The Secrets of Saffron Hall is a tale of two mothers, nearly 500 years apart, who share the loss of a loved one. 

Most of the story is given over to Eleanor, a young bride who comes to Saffron Hall following her marriage during King Henry VIII's reign - how she deals with her new life as a married woman, who makes the most of her skills in growing saffron and treating others.

We also learn of Amber, who is trying to get over the loss of her baby, some 500 years after Eleanor was at Saffron Hall. And through uncovering more about Eleanor, Amber learns to deal with her own loss. 

I felt that there was something missing in the story about the reason behind Amber's family being banned from going up the tower.

It was interesting to read about life in Tudor times, and how little say a woman had in those times. 

The story highlighted, at least to me, that the loss of a loved, regardless of when, is a personal and difficult one. 

Thank you to Netgalley and Avon Books for this eARC.

An absolute joy of a Book to read,especially for those who love History , Romance, Woman's social development! It fascinated  me to learn more about the growth of the Saffron Crocus & harvesting of this special & still very valuable spice in England, plus the keeping of a Physic Garden within a normal Household to develop their own Apothecary for treating the ailments within that Household,   where they normally belonged to Monastical Orders. Eleanor's & Amber's close bond over five centuries once Eleanor's Book of Hours is discovered , & how the discovery leads to healing for both Women. 
This is a Book I will buy to have on my Bookshelf & recommend to both Family members & Friends , & it is a Book that will be good to read again at some point too.

I am not sure what to say, except I loved this book. I started reading it last night and finished it this afternoon. I could not put it down. I love the author's writing style, and the plot was just perfect. the way the past was intertwined with the present, made me not put the book down until it was finished. 
A young grieving mother who finds a mystery from another young mother 500 years later, a tale of love, loss and finally closure. five stars.

Beautifully written and descriptive historical novel. I loved the way it was interwoven alongside a story from modern day but the writing style set them clearly apart. Two strong women hundreds of years apart unravel and reveal the secrets of Saffron Hall. A great story and most enjoyable to read.

The story is told in two time frames. 1538 and 2019 five centuries apart. The story which we read in present times is an eerie similarity to what went on five centuries before and you do kind of think that there is much more to life than what actually meets the eye.

Saffron Hall is a crumbling manor house lived in by Amber's grandfather. Amber after a miscarriage almost at the end of a normal pregnancy has fled to her family home as she cannot bear to live in the house with her husband who is also grieving but who seems to be able to cope better with the emotional trauma of this loss.

Amber's reason for being there at Saffron Hall is to deal with the enormous collection of books that are lying around, to archive it and to bring it to some sense of order. Discovering an ancient manuscript when one tower of the Hall comes down, reveals a story that Amber feels compelled to follow. She feels that Eleanor is trying to tell her a story about the child she carried which died, and which was never properly buried. Trying to unravel this piece of history and bring it to completion is what Amber feels will also bring peace to herself and a reconciliation with her husband. Till this is resolved, she is determined not to leave Saffron Hall.

The story alternating between two centuries is a poignant one in both time frames. Both Eleanor and Saffron suffered immensely from their loss and both had to come to peace before they could move forward.

First I would like to say thank you to Clare Marchant, Netgalley, and Avon Books UK for allowing me to read this novel. 

I am not one who usually enjoys reading novels with great time-jumps; for example 500 years ago to today. I think it’s hard for people in the present to relate to the past, as the conditions, beliefs, and everyday life is so different. Often the lives of the main characters seem to be parallel to each other, even though they are separated by centuries. They experience everything the same, and are merely separated by time. So, needless to say when I first read the synopsis I was skeptical. And by the end I was pleasantly surprised. 
I absolutely love a Tudor story that takes place from away from the court. There aren’t many out there with this perspective. This story unfolds at a country manor, in Norfolk; the only mention of court is when Eleanor’s husband returns home or sends her a letter from his position in the household of Queen Catherine Howard. This perspective is full of possibilities, and Marchant takes full advantage of that. From her beautiful descriptions of Amber’s grandfather’s dusty old library, to the golden fields of saffron swaying in the breeze, the reader floats effortlessly between these two worlds.  
Her characters are fully-developed and I quickly became invested in their stories. In fact, I had a lot of trouble putting this book down; having to know how/if the incident in the previous chapter was resolved, before I would let myself move on to the tasks I needed to complete. I will say I do wish Marchant would have carried the story on so I could know if Eleanor and her family made it to France, or if they were captured by the King’s  men. 

