I don't normally go for fiction but this one peaked my interest, right from the start I was intrigued and settled in to eventually devour this book. it was delicious, exciting, different and I would highly recommend.

Again, Kathleen McGurl has created another outstanding masterpiece.
I am a big fan of her work and I haven’t found one bad book of hers so far!
For fans, new and old, this is a gorgeous book and perfect escapism.

"The Secret of the Chateau by Kathleen McGurl"
I really enjoyed this book, if you have ever dreamed of living in a chateau and/or moving to France this is the book to read. Set in present day and during the French Revolution. Based on historical truth but the characters and the chateau are all fictional.

This was a brilliant read and is being featured on my blog for my quick star reviews feature, which I have created on my blog so I can catch up with all the books I have read and therefore review.
See www.chellsandbooks.wordpress.com.

The Forgotten Secret by Kathleen McGurl was one of my favorite books to read, this one was a lot harder to get into. It took me a lot harder to finish it unfortunately.

One of those stories that you don't want to end. A group of friends buy a French Chateau then follow up on its history. It goes backwards and forwards to the French Revolution. Great read.

A very satisfying read. Switching between the present day and a meticulously researched French Revolution era, we gradually learn what happened at the chateau centuries before. Highly recommended.

I really enjoyed the previous book I read by this author, The Forgotten Secret. Unfortunately, this one just wasn't for me.., it didn't grab me at all...

The story is written in a dual time line. Alternate chapters. Today & the French Revolution. The author has done great research on the French Revolution, and although the actual protagonists in this story are fictional the writing does give you a sense of the brutality of revolution. I loved the book, it was gripping and believable.

Review The Secret of the Chateau by Kathleen McGurl

A group of old friends decide it is a good idea to move to France to retire together in a chateau and live the dream. One of them decides to research the history of the chateau. This is where an alternate story of the past of another family from the chateau during the French Revolution begins.

I really enjoyed the underlying historical part more. The current one was a little far fetched that the retirees could live so harmoniously obviously I know a very different set of amicable retirees.

This is a lovely book though not as well done as some I have read before where they mix past and present .

Enjoyable depending on you mind set whilst reading the book.

3.5/ 5

What a wonderful tale! The two timelines work beautifully and I found myself invested in both stories. The historical aspect of the novel was interesting and I loved the relationships between the friends embarking on their new life in France. A thoroughly enjoyable read.

When Lu and her friends discuss selling their houses and buying a chateau in France together she thinks it is just the drink talking but the following morning they are still up for it and somehow she gets carried along with it unable to upset everyone else by telling of her misgivings. Once settled in the chateau she starts to research the history and makes some amazing discoveries. In the late 1700s Pierre and Catherine Aubert flee from the court at Versailles as the revolution starts to take hold but even in their chateau deep in the Alps will they and their children be safe?

A great story that I couldn't put down and normally with these sort of books I much prefer the historic aspect but this one was so well written I enjoyed both time periods equally and was really disappointed when I had finished it.....a book that stays with you after you have finished it.

A fascinating dual timeline novel. Really enjoyed this one.

Many thanks to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for my ARC. All opinions are my own.

Lu is swept along by her four closest friends - including her husband - when they hatch a pretty audacious plan to pool their resources and retire as a group to a chateau in the south of France. Unsure that she really wants to do this, she cant scupper the dreams of the other four, and the decision is taken out of her hands when her husband has a heart attack and the Alpes Maritimes becomes the perfect place for him to recuperate and get fit to prevent it happening again.

They move to the Chateau L'Aubert nestled in a fold of land in the foothills of the alps and in sight of the Med. It is perfect and Lu's misgivings gradually fall away until she finds herself a niche in the community. Part of that comes from her research into the history of the chateau and the family that once lived in it, up until it fell into public hands during the reign of terror following the initial stages of the French Revolution.

Meanwhile, we learn about those French nobility through the eyes of Pierre Aubert, courtier, his young wife Catherine and their maid Claudette. With them we live at Versailles, flee for our lives and settle in the chateau, hoping against hope that the revolution can't find them there.

As delightful as the story is, I felt I was reading a first draft manuscript, before any editing or sorting out of the plot had begun, just the bare bones of the story with the gaps left waiting to be filled in. The tone was like reading a children's book but with talk of heads on pikes and the word 'fuck' being used, it most definitely is not a pre-teen novel. And yet there isn't enough in it to be a full adult book. There isn't enough story, too many 'some months after' type phrases, jumping forwards because there was nothing to say about the intervening years in the historical part; weeks vanishing in the contemporary as if nothing at all of interest had happened, followed by a frantic list of what had - well, why weren't we shown and not just told?

The whole point of the book, the research into the family Aubert - it happens, but we don't really see how, beyond Lu looking at some French books and a lot of Googling. Where's the writer's in-depth knowledge on this topic? There's no convincing detail, as if looking up the past is as easy as looking in a random history book and consulting Google. Church records were read, but what church records, what did they say? In what form were they? How much detail was there contained in these records?

And the great secret is revealed the wrong way round - no spoilers but it the truth shouldn't have been revealed in the historic narrative because we know the secret long before Lu discovers it so the tension is ruined.

The the writing itself wasn't great. There were so many repetitions that I do wonder if an editor has seen it, or maybe the writer ignored her editor...? And it isn't as if the repetitions are there for effect and cleverness - it isn't a sophisticated book. Grammar was all over the place, and the file itself had the annoying habit of leaving a space in the middle of a word, or not at all between two words. Not the author's fault, but made reading it harder than it should have been. Dialogue was often stilted or so childish in nature it was frustrating, "I was feeling unsettled. Phil said to me one day, 'You look unsettled." is the kind of construction that riddles this novel.

All in all, this needs the attention of a good editor to whip it into shape, the fill in the gaps,, recreate the secret so it works, to add depth to it and refine the dull, obvious dialogue. Disappointing.

I lost myself in the pages of this book! I became so involved in the history and I thought the two timelines were perfect. The writing was very descriptive and I felt as if I were living in the pages.
Many thanks to HQ Digital and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

I wasn’t sure how much I would enjoy this book when I began reading it but after a few chapters I was hooked. I loved going back and forth between the present day and the French Revolution and learning of thinks between the two sides of the story. The historical content was interesting and detailed and the characters through were endearing and allow you to become invested in their lives. I am looking forwards to discovering other books written by this author. Thank you netgalley.

Found this book captivating and hard to put down - wanted to devour it in as little time as possible, and would've finished it in one sitting if pesky sleep hadn't made itself a pest. The descriptions are beautiful and make it so easy to imagine the scenes, and the historical parts were rich and felt alive with tension, opulence, and drama.
Did feel a bit that Lu was too much a foil to get to the story of Catherine - it isn't until the 40-50% mark that Lu, though it's mentioned she loves history, decides to actively look into the history of the chateau. Felt a bit like the author dallied with the 'now' parts until the halfway mark just so she could sprinkle in the Versailles and 1790 scenes up to that point.
Still, it is a delightful, captivating book that I enjoyed reading and that kept me enthralled

Thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. I liked the easy movement between past and present and all of the characters were very believable. This is a book that is very easy to read, in a good way, and I was engrossed immediately and finished it quickly due to not being able to put it down.

I found myself a bit lost at times as the chapters alternated between past and present.. As a history buff myself i was impressed with the authors research into the French Revolution, It makes you wan't to visit a french chateau. Looking forward to another novel by Kathleen McGurl

A very enjoyable story set in modern day France running alongside a story set during the French Revolution of the 18th Century. The end is a crossing of paths of the two stories which are entwined throughout. Cleverly written with realistic characters.