I read the first book in the series and this was just as good! This book answered some of the mysteries from the first book.
Many thanks to the author, Bookouture and NetGalley for a complimentary copy of the book. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

Loved this book, such drama and well written. The characters were full of life and the plot was entertaining. Nothing bad to say, just read it.

As good as the Girl from Summerhayes and I enjoyed this one nearly as much. It didn't hold my interest quite as well, mainly because I am burned out on the WWII setting.

Thank you to Netgalley, the publishing house and the author for the oportunity to read a complimentary copy of this book in return for a review based upon my honest opinion.

This is the second book in the Summerhayes House book series, it could easily be read as a stand alone book. This book picks up about thirty years after the first book, at the time of the second world war.. We see Alice, now elderly and living alone save for a caretaker, Beth and a few staff members. Her husband died not evena year after their daughter, Elizabeth ran off to marry an architect and her son William died before he reached adulthood. Alice has never heard from Elizabeth after the note she left when she ran off and assumes hse must be dead. The military has taken over part of the estate and Beth meet Jos, whom she somehow cannot stop thinking about. He feels the same way, but of course, neither tells the other. Alice is having a few accidents and she is also receiving mysterious anonymous letters. Her nephew, Gilbert says he is concerned for his aunt and thinks the best thing to do would be to move her to his estate. But is Gilbert really worried about his aunt or is he up to something sinister.

I enjoyed this book but found the pace slow at times; but maybe I was just anxious to get to the end and find out what happened. All in all, an enjoyable book.

I throughly enjoyed this novel by Merryn Allingham as we learn how the main character due to the bombing of her home and the school she taught in becomes the carer for elderly Alice Summer in her beautiful but neglected mansion set in overgrown gardens. As we as the elderly lady Beth is also trying to suport her grand-nephew who is living in the mansion next door with his father and is away from his boarding school. The twists and turns of the story lead the reader to understand that all is not as it should be when letters perporting to be from Alice's daughter start mysteriously appearing. Added to the tale is the canadian Regiment stationed both in the grounds and house in prepartaion for the invasion of France. So in this year of 1944 Beth encounters a handsome officer Josh Kerrigan who feels an affinity to Summerhayes, which was the creation of Alice's late husband and feels that he should do something to bring alive part of the gardens. It is well paced and set against the difficulties of rationing and the village trying to keep morale up with very little hope.A perfect mysterious story which engages to the end.

I loved the other book in the Summerhayes House and so it is not shock that I loved this one too. I was gripped right from the start and I couldn't put it down.

These books gave me the Downton Abbey vibe that I did not know I was missing. Both are family sagas with long lasting consequences at stake. Book one sets the stage at Summerhayes and lays secrets leading up to WWI, while book two works to solve the mysteries from the first book.

These books are slow paced as they are descriptive. Exactly what you’d expect from a saga. There is a building of the family dynamic and includes the whole family. I liked the fun that William and Oliver had in the first book. Since life is so very different now, I never stop and ponder the struggle of a family to marry off their daughter and the resistance she might have.

Even though they are set 30 years apart, the story continues from the first to the second book. If you love historical fiction and love the journey of the story, these books are for you.

The Secrets of Summerhayes is a sequel to Merryn Allingham’s lovely romance, The Girl From Summerhayes. The Year is 1944, thirty years after the original and there is another war. This time it’s World War II and Summerhayes has been taken over as a troop headquarters. There has been a small apartment given over for Mrs. Summer and her companion, Beth. There are soldiers everywhere and no care is taken for the beauty of the house or grounds, until one man arrives. He is a Canadian soldier and is taken with the garden that had been destroyed years before. He begins to work on it, never to restore it as it is too big a job, but just to bring some beauty to it. Beth begins to help some days and gradually falls in love as she helps uncover a secret from his past, and the past of Summerhayes and Mrs. Summer. When he leaves for what is to be the invasion of Normandy, she refuses tell him of her love, afraid of the hurt that will follow.

This was not as good as the first book, relying to heavily on coincidence. The characters are still as good, however, and Allingham digs deep to reveal that which is most hidden in each of them. William and Mr. Summer are now dead as is Henry, Mrs. Summer’s dreadful brother. His son, is not much better, in fact, in come ways, worse. Normandy comes and goes and we all know how that turns out. Summerhayes continues on and relationships develop which surprise all involved. The day of the huge country house is now passed in England and nowhere is that more obvious than Summerhayes. What could have been a tragedy has turned to a benefit in a well-told story.

