I loved The Glittering Hour by this author. I still think about it years after reading it. I knew I wanted to read more by this author and I was so happy to see a new book from Iona Grey. I was really disappointed when this book just wouldn't keep my attention. I had really high hopes for it and it let me down. However, I can't wait for more from this author!

Set in a remote Edwardian manor, The Housekeeper’s Secret follows Kate, a young housekeeper with a hidden past, and Jem, a mysterious footman on a quest for answers about his missing brother. Their undeniable attraction complicates the suspenseful plot, which alternates between the summer of 1911 and letters from the World War I trenches. The author masterfully builds tension, leading to a satisfying conclusion, though some villains feel one-dimensional. Overall, it’s an absorbing and well-paced read with intriguing insights into Edwardian life.

The Housekeepers Secret by Iona Grey, This is a well research historical fiction novel. It starts with the housekeeper “Kate “and the other servants living in a ramshackle falling down a state in the newly hired footman gym. Kate and Jim find interest in each other but keep their distance they’re both hiding secrets Jim is trying to find out what happened to his brother who he believes to be dead and she is running from her past. Then the Lord of the Manor dies time moves on and it’s World War I. We’ve then follow an anonymous woman aiding the war effort and Jim who is a soldier and when time drags Jim writes letters to Kate. They will come together again working for Barronette Hyde Eliza Abi Joseph and others are there as well I would like to say I absolutely loved this book but I only found it OK and it took me a while to finish it did seem the closer it got to the end especially in the winter the story became much better I did like the ending and do recommend this story. I have seen other reviewer say if you like Dowton Abbey you will like this book and I definitely agree. Before I end this review I want to say the writing is great the research is awesome but more than once I felt jolted out of the story and found it hard to keep reading but I do recommend it as I think most will enjoy this book.#NetGalley, #SaintMartinsPress, #IonaGrey, #TheHousekeepersSecret,

This book took me back to some of my favorite historical romances from many years ago, and I was completely wrapped up in the world of Coldwell Hall from the very start. Kate and Jem both have secrets that are being kept from those that serve with them, and the owners of the residence have secrets of their own.

I loved the many layers that unfolded in this novel. We have the mystery of Jem's brother's disappearance and how Henderson and Hyde might have been involved. Kate's story and how she ended up at Coldwell Hall and how does Miss Dunn know her (does she know her?) The dual timeline with Jem and Joseph during the war was also intriguing, and Jem's writing reveals events bit-by-bit, too. The overall effect is that of a sweeping romance with plenty of mystery and intrigue to make it really memorable.

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for the digital ARC of The Housekeeper's Secret by Iona Grey. The opinions in this review are my own.

3.75 rounded up to 4.

This is a Downton Abby-esque/Upstairs/Downstairs historical fiction read that was well-written and which immersed the reader in the 1910s in England and France.

The story is told primarily from two points of view, although we see the perspectives of a couple of maids as well. The plot unfolds through Kate’s a housekeeper at an old British manor, and Jem’s, a former footman turned WWI soldier, perspectives - sometimes we see both viewpoints in the same chapter but it is clear to the reader whose voice is whom. Jem’s perspective includes the use of letters which I enjoyed.

Both Kate and Jem are likeable characters and the secondary characters, including a villainous valet and a grumpy cook, round out the story well. There is mystery, secrets, romance and betrayal, culminating in a satisfying ending. I would note that I did find the story to be slow-paced at times, particularly in the beginning, and was quite character-driven until the pacing picked up closer to the end of the novel. Overall, I thought this enjoyable and well-done.

A solid historical fiction read that I believe historical fiction lovers, particularly of character-driven stories, will enjoy!

Thanks to the publisher for this complimentary copy. All opinions are my own.

A beautiful and twisting historical fiction - part romance, part mystery. Couldn't put this one down! Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the free advance copy.