*****This section below was not included in public reviews*****

There were two things in the book that I was not crazy about. 
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1. There is a metaphor used where’s lines on the character’s face make it appear to be “quilted.” I understand what the writer is going for, but I don’t feel that metaphor works. 

2. After agonizing over Amber not being him and shutting him out, Johnathan sends Amber the letter about separating permanently, but when they meet the next day or so and she says okay I know I was wrong to shut you out and want to stay together he just says okay. It is not believable that after he has become so frustrated to the point of giving up that he would just say ok as if nothing happened. To me he should have asked m, are you sure this is what you want to do? He should have showed some hesitation before just giving in. 

Overall, I think this is a great novel and I would certainly recommend it!

The secret of Saffron Hall by Clare Marchant
 What a great book by Clare Marchant. This is the first novel I have read by this author. The Secret of Saffron Hall is excellent book.  I love anything about the Tudor and this was right up my alley.  The book is written it two different time periods 2019 and 1538.  You will love Amber and Eleanor and the struggle they each have. Sometime I struggle with reading a book in this format, but it was very easy to follow along. If I could describe it I would say it's a book about is love, grief and intrigue. 

I recommend this book to family and friends through Facebook, Amazon, Goodreads, Bookbud and Barnes and Noble.

I gave a 5 out of 

I received this book from netgalley and was under no obligation to write a review. All thoughts and opinions are mine and mine alone.

I received an ARC of this book from @netgalley. 

I absolutely adored this book!!! There wasn’t a thing that I didn’t love. The dual timeline, the strong feline leads, the mystery. 

I love the connection between Eleanor and Amber. I love how it touched on an issue that is faced even today. I love how Amber was relatable in her grief. 

This is a solid 5 star read.

I really enjoyed this book, set between characters living in the Middle Ages and current time. I preferred if the story of Eleanor was longer. The story was an easy read and descriptive with colourful details. I really enjoyed the book.

First, thank you NetGalley, Clare Marchant, and Avon Books UK for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review!

To be honest, I wanted to read this book solely because of the gorgeous cover. Didn't read a single word of the blurb. So, I was pleasantly surprised to see it's composed of two things I adore in a good read: Tudor history and a dual timeline. The story follows Eleanor in the time of Henry VIII (which honestly, already tells us something terrible is going to happen to her given the s***show his later existence was), and Amber in today's time. Both have experienced the same loss, so Amber feels a sort of bond with this ancestor of hers after finding her diary. Pretty soon she realizes a mystery has been in the works for the past 500 years or so, and off she goes to solve it. What she ends up solving is not only Eleanor's secret, but she faces a few things in her own life.

First, the good: Marchant does an excellent job of transporting you to her characters' lives. I could easily imagine the people, scenery, even the smell of the saffron so vividly described. I was obsessed with reading Eleanor's portions - couldn't get to them fast enough, and couldn't read them fast enough. Which would probably explain how I
managed to read the last 60% of the book in a couple hours. What started off (for me anyway) as two whiny, selfish, unlikeable characters ended up with me empathizing with them. Character development was great for the most part (a few HUH?? moments which I'll get to in a minute) so you feel for them when you're supposed to feel the things.