I was invited to read a free e-ARC of The Secrets of Summerhayes by Bookoutre, through Netgalley. All thoughts and opinions are mine. #Netgalley #Bookoutre #MerrynAllingham #TheSecretsOfSummerhayes

This was the sequel to the book which initially introduced all our characters.
Everyone is much older, many have died, WWII has commenced, Summerhayes is now
being used as a base for soldiers and still life in this small part of England goes apace.

The story winds on at an easy pace. People still have romance, despite odds, the
spectre of war looms over all. The ones who are really old still live in anticipation
of something good turning up, and it does. Family always an important thread in stories,
becomes even more important in this one. Preordained, destiny, karmic forces call it
what you will all come to life here. Then we have the darker elements of greed,
arrogance, envy, the feeling of superiority of birth that some people can never get quite
rid of despite democracy and a steady levelling in society.

The final chapter in the Summerhayes story brought all the characters to life and more.
It had many very human elements woven into the story and this was delightful.

This is the sequel to a previous book - The Girl From Summerhayes.

Like The Girl From Summerhayes, this story takes place during wartime, but this difference is that this one takes place during WWII, as opposed to WWI. In fact, The Secrets of Summerhayes takes place around 30 years after its predecessor.

It wasn't exactly what I expected, but I enjoyed it. I was expecting a further story featuring the characters from the characters from the first book. Instead, there were some new characters, and this story was about them, although there were some characters that I recognised from the first book. I warmed to these new characters, and was interested in them, so I became emotionally involved, just as I had with the first book.

I found that I had unanswered questions while reading, so I was eagerly turning pages to see if my questions would be answered by the end. Parts of the story made me feel a little sad, while other parts of it warmed my heart.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for a free copy to review.

I have read this book out of context by reading the second book in the series first but you don’t need to worry because it can be read as a stand alone story.
It is a beautiful love story set against the uncertainty of World War Two and the heart ache of lovers being separated.

Combined with a mystery of a missing daughter and a mother’s love that never gives up.

This book will grip you from the very first page right until the end. Can’t recommend it enough

Bethany Merston’s life has gone through upheaval so so takes a job working as a companion for Alice Summers. This allows her to leave London and to spend time in the Sussex countryside. If weed is read the first book in this Summerhayes series, The Girl From Summerhayes, then they just might be familiar with Alice as is Elizabeth’s mother, who was the primary protagonist in the first book of the series. And Elizabeth’s story we learned that Alice was not a happy wife, but took her duties towards her family very seriously nonetheless.

This second book takes place a few decades later and it is now 1944 England. Alice has started to experience many trials which is why she needed a companion to assist her. The story goes back and helps readers to understand what Alice’s life was before she got married to her husband Joshua and became the mother to Elizabeth and William. At the end of the first book, Elizabeth ran away from the family and married the man of her dreams. Sadly, the family never heard from Elizabeth again but now all these years later, Alice is sure she will see Elizabeth once again.

This story takes on a different edge than the first one because in this one there’s a bit of suspense, especially with the mystery surrounding Elizabeth and Alice’s hopes of ever seeing her again. There is also a slow reveal of secrets that could change everything. Lastly, there is a nice slow brewing romance between Bethany and Jos Kerrigan, a Canadian officer who ended up having a lot in common with Bethany. In fact, one of those very things in common was their love of reading and this helped the story as it often alluded to Daphne Du Maurier‘s book Rebecca.

Although quite saddened for the losses that Alice experienced in her life and her sadness for not seeing her daughter again, the story was very touching despite the outbreak of yet another war, in this case World War II. Alice’s once beautiful home has been taken over by soldiers, and she is rather confined in a home that now has fairly well fallen apart.

Bethany is a remarkable character despite the sadness that she experienced in her life and what led her to working for Alice. I love how well she took care of Alice and others in the household, especially as the story showed how seriously people were affected by the rations during the war. That is something I still have a hard time understanding, but I love that Merryn Allingham included that in this book.

I do recommend reading these books in tandem, as there is a lot of background with Alice and her family in the first book of the series and this second book does a good job of continuing what happens to the Summers family as well as other characters, like in this case Bethany. As much as I loved the first book, this second book was even more enjoyable especially as later in the story things were slowly revealed as the book progressed. Merryn Allingham has written a beautiful duology, one with a nice mix of subjects while creating a beautiful story for her readers.

Many thanks to Bookouture and to NetGalley for this ARC for review. This is my honest opinion.

