Thank you Netgalley and the publishers for this copy in exchange for an honest review.

For some reason, this book didn't turn out how I'd expected.

My sincerest apologies to @kelseyjamesauthor @netgalley and @kensingtonbooks for posting after soo long, way past the due date. I had actually finished the book on time, but I was going through a lot of personal things..I'm finally here though & ready to review!

Synopsis: Millie Turner is living a lavish life full of glitz & glam, until one day, her & her husband throw a party that does not go according to plan ...She begins to question everything she's ever known

Review: This book was one craaazy ride. And soo perfect for spooky season! I was left clutching my seat, my heart in my throat, wondering what was going to happen next! I didn't find Millie likeable at first, she seemed very spoilt & naive. But that's where the best part also comes, the way her character develops & finds an inner strength she didnt know she had was excellent & I was left wanting more, Also, the book is set in the early 1900s, & the author weaves in some racial issues seemlessly. I wish it was tackled at a deeper level, but I was happy enough that the author brings it up & gets the reader to think about those times.
All in all, such a wonderful read! I'm beginning to realize that I'm quite a fan of the thriller genre - as long as it's not too creepy lol.

An atmospheric Gothic mystery. It offers a compelling premise and a richly detailed setting, but it could benefit from more from character development and more consistent pacing. Millie’s journey was intriguing but I feel that her character was too shallow.
Many thanks to Kensington and to Netgalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

Every second of reading this novel had me tense and biting my lip. My heart was racing, and I was just praying that our main character would get out alive, with hopefully her sanity and heart, intact. Some of the people in this book were just truly horrible! I did enjoy the commentary on women’s rights in the early 1900’s. But this book will not be a reread for me.

This one just ended up being very forgettable to me. I really don't remember anything about this one as I try to write a review :/

This author is new to me and I can't wait to read more from her! I listened to the audio version and felt like I was there along side the main character. Thank you to Netgalley, the author and the publisher for a chance to read and this book in exchange for an honest review.

1908, Long Island. Millie Turner, a young, beautiful socialite, finds herself ensnared in a gilded cage of her own making. Married to the powerful and charismatic Charles Turner, she inhabits the opulent Rose Briar Hall, a testament to their new money and social standing. However, this gilded prison begins to close in when Millie awakens from a mysterious blackout to find her world turned upside down. With no memory of the events leading up to her amnesia, Millie must navigate a treacherous social landscape while unraveling the chilling truth about her ill-fated party. Who is lying to her? Will anyone believe her story? Can she even believe herself?

The publisher's promise of a "gothic mystery" reminiscent of Gaslight is certainly fulfilled in the initial chapters. The isolated, opulent mansion provides a claustrophobic setting that effectively heightens the suspense. The isolated, opulent setting of Rose Briar Hall creates a palpable sense of dread, and Millie's descent into uncertainty is compelling. However, while the initial atmosphere is effectively chilling, the novel loses some momentum once Millie ventures beyond the confines of her gilded prison.

The plot contains twists and turns, but the overall narrative lacks the depth and complexity to leave a lasting impression. While the Gilded Age backdrop is atmospheric, the novel ultimately falls short of fully capitalizing on its potential. I had hoped that the comparison to Gaslight would allow for some clever subversions of the genre, but it was not to be. It's an enjoyable read, but not a standout.

This review will be posted to Goodreads on August 14, 2024 and to Instagram (@goodquietkitty) on Monday, August 19, 2024.

After being pleasantly surprised by Kelsey James’ debut historical gothic novel The Woman in the Castello, I had a hunch that in Secrets of Rose Briar Hall she would deliver readers something more vibrant and multi-faceted than the synopsis might suggest. And, that hunch proved correct. While there is indeed an overbearing housekeeper involved, this novel is more than a Rebecca retelling.

Once again, James’ prose is not necessarily literary or even close to perfection, but she depicts settings vividly, moods evocatively and her characters have presence. Lead character Millie is prone to action rather than simply overthinking, and this leads to an eventful story journey featuring many interesting twists and turns.

In Secrets of Rose Briar Hall we ride shotgun with the spirited Millie as she seeks to navigate a society ruled by men, high society gossip and opinion, and the grounds of her ivory castle with attack dogs (metaphorical and literal) at her heels every step. And, as if that’s not enough to keep our leading lady on her toes, James even throws a good-guy romantic suspense thread with depth into the mix.

It really is hard to say a lot more about this novel’s plot without providing spoilers. Ultimately, in Secrets of Rose Briar Hall Kelsey James has once again delivered a rollicking yarn; a narrative that is so easily readable that you look up from its conclusion thinking, did I really just read 304 pages? A great storyteller indeed.