Now the not-as-good: Did I mention I didn't like Eleanor and Amber for a good portion of the book? I get Amber is grieving a miscarriage and people who are grieving can have some pretty challenging moments. But this girl was nasty, manipulative, and just selfish. Maybe I'm being too hard on her but it annoyed me enough that I put the book down several times for days at a time. I found myself speed-reading-maybe-a-little-skimming over her parts. Eleanor just confused the heck out of me once. She's managing her new household on her own for months at a time, and suddenly she realizes she's in love with her husband. Her husband who's gone for ... months at a time. How did that happen?? WHEN did that happen?? It would've been nice to see that part play out a little more, since Marchant made such a huge deal out of how terrified she'd been of their wedding night, and guarded against him in general. The other odd thing I found was how differently I could like two timelines written by the same author. Like I said earlier, I couldn't get to Eleanor's story fast enough, and couldn't finish Amber's fast enough. It was almost like two different people wrote them, but obviously you know that didn't happen. An epilogue would've been a great way to end the book. I could see this easily having a sequel.

Overall I really enjoyed it and recommend it. I suspect my reaction to Amber might be different if I read this again at a later date, in a different time in my life.

Thank you to Avon Books UK for granting my wish to read this book - my thoughts are my own and not influenced by the gift.

I enjoy reading time slip novels and thoroughly enjoyed this one. The two time periods were both interesting but I enjoyed the Tudor time period the most. A very impressive debut novel and I'm looking forward to reading more by Clare Marchant in the future.

Two women 500 years apart but joined in the grief of a lost baby.  I loved this book. Historical fiction is my favourite genre and this linked the story of 16th century Eleanor with present day Amber.  I read this book in 2 sittings as I found it hard to put down (I would have read it in 1 if I'd started earlier in the day).   The historical detail, clearly well researched, intertwining real people with fictional characters is clever and Eleanor's story alone kept me interested and engaged.  I hope there's a sequel. I can't wait to read it.

I really enjoyed this book. It was well written with strong characters that takes you back in time and gives you some insight into English history. I often find that time slip novels can be somewhat confusing with the jumping back and forth, however the past and present mesh well in this story, and the pages kept turning as I was so intrigued with story.
I would definitely recommend this book to fans of historical novels.

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

This was a wonderful book. I was hooked right from the beginning. This story takes place in two time periods, the 1540s and 2019. In the present, Amber is staying with her grandfather at his home, Saffron Hall, trying to heal from the loss of her baby daughter, Saffron. She just cannot bear to be at her home and although she loves her husband, she just needs to heal on her own. Her grandfather, gives her the task of cataloging his many books as he is a retired book seller, thinking this will give her time to heal her heart. Lightening strikes the tower of Saffron hall and unearths an ancient book of prayers. Amber gets caught up in this book and the inscription in the front which makes her think she was meant to find this book and to figure out what the author wants her to help with.  The past, is about 17 year old Eleanor, who is married off to an older man when her father dies and moves to his home, Milfleet. It follows her life during trying times in the age of Henry VIII as her husband strives to get in the kings favour and improve his station in life.

It was a great book which easily moves between the past and the present. I very much enjoyed the book but found myself more intrigued with the past story. The description of how saffron is grown and extracted was wonderful, I could almost smell it. 

This is the first book I have read by this author but it will not be the last.

The story was historical and mysterious at the same time. I like reading both Eleanor and Amber's lives. Just like Amber, I was very interested in Eleanor's life. As she read her passages in her book of hours, I was able to get a grasp of how she lived. Eleanor was more interesting since she grew Saffron and her life was different from the modern age. I also like that with her strength she was able to get the respect of her household. She made medicine and gave it freely. As for her faith, she was a devoted Catholic. It never changed and this has saved her and her family in the end. This story deserves a 4 star rating. I liked it and the concept. It started as a sad one which dampened my mood. However, by the end, it was good to see Amber moving forward. The journey of Amber realizing that it was selfish of her to own pain was eventful. It was nice to read that something from the past could heal the present. I also liked the Lutton's family motto which is "While I breathe, I hope". It could be used as a positive reminder for everyone who is feeling lost and sad.

