I was drawn to the cover of The Secrets of Saffron Hall, only to find much more to the story. The novel features two women (probably related), one in the 1500's, the other in present day. We go back and forth between their individual story lines, discovering how they are tied together and what their "secrets" are. We are introduced to society of the 1500's, and in particular, Henry VIII's court. You know there is going to be some craziness when Henry VIII is involved! I loved reading about the history of the time and learned a lot about ancient medications and how they were made........all in a very understandable reading style. This book is for those who love historical fiction as well as women's fiction and mystery. Thank you to Netgalley for this free ebook in exchange for an honest review.

Two women. Five centuries apart.  1538: New bride Eleanor impresses her husband by growing saffron, a spice more valuable than gold. His reputation in Henry VIII's court soars- but fame and fortune come at a price, for the Kings favour will not last forever. 

2019: when Amber discovers an ancient book in her grandfather's home at Saffron Hall,  the contents reveal a dark secret from the past. As she investigates, she unravels a forgotten tragic story. 

Amber is grieving the stillbirth of her daughter and leaves her husband and moves in with her grandfather to catalogue his book collection. That's when she finds Eleanors book. This is a well researched book. The characters are endearing. It could be a little repetitive at times. I would have liked to have known more of what had happened to Eleanor and her family. I liked the mystery surrounding this this story. This is an intriguing, heart breaking but also heart warming book to read. It kept my interest throughout. 

I would like to thank NetGalley, Avon Books UK and the author Clare Marchant for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.

What a magnificent story.

The author has written this book with a truly fascinating amount of depth to the settings, the characters and the historical facts. Every time I picked it up I was immediately transported into the worlds of Eleanor and Amber. My heart is still thumping at the race to finish it this morning! It is going to stay with me for a long time.

The story is written along two timelines, in the 1500’s with Henry XIII on the throne we enter the life of Eleanor who at 17 has lost her father, and then her male cousin moves in to take over her home with his family, marrying off Eleanor to an older man who’s wife has died in childbirth. She has to move to his home which is a very long journey on horseback. She takes with her some crocus bulbs and a huge amount of knowledge given to her by her friends at the monastery she visited frequently. Her intention is to grow the crocus bulbs and produce saffron. She is terrified of this new life which has been decided for her but is strong willed and intends to make it work.

The second storyline is set in 2019 where Amber has recently lost her baby and come to stay with her grandfather in Saffron Hall to catalogues his hundreds of books, many of which have been untouched in the hall for hundreds of years. 

She finds what she thinks is a diary, sitting on a shelf in a room which is never used and wrapped in some very old fabric. It appears to have been untouched for years. She begins to read it and becomes obsessed with translating the Latin and uncovering the secrets it holds. As she translates the entries we are taken back to Eleanor and the circumstances surrounding the entry. Amber believes Eleanor is asking her to do something before she can finally be at rest, often feeling Eleanor’s presence.

This is a must read for fans of historical fiction based around known facts.

Thank you very much to NetGalley and Avon Books UK for an advance copy of the book in return for an honest review.

Overall, I enjoyed this. I was particularly gripped by Eleanor's story. I felt Amber's story only served as a means to discover Eleanor's story. I didn't feel like I connected with Amber. I can't believe she left her husband the way she did - for a year! I don't think her character was as developed as Eleanor's. I wouldn't have minded if the whole book had been about Eleanor. Although the ending was okay, I would have liked to have found out what happened to Eleanor in the end, but perhaps there's another book on the way. With thanks to NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I love this cover! This book has dual time lines and I thought each one was interesting. The story was heartbreakingly sad at times. It’s also a story of hope too.
I really enjoyed the story and think historical fiction fans will like it too.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the early copy

It was an interesting read, moving between Tudor times and recent times. The Tudor narrative was good but felt a a little too formal at times. The story is good and captivating however the end left me wanting more. We go through this journey with Eleanor and there isn’t much closure at the end. It felt it could do with explaining some link between Eleanor and Amber. 

Editors: chapter 17, surely it should say “Amber wakes up” and not Eleanor since we are in present times?
Also is “Deo gratias” and not gratis which is not even Latin

The cover first caught my attention and I was intrigued. When I read it had a dual timelines I had to read it. The Secrets of Saffron hall is about two women living centuries apart and struggling with there own life battles. There are many struggles for the two women and mysteries that unfold that bring the two stories together. I really enjoyed both timelines and didn't favour one over the other. Clare did a great job in keeping both stories interesting. I absolutely loved this book and will look out for the next one.