SECRETS OF ROSE BRIAR HALL by Kelsey James was a fascinating look at society, class, privilege and murder in 1908 Long Island.

Millie Turner, has spent the first year of her marriage renovating and decorating Rose Briar Hall to show that she is a suitable wife to successful stockbroker husband, Charles. A ‘coming out’ gala, if you will, is painstakingly planned by Millie as her entrance into high society. With a keen eye for every detail, Millie is finally ready for the party of the year. Well, every detail except the body. When Millie wakes weeks after the event, she learns that she has been subjected to a ‘rest cure’ which basically means she has been drugged up and passed out for weeks. While her husband Charles reports to be shielding her from those in his circle who feel that she was responsible for the death, Millie goes in search of answers as to what actually happened that night. Shunned from all, including her best friend, receiving no help from her family and fighting to stay out of an institution where Charles wants her placed, Millie begins to uncover the secrets and lies that have been swirling around her for the last year. But Charles has placed people in his employ that are monitoring (and threatening) her.

When she is contacted by an old friend, David Hannigan, who is now a journalist for World News, Millie becomes involved in making Charles’ schemes come to light. As she seeks to divorce Charles, I was shocked to see how a woman was treated in that era. I thank the Man upstairs that I was born a few generations later as I could feel my blood pressure rise at the way she was treated by her husband, society and the court system, This is not my usual genre, however I am so glad that I had the opportunity to see how the other half lived in 1908. I enjoyed the author’s writing style and look forward to future endeavours.

Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Books for this ARC opportunity. All opinions are my own and given voluntarily.

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for the opportunity to review the ebook version of Secrets of Briar Rose Hall as an ARC.

In this book we get to know our FMC, Millie, and travel with her along her journey to solve the mystery of not only her house, but also her marriage. When a guest at her dinner party suddenly dies, followed by a "fit" of her own that keeps her incapacitated for weeks- she wakes up to discover the twisted narrative that is now plaguing her reputation. Is she somehow responsible for the death of this person? Or has more been going on behind the scenes than she realised? Born into an era that lacked women's rights she is faced with even more challenges to subtly and inconspicuously solve this mystery that has left her isolated and mocked. Will she find out the real truth? And will she come out alive?

Overall I enjoyed this book. The pacing was really well done and I thought the twists and turns were great. I rated this 3.5 stars because I thought the ending was pretty predictable and was disappointed that we didn't get to see Millie and David's story play out a little bit more.

Millie Turner believed she achieved all her dreams with her marriage to the handsome, sought-after stockbroker, Charles Turner — a lavish lifestyle, prestige, and wealth. The envy of her peers, what better way to prove herself worthy of him and her status than by hosting a grand party on their estate, Rose Briar Hall.

Careful preparation leads to the big event, but there is one thing Millie didn’t plan for, waking up weeks later with no memory of the party and the circumstances that followed. Her friends have shunned her, a guest is dead, and her reputation is shattered. Suddenly everything that had once promised happiness has become a trap. But without her memories she has no way to refute the whispers or know whom to trust. Soon that becomes the least of her problems as she comes to suspect that someone wants her dead.

A gothic tale set during the Gilded Age, Secrets of Rose Briar Hall is a story of lies and betrayal. Kelsey James’ did a fabulous job at making everyone seem guilty while placing just enough doubt to leave the reader wondering.

The author’s writing style is engaging but I failed to become invested in the characters and their plights. The heroine was as immoral and hypocritical as the rest, which ruined my enjoyment of the novel. One cheating spouse does not justify another. The story would have benefited from removing the so-called romance. The novel included some bedroom scenes, which added nothing but were thankfully easily skipped.

Had I not committed to a review, I would not have finished Secrets of Rose Briar Hall. That being said, James’ voice is such that if given protagonists I can root for, I’d be up for giving another one of her novels a try.

In this Gothic Gilded Age historical fiction novel, readers join newlywed Millie Turner in 1908 New York as she and her stockbroker husband move to their new home, Rose Briar Hall, on less fashionable Long Island. Throwing a grand party for all of their elite New York friends, the night goes horribly wrong when Millie comes to consciousness weeks after the party and with no memory of the events of the night. As her memories slowly return, Rose Briar Hall begins to feel like a prison and no one is familiar. As she feels more and more unsafe at home, Millie wonders if remembering everything and uncovering the truth about that fateful dinner party will make her feel better or upend her entire world. Readers will have the chance to recover memories and solve the mystery of the dinner party alongside Millie as they live the life of an elite New Yorker in the early twentieth century. Millie is a fascinating, naive, and complex heroine, while the other characters are complex and mysterious to Millie (and thus to the readers). Early twentieth century New York is an excellent backdrop for this fantastically complex gothic novel with the hidden corruption, crime, and massive social inequalities between classes and between genders (both of which are central to the novel and Millie’s struggles).