This book is the ultimate slow burn. Kate and Jem carry the story, however you will have to be willing to make it to the last 100 pages before things start to pick up and get good. That is not to say that the rest of the story is not fun to read but everything is really mellow until you get close to the end. I will say I didn’t love the flashbacks. I felt like they were not always in the right place and sometimes they would take me out of the story. That being said the last 100 pages or so make this book worthwhile and tie everything together very nicely.
Thank you so to St. Martin’s Press and Netgalley for allowing me to read an advance copy of this title.

I still remember where I was when I read The Glittering Hour, so I was so excited to see that she had written another one. This book is heartbreaking and tender. The comp to Downton Abbey is accurate. I loved how the author created the dual timelines here - between 1911 and the trenches of WWI. It created such a compelling story and mystery. I loved the character of Kate and how the reader is slowly introduced to her. I also liked how Jem's parts had a male narrator, which captured the war in such brutally honest ways. I think this book brilliantly explored how secrets and power between house staff created such intricate dynamics. I was invested in Kate's secret, Jem's secret, and the other secrets present and how they weaved together to create this compelling story. The narrators are British, which added such depth to the characters. The performances were excellent.

The Housekeeper’s Secret was a story of heartache and forbidden love. Taking place in 1911 and 1916. Kate Furniss is the housekeeper at Coldwell Hall, A small skeleton staff takes care of the aged Baronet Sir Henry Hyde, the house is fast fading into dilapidation. Then Sir Henry’s son arrives and with him the footman Jem Arden. Jem fascinates Kate but as an unmarried housekeeper in Edwardian England, her reputation is sacrosanct. Jem is not who he seems, He is there to investigate what happened to his younger brother. Coldwell Hall holds it’s secrets close. Told between 1911 and 1916, the mystery of what happened at Coldwell Hall and what happened to Kate kept me intrigued. I love the Edwardian era with the start of the great decline of the country houses and the opulent way of life of the aristocracy. The story of Jem and Kate and the obstacles they overcame kept me entertained and reading through the night.

Thanks to Negalley, the publisher St, Martin’s Press and the author for the chance to read and reivew this ARC.

Grey’s latest historical romance-ish fiction is sheer agony to read, riveting in places and maddening too often. Grey penned a relentlessly end-of-your-seat agony-fest for protagonists housekeeper Kate Furniss and footman Jem Arden. Told exclusively from the downstairs perspective and making servants’ lives the focus, even the villain is an oily, despicable valet. The Housekeeper’s Secret is a tragedy encased by a misery-fest, encompassing several historical periods, looking back to the Victorian Age (that’s the tragedy) and forward to the summer of 1911 (the love affair) and to the Great War’s Somme trenches and a final resolution and epilogue. Details follow from the publisher’s blurb:

Standing in the remote windswept moors of Northern England, Coldwell Hall is the perfect place to hide. For the past five years, Kate Furniss has maintained her professional mask so carefully that she almost believes she is the character she has created: Coldwell’s respectable housekeeper.

It is the summer of 1911 that brings new faces above and below the stairs of Coldwell Hall—including the handsome and mysterious new footman, Jem Arden. Just as the house’s shuttered rooms open, so does Kate’s guarded heart to a love affair that is as intense as it is forbidden. But Kate can feel her control slipping as Jem harbors secrets of his own.

Told in alternating timelines from the last sun-drenched summer of the Edwardian Age to the mud-filled trenches of WWI, The Housekeeper’s Secret opens its door to a world of romance, the truths we hold onto, and the past we must let go.

Grey juggles narrative balls a-plenty: multiple timelines, a significant character ensemble, all embroiled in a complex plot. She looks backward to a Victorian period rife with class and colonial exploitation. She recounts the summer of Jem and Kate’s love affair, the summer of 1911. She moves forward to 1916’s Battle of the Somme and Jem’s letters to Kate, which fill in the intervening years. Does she pull it off? Sufficiently to keep me interested, but frustrate me as well. As Grey moves towards the resolution, character depth suffers. She’s good on motivation: we know why and how her characters act, but plot complexity keeps that motivation singular and simple and growth is minimal. There are good characters, like Jem and Kate and there are evil characters, like the valet Henderson; there are a few more nuanced ones, like maid Eliza and spinster lady’s maid, Miss Dunn, but they are secondary and their development remains to one or two lines, characters to serve the plot, not major players.