Please enjoy my YouTube video review - https://youtu.be/OIlHaFIBkNM

Another winner from Bookouture!
This was my first book by the author Merryn Allingham but definitely not the last. Written lucidly and of an era whose tales never fail to entice, this wasn't just a war story or a story of romance amidst the chaos. The Secrets of Summerhayes turned out to be am absolute cracker. The characters are sketched brilliantly bringing a visual appeal and life to the story and love how the author ties all the loose ends neatly to give the reader a smile of satisfaction at having finished a great read!

This is the second book in the series and follows on from the first book.

The writing is just as poetic as the first one which I was happy about. This one is set during World War 2 which is a couple of years later.

We have Romance with mystery and historical fiction blended in. I think this one was more tension filled than the first one with secrets being spilt within the pages which makes it all the more page turning.

Highly recommended.

BLOG TOUR REVIEW

Review for 'The Secrets Of Summerhayes' by Merryn Allingham.

Read and reviewed via NetGalley for Merryn Allingham, Bookouture publishers and Bookouture anonymous

Publication date 11th January 2023.

This is the sixth book I have read by this author. It is also the first book in the 'Summerhayes House' series. I have previously read 'The Bookshop Murder', 'Murder At The Pier', 'Murder At Primrose Cottage' and 'Murder At The Priory Hotel' which are all books in Merryn's 'Flora Steele Mystery' series. I have also read the first book in this series 'A Girl From Summerhayes' and all of them I highly recommend.

I was originally drawn to this book by its gorgeous eye catching cover and its intriguing synopsis and title. The synopsis stated that this book is 'A totally heartbreaking and gripping wartime family saga, fans of Tracy Rees, Kate Morton and Elizabeth Jane Howard will have their hearts stolen by The Secrets of Summerhayes'. I am a huge fan of Kate Morton so am looking forward to seeing if this lives up to this statement. I am also a huge fan of Merryn and if this is half as good as 'The Bookshop Murder', 'Murder On The Pier', 'Murder At Primrose Cottage' and 'Murder At The Priory Hotel' (all books from Merryn's Flora Steele Mystery Series) and 'The Girl From Summerhayes' it is sure to be a page turning read. I must admit I was also biased due to the publisher being Bookouture. I have yet to read a book published by Bookouture that I haven't enjoyed. Hopefully this won't be the first... Watch this space! (Written before I started reading the book).

This novel consists of 35 chapters. The chapters are short to medium in length so easy to read 'just one more chapter' before bed...OK, I know yeah right, but still just in case!

This book is based in Sussex, England 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿, UK 🇬🇧. I always enjoy when books are set in the UK as I'm from Wales and have sometimes visited areas mentioned in the book. This makes it easier to picture where the scenes are set at times. I have in fact visited and holidayed in Sussex on many occasions including this year and next year again so am looking forward to possibly recognising name places.

This book is written in third person perspective and the main protagonists are Bethany Merston and Lieutenant Jos Kerrigan. The benefits of third person perspective with multiple protagonists are that it let's you see the bigger picture of what's going on and you get to know more characters more, what they are thinking and what they are doing. It feels like you get to see the whole picture and not miss out in anything.

This book was extremely well written and I do believe alot of research went into it as everything linked correctly in with the era it was set in. It is a real bug bear for me when I read a historical novel and the author hasn't done their research and gets basic information mixed up so well done Merryn!! It was very well written and I found the synopsis and the cover fitted the storyline perfectly, The descriptions were great and it really felt as if I was in the storyline along with Elizabeth and her family.

I have previously read Merryn's crime series the 'Flora Steele Mystery' which I absolutely loved along with the first book in this series 'The Girl From Summerhayes' so was looking forward to continuing with this intriguing series. If you haven't read any of the 'Flora Steele' books I would highly recommend them as they are completely addictive!!! This book is faster paced than 'The Girl From Summerhayes' which I was pleased with. I also found there was alot more of Merryn's talent of writing mystery shining through in this book. This second book in this series is set thirty years after 'The Girl From Summerhayes' and I thoroughly enjoyed seeing where everyone ended up after the last page of the first book. The atmosphere and surroundings were captured perfectly and the descriptions left me wandering the grounds of Summerhayes. However, sadly they are not the beautiful grounds of 'Summerhayes Hoise' that we discovered in 'The Girl From Summerhayes' after the Canadian army has set up there and it has now become a crumbling Manor. It was heartbreaking to read how the house has declined since the first book but at the same time it was interesting to see how everything had changed. The historical aspects were intriguing especially in comparison to how we live our lives today. I was fascinated with reading about the preparations by the villagers for D-day and at times I became completely lost in the past. The book had so much going on thay once I got sucked into it there were several moments I got completely lost in the storyline forgetting I was at home in dreary Wales and not in the grounds of Summerhayes and Sussex. It is filled with family, romance, mystery, suspense, secrets, history, friendship, war and so much more. I must say that I enjoyed the second book more than the first book and I tbelieve that is because there is more mystery, tension and suspense in this one. Another beautifully woven story from the very talented Meredith that took me by surprise at the end.

