The writing and description was exceptional in this book. I loved the characters and could really empathize with some of the things they were going through. Living in the manor was enough to traumatize anyone.

The FMC was smart and strong. She had been through so much in her short life that by the time she reached 30, she wasn’t willing to drop her walls for anyone. However, Gem just might be the exception. She is the current housekeeper of the manor and has run the house for many years. Things are about to change when she inherits a new boss that comes with a wretched sidekick. Will her secrets come to the light, or will they be taken to the grave.

She has come to hide from her past, while he has come seeking answers from it.

Gem is trying to find out what happened to his little brothers years ago. Every scrap of evidence points to Coldwell Manor and he is determined to find the truth. Our MMC is focused while remaining a gentlemen. He males mistakes along the way but continues to try to be a good person while needing to be relentless in his pursuit of the truth.

I rated it 3 ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ so clearly there were some issues I had with this book.

One of the issues I had was with the multiple POVs and timelines. I found it difficult to know whose POV the writing was coming from on many occasions. This led me to forget the names of the characters or get them confused a LOT! While I knew what role they played, eventually…. I could barely remember their names (except Gem).

The relationship was not a relationship. They had attraction and tension but that was all I saw. Next thing I know, they are in love. While I get that she told him her secret and he comforted her a couple times, there really was not any more meaningful conversation. The POV and timeline switched so much that it did not leave room for more. This was a summer tryst that supposedly consumed them for years later after they were separated.

The end was ABRUPT! Like, really abrupt. It was moving along at a plodding pace then BAM! Prologue. I was very disappointed. It was an HEA but it just did not feel organic or satisfying. I also felt like we’re got way too in depth for certain things and then not enough for others. For instance, her name is never cleared? We never get more info on Joseph and how he did what he did?

Overall, the writing was beautiful, the descriptive words made me able to picture the scenery and the people there. I was emotionally invested in out FMC and curious about the many secrets above and below stairs. However, the issues listed above made it difficult to understand who was who for the first half of the book and as soon as I become invested, it comes to an abrupt and unsatisfactory end.

4/5 stars
mild, tantalizing spice
- Downton Abbey Edwardian Era Intrigue
- Secrets and mystery
- Gorgeous detail
- complex characters
- handsome and protective MMC
- heavy on the mystery, lighter on the romance

I loved this book. I still love this book. I need one for my bookshelf in hard copy that I can display like a trophy. Kate is the inexplicably young Housemaid at Coldwell Hall, a crumbling and decayed countryside estate full of secrets and a dark history. A handsome stranger is hired on as a new footman, unearthing his own mystery that brings those dark secrets to light, all while falling into a love affair that is forbidden. The story is told by love letters written while on the front lines and retellings of previous events from multiple points of view, which just gripped me into this book from page one. Love confessions every few chapters while told by a lovesick solider? Be still, my heart!

The storytelling is so brilliant, the detail so intense. This time period, with forbidden desires and the dichotomy of upstairs/downstairs staff, is captured so well. The characters are so complex that I was easily swayed to invest in their journeys. I appreciated the extreme research that Iona Grey must have conducted to make this story as detailed and historically accurate as possible, but it did make the love story between the main characters stand out a little less and I really, REALLY wanted more of it. Kate and Jem will have my heart forever.

The Housekeeper's Secret is overall an enchanting read. Told in multiple POV's, it takes it's time getting to the real heart of the storyline. These nuggets of insight, from all the differing angles, truly give you a picture of the secrets imbeded within the story and help you to understand the motivations of each character and why they take the actions they do. Told mainly through our two main characters POV, other supporting actors are often given a voice to help push the story where the author would like for it to ulimately unfold. I will admit it took a minute to establish the timeline in my head and begin to understand with each new snippet where the characters sat on the chess board of this story, but I trusted the author to get me there and she did - quite admirably.

The tale truly starts to pick up when our main characters are mired in the heat of an English summer, but the plot still goes by as slowly as the heat abates at the end of each day. Ultimately, all the secrets are revealed and a satisfying ending was achieved. These characters stayed with me after I read the last page and I found myself wanting to know more about how some of the supporting characters fared. The book is not a page turner - it's an investment of time into the overall well written actors within it's pages. I wanted to know more.

Set at a time of great change both in England and around the world, The Housekeeper's Secret staddles the line between a regency and a war time romance. The story explores and gives insight into what it was like in a formal English home - the strict rules the staff had to abide by and how those strictures dictated behavior. So much of that is what dictates the secrets each person holds - those secrets they want to hold, and those secrets they feel they must hold.

I enjoyed this book. This was my first Iona Grey book, but it will probably not be my last.

I was intrigued by the description of this book. I was excited to receive a copy of this ebook from NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion, I don’t want to have to DNF…but sadly I just could not get into it. I had a hard time keeping track of the characters and the plot confused me.

“The Housekeeper’s Secret” is a historical fiction book by Iona Grey. I struggled at the beginning of this book - the beginning was slow, confusing, and characters were thrown in in various ways (sometimes by job title, sometimes by last name, sometimes by first) that I wished I had kept notes about who was who and working where. I think the overall idea of this book is a good one, but between the timelines (changing) and the POV voice changing (second, third), it was a difficult book to get through. I’ll give it three stars because I think the bones are there, but one needs to push through the story to see them.

"The Housekeeper's Secret" examines the goings-on of a fictional estate in the early 1900s. There is intrigue, drama, and politics abound among the service staff, which fuels the story of Kate Furniss, the housekeeper, as she aims to keep her secrets veiled. The book particularly focuses on one summer, when her heart was stolen by the new footman, Jem (who is quite a jem).
The story was a slow start, and like many other have said, a bit confusing. Many characters were introduced rapidly and called by various names (first name only, last name only, or their station in the house) which became confusing. I found myself wishing I took notes at the beginning. Furthermore, there are 2-3 (?) timelines occurring at points, which was slightly confusing in the manner it was presented. Sometimes a place, date, or only a season, or sometimes just a new chapter section would indicate the timeline jump, and it was hard to follow at points.
That being said, the book became very engrossing as it went on. I would say this is more of a love story with mystery elements set in the early 1900s as opposed to a full historical fiction novel, but it was enjoyable all the same. I would recommend to fans of slow burns with sharp and satisfying twists. I found myself gasping out loud at times. The writing was very effective in mental illustrations, and was poetic throughout. I appreciated the author's writing style as it added to the otherwise drum landscape of the moors. Overall, I would give the book 3.7 stars!
Thanks to NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Kate has been the housekeeper at Coldwell House for five years, and in this time, she’s almost come to believe that’s all she is. When Jem joins the household staff in 1911, Kate finds herself falling for the handsome footman.Vacillating between the glories of Edwardian and the the miseries of World War I battlefields, this is an immersive and unforgettable story

The present tense and switches between second and third person voices in the same POV, while also being part of a multiple POV book was very confusