I enjoyed Kelly's previous books, her writing is good and she has heartfelt stories. A beautifully moving story about a woman who moves into her deceased relative’s rotting house, and vows to restore it. Stumbling upon memories and untold stories, Fiona goes on a journey to find out more about her family, and herself. A gripping, heartfelt story that will hold your attention until the very end. Rimmer incorporated some startling statistics to bring awareness to domestic violence. The numbers are shocking but it is important to be aware of these issues so we can take steps to end them. This book was still a very enjoyable multi-timeline novel with compelling characters and mystery and intrigue to keep me interested. I enjoyed the mystery aspect, although I felt as though I had almost all of it figured out before it was "revealed.

Another great read from Kelly Rimmer! This had a lot more suspense than her other books but the story was still full of emotion, history, and hope! Just when you think you’ve solved the mystery, there is a twist thrown in. I loved this book. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this early read.

This was a great read. It took a little bit to get into it, but once I did, I was hooked! I loved the way the story is told!

Architect Fiona purchases her childhood home, Wurimbirra, with plans to return it to its former glory. As she starts to clean, she finds a box of books written by her uncle, a renowned author. As she reads the book, it becomes obvious that the book is personal and holds some deep family secrets.

I have loved Kelly Rimmer's other works, but this one was just "meh." It's not that I didn't enjoy it, it's just that it was so predictable. From the first page of the story within the story, the reader just knows that there's more to it than just a random novel found in the house. It was an engaging story, but I think it was supposed to be suspenseful, and it just wasn't. I also think that the story within a story format made it difficult for much character development. We didn't get to know Fiona, any more than she was going through a bad divorce and had escaped to Wurimbirra. We got to know the story characters more than the protagonist of the novel. It just didn't work well for me.

Overall, 3⭐s. It was a quick read, but not one that I'll revisit.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Graydon House Publishing for an advanced reader copy. This book is scheduled to be published in July, 2025.

The Midnight Estate follows Fiona as she moves into her family's estate after having her life turned upside down. Fiona sets about cleaning out the house and finds a box of novels titled The Midnught Estate. As Fiona tears through the book, she notices how the story parallels the themes in her life. The story flips between the novel and present day. The transitions are seamless and build on each other. It is impossible not to root for the main characters both in the novel and present day.

The Midnight Estate has the right amount of mystery that keeps you wanting to read more to see what happens. I was hoping it wasn't going to end where it did because I just wanted more to the story.

I really enjoyed this book, as I have all of Kelly Rimmer’s books. Her books are some of my favourites. The story is about a very interesting and often tragic topic which is kept hidden away so much more than it should be.

This book is a story within a story which takes place in the USA and Australia. The main character returns to her childhood home as a middle aged divorcee who starts to discover a history about her family she knew nothing about. Fiona finds a book in her uncle’s library and finds similarities to her life as she reads the book. Eventually she realizes her uncle has written this book and it is a true story of her family history. Fiona confronts her mother about the book and finds all the secrets that had been kept from her.

It is a very good story and an enjoyable read. It kept me hooked from beginning to end. I would highly recommend this book. Thank you NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for an advanced copy of this novel.

I love Kelly Rimmer's work, all of her books are so rich in detail and suck you right in. I had pretty high hopes for this based on all her other stories that I've read and fell in love with. And while this was a good story, the pacing was a little off and it was sadly very predictable. I saw the twist coming from a mile away, and I think the two combined storylines just didn't quite work for me this time. I did enjoy this story, but I wanted more, I think. More history, more detail, more house, maybe even more romance. Either way, this was a good story, just not quite the high standards I've come to expect from this author. Still, I think this is one fan should read because they will enjoy it, predictability and all.

‘The Midnight Estate’ by Kelly Rimmer is a heartwarming tale of a woman who inherits a run-down house from her late uncle. She sets out on a journey to restore it, uncovering hidden memories and untold stories along the way. It’s an emotional story that will keep you hooked from beginning to end. I love novels by Kelly Rimmer and this one does not disappoint. Highly recommend.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for the opportunity to read The Midnight Estate by Kelly Rimmer. A new book by Kelly Rimmer, a beautiful abandoned mansion, what's not to love?!

Have read all of Kelly Rimmer's books and they never disappoint. Enjoyed the stories and the characters and pacing was a tad slow. Great for a Saturday afternoon at home with a terrible cold for passing the time.

Fiona is set on restoring her uncle's estate. It may be haunted according to the locals but she loved it growing up. Her mother is furious and Fiona doesn't understand why. As she moves in, odd things happen. Glasses are broken, the heat switch is turned off and there are weird noises.

Her uncle never threw anything away and she has a lot of work to do. She runs across a book and starts reading it when she can't sleep. It draws her right in and she's hooked about the story...