The story is gorgeous and addictive.
It's told from two points of view, one starting in 1538 and the other in 2019; both by women who are trying to escape grief. Both are beautiful, strong and absorbing stories with fearless but fragile leading ladies.
1538- Elinor is married off to a man nearly twice her age just days after her fathers death and her amazing stories tells of how with determination and ambition she makes a full life for herself.
2019- Amber is consumed with grief and has hidden herself away at her family home with her Grandfather. As she discovers Elinor's story and solves the mysteries, she herself begins to heal.

Both stories are a testament to love, loss, patience and perseverance.
If you're lucky you'll reap the rewards but sometimes, however hard you try or as much as you deserve it, circumstance (and Henry VIII) have other ideas!  

The Secrets of Saffron Hall was full of strong characters, my favourites being Elinor and Greville.

A fantastic debut, I'll be watching for more by Clare Marchant.

This book is absolutely incredible and moving. Every time I picked up "The Secrets of Saffron Hall"  I was whisked away, and went on an amazing and emotional journey. ⁣
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This is the first book I have read by Clare Marchant, and I hope there will be many more! Her writing is beautiful and vivid, and she truly knows how to bring the worlds to life. She seamlessly blends history and fiction. The way she unfolds and connects the layers of these stories is brilliant. As the reader, I was drawn in from the first page to the last, and I felt like I was a part of these characters lives. ⁣
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The two main characters, Amber and Eleanor, are both strong, courageous, and kind women. Eleanor lives in the Tudor Era, and at 17 is married to a man she barely knows. Amber lives in 2019, and she and her husband have just suffered a devastating tragedy. Without spoiling anything, though born almost 500 years apart, they have much in common. Their lives and stories are connected in more ways than one, and you will just have to read to find out how. ⁣
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Every single character in this book, whether seen or discussed helped to move the plot forward. Each characters’ personality was so well written and thought out. Their fears, desires, and griefs were beautifully communicated to me as the reader, and my heart broke with them at times, yet certainly smiled with them at others. Each part of “Saffron Hall” became a character in its own way to me too. ⁣
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This book has so much in it: it is intriguing, heartbreaking at times, extremely hopefully in others, and much more. Many moments had me on the edge of my seat holding my breath to see what would happen next, and I absolutely could not put this book down. ⁣
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If you enjoy historical fiction and / or dual-timeline novels, I highly recommend this book. ⁣Watching the various puzzle pieces of connection fit together was such a moving experience. And as a history lover, I enjoyed those aspects as well! 
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Thank you so much to NetGalley and Avon Books UK for the ARC of this novel, I so enjoyed reading it. All opinions expressed in this review are my own. ⁣
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Please Note: This book does explore some heavy topics, and I believe the author handles them with great respect.

This is a dual timeline story, following the lives of two women living a quincentenary apart, but with a thread of shared experience that somehow binds them across the centuries. In the early sixteenth century, Eleanor is a young girl, reluctantly married but making a go of her new life at her husband’s grand house in Norfolk, growing saffron to increase his fortunes. It is a time of great upheaval in the country, as Henry VIII enacts the Act of Supremacy and begins to dissolve the monasteries. In current times, Amber has suffered an earth-shattering upheaval of her own, and goes off to hide at her family’s long-time home, Saffron Hall, where her future becomes inextricably linked with Eleanor’s past.

The author handles the dual timeline brilliantly, expertly weaving the two stories together, so it is easy to follow whose story we are in, and how the one is feeding in to the other. She gives both women a strong, defined character and an equally important and well-developed storyline, so the novel feels well balanced and satisfying in both timelines. I was equally invested in the fates of both women, and completely sold on the idea that Amber’s future happiness, in her head at least, depended on her resolving the puzzle of Eleanor’s past.

This novel deals with a very difficult subject matter and, as someone who has been through this experience herself, I found the author dealt with it sensitively and with great understanding and tenderness and honesty. Whilst it did bring back some difficult memories, it left me moved and comforted, rather than distraught, and I would not have wanted to be put off reading it, although I suppose some who have been through the experience more recently and for whom the issue is more raw, may want to proceed with caution.

