This was a great historical romance novel with a touch of suspense given the amount of secrets embedded into the story. It took me a little to get into the story as the beginning slowly sets the stage and doesn't make a ton of sense at first. The alternating timelines and amount of characters were difficult to follow at times. If you are someone who really enjoys a thorough plot development this one will really satisfy you. Set in the early 1900s the author did a great job at accurately portraying that time period. This is a must for any historical fiction/romance fans.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for a digital ARC in exchange for my honest reveiw.

It’s a shame the lengths women have to go through to escape the vile acts of men. That they had to act as if they were on the run from murder, just to be sure that they can’t be found, to the point that they might as well have with all the secrecy surrounding their new identity. This is the life for our main character, Kate Furniss. All is well, she maintains a spinster status as no one knows she’s actually married. Then Jem arrives at Coldwell and all goes to ruin. Not because Jem knows her secret; but because she falls for him and wants him and a love like that is not something she can have. He wants her too though.
The book is told in different timelines, from this time in the manor and when Jem is in the war (WWI). This, combined with the POV changes between different characters, I got a little lost at first but eventually righted myself and got into the rhythm of the story. There’s a parallel between their life and the war, tumultuous and on the run, and then concluding with peace.

Thank you St. Martin’s Press for the gifted e-galley.

This historical mystery novel definitely has shades of Downton Abbey, even though it focuses primarily on the lives of the servants during the end of the Edwardian Age at Coldwell Hall, an estate in northern England. Central to the plot are Kate, the head housekeeper, and Jim Ardeen, the new footman, both of whom harbor interesting secrets. This is a well written and enjoyable read, one that has a nice amount of suspense and interesting characters.

This was honestly just okay for me. I enjoyed it, but never really felt inclined to pick it up, so it took me forever to read. The mystery wasnt really mind blowing or anything. It was pretty easy to know what was happening all along. However, the character work was great. I did end up really caring for a lot of them.

I couldn't put this book down and am taking it with me on my first trip to the UK! Stupendous novel!

This is book 2 in the Housekeeper's Secrets Series. Written from the Housekeeper's point of view, she is looking for a new job and feels great that she found a new job cleaning the penthouse of the Garrick's. She has never seen the wife, but notices strange things like blood on her nightgowns. She begins to wonder if she can help Mrs. Garrick. Maybe, she can make a difference.....

Drama-filled, Edwardian excellence. I loved this. I plan to recommend this to all my historical-fiction friends. Very well done and kept me engaged all the way through. Thank you to NetGalley for the epub!

Wonderful historical romance. I found this suspenseful with lots of character interaction and intrigue. Well written, I find I could definitely read this again.

This is a nice historical romance.

The novel is suspenseful but there are lots of characters that can cause some confusion throughout the read. Overall I did enjoy this novel

I received this as an ARC for my honest review.

The Housekeeper's Secret is perfect for fans of Kate Morton, Ariel Lawhon, and Tea Copper. The book follows Kate Furniss, the housekeeper of Coldwell Hall. Jem Arden is the new footman for the estate. Jem has other motives to work at Coldwell. It was the last place his brother Jack was seen alive. Mrs. Furniss also has her own secrets that she doesn't want the other staff to find out about her past and why she is really at Coldwell also. This book tells the story from the propestive of Kate, Jem, and some of the other staff at Coldwell. It also follows Jem years latter while he is a solider in WW1. and writting his final letter to Kate even though he is unsure it will ever make to her hands.

There’s a lot to enjoy about this book. The plot primarily centers on Kate Furniss, the housekeeper of a mysterious aristocratic house in remote Northern England, and her attempts to hide (from) her past and wall her heart off. We also glimpse the alternate timeline of WWI years later. Throughout the story, the characters are complex and three-dimensional. The setting is mysterious and beautiful. There is excellent tension to the plot. I felt what the characters felt, and that’s a sign of a great novel.

However, the book is overly long and wordy — though the words flow beautifully! It has the suspense of a thriller with the pacing of a cozy mystery, and that dissonance pulled me out of the story and made it hard to finish. Though it ended well, the story was mostly depressing. I would read another novel from author Iona Grey, who is clearly a very skilled wordsmith, but this one ultimately didn’t do it for me.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for my honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I genuinely enjoyed this. I haven’t read any historical fiction books before but I was really surprised with this. There is a lot going on and a lot of characters introduced so that was a little hard. But I enjoyed all the elements of this book.

