I have had this book on my shelf for some time and hadn’t started it as I felt it may be a bit dry.  How wrong I was.  The book was beautifully written and the 2 storylines were absolutely superb. The storytelling was faultless and very moving. If I could award more than 5 stars I would. It would have been fantastic to find out what happened to Eleanor but I can understand the need to stop her story where it did.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers who allowed me the opportunity to read this excellent book.  I really hope the author writes more.  I cannot believe it is her first novel.

Completely incomparable! The writing style is profound with articulate blends of the two different but similar stories.
This was a wonderful novel, very rich in character and history. I could literally see the events through the eyes of the two heroines.

Simply magnificent

I am a huge fan of dual time period novels, especially set in Tudor times. This was a wonderful addition to the genre. I first saw it advertised on a Facebook group page for historical and time slip novels that I belong to and then was delighted to see it as a pick on Netgalley.

This is the 1st novel that I have read of Clare Marchant, but will not be the last. The story follows Amber in the present. She is assisting her grandfather with the cleaning of the family home, Saffron Hall and mourning the death of her infant daughter. One evening a violent storm literally hits the tower of the hall and when the workmen examine the damage, they find a Tudor book of hours that they pass onto Amber.  

In the past we have Eleanor, the educated, much loved daughter who is left orphaned and alone when her father dies. His estate is inherited by a cousin and the cousin’s not very likable wife. They arrange to marry Eleanor off to a wealthy widower with his own estate and young daughter. Eleanor is given crocuses by the monks who lived in the monastery by her childhood home and decides to grow saffron at her new home. Not an easy task. 

The story goes between the past and the present smoothly and the mystery is well done. I liked the past story a bit better than the modern, but that is usually the case with me and dual time line stories. The characters were likeable, well drawn and the story kept my interest. I recommend this book for any readers who love dual time stories with a bit of mystery, ghostliness and history mixed in. I look forward to future books from Clare Marchant as she has a great way of drawing the reader into another world. 

Thank you to Netgalley, Avon books and Clare Marchant for the chance to read and review this book.

Two women. Five centuries apart.
One life-changing secret about to be unearthed…

Elenor and Amber share a connection with each other and help each other out despite being 500 years apart. 

Personally, The Secrets Of Saffron Hall wasn’t for me. But if you are a fan of historical/mystery fiction, you should check this out.

Past and present weave together to tell the story of Saffron Hall as well as some of its inhabitants. Eleanor (past) and Amber (present) share bonds of joy and sadness as each learned to deal with the blows life gave them. This story touched me in a way few books do and I would love to see a sequel. The diary might have ended but that is not the end of Eleanor's story nor Amber's. I would definitely read more by this author but not sure if eBook is the best way to enjoy this particular story because the typesetting didn't align properly and parts were difficult to read because of it.

Wow, what a story. I read till four a.m. The author used two timelines one from 1541 and the other in
2019. Eleanor is seventeen, her father has died, her uncle has come to claim the castle. He also arranged a marriage for her with someone she had never met.  While in 2019 Amber has come to live with her grandfather at Saffron Hall. Her husband is a vicar in town and she is an archivist at the university but she needed time away. I love the story Eleanor fell in love with her husband eventually and Amber loved her husband but a tragic event has overtaken them. There are a few surprises along with happy and sad occasions.  I must admit the tears flowed a couple of times. I had hoped for an epilogue after everything. Eleanor lived during the time of Henry the eighth and that was a turbulent time. There are a lot of similarities between the two women.
The characters and the descriptions of the surrounding area were wonderful. Both in Ixworth and 
Norfolk. The author used her words quite effectively to make things come to life. 
I received this ARC from Net Galley and voluntarily reviewed this marvelous book.

This story begins in 1541 with the sad death of a new born child. Her mother Eleanor leaves a message in her prayer book but it is not until 2019 that the message is finally read. It is found by Amber, another young mother who has lost a child. At first we think Amber is feeling her own pain rather than a ghostly presence in the Hall. As the story switches between the lives of both the two women it becomes obvious why Amber has been chosen to solve the mystery. Saffron Hall has been home to both of them and there is family connection between them. 
At first this is an enjoyable mystery but the destruction of the monasteries by Henry V11 brings danger to Eleanor and just as Amber reunites with her vicar husband another tragedy for Eleanor unfolds. Her husband Greville is working at court for one of Katherine Howards lovers and he sadly dies under torture as one of the men who have surrounded her.
This is an entertaining novel with characters that are easy to sympathise with. The Tudor part of story is well researched and believable. This is an enjoyable read for anyone who likes historical mysteries.