As an aside, may I note Grey manages to create a TSTL hero of epic proportions. I loved his forearms and such, but he sure did take idiot actions A LOT and dragged Kate into them. He’s arrogant at the same time he’s self-effacing, not deserving Kate and brooding and self-flagellating, easily fixed by not being stupid. Grey endows him with war heroism of the first order, but it does come quite late. I liked the stiff, brave, survivor Kate and if she wants to love a TSTL hunk, then she deserves all the happiness she can wrest.

Moreover, if you love a plot-driven narrative, you’ll love following this through to its revelatory end; if you love character exploration, development, and growth, you might not be as keen. I thought the plot, complex and compelling as it was, and well-paced, was built on one too many coincidences. I was glad to read the ending I did, but the journey was not always believable.

Grey also builds her novel on the theme of secrets, secrets to protect oneself, protect others, secrets too shameful to admit, secrets kept out of love, hate, and exploitation. As a narrative binding device, this works well. Because secrets don’t only belong to the housekeeper. Kate’s secret keeps her safe; Coldwell might be dilapidated and isolated, but it gives her status and stability. Jem arrives and sets off a chain of events leading to disaster (see TSTL side note), but he too has a secret: he’s at Coldwell not to uncover the truth behind his younger brother’s disappearance, to bring him justice. The ensemble cast have their secrets: except for Lord Randolph’s new wife, who only makes the mistake of marrying a first-class a-hole, and gormless footman Thomas, who is adorable and couldn’t even think of a secret if his livelihood depended on it. I quite liked both of them.

In telling the story of Kate, Jem and their flawed downstairs “family,” Grey wants to direct her narrative to class and justice. This comes into play as we learn about the Hydes’ colonial past, heinous actions, and inhuman indifference to the downstairs servants. The servants are invisible; they’re objects for comfort and convenience and worst of all, for sport. This comes out because of Jem’s search for what happened to his younger brother and the truths are devastating. Though painful to read, I thought this one of the more successful aspects of Grey’s novel. In the end, however, justice can only be served by the romance HEA, which is fine by me. Historical fiction can’t redeem history; it can offer the HEA’s possibility and hope.

If you’ve read Grey’s The Glittering Hour, like I did, I think you would agree it’s the better work. I loved it. And yet, I did keep turning those Housekeeper pages. Miss Austen would appreciate what Grey was trying to do (quite humourless this narrative, though) and would agree with me when I say The Housekeeper’s Secret is “almost pretty,” Northanger Abbey.

Iona Grey’s The Housekeeper’s Secret is published by St. Martin’s Press and releases today, August 13. I received an e-galley, from St. Martin’s Press, via Netgalley. The above is the expression of my honest, AI-free opinion.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Iona Grey for providing me with a complimentary digital ARC for The Housekeeper’s Secret coming out August 13, 2024. The honest opinions expressed in this review are my own.

This is the first book I’ve read by this author. I thought the book was well written and had a lot of historical facts. It felt a little like Downton Abbey, which I love. I think the characters were interesting. I think part of the book was a little dry for me and it took a little time to get into the story. But overall, I really enjoyed it.

I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys Edwardian historical fiction!

Thank you @netgalley for the opportunity of this ARC.


Spoiler 🆓


Kate is a housekeeper in charge of Coldwell Hall who has seen better days! She is composed, collected, until she meets Jem....what can I say, we all have our limits!


With different POVs and different timelines, I was a bit lost at the beginning and wasn’t sure where the story was going. I struggled to get past it but kept pushing


My favorite genre is historical fiction which is why I picked to read this. However, I didn’t get too much of that like I’m used to. But all stories are different!


Overall, I would recommend this if you like slow burns and different POVs and love entanglement!!