First, thank you NetGalley, Iona Grey and St. Martin’s Press for this advanced copy!

This book is historical fiction, meets romance, meets mystery all rolled in to one very well written book!

Kate Furniss has gotten very good at hiding. For the past 5 years she was fully embraced her roll at the dutiful housekeeper, Mrs. Furniss, but there is more to Kate than that. Set in the WW1 era, Kate’s life changes when a new footman, Jem Arden, arrives at the house. Jem’s arrival intrigues Kate, but he too has secrets of his own.

Told in dual timelines, this book gives serious Downton Abby vibes, and as someone whole loved that show I was living for the “upstairs/downstairs” happenings in Coldwell Hall. This angsty romance between Jem and Kate was amazing!!!! I love a good forbidden romance and theirs was just what I wanted.

I will admit that the book did have a slower start for me, and I did restart it a couple times, but once it got going I was hooked! If you’re a fan of historical fiction and romance this is the book for you!

Thank you again NetGalley and the publisher for this book.

I enjoyed this read! Immersive historical fiction from the turn of the twentieth century. As someone who loved Downton Abbey, this felt a bit like home. Upstairs/downstairs themes, service, everyday class issues, and other similar themes. Highly compelling read for fans of historical fiction, upstairs/downstairs dynamics, and/or Downton Abbey.

While billed as historical fiction, this came off with heavier romance and mystery elements. WWI presents a backdrop to the dying days of the great houses of England as a housekeeper of dual identities is charged with helping bring an estate which has seen better days back into the limelight with new residents, just as a mysterious new footman, with hidden motives, takes up his position.

A housekeepers secret and a footmans mysterious past merge in this Downtown Abbey like mystery. Coldwell Hall's story spans time and a war as we follow the staff over the years. While I truly took a little while to get into the story, once I was, there was no putting it down.

Told from multiple points of view, this historical romance novel takes place from 1911-1919 and will appeal to fans of Downton Abbey. I appreciated the attention to detail for the time period, which really helped me become immersed in the story. This would be a fantastic book club pick as well! It’s character-driven with enough intrigue to keep the pages turning. Thanks for the opportunity to read!

A mostly pre-WWI story set at Coldwell Hall, where a Downton-esque vibe sets the scene for the downstairs help and some of their hidden lives. Kate is the housekeeper, Jem a footman, and their secret romance is the crux of the story. Kate has a previous life she has led and is seeking refuge in secret at Coldwell, but for someone afraid for her life, she reveals this fact quite openly to Jem. Jem is there for his own reasons, looking to find out about the disappearance of his brother years ago.

The setting of the house, the descriptions of the time period and how it was to live there, and the war conditions are the highlights of this story. I really enjoyed all those aspects. The viewpoint was lost sometimes, making it confusing whose POV we were on, but this could all be ironed out in editing before the book is printed.

The Housekeeper’s Secret is a slow burn of a story one part mystery, one part forbidden romance. The book is told from multiple perspectives and across two timelines: one from the frontlines of WW1 and the other from a summer past in the servants hall of another kind of Satis house fallen to secrets, time, and disrepair. Coldwell Hall is a grand home at the turn of the 20th century that has become somewhat notorious in the surrounding villages to the point where no locals will willingly go into service there. It’s the perfect home where anyone with secrets might come take refuge, and they do. Everyone at Coldwell has a past, and not all of them are good. Kate Furniss is running from her past; Jem Arden is searching for answers to his. Both find themselves in service at Coldwell Hall for a summer of intrigue and secret rendezvouses.

It took me a while to find my footing with this book- the multiple perspectives and timelines were confusing to sort out, and the descriptive nature of the book sometimes left things unsaid that requires the audience to read in between the lines… But- the story was rich and fascinating and well worth the effort of sticking with it. Around the 20% mark, I felt grounded in the story. Where there are some books I’d classify as a beach read, this is one I’d say best reserved for a quiet weekend in the late fall by a cozy fire.

I’d like to thank St Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for my honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

A fast paced novel that you never want to put down. Heartbreaking, healing, and intense emotions. This book enthralled me on every single page.