This book was awesome! The duo timeline was just perfect!
Henry is certainly a very interesting character. He has fascinated me down through the years and I very much appreciate this book.
This author has brought to life what it might have been like during the reign of Henry the 8th. A tyrant was he. I felt sorry for the women in his life. 
You certainly had to watch your back with this king and do your best not to fall out of favor with him.
This is best part of the book!
The secrets of the past kept me interested until the book was finished. 
Amber is in the modern day and I while I could relate to Amber as she grieves a family member. It's hard truly hard but time has a way of healing or does it?
The details in this book made feel like I was in the story with the characters and I felt their fears, grief and the things they wanted out of life. 
This story certainly deserves five stars and more!
I hated to say goodbye and when this book comes out in print I want to add this to my keeper shelf. It's a must in my book!
My thanks to Netgalley for a complimentary copy of this book. I was NOT required to write a positive review and all opinions are my own.

To be honest I was first drawn to this book by the fact it was 2 stories in different ages being told simultaneously, very much in the Lucinda Riley style of the Seven Sisters series which I really enjoyed, so I was expecting a poor man's version of this. What I found however was something that day surpassed my expectations, and if I'm being honest, was better than the Lucinda Riley series due to not having needless swearing and sex scenes in it. This story was more an emotional rollercoaster where you felt each woman's pain off the circumstances they'd been found in, and in particular Amber's story was all the more heartbreaking due to knowing what was happening in the country at that time, so I was on the edge of my seat knowing where the story could end up but not knowing if/when it would affect her. I am definitely going to be looking out for further books by this author as I really devoured this one

Two women, centuries apart, find a connection. A good book overall, but did tend to skim at times. Would still recommend this book though, A good summer read,

In “The Secrets of Saffron Hall” by Claire Merchant, the intertwined stories of Eleanor during the reign of Henry VIII and modern-day Amber bring a gripping story of love and loss in the setting of a beautiful ancient British Hall. The tower is a landmark feature and a focus to bringing this story to life. I loved reading about the cultivation of crocuses that make the prized saffron spice and how each woman lived in her respective time and station in the same place. The characters in this book are ones that you want to get to know and the author brings them and their thoughts and feelings alive very well. 
This book kept me going until the very end. If anything, I wanted more detail at the end and was surprised at the sudden ending. I do not want to give away any spoilers, but I wanted a bit more resolution to one of the character’s stories. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and highly recommend it to others. 
Thank you to NetGalley and AvonUK for the opportunity to read this ARC. My review is my own thoughts on the book and are not influenced by the receipt of the ARC.

I’m torn on this book. Normally I love dual timeline historical fiction novels, but this one started off really slow for me. It is very well written and researched (the historical part takes place during the time of Henry VIII and Catherine Howard) but I just did not care very much about the characters in either timeline or mysteries. I can see I’m in the minority based on other reviews, but this book just wasn’t engaging enough for me. Thank you Avon UK for e-arc!

I love a good historical novel and this definitely fit the bill. It has a dual timeline which I loved and i found it to be a compelling and interesting read.

DUM SPIRO SPERO (Latin for - while I breathe, I hope) 

On starting this historical novel by Claire Marchant, my curiosity was piqued and I continued reading. I am new to this genre and still unsure it is for me. I wanted my review to be about how this book is written and not about what the book is about, which can be gleaned from the back cover. 

Commencing in 1541 with Lady Eleanor Lutton at her home Milfleet, later changed to Saffron Hall where she successfully grows saffron which her husband, Sir Greville Lutton, sells in London and Paris. This has brought Greville wealth and Eleanor is grateful she has assisted her husband in the success of the Saffron she grows.  Eleanor has also lost a baby, daughter Mary and is grieving.  This is their story of love, loss and hope.

In 2019 with Amber Morton, an activist, who is  cataloguing her grandfather's books at Saffron Hall after the loss of her baby daughter, Saffron. Amber is grieving for her baby and, at present, is living apart from her husband, Johnathan, who is also grieving for his baby daughter, but in a different way.  This is their story of love, loss and hope.

Each chapter alternates  between centuries, which I thought suited the novel and was relevant in the storytelling.  I did not like long descriptions given in the novel but some readers will enjoy the atmosphere it creates.  At 50% of this book, I was considering not commencing further, as I was forward-thinking the plot and struggling to continue. I found the book predictable in parts but the ending was thought-provoking. 