Although this is the second book in the series I had would have had absolutely no problems reading it without the others. Any details or events that have previously happened are mentioned in just the right amount of detail to let a new reader know what has happened and yet not too much to bore a previous reader. I would however recommend reading 'The Girl From Summerhayes' prior to this one.

I enjoyed meeting some of the characters from 'The Girl From Summerhayes' again along with several new characters. I had become thoroughly invested in the characters from 'The Girl From Summerhayes' so really enjoyed continuing their storyline in this book and seeing what happened next. The characters in this book were all strong and realistic and suited the time line. As with the first book there were some characters that I can't say I actually but there were some that I did like from the first book on this series as well as many new characters that I met along this journey. I enjoyed watching the relationships change and develop between the different characters. The relationships and characters were well developed and complex which made the storyline all the more intriguing. Regardless of whether you love them or hate them each of the characters played their parts perfectly to make the storyline as enjoyable as it is.

Make sure you read to the very end of the book to read the first two chapter of the first book in this series Merryn's 'The Girl From Summerhayes House' which I read before this one and really enjoyed so would definitely recommend reading if not before then after this one.

Overall an intriguing and delightful historical tale filled with mystery, suspense and romance that leaves you wanting more.

Genres covered in this novel include Historical Fiction, Classic Coming-Of-Age Fiction, Literary Fiction, Literary Sagas, Historical European Fiction amongst others.

I would recommend this book to the fans of the above as well as fans of Tracy Rees, Kate Morton and Elizabeth Jane Howard

369 pages.

This book is just £1.99 to purchase on kindle, free on kindle unlimited and £3.84 in paperback (at time of review) on Amazon UK which I think is an absolute bargain for this book!!!

Rated 4 /5 (I enjoyed it ) on Goodreads, Instagram, Amazon UK and Amazon US and on over 30 Facebook pages plus my blog on Facebook.

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As World War II rages on across England, Bethany Merston’s life is not what she had expected nor is it the life she wanted for herself. She leaves her destroyed home behind and heads for the Sussex countryside. Her new job as a companion for Alice Summer, resident of Summerhayes House, is sure to be a challenge for her. The beauty of the Summerhayes gardens are long gone, but Bethany still finds them to be amazing. She enjoys strolling through them everyday, and when she meets Lieutenant Jos Kerrigan she realizes that her life is about to change once again. Bethany has so many questions about the history of Summerhayes House and when she finds an old painting in the attic, she begins to uncover the answers she needed but not necessarily the answers she wanted.

This fantastic addition to the Summerhayes House series was just as good as the first book. I was once again transported to the beautiful Sussex countryside and found myself happy to have the escape. Once again I really enjoyed the characters and also felt a connection to them. Life during the war was not easy and there was so much loss, so to read a captivating and encouraging story was uplifting. I really enjoyed the flow of the story, and this book had me hooked from page one. Thank you Merryn Allingham for a wonderful, well written book that I highly recommend.

★★★★★ 4.5 stars (rounded up)

This is the second book following on from "The Girl from Summerhayes" and it is just as good as the first. Following on yet set thirty years later, THE SECRETS OF SUMMERHAYES unravels the secrets that have been long been buried within the now crumbling estate and those that have gone beyond. And although the two follow on from the other, they can suffice as standalones with their own richly woven stories. But together they are like a tapestry of a bigger and more beautiful picture.

In the late spring of 1944, the Canadian army has set up base in the grounds of the Summerhayes estate which is now a crumbling manor surrounded by overgrown gardens. A sorry sight from the grandeur it had formerly enjoyed. Most of the house has been requisitioned by the army but in a small section in an apartment of suites lives the last remaining Summer of Summerhayes. Alice had once been the wife of Joshua Summer, who had built Summerhayes, and the mother of Elizabeth and William. Her former butler, Ripley, lives in one of the attic rooms whilst Bethany Merston was found as a companion for the elderly woman who is now in her eighties, and has her own room in Alice's apartment.

