Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book. I have chosen to write this honest review voluntarily and it reflects my personal opinion.
On face value the idea for this story was interesting, featuring 3 women from different times. However, I found it a little confusing at times, especially when Mary's story went back and forth in time and mixed with Teresa's. It seemed that the author got confused too because she wrote that Mary's maternal grandmother died in 1847, and Mary was born in 1906 which means her mother must have been pregnant at the age of 59! Towards the end we are told that 'Gran' was in hospital with an I/V and an ET tube but was talking - an ET tube goes through the vocal chords so it is not possible to speak with one in situ. The story is set in London but the book is filled with American spellings. These details spoilt what could have been a clever tale so I have given it a medium rating.

This is a good dual timeline story. The plot is multi layered. It has a great historical fiction. The ending was very satisfying.

A brilliant read, I thoroughly enjoyed this book and just sorry when it ended. Took me a while to get round to reading and wished I'd read it earlier!

The Secrets of Rochester Place by Iris Costello. Corinne is an emergency dispatcher and this book has really cemented for me how much I don’t want that job, but anyway, she gets a call from a girl at an address that isn’t there and obviously she can’t let that girl, she goes investigating. I am not fan of a double time line so my “meh” feeling about this book is probably because of that. It’s a very satisfying story and not a single plot hole is left undone but I just think it was a bit mid. It’s almost better when you’ve read it and can see how it all works but because I didn’t think there would be a twist I didn’t expect it. My takeaway from this is choose your job wisely. *

Although set in Spring, The Secrets of Rochester Place is a great winter read.
If walls could talk...

Set between 1937 and 2020, it has an eerie quality intertwined in mystery. Mary phoned Corrine, telling her about a child under rubble. The house she says she is in no longer exists, as such. This sparks many questions, including what happened to Rochester Place and what secrets are being harboured there? Where did Mary suddenly disappear to?
If walls could talk they would tell a thousand stories or more... The crumbled walls of Rochester Place has had its time of harbouring secrets and now is its time for letting them all unravel from its crumbling structure. 

It's quite a complex story set in complicated times as both The Spanish Civil War and World War 2 rumbles on. Everyone has a story to tell, whether its about friendship, bigotry and more...
There's a lot that people can take from this book, whether it is something about both of these wars or the bigotry aspects that people faced then and still, sadly face today.

Join Corrine on what turns out to be quite an intriguing investigation in challenging times into what is a multi-layered, mystifying story about 2 people separated by time.
Rated 4.5 stars on my blog - Bookmarks and Stages

I loved the dual timelines and how the stories eventually linked piece by piece. The vividly written characters were my favourite parts of this story, though, and made sure there was no confusion when we were taken back and forth in time.

I am usually a crime and thriller kind of gal, but this was a different kind of book for me, and I thoroughly enjoyed seeing the mystery unravel!

Thanks to the author, Penguin and NetGalley for the eARC of this book.

This is such a lovely book. The characters are beautifully written and you can’t help but love them all. It really is a charming book with endearing characters that was such a joy to read.

I love a dual timeline book ... this is a crackingly good story and it slowly draws the reader in. I enjoyed this book immensely and will definitely look out for more books from Iris. Hugely enjoyable, I'll surely recommend it.

Firstly, thank you Penguin Random House and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book and to Iris Costello for creating such a beautiful story.

What a book! I loved it! It was gripping from the very first line.
Packed with mystery, plot twists, history and multiple POVs – it was my first 5-star read of the year.
I love a good historical fiction and TSORP was just that. It is set during the Second World War – a favourite of mine – however, instead of reading about the usual side of the story (Nazis and prosecution of Jews) I found out a new aspect: the Guernica bombing and evacuation of Spanish children during the Civil War, which I am ashamed to say, I knew nothing about.
I found all the characters well built and truly loveable; Iris Costello brought together three different cultures – Spanish, Irish and English (with a touch of Italian) which also showed a view on immigrants in England at the time.
It is not a 5-star if I don’t cry… and of course I did.
This was genuinely an intriguing and compelling read.