The early twentieth century NewYork is the setting for this dramatic story. Young Millie of new money, is married to the charismatic, rich and handsome Charlie. Very early on in the story we see Millie subject to what was euphemistically called fits of hysteria, to cover all forms of mental aberration and at this point Millie is definitely bound for an institution, courtesy of her husband.

The story reveals itself at that point. Charles infidelities, his murder of his mistress as she was pregnant and wanted marriage, the scandals that ensued with Millie’s so called mental illness, the cover ups mainly in the society they lived in, the hypocrisy of friends and sadly the hypocrisy of Millie’s own family who not just turned their back on her but also cut financial support.

For a young woman, delicately brought up to face society without family or financial resources was an improbable task. That she did was admirable. With the help of a man whom she knew, and subsequently became her lover she tried to get a divorce and though the jury ruled in her favour the judge who was so adamant in his anti divorce sentiments ruled otherwise. Millie then took matters into her own hands because there was no other way out.

The story of an unfaithful husband was not an uncommon one. Women were expected to turn a blind eye, provided they did not neglect their families. Women were not expected to handle finances and were thus seen, especially wealthy women as pawns in their husbands hands. They not just took over their wives monies but squandered it too. Divorce was a very rare possibility so that you were stuck in a marriage for life, however hard it could be. Very few women found a way out.

Apart from the story of young Millie, the story highlighted the social norms of the day making for very good reading.

I had such high hopes for this but was ultimately disappointed. I wanted more a Gothic feel and instead I got a lackluster rehashing of Gaslight (when are we going to stop doing that? It's been done to death). Perhaps someone who's never read a Gothic novel would enjoy this but otherwise, just pick up Rebecca instead.

Wow, not the book to start reading late at night! I had to stay up to finish it because I needed to know what was going on. I was immediately sucked into Millie Turner’s story, trying to figure out what happened to her, what was true, what were lies, what was gaslighting. I could feel my anxiety build along with hers trying to remember what happened at the deadly dinner party. I found myself unable to fully trust any character and was constantly waiting to see what new twist would occur. I felt badly for Millie and could put myself in her place not knowing who to trust and trying to stay alive. Pieces come bit by bit throughout the book for Millie and she must make decisions that alienate her from those closest to her to gain her freedom. If you like a bit of a thriller/historical mystery, this will have you hooked.

I have never seen the movie this book is paying homage to but damn this book is so good!!!!!!!!!!!!! I'm gonna have to go find the movie Gaslight and watch it now. I read this book in one sitting and was a little shocked at how fast I flew through it.

I don’t know what I expected from this book, but this wasn’t it. Millie was in an awful situation, but she also made it hard to like her. She would start to make you feel sorry for her and then she would think/say something that reminded you that she is a terrible person. The secondary love story between her and David felt awkward and forced. Given some of her thoughts on the lower classes I have a really hard time believing she could love him.

The gaslighting by everyone around Millie were perfect examples of the impact gaslighting can have on someone. I did enjoy the commentary on women’s rights in the early 1900’s and the ways various men (from fathers to husbands to society in general) could control the ladies in their life. As we know men are to be believed without question no matter what evidence is put forward to the contrary. With this in mind, how the story ended really was the only way it could.

I wanted to love this one but it just missed the mark and I struggled to get through it. It had a lot of potential. Based on the dark and brooding cover and the synopsis, I was expecting more of a thriller / suspense / dark gothic feel but the mystery was solved early on and the rest of the book was just the FMC trying to prove to a male-dominated high society that she isn’t insane and that her husband is a gaslighter, adulterer, and crook. Like I said, good premise but it didn’t deliver. I’m not sure where the twists everyone mentions come about? The narration was extremely robotic. The setting didn’t really deliver the gothic vibes I was hoping for. She was hardly at the house it seemed? I wish I had more positive things to say, but I’m struggling to find them.

I received a digital ARC of this book from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 stars, rounded up. I am always here for a gothic story with excellent setting and vibes, and I do wish that this one had used the isolated house a little bit more than it did. However, I really appreciated the characters in this one- there is some nice deviousness and interesting surprises along the way. Millie refuses to be the subservient, docile woman everyone wants her to be, and she is the perfect character to carry the story.

Secrets of Rose Briar Hall is a mix of historical fiction, mystery, thriller, suspense and has a creepy and gothic feel! I honestly enjoyed this story! There were plenty of twists and turns to keep me turning the pages and being inside Millie’s head really gives you a clear picture! Millie’s situation did seem a little out there at first but it's so creepy to think that it really could and does happen! The ending was interesting, yes a little odd but still a good conclusion!