A trained school teacher, Bethany found herself without a job when the school in which she was working in the East End of London was bombed to smithereens in a night raid. The opportunity for a companion to Alice Summer came at just the right time and she was eager to take the position in the Sussex countryside. Her experience does not go astray however as she is soon engaged to teach young Ralph, son of Gilbert Fitzroy of the neighbouring Amberley estate, on every other day so as to not conflict with her care of Alice who is her main priority. But Gilbert finds every opportunity he can to visit Summerhayes whilst trying to entice Bethany to Amberley. But for reason, Beth wonders? He is married though his wife hightailed it to New York as soon as war was declared five year previously and to all intents and purposes shows no sign of returning. Is he looking to replace her? With Beth? Surely not!

Meanwhile, Ralph has taken a liking to one of the Canadians, Eddie Rich, but it is his comrade Lt Jos Kerrigan that has caught Beth's eye. But Jos' heart has been broken and hardened. He did not come to this country to find love but to assist Britain in its fight against Hitler. And Beth is sure he has taken an instant dislike to her though for what reason she doesn't know, so best to keep out of his way. Her job is busy enough with tutoring Ralph and taking care of Alice, who is seemingly more and more distressed with each passing day.

Thirty years ago, Alice's daughter Elizabeth disappeared in the middle of the night to elope with a former employee and has never been seen or heard from again. No one knows where she went and no one has ever heard anything from her since she left. Until now...

Alice has been receiving letters which have remained unsigned but have alluded to a return to Summerhayes. And each letter holds the promise that they will see her soon. Of course Alice is certain that it is her missing daughter Elizabeth. But why has she not written to her mother until now? Why go thirty years with no contact to suddenly announcing her return? With each letter received, Alice gets more and more distressed. She is seeing ghosts of the past at the window and taking falls in her panic and all the while gibbering about a long lost daughter who has long been thought to be dead.

And then one day in the attic a painting is discovered that holds the key to unlocking the secrets of the past...

A richly layered story of long buried secrets and a family feud, THE SECRETS OF SUMMERHAYES is a beautifully woven tale that is both enchanting and atmospheric. There is a dark and mysterious undercurrent that runs throughout as Beth realises she must do all she can to keep Alice safe from whatever sinister whispers are pulling the old woman.

Unlike the first book, this one features the war a little more with the focus on the upcoming invasion and D-Day landings. But it is still only a backdrop to a far bigger and more immersive story. And all that happens on the Summerhayes estate - both past and present - becomes an even bigger backdrop as Beth and Jos delve into the past to uncover the truth of what happened to Alice's daughter all those years ago.

THE SECRETS OF SUMMERHAYES is a completely absorbing and wholly immersive tale that will sweep you up in all its secrets and mysteries. And by the story's end, you will have uncovered what happened in the time between the end of "The Girl from Summerhayes" and its sequel, which is bittersweet and emotive. I had already figured it out long before the halfway mark but that only sweetened the journey. The fun was in watching the others figure it out.

THE SECRETS OF SUMMERHAYES was truly a delight to read, as was "The Girl from Summerhayes" . I thoroughly enjoyed both tales, together and on their own. While I rate them both the same, I think I might have enjoyed this one just a little bit more due to the mystery of Elizabeth's disappearance and what may have happened to her. But overall, a truly wonderful easy read.

I would like to thank #MerrynAllingham, #NetGalley and #Bookouture for an ARC of #TheSecretsOfSummerhayes in exchange for an honest review.

This review appears on my blog at https://stinathebookaholic.blogspot.com/.

After reading the previous book in the series and having mixed feelings about it I wasn't sure whether to start this second book or not. I did and was glad I did.

Like the first book there were good and bad parts. I enjoyed the introduction of Jos and Eddie into the storyline and their descriptions of the Canadian's training and involvement in the war effort. I didn't see the significance of them being Canadian and the link to Summerhayes until half way through the book but others may figure this out sooner!

Like with the first book I did feel there were parts of the story that were not needed. I didn't think Eddie needed to be murdered nor Gilbert be so nasty. I had him sussed out from the start!

Beth and Alice were both such likeable characters. It would have been nice to have tied in more ends from the first book; when did William die, how old was he? How did WW1 affect them all?

I was glad the book ended with happiness although I did feel there were unanswered questions and went looking for book 3 in the series and was disappointed to not find one!

This was such a lovely read, I enjoyed it just as much as the first one. It followed on and really you have to read the first one to understand the characters in the second one. I do hope there is more from this author. My thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book in return for an honest review.

This book was really good and something I could not put down. This story focuses on Bethany and a soldier that helps her find a truth at Summerhayes. So good and definitely recommend to the historical fiction reader. I received this from Bookouture and Netgalley in exchange for my honest opinion.