I really enjoyed this dual timeline story. It starts with Corinne - an emergency dispatcher - receiving a call from Mary who died in 1940. With the help of her uncle, a house historian, Corinne finds out about Rochester Place and the story of Mary and Teresa. This eventually leads to the unravelling of secrets within her own family.

I had not expected the connections between the stories but they worked well. Overall an entertaining read which I will be recommending.

This was a gripping read the whole way. I loved the jump between time periods and found myself empathizing with the characters throughout the book. Full of good and unpredictable twists and turns. Loved!

Thanks: Received from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

this was a great read.
i enjoyed the uncovering of secrets and how everything came together.
had some good plot twists too, i liked the characters they were great.

A very mixed experience reading this!

The book follows the story of Teresa, who is evacuated from Guernica in the wake of the bombings of 1937, and finds herself in London, where she is taken in by a lady called Mary. Mary, originally Irish, finds herself taking care of the children of a very well-regarded RAF commandant Mr Davidson. There, she falls in love with his son, Ronald, and together they inherit Rochester Place, where she brings Teresa in the 1940s timeline. Flash forward to 2020, where Corinne, an emergency dispatcher, receives a call from Mary, urging her to save those residing at Rochester Place. But, on the scene, Corinne doesn't find anyone. This causes a domino effect, where Corinne is determined to find out the mystery behind that call. Who was Mary? And how was she able to contact Corinne from beyond the grave?

I’m so happy to have had the chance to read an advanced reader copy of this book! Although I did not finish it prior to its publication, but rather a month later, I am happy that I took my time with reading, because I really felt I had the chance to enjoy this fully, without rushing to finish books before the end of 2022.

I really enjoyed the three-character POV here, and how the storylines aligned together towards the end of the book. I did feel at times that it was taking rather long to get to the big reveal of the connection between Mary/Teresa/Corinne. However, looking back on this after I finished reading, it made perfect sense to elongate the narrative, as it really captured the lasting impact of the Guernica bombing and the Second World War into the 21st century. I loved Mary’s character, her strength and resilience is truly inspiring, and you can see that same strength in Teresa as well. I loved their connection and journey and was truly moved by their stories. The ending was quite heart-breaking but beautiful.

I have to say, as the pieces of the puzzle were slowly coming together, I was completely surprised by the connection between the three characters, I don't think I could have predicted it, although I did have some hunches that were close, but not close enough.

Thank you Penguin Random House for an advanced copy of this book, and to Iris Costello for creating such a beautiful story, and to NetGalley for providing me access to an e-book version as well.

Oh this is fabulous! I don’t know why but I kept moving this book down the ‘to be read’ pile - I think the title isn’t that interesting… maybe that was it? I don’t know what a better title would be but having read it, in just a few hours because I was enthralled, I hope this review will make other people jump straight in.

Corinne is a first responder, answering 999 calls and despatching emergency services. One night she receives an eerie and strange phone call from an unknown number, asking her to send help. A woman called Mary was begging for her to find a child feared buried under rubble.

Corinne sends a fire engine but the house doesn’t exist. The call is deemed a hoax but something doesn’t sit right with Corinne and she goes to visit the site for herself… Rochester Place no longer exists. The house was bombed in 1940 and only the bones of a garden and a memorial bench remain.

The story of Mary, the child; Teresa; and what happened to them is told from the perspective of Mary, Teresa and Corinne - spanning over 80 years and 3 countries.

This is a captivating, beautifully written story. The characters leap off the page and I truly couldn’t put the book down.

Don’t let the title mislead you -(although that may just have been me!), this is a complex, engrossing and thoroughly enjoyable story and I absolutely loved it - buy it now!

A lovely story told using two timelines, 1937 and 2020, the reader meets Teresa in 1937 along with Mary and Ronald Davidson at Rochester Place, an elegant Georgian house in South London, and in Autumn 2020, Corinne, an emergency dispatcher. The characters are well fleshed out and the layered tale is beguiling and engrossing.

I received a complimentary copy of this novel at my request from Penguin via NetGalley. This review is my own unbiased opinion.

