I tried. Man did I try. This is the first book I’ve DNF’d in a VERY long time. I just couldn’t get through it. I stopped and restarted several times as I struggled to follow what on earth was going on and then even when I was able to I just couldn’t get into it at all. So many characters, so many view points. Being sent the audiobook was great except for the fact that with the flash backs (the letters being written/read) I had no idea what the heck is going on. Just an overall no for me.
Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC audiobook.

Fans of Downton Abbey will get lost in this saga of downstairs drama in Edwardian England, juxtaposed against the horrors of life in the trenches during World War I.

This book is beautifully written and paints a vivid picture of what life was like in a manor house in the Edwardian era. However, there were a lot of different storylines that were hard to keep up with in audiobook format, and I think the book was just a bit too long. Great narration.

I enjoyed that this very much had a Downton Abbey/ Upstairs Downstairs vibe with a focus on the downstairs aspect of the grand house. However, the book felt long to me; I thought it could have been shorter. It also started out very slow, which didn’t help my overall impression of the book at the outset.

I also thought it was very light on the historical or romance part of the story, which are the parts I enjoy the most. There is a romance that happens, but it just happens without much insight into what drew this couple together. The story did have a very creepy/suspense vibe and if that is your jam, then this book is for you!

The story is told from various servant’s POVs. I listened to the audiobook and I had a tough time picking up on some of the POV changes from the housekeeper to the maid(s).

Narrators: Both narrators do an excellent job of making the story come alive. Raphael Corkhill was only used for the parts of the story where Jem is writing a letter - usually starting the chapters. I really would have enjoyed it if he narrated all of Jem’s POV sections in the book.

Huge thank you to St Martin's Press for the ALC!

I was so excited for this one based on the moody cover and the fun synopsis!

Ultimately, this one fell short for me and I was struggling to pay attention as I often was bored by the storyline. I think it's a me problem, so be sure to read other reviews before making your decision!

While the narrators voice was beautiful, I did struggle a little bit with the accent even though I think it was a good choice for the character.

This is out now!

Not quite what I expected but was still a very good listen. Kate is the head housekeeper who is secretly in love with Jim. This is more a love story than a thriller.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and Macmillan Audio for the review copies!

If you were a fan of Downton Abbey, you will love The Housekeeper’s Secret. It is an angsty multi-genre book, combining mystery, historical fiction, and romance.

For me, I think I would have liked it more if it focused on developing one genre well. The setting was atmospheric and moody, and the mystery was high-stakes and held my interest, but the romance was a bit shallow. I don’t think I would have minded if it hadn’t been marketed to me as a romance, but since it was, I expected more development of the relationship. As it was, it felt very instalust - turned - love, and besides finding each other attractive, I wasn’t sure what really brought the two together or kept them interested in each other.

🎧 The audiobook was narrated fairly well, and I would have liked it if there were fewer POVs. However, the writing often shifted POVs suddenly, and without the visual cue of a larger paragraph break, I often was confused. Paired with everyone having very typically British names, I had a hard time keeping track of who was who and what was going on.

I personally found Downton Abbey to be a little too moody for me, especially after the first two seasons, so I have seen a lot of five star reviews from people who loved that vibe.

I just finished The Housekeeper’s Secret by Iona Grey and here are my thoughts.

I love historical fiction and this one was a truly amazing read.

In the summer of 1911, Kate had been working as a housekeeper for 5 years… Trouble is she is hiding who she truly is and all of her carefully guarded secrets become harder to hide with the arrival of Jem, the new footman who is also guarding a secret of his own.

It had some really slow moments and some really fast moving parts to the storyline which worked to add a level of suspense you don’t often see in historical fiction. The book staddles 2 timelines which I didn’t much care for but it added some depth to the story so I can overlook it.

I loved the romance between Kate and Jem. Forbidden love is one of my favorite tropes and the author did a really excellent job of building up to the beautiful crescendo of the two of love falling for each other.

I loved the descriptive prose and the way the story kept moving forward with ease. I never got confused by the timelines but I didn’t much care for them being woven together. I could see them being excellent as 2 separate books though.

4 stars

Thank you to @netgalley for my ALC which done very well and my gifted paperback from @stmartinspress

Out Aug 14th!

#thehousekeeperssecret #ionagrey #historicalfiction #historicalromance #romance #romancereader #booklover #smp #smpinfluencer #bookreview #bookalorian #booksta #canadianbookstagram

"The Housekeeper's Secret" by Iona Grey is historical fiction with a romance. This book was quite long but good. (368 pages or 13 hrs 15 min audio.) I listened to the audio, expertly narrated by Raphael Corkhill and Shakira Shute.

This is set in 1911, France, the Sonne Valley, at the Coldwell House. Katie Furnis is the head housekeeper and the main character. The home belongs to Mr Hyde, but he is quite elderly and reclusive. His son, Randall, is returning from India with his girlfriend and their staff. Randall's servant Mr. Henderson is quite nasty.

A new footman, Jem Arden, is hired, and all the ladies swoon over him and his good looks. It's only the housekeeper, Kate, who catches his eye. Of course, staff relationships are unacceptable in this time, but that doesn't mean they don't happen. There is more romance than spice in this, but it is nice. There's a bit of thriller intrigue in this, too.

The chapters alternate between the story at the manor from 1911 with letters from the war from 1916 written from Jem to Kate.

Characters - 5/5
Writing - 4/5
Plot - 4/5
Pacing - 3/5
Unputdownability - 3/5
Enjoyment - 4/5
Narration - 5/5
Cover - 3/5
Overall - 31/8 = 3 7/8 rounded up to 4 stars

I recommend this book for historical fiction lovers who enjoy a good love story.