Thank you for this uncorrected proof. My original review seems to have gotten erased so I will be working on updating it/correcting it ASAP. Apologies for the delay!

Historical fiction, Romance, Mystery and Thriller- this novel checks all these genres. Set in Coldwell Hall a country estate, a tale of the upstairs downstairs disparity between classes in England early 1900’s. A youthful housekeeper Kate, hiding from her past finds romance with the mansions footman. Jem handsome and kind has secrets of his own and their relationship is thwarted at every turn. There are several side characters, some evil and some surprising allies that add to their story. The inevitable onset of WWI brings changes and conclusions for our protagonists that you can’t help but root for. Thank you to Netgalley and St Martins Press.

Although it took me a bit to get into this book, I ended up really enjoying it. I found myself really pulled in by Kate and Jem's story and was rooting for them throughout the book even when things looked quite grim. I also really connected with Joseph and Davy's characters. The story gives a glimpse into the lives of just how much women's lives used to be controlled. Some parts of the mystery were fairly easy to figure out but I still enjoyed the twists and turns the book ended up taking. This book felt like a murder mystery meets Downton Abbey.

This is the first book I have read by Grey and I found it quite impressive. It started out very slowly with a dual time line of 1911 and 1916. This is a book of many secrets, not only the Housekeepers and they slowly unravel. We have an unknown character writing a letter from the trenches of France, telling a story to someone. Then we go back to Caldwell Hall in Sussex, England and meet the titular housekeeper,
Kate Furness and the staff.
One day a man comes arrives to fill the position of Footman, Jem Arden, a man with many secrets also
Played out between the horrific warfare in the trenches and life at the Hall, the book is like a puzzle.
The puzzle takes a while to pick up the pace, but by about 52% I couldn't put the book down. The suspense between what was happening in the trenches and what was happening in 1911 became so anxiety producing I kept reading faster and faster. Who was going to be murdered, was it going to be the villain, would we find out what happened to a missing child? There was a lot going on and I was really wondering if there could possibly be a happy ending.
Well let me just say, the epilogue had me crying happy tears.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the EARC. I have found a new writer whose style I admire and shall read her other books. This is my honest review.

This was a very lovely read. I throughly enjoyed the description of the timeline and character which brings a book to life for me.

Timeline is 1911 and the setting is in England where Kate and her secrets are employed at Coldwell Hall as a housekeeper. There is another at Coldwell Hall that also has secrets and his name is Jem. Secrets are meant to be exposed so I loved finding out what these people have hidden.

This is a fast paced read that kept me intrigued throughout.

I would recommend this book to anyone that loves a Historical Romance.

Historical fiction is one of my favorite genres so I was excited when I was approved for The Housekeeper’s Secret. The novel is a mix of mystery and romance set in 1911 in Northern England. There were a lot of characters thrown at you in the beginning and I think a list of them in the beginning of the book would have been helpful. Also there were times I didn’t exactly know whose POV it was until I read a few paragraphs so it was a bit frustrating. I was interested off and on the first half but the second half grabbed my attention and I was eager to get to the next chapter. All in all solid read. 3 stars ⭐️ ⭐️⭐️

Thank you NetGalley for this eARC for an honest review.

I really enjoy historical fiction and was looking forward to reading The Housekeeper's Secret.

Unforunately, this one was not for me. I could not get into the story at all.

I throughly enjoyed Iona Grey’s new novel, The Housekeeper’s Secret. Told in alternating timelines from 1911 and 1916, the story is full of secrets, mystery, romance, and murder.

As the title implies, the story is primarily told by Kate, the housekeeper at Coldwell Hall. Kate has come to Coldwell to escape her past. It’s there that she eventually meets Jem, a footman with a mysterious past of his own. As they embark upon a forbidden romance, the mysteries of Coldwell Hall, and of their pasts, are slowly revealed.

With a full cast of “downstairs” characters, it gave off some Downton Abbey vibes. All of the characters and their stories were well developed and the time-period felt authentic.