It was a bit strange reading a book about the Biltomore know it was hit hard by Hurricane Helene and trying to open for the holidays (they are open now!)

A hidden room is found at The Biltmore and a contrapiton that looks like something from a Da Vinci scetch. So the board brings in Dr Daniel Garrison a professor at Middlebury College, a professor that is known for his work on Da Vinci, except they brought in his son, who is also a professor and fighting for his job.

The story is dual timeline current times and back when Vanderbuilt had this mystry machine built. I enjoy a historical fiction with dual time lines.

Thank you NetGalley and Keylight Books #BeneaththeEstate #NetGalley

An amazing discovery has taken place at the revered Biltmore estate once owned by George Vanderbilt 3rd causing history to come alive whilst the mysterious machine is investigated by Dr Daniel Garrison a professor at Middlebury college who is fighting to keep his position.
Dr Garrison discovers the machine was built and designed by Antonio Andolini who was brought to the states to craft the machine as a gift for George’s wife. As the story explores both time periods we discover the parallels in Daniel’s and Antonio’s lives and how there knowledge and love of Da Vinci and his inventions bind them together.
I love the way the lives of both different men intertwined and how similar their characters were despite the different time periods they lived In including their values of romance!
A fantastic book for historical fiction fans as well as those romance readers looking for something a little different.
Thank you to the Turner Publishing Company and NetGalley for allowing me to access this ARC.
#beneaththeestate #netgalley

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC. Dual timelines can be challenging. Finding drawings of a machine designed 100+ years ago and trying to build it in modern day is such an interesting idea. Based at the Biltmore estate, this book is well written and keeps the reader’s attention. . I look forward to reading more books by Nick Allen Brown.

I am drawn to books about the Gilded Age and this book did not disappoint. The Dual time line kept the story moving and I found myself mesmerized by both stories and could not wait to see how they tied together at the end! If you’ve been to tour the Biltmore in Asheville, you will enjoy the behind the scenes storyline. This book makes me wonder just how excessive and opulent the Gilded Age could have been!

Beneath the Estate is an interesting and intriguing about the Vanderbilt mansion in Asheville, NC and is written in mostly alternating chapters from 1906 to the present day. The basis of the novel is building a machine (1906 and thereafter’) and restoring the machine (present day) with a significant portion devoted to several of the major characters and how similar their experiences are/were despite them being more than a century apart. The writing is excellent and very descriptive. — for example “….eyebrows that. could hold a gallon of water.” This book is highly recommended and I thank NetGalley and Keylight Books for the opportunity to read and review this book prior to publication.

This story was an overall neutral for me. We follow the story of an engineer who is commissioned to create an invention that the engineer has only thus far sketched out. The story continues in a dual timeline, one describing the engineer's journey to the US and his creation of his invention. The second timeline describing the re-discovery of this invention which was previously lost to history and the process or recreating it.

I enjoyed the concept, bringing to life a da Vinci inspired invention, but the execution left something to be desired. I think nuance is what it lacked. There were multiple detailed descriptions of food served at the Biltmore, the main setting for the book, but they felt out of place in comparison to the other less detailed aspects of the story. The characters did not feel very well fleshed out. Honestly the writing felt like a recent college graduate's first novel; their style and voice haven't matured yet. The dual love story was sweet, I just felt there could have been so much more depth to the character backstories and their emotions. One of my favorite moments is one the other also mentioned as their favorite. It was a Cinderella type moment where the fairy godmother makes the modern day main character's dreams come true, as she is treated like a princess for the day. I would have liked to better understand the Biltmore's director's thought process and motives. I am torn about my feelings regarding the serendipitous similarities between the 1900s couple and the present day couple. I think I wanted something more magical or supernatural to be behind that connection and the nature of the invention.