The author brings the life of the sixteenth century vividly to life in this book, and I became completely lost in the daily existence of Eleanor’s household and her duties and cares. It is a historical period that is rich in happenings and excitement and Clare mines them expertly and cleverly to provide the tension in the book. If you know any of the history of this period, the introduction of one character to the narrative will set alarm bells ringing, and you will be waiting for the fallout to ripple through the narrative. Clare has been very clever with the way she has woven real historical figures with fiction in the text, and I was almost reading the last part of the book from behind a metaphorical cushion, waiting for the inevitable. It is hard to get someone on tenterhooks when they almost feel like they know what is coming, so I take my hat off to this author that she managed it.

This is a vivid, moving, evocative story with a hint of the supernatural, and I absolutely loved it. It is a must-read for fans of the time period, and for a great, dual timeline story. Excellent work.

I received an ARC from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

I was drawn to the premise of The Secrets of Saffron Hall, due to my love of all things Tudor. And in that regard, my expectations were satisfied. The Tudor portion of the book is engaging and feels true to the period, with its great rewards for those in favor, but the lingering fear of the fates of those who fall out of it.

I was engrossed in Eleanor’s day-to-day life as she runs the home and grows saffron while her husband is away, and while the Saffron element did sometimes feel a bit repetitive, I more or less enjoyed her perspective of the tense times, especially given the events going on in the background: the religious persecutions, executions, and Henry’s shifting interest between wives (mourning Jane Seymour, the reluctant marriage to Anne of Cleves and annulment, and his ill-fated marriage to Catherine Howard). 

I found Amber’s chapters less interesting, aside from the supplemental information about the book. There were some good elements there for her, like dealing with grief following a stillbirth, but I still found it harder to become invested in her storyline as much as I did Eleanor’s.

This is still a fairly good book, and one I would recommend to fans of dual timeline historical novels.

Thank you NetGalley, Clare Marchant, and Avon books for the opportunity to read this book!

I love Tudor history. Who doesn’t? It is such an intriguing time period to study. The Secrets of Saffron Hall by Clare Marchant is a dual timeline that takes place during the reign of Henry VIII and also the year 2019. In 2019, Amber is staying with her Grandfather at his old home called Saffron Hall. She is archiving his massive book collection, even though the real reason she is there is to try to deal with her grief. While there she discovers an old prayer book that belonged to a woman named Eleanor from 500 years before. This book links their lives together in more ways than one. In 1538, Eleanor’s father dies and she is married off to a merchant by her cousin. She takes with her saffron crocus bulbs gifted to her from the local monks. While her husband rises is favor at the court of King Henry VIII, Eleanor makes a successful saffron crop that increases their favor. But if anyone knows anything about Henry VIII, his favor never lasts forever.

Yes. Yes. Yes. When I think of a Tudor historical fiction…this is what I want. We have enough books where the sole focus is on Henry VIII. His infamous wives have been done to death. (No pun intended.) I do love Tudor history, but a few years ago, the publishing industry was absolutely saturated with Tudor historical fiction and quite honestly, I got a little burnt out. This is coming from someone who studied Tudor history in London. But this book renewed my love for the period genre. The dual timeline is very well-done. The stories flow together and are intricately entwined. Then there is the added mystery. In 1538, readers are learning about Eleanor’s life. In 2019, we are working with Amber to solve Eleanor’s mystery. I love it when the timelines play off of each other perfectly.

Then there are the characters. Both deal with grief, and even though 500 years separates them, they can still relate to one another. TRIGGER WARNING. This book does go into detail about miscarriage and stillbirth and the grief process. Having gone through that process myself, I thought the author did a great job of capturing the despair and depression.

If I had one complaint…I would have liked an epilogue. BUT I did enjoy the whole novel. The book releases TOMORROW, August 6th! So go check it out! This book gets 5 out of 5 stars from me!