What a beautiful story. I loved the two timelines and the stories told by Mary, Teresa and Corinne. So emotional and heartbreaking, this is a story of love and loyalty.
The introduction to the mystery surrounding the phone call Corinne receives is a clever beginning to the story- I was invested in her story from the very start and felt involved completely in her emotional journey.
Brilliant additional characters added such depth to the story and I especially liked Uncle Robin.
A beautiful read full of emotion. A must for historical fiction fans.

So this is not my usual sort of read in terms of genre, but I did find myself enjoying some of it.there was a a lot of twists and you never knew what would happen next but that’s what kept me engaged. I found the first 2 thirds of the book very sloggish to get through however I could not put the book down for the last third.

This is a nice historical fiction book which could also be classed as a thriller as well. I don’t believe this book should be considered a winter read but overall it was enjoyable, but a book I won’t remember as a 5 star read.

I’d like to thank NetGalley and Penguin for approving me for an ARC of this book. I was initially drawn in by the gorgeous cover and once I read the blurb I knew it was right up my street!

Told in a dual timeline story we are immediately thrown into a mystery, seeped in history and family drama. In the present day with have Corrine who is trying to figure out who her mystery caller may be and why she has been contacted by what can only be described as ‘ghosts’. With the help of her Uncle Robin she immediately sets to work to unravel the mystery of Rochester Place.

We are then thrown back to 1937 where we learn all about Teresa’s life and her arrival at Rochester Place with Mary and Ronald. Whilst staying there Teresa discovers Mary’s diary and we then learn more about Mary and her life before London. Whilst reading this part of the story I kept asking myself what the connection could be between these two ladies and Corrine, knowing that there must be one some where.

All my questions were answered and the whole story comes full circle. I loved the element of surprise and found the ending to be an emotional one. This story obviously has connections to the authors roots and I loved the inclusion of folktales, adding a more ghostly effect. When it coms to historical fiction I usually find it teaches me something new and in this case I learnt a lot about the evacuation of Spanish children in the civil war. Teresa’s story was particularly moving throughout and she ended up being my favourite character.

A fantastic read that pulled me in from the start and kept me on tenterhooks until the very last page. A story of love, family, hope and forgiveness. Definitely not one to be missed!

My thanks to Penguin Random House U.K. for an eARC via NetGalley of ‘The Secrets of Rochester Place’ by Iris Costello.

It is a historical mystery-drama that unfolds over three timelines and chronicles the lives of three women. While it is a heartwarming story about the bonds of love and family it also explores darker themes including bigotry and racism, and the toll of war.

In the Spring of 1937 eight-year-old Teresa is evacuated to London following the bombing of Guernica. She is placed with Mary and Ronald Davidson at Rochester Place, an elegant Georgian house in South London. Yet her troubles are far from over.

In the Autumn of 2020 Corrine, an emergency dispatcher, receives a call on her private mobile from a distressed woman, who identifies herself as Mary, about a fire and a trapped child at Rochester Place. Yet when the emergency services arrive at the address, there is no sign of Mary and the house itself is an abandoned ruin. While her coworkers label it a hoax, Corinne is intrigued and investigates, discovering secrets that once revealed will change her life forever.

While most of the novel focuses on Teresa and Corrine, there is the occasional chapter that provides details of Mary’s life from 1924 onward.

In her Acknowledgements Iris Costello provides details of nonfiction sources that she consulted as well as the names of those who provided anecdotes of their family histories of the Basque region and Ireland during the first half of the 20th Century.

That prejudice has long been a reaction by certain people towards immigrants, including the Irish, is addressed throughout the novel. It is difficult to read at times though unfortunately the dehumanising of the other has been an ongoing issue.

Overall, I found ‘The Secrets of Rochester Place’ an engaging and thought provoking read.

What a story! It had me hooked from the beginning. It was a little slow at first but, that didn’t bother me as I was so interested in the story. A dual time-line which I love and I throughly enjoyed this one. A beautiful story. My thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book in return for an honest review.