physic garden be established at Cambridge University with himself at its head. The 1597 Herball, or Generall Historie of Plantes by herbalist John Gerard, was said to be the catalogue raisonné of physic gardens, both public and private, which were instituted throughout Europe.It listed 1,030 plants found in his physic garden at Holborn, and was the first such catalogue printed.The garden in Oxford, founded by Henry Danvers, 1st Earl of Danby, with Jacob Bobart the Elder as Superintendent, dates to 1632. Begun in Westminster and later moved to Chelsea, the Apothecaries founded the Chelsea Physic Garden in 1673, of which Philip Miller, author of The Gardeners Dictionary, was the most notable Director. By 1676, the position of "Keeper of the Physic Garden" was held by the Professor of Botany at the University of Edinburgh.Hilda Leyel (née Wauton; 6 December 1880–15 April 1957), whose nom de plume was Mrs. C. F. Leyel was an expert on herbalism and founded the Society of Herbalists (later the Herb Society) in England in 1927, as well as a chain of herbalist stores called the Culpeper House herb shops.Leyel was the author of a book on herbalism, called Elixirs of Life,among other works on the subject, as well as the cookery book The Gentle Art of Cookery.Achfary (Scottish Gaelic: Achadh Taigh Phairidh) is a hamlet in the Scottish council area of Highland and also contains the Reay Forest Estate's offices.Lairg is a village and parish in Sutherland, Scotland.Hopetoun House and Culzean Castle are historical country homes and castles in Scotland.

This dual timeliness mystery set in the Scottish highlands is absolutely perfect! I lived every word of it. It was so freaking good! I loved the writing style and the Gothic setting. It was perfect.
I just reviewed The Herbalist's Secret by Annabelle Marx. #TheHerbalistsSecret #NetGalley
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Thanks NetGalley for giving me a copy of the herbalists secret. Wow, what a fabulous book. Couldn’t put it down. Loved everything about it. The story, the characters, the location. Just a great read. Highly recommend this book and will be telling all my friends to look out for it when published

The Herbalist's Secret is a beautiful and eerie atmospheric tale told from two points of view situated in Glasgow and the Scottish Highlands. Kitty McLean is a woman who is well ahead of her time. Kitty aspired to be her own woman and become a doctor despite growing up in a 19th-century environment when women having an education or doing anything considered 'un-ladylike' was frowned upon. Unfortunately for her, she was married to a wealthy man, and she eventually found herself shut away in their Highlands mansion, where she began her lifelong study of Herbalism. Greer MacKenzie grew up with Kitty McLean, the recluse known as the "Herb Lady." She has been tasked with caring after the house that Kitty adored, just as her grandmother and mother before her had. Both women demonstrate a strong attachment to the beautiful home of Ardbray, but both struggle to leave it.

When it comes to our key characters, Kitty, Greer, and Caitlin Black, you have a strong sense of redemption throughout the novel. Caitlin is being introduced to us as a potential buyer of Ardbray by Greer. All three women must give up something of themselves in order to overcome the obstacles that are preventing them from discovering what they were genuinely meant to achieve with their lives. The home also has a sense of mystery and great grief that pervades the pages, particularly when it comes to the spirits of the children that haunt the hallways and grounds.

This is a dramatic and evocative story about perseverance, courage, and finding peace in the midst of tragedy or when what is expected of you falls apart. Kitty McLean will be staying with me for a while.

A Beautifully Written Novel.

I Thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. It has lovely characters, and this book is a beautifully written novel. The novel is told from two viewpoints: Kitty in the past 1889 and Greer who is the housekeeper set in the present 2003. Caitlin lands at Ardbray House on a mission to renovate the crumbling mansion and its gardens with the help of Greer.
This magnificent story is set in the breathtaking Scottish Highlands and captures your heart from the very first page to the last. The dual timeline narratives work well side by side and come together seamlessly at the end. The plots are fascinating with one series of events beginning in the past but continuing to have lasting effects in the present.
Thanks to NetGalley and to the publishers of this book for giving me a free advance copy of the book to preview and I am leaving this review voluntary.

“The Herbalist’s Secret” is a brooding tale set in the Scottish Highlands during two different time periods. I really enjoyed this one. It was just haunting enough without being too creepy. The perfect fall read. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC!

Thank you to Netgalley, the publishers and of course the author for gifting me this advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

I was thrilled to receive an earlier copy of this historical fiction book. Following the lives of Kitty, Greer and Caitlin who each play an important role in the story, with Kitty who has a passion in herbalism but has to keep it a secret as it is forbidden as it is deemed to not be a ladylike profession to follow. However as Kitty is forced into marriage to a wealthy man and whilst living in their home in the highlands of Scotland, she decides to pursue her passion anyway.

I found this story to be very atmospheric and quite haunting and definitely the involvement of 'children' throughout the story added the additional haunting atmosphere. However the story really underlies a powerful sadness and really shows how the journey to self discovery is tightly interwoven with finding peace despite the challenges.

Kitty’s dreams do not come true after her marriage. Eventually, sent to Ardbray House in the Scottish Highlands, Kitty begins to find her true passion through growing and working with herbs.

Today – Caitlin Black wants to buy Ardbray House to turn it into a spa – a refuge from society. Greer, the caretaker of the house for decades, is not sure about Caitlin’s ideas for the place. Greer has been protecting the house and caring for the spirits that haunt it since Kitty’s death.

The Herbalist’s Secret is an interesting story that draws you in and keeps you interested. I will definitely look for more books in the future by author Annabelle Marx.

This is one of the most beautiful and thought-provoking books that I have read in a long time. It’s a powerful, evocative story that kept me reading, never letting me go until the end. It’s vividly descriptive, beautifully written, and has a cast of characters that I immediately engaged with. The story flows seamlessly between the two timelines, and I love a dual timeline! It’s a haunting story, very atmospheric, and is ultimately heartbreaking. Kitty Maclean is a character that will stay with me, and her story broke my heart! I didn’t want to reach the end of this fabulous story, and highly recommend it.