For readers who enjoy historical facts the book is a must.

I WANT TO THANK NETGALLEY FOR THE OPPORTUNITY
OF READING AN ADVANCED COPY OF THIS BOOK

I was drawn to The Secrets of Saffron Hall because I enjoy historical novels. I was intrigued that the story is set in two different time lines, the 1500s, during the rule of Henry VIII and present day. I learned a lot about saffron and found the historical aspect very interesting. The day-to-day life of Eleanor as mistress of Saffron Hall and how she nutured and grew the spice was detailed and informative. The author researched her material well. I loved reading Eleanor's development as a character and watch her slowly come to love her husband. It was sad to see how little time her and her husband actually spent together, but I'm sure that is what happened, as courtiers did try to gain favor with the king in order to better themselves. There was a lot of beautiful description of the Tudor lifestyle and how it was for a young mistress of a household. It was lovely seeing Amber's growth as she pieced together the secret that Eleanor had hidden in her beautiful prayer book.

I recommend this book to lovers of historical mystery and lovers of anything Tudor related.

I would like to thank Clare Marchant, Avon Books UK and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book and exchange for a fair and honest review.

This was a magnificent , beautifully written, emotionally driven and unforgettable first book by Clare Marchant.  

Each turn of the page was an enchanting, mystical experience, and it felt like I was being transported back in time, and living amongst the characters in a time long since past.  The author did such a good job of weaving a spellbinding historical tale, and the rich history of the time practically shone off of the pages,  The reading experience was truly an experience to behold.
 
With a dual time , past to present storyline revolving around the characters of Eleanor, in the turbulent, unpredictable  Tudor England era of Henry VIII and Amber in the modern day ,both women linked by tragic circumstances that have parallels between the two timelines. 

The characters were well defined and you could relate to the turmoil of both women. 

Amber is suffering after the loss of her Daughter and has taken refuge, away from everything that is a reminder ,to stay with her Grandfather at the family estate of Saffron Hall . 

While there , she discovers an old book of hours with a Latin inscription referring to a baby girl Mary , what happened to her? What is the mystery surrounding the tower at Saffron Hall , kept locked and forbidden to enter? Amber is determined to uncover the secrets hidden there . The past is revealed in snippets through the entries in the book of hours.
The lavish, vibrant  writing epitomizes the religious unrest of the reformation and you sense the impending doom facing Eleanor and her husband Greville, through his aquaintances and shifting alliances and intrigues at court . 
The immense amount of detail woven into this novel shows just how much research that went into the book, and made it that much more captivating and enthralling.


This book has so many things in it that make it so beautiful: 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. ⁣This was one of those books that I nearly read in one sitting, as I hated tearing my eyes away from the pages, and I only put the book down when absolutely necessary; I was completely mesmerized by the story.
⁣
If you enjoyed historical fiction, I highly recommend this book, because as a history lover myself, I absolutely loved it!

Highly recommend!

love love love this book. From the first page it pulled me in, and didn’t let go. I just finished reading, and my heart is pounding from everything that happened in the last quarter of the book. 
Wow. So worth the read. It’s a book I won’t soon forget.

This is a lovely book about uncovering secrets of the past. Both the story lines in the present and the past were enjoyable to read and I like how things came togehter. There is both sadness and happiness. I'd love if this book would have a sequel. I am wondering what happened after the diary finished.  I'll certainly read more by this author!

I don't tend to read Historical Fiction but I really enjoyed this. With its present-day storyline interwoven with a 500-year-old mystery it had just the right balance for me. I also loved the descriptions of olden time Norfolk as I recognised many of the places from my childhood. I highly recommend it and it had me hooked!

I really enjoyed this dual timeline novel. The book interweaves the story of a grieving mother in the modern-day and a young wife in the time of Henry VIII’s marriage to Catherine Howard. Both were written sympathetically and I thoroughly rooted for both characters. However, it was the historical timeline I found absolutely captivating. I loved being immersed in Eleanor’s story - the fear and uncertainty of living under a capricious king in times of religious upheaval, and the sense of doom contributed to by the reader knowing what will befall the queen, although unsure of how that will impact this particular family. The farming of the saffron itself was also of great interest and whilst aware of the value of saffron, I felt like I was learning something as I read. The author's historical research was clearly well done and she held my attention throughout. I am looking forward to reading more of her books.