Thank you to Netgalley, Macmillan Audio, and Iona Grey for providing this audiobook in exchange for my honest review.

Kate tries to escape the horrors of her past by taking a housekeeper position for a wealthy family with lots of secrets.

Jim is looking for answers and finds himself working for the same household that he later brother worked for.

With interwoven timelines and multiple viewpoints, this story was an interesting read! Thanks Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for the arc!

I listened to the audiobook for this title and the narrator did a great job. The story follows Kate Furniss who has been working as a housekeeper for Coldwell Hall, she is hiding and works to maintain her secrets and professionalism at all costs. In the Summer of 1911, a young man named Jem Arden mysteriously shows up casually claiming the new footman position. The minute he shows up, Kate can feel her mask slipping. This beautiful story alternates non-linear timelines from the Edwardian Age to the trenches of WWI. The methodical writing of this story was incredibly creative! I enjoyed the war trope, the forbidden romance arc, the hidden secrets, the fight for survival, the non-linear timeline, and the hunger for vengeance. This work of Historical Fiction/Romance/Mystery/Thriller is a great read. I enjoyed the writing of. Iona Gray and look forward to reading some of her other books. I would definitely recommend this book to lovers of historical fiction and mystery.
Rating 4.5

Thank you, NetGalley, for the chance to preview this audiobook!

I received an early copy of this book and this was my first experience with the author. The audio production did a great job and it was easy to listen to. With that said, this work was out of my norm as far as genres and I had a difficult time becoming invested in the story and characters

I really enjoyed the historical fiction aspects of this book. A lot of research was put into it - although some of the information does not seem relevant to the actual story. The romance was cute and I thought added to the storyline. I felt that the mystery portion just became too much. I felt that there were too many storylines which made it hard to become invested as it felt that none of them were developed and detailed enough. The descriptions of the locations, people and sciences was done incredibly. I felt as if I was in the book at times. There was an alternating timeline, which although well done, did not seem necessary to the story. Overall I enjoyed this book - and definitely recommend for anyone interested in historical fiction, downtown abbey feels.

Thank you NetGalley for my advanced reader copy.

Thank you so much to Macmillan Audio, lona Grey and NetGalley for the opportunity to listen to this audiobook. First and above all else, the voice talent was perfect, absolutely perfect.
It did take me a little while to get into the plot and the storyline jumps here but I really enjoyed this book. It felt like a mashup of Downton Abbey with a touch of Outlander and with that vibe, how can you possibly go wrong?!

I loved this historical fiction story mixed with some romance and mystery - perfect combination. You definitely find yourself living the everyday life of all the characters. I love a war trope with the forbidden romance angle - the characters were developed so well. I was definitely entertained. At times the dual timelines confused me but I was able to still enjoy everything. Thank you to NETGALLEY and the publishers for this audiobook in exchange for my honest opinion.

This story had a little bit of everything with suspense, mystery, romance, and historical fiction. There were parts that were slow for me and not as focused on the main plot, but the romance, but I grew to enjoy those parts. I liked the house staff perspective so it was not as much based on WWII, but on the house staff experiences.

While this is tagged historical fiction it is more from the manor house staff perspective, not WWI in the trenches. Lovely story. Excellent character building. Little bit of romance. Move a bit slow. I enjoyed the narrator.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC. This author is becoming a favorite of mine. This book was fantastic and fast paced. My heart is still racing. I loved it.

This author is a master of historical fiction, while she hasn't written many to date each is beautifully written. I think it's because they feel like she is sharing a story that has been passed down and cherished. Love that this one is a different spin to it than many books written in the same time period. There were times it was hard to do the audio (but to be fair I don't usually like historical fiction as audio books, I like to hold them in my hands), but speeding it up a little helped. That being said, I plan to actually read the hard copy of this now too as I feel like I missed some things that make it so much fuller while listening. But that wasn't a story line problem, it was my listening skills issue. I recommend this author and book to all historical fiction fans- you will want all of her books.

Macmillan Audio ALC
I still remember where I was when I read The Glittering Hour, so I was so excited to see that she had written another one. This book is heartbreaking and tender. The comp to Downton Abbey is accurate. I loved how the author created the dual timelines here - between 1911 and the trenches of WWI. It created such a compelling story and mystery. I loved the character of Kate and how the reader is slowly introduced to her. I also liked how Jem's parts had a male narrator, which captured the war in such brutally honest ways. I think this book brilliantly explored how secrets and power between house staff created such intricate dynamics. I was invested in Kate's secret, Jem's secret, and the other secrets present and how they weaved together to create this compelling story. The narrators are British, which added such depth to the characters. The performances were excellent.

I was so excited for this book as a newcomer to historical fiction of romance and mystery. I mainly read mystery/thriller books, so diving into this was somewhat treading new waters. I must admit that my love of Downtown Abbey drew me into this and the promise mystery reeled me in. Unfortunately, only the historical parts were interesting and not the romance or mystery parts.

I enjoyed reading the daily challenges of the characters, the social trysts they had to endure. That was the historical parts that made the book interesting. Everything else that was supposed to stir the waters didn't really pack a punch, as I wasn't really pulled into what would happen and what had happened to catapult any other events. I almost preferred just to read the historical facts during that time and what the upstairs and downstairs of these characters went through and that would be it.

Most of it was because there were sooo many characters that it was difficult to keep up. If it were centralized to just Kate and Jem and the occasional facts about Coldwell Hall, it would have deepen the entire book so much better. But it was littered with all the extras that didn't make this book so mysterious.. This became meh for me,

Thank you to NetGalley and St Martin's Press and MacMillan Audio for an audio copy of this book. All opinions are my own.