I was initially drawn to this book because dual timeframe stories are my absolute favourite and I am pleased to say The Secrets of Saffron Hall did disappoint. 

Two strong storylines, set 500 years apart, featuring likeable female characters both living with their own challenges.  I was envious of Amber’s discovery - I couldn’t wait to see what might unfold as the detail from the prayer book was revealed and I thoroughly enjoyed Eleanor’s character development, which saw her growing from a vulnerable nervous young girl to a strong confident woman, not afraid to take charge and take risks when it was needed. 

A great read, with historical elements well-researched. All I need now is a sequel please! I think there’s definitely more to Amber and Eleanor - were they actually related, how did the rest of Eleanor’s life play out? We got a sneak peek of Amber’s future and it looked rosy but does she get her happy ending?  I’ve made my own theories!

Brilliant summer read 
Just love these books with a mystery set centuries before present day and resolved in present time.
Well researched and loved the way the two heroines are linked
Has a whole gamete of emotions 
Can’t recommend it enough

Before anything else, I want to wish our author @Clare Marchant good luck for her upcoming book. 

Now about the book:
 Well, this book is about two beautiful women, Elenor and Amber. But both of them belong from two different centuries! 1538 and 2019. Elenor’s story starts in 1538 at a village in england, when she was 17 years old. After her beloved father’s death, her cousin fixed her marriage to a rich older and widowed man Greville who works for the king(merchant) without asking her state of mind. Then her life’s major ups and downs begin! 
Whereas, Amber lost her daughter during(or before) birth in 2019 , her story also starts with grieving. She decided to take a break from her usual life and her husband Jonathan, then she moved to her grandpa’s house, which is an old hall or you can say mansion with loads of history, named “Saffron Hall”. This place is really close to her heart that's why she named her daughter Saffron! Now one day she found a prayer book(like a diary), which was centuries old! Amber, who is an archivist finally got something to forget about her loss but the story is not that simple. The prayer book actually belongs to Elenor! TADAAAAAA! 
NOW THE MYSTERY BEGINS!!! What is the connection between them?? Is there any?
(Well yeah!!) To find out what, you have to read the book my dear! Because I don't give spoilers! I AM A GOOD GIRL!!

My thoughts:
 Well I felt AMAZING!!! I also once lived in an old palace with loads of mystery and always wished “one day I will “ find something like this, a diary or anything but sadly that never happened! While reading this, those memories got alive again! God! It was awesome…
This book has pain, love, history, mystery, questions, all together! I was stuck with this book for a few days!  People seriously need to read this. Definitely !!
 
Thank you @Clare Marchant for this amazing book and thank you @Avonbooks for giving me the opportunity to read it.
The book is releasing on Aug 6th, 2020. Do read it!

A beautifully written dual story of the lives of Eleanor and Amber , and their connection to Saffron Hall. I was quickly drawn into the emotional stories of both women; Eleanor's story of grief then finding love, and Amber struggling out of the haze of grief to try and re-find love again. The history element was fascinating and links to the court of Henry VIII very realistic. A must for all historical fiction fans.

I loved this book so much! I love a dual timeline historical fiction, and this book takes place during my favourite time period- Tudor England! This also included a bit of historical mystery, which I love!
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I was immersed in the story of both the main characters-Amber and Eleanor. Amber is dealing with grief and goes to live with her grandfather in Saffron Hall to help catalogue his collection of books so that she can get away and take a moment to grapple with her grief. Through her work, she finds something that connects to someone in the 1500s England, that might connect to her family home, Saffron Hall. Now, moving to Eleanor, she was such a fierce and strong character. She is forced to leave her family home to live in her new husbands household, but the brings Saffron to the new home and completely changes the identity of the Hall and helps with her husbands merchants business. I loved both of these characters so much and they were strong female characters.
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This book takes place during a very turbulent time in history, when Henry Tudor broke away from the Catholic Church in order to divorce his first wife and marry his second. People in England have a tough time with this change, because their religion played a large role in their lives and the monasteries play a large role in society, which we can see through Eleanor's experiences.
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Overall, this was a great book if you love historical fiction!

Wow what a first book. Many congratulations!!  It started off slowly but the characters built with each chapter and I loved learning more about each different one. And so wonderfully described. I felt I was in that tower sorting out the saffron. And the link into the current day was so well done. I was in tears at the end. I loved it

I found this book enjoyable, it is not a deep serious read though and I engaged little with the characters. For me the clash of modern and Tudor was a bit too much. Some parts were very funny, which I’m not sure was the authors intention but as I said it was, for me, a fun, light summer  read.