A little slow to start, but I enjoyed this. I'm glad I stuck with it m

“The Midnight Estate” by Kelly Rimmer is a captivating mystery set in a grand house. It seamlessly connects readers to characters across timelines, engaging and rooting for the main characters. Unlike other Kelly Rimmer books, this one felt like I had solved it before the end.

I wanted to read this book mainly out of my deep and undying love for Kelly Rimmer’s novel, The Things We Cannot Say. The blurb didn’t grab my attention but I was lured in with the hope of another gut punching novel by the queen of historical fiction!

I have to say, I really enjoyed this book but the pacing really threw me off at first. The first half felt hot and cold with the storytelling and left me skeptical. However, after the 50% mark I really began to root and care for the characters and their interwoven stories!

Silas and Marie’s chapters felt so powerful and I was a bit confused why we were so focused on them rather than our present day main characters - it all ended up making complete sense and the story was so much better for that.

I loved the way the characters were all written uniquely and with respect to delicate topics. I also really appreciated that there was a dash of a love story in here but it didn’t take center stage, leaving the reader with a much more focused and powerful message!

A really intriguing read I’d recommend to lovers of historical fiction + stories of overcoming abuse. Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for the free ARC!

I loved being transported to the big estate Wurimbirra in Australia! The book The Midnight Estate is actually a book within a book and I loved the underlying mystery to the grand house and reading that storyline too! I felt connected to the characters in each of the timelines too! Fiona, in present day as she starts a new life at her Uncle's old dusty estate. From the minute she stepped foot in the house, I felt transported there and loved reading about it! The other timeline with Silas was also superbly done and I loved it! This book has great characters, a possibly haunted estate, lots of mystery and also love between family members! I have loved other books by this author and I was instantly enthralled with this book too! Add this to your must read booklist in July 2025! Thank you to HTP Books and Netgalley for an early copy of this book!

The Midnight Estate was not what I expected - it was actually so much better. I started the book, then when the story within a story began, I gave a loud sigh. Not really my cup of tea. But wait! Those chapters turned out to be great too! I couldn't decide which I liked better, the present day with Fiona, or the story shes reading written by a mysterious author. Yes, it's easy to see where the The Midnight Estate is going early on. But that just made me want to turn the pages faster as it all came together. This is an unusual book but a very good one. Thank you NetGalley for this ARC.

The Midnight Estate follows Fiona as she moves into her family's estate after having her life turned upside down. Fiona sets about cleaning out the house and finds a box of novels titled The Midnught Estate. As Fiona tears through the book, she notices how the story parallels the themes in her life. The story flips between the novel and present day. The transitions are seamless and build on each other. It is impossible not to root for the main characters both in the novel and present day.

The Midnight Estate has the right amount of mystery that keeps you wanting to read more to see what happens. I was hoping it wasn't going to end where it did because I just wanted more to the story. I didn't want it to end!

This is a 4 star book for me.

I found The Midnight Estate to be a bit different than the other Kelly Rimmer books I have read in the past. Nonetheless, it was still a very enjoyable multi-timeline novel with compelling characters and mystery and intrigue to keep me interested. I enjoyed the mystery aspect, although I felt as though I had almost all of it figured out before it was "revealed."

Read if you like:

A story within a story
An eccentric writer
Domestic violence awareness
Spooky estates

Favorite quotes:

“Instead, I discovered a story of racism and mass murder, and a family torn apart by shame.”

“History doesn’t always stay in the past, Fiona.”

“‘You said something last night about the person we are being the culmination of everything we’ve been through—the good, bad and ugly,’ I say.”

“More than half a million Americans disappear each year.”

“I live in Australia, a country with a relatively small population of only 26.6 million people, and it is also a country where a woman is killed by a current or former partner almost every week. Studies suggest as many as 27 percent of Australian women over the age of 15 have experienced violence, emotional abuse, or economic abuse by a cohabitating partner.”

“… but I first heard stories about the strychnine poisoning of First Nation’s groups around Forbes when I was a teenager.”

I’m sorry I do not have a lot to report about The Midnight Estate. I enjoyed it but not as much as The Things We Cannot Say.

Rimmer incorporated some startling statistics to bring awareness to domestic violence. The numbers are shocking but it is important to be aware of these issues so we can take steps to end them.

Just as surprising was the inclusion of the trychnine poisoning of First Nation’s groups. This was another part of history I was unfamiliar with. It was important to include so history does not repeat itself.

I enjoyed this read. I did find myself more interested in the "novel" portion of the book instead of the current timeline.

A beautifully moving story about a woman who moves into her deceased relative’s rotting house, and vows to restore it. Stumbling upon memories and untold stories, Fiona goes on a journey to find out more about her family, and herself. A gripping, heartfelt story that will hold your attention until the very end.