I really enjoyed this book. It has the dual time Lines i really like in a historical fiction book. It had strong Main characters that i fell inn love with. And i just needed to read one more chapter just one more chapter. Thank you to netgalley for letting me read this e arc

I love historical fiction and was excited to read this book, I found it absolutely charming, especially as I live in Kings Lynn, which was mentioned many times throughout the book.
I enjoyed how the historical sections were intertwined with the modern day scenes via the Prayer book.
The secrets were enthralling and I found the book absolutely gripping to read. Emotional at times, I found myself willing Amber on with her mission, not only to help her grandfather but to overcome her own heartbreak and for her to start embracing her life once more. 
Such a beautiful story,that is  told with such clarity and intricate  details, that led to me becoming completely  absorbed into the happenings at Saffron Hall and especially with the lives and losses of the two women that lived there, one who was from the Hall’s past and one who is its future mistress.

Many thanks to Net Galley, Avon Books UK and the author for a chance to read and review this book. All opinions are expressed voluntarily.

To begin with, that gorgeous cover that had me requesting the book without even checking the blurb. And then my favorite genre of dual time story that had me in heaven.

The Secrets of Saffron Hall is the story of 2 women spanning centuries who fights against unbearable grief and then learn to live with that pain making them that much stronger and tougher to face life.

Eleanor at 17 in 1538 is married by her guardian to Greville Richard Lutton, a wealthy merchant looking to move into the exalted circle of the King’s men. Her only dowry is the bulbs of crocus that is given to her by the priests of the Priory to which Eleanor is infinitely attached. Eleanor and her faithful friend and companion Joan begin a new life in Milfleet, growing into the responsibilities of being a mother to Greville’s 3 yr old child, and as the new mistress of the hall. Each and every change in her life with the birth of Henry, adopting the young mute boy Thomas, bringing her husband riches and value in the form of the saffron she cultivates in the fields, Eleanor has her hands full. It is also the time in history when the King ordered the closure of abbeys and monasteries thus leading to daring acts of courage and bravery.

Amber in 2019, recovering from a traumatic event has taken refuge at her family estate called Saffron Hall cataloguing her grandfather’s immense collection of books. When a Book of hours is discovered in a tower room abandoned by the family for centuries, Amber becomes intrigued and begins the search for answers about her family history and the significance of the name Saffron.

There’s a gentle flow to the story that lures the reader in, a tug at your heart as the story of both women unfolds thru each and every page. The secret that is revealed is not much of a mystery as it is easy to guess the direction it is leading to. But the sense of the era thru Eleanor’s story was brilliant and fans of historical fiction are really going to be overjoyed reading this tale.

The slow and painful process of struggling with grief and finding a semblance of peace to never let go of hope has been described beautifully. I loved the gentle pacing of love between Amber and Jonathan and the space and distance that they both struggle to overcome.

A beautifully written tale of 2nd chances and not forgetting to live!


DUM SPIRO SPERO, while I breathe, I hope

I loved this book and the women who are at the heart of the story.
It's a well written, engrossing and entertaining book with great characters and a plot that kept me hooked.
Strongly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

This is one of those books with 2 timelines explored in parallel.   One is the present day and the second relates to the Book of Hours with journal entries which is found when lightning damages Saffron Hall.  The earlier part of the story is set during the dissolution of the monasteries, when Henry VIII was wresting power from the church.  These were exciting and dangerous times when one had to be careful about the company one kept, but had to develop friendships in order to "get on", particularly at court.  One of the morals of the tale is to be careful what you wish for.
This is an interesting and well written novel with a wealth of historical detail.

A beautifully constructed tale dealing with parallel stories of Eleanor and Amber who live 5 centuries apart. The reader is engaged from the first chapter with Amber retreating to her grandfather’s home, the Saffron Hall  of the title and her involvement in sorting out his library and the discovery of a beautiful ancient Book when a storm hits the tower of the property. Eleanor the reluctant bride who is turned out of her home with only the crocus bulbs from the monks at the nearby abbey settles into a desolate landscape where she is now the step-mother to her husband’s little daughter. Whilst Eleanor lives in the sixteenth century and Amber in 2019, each has similar feelings and sadness and how the stories lead to a discovery is carefully crafted. A great read and it begs for another book on Eleanor’s life after Saffron Hall!  Excellent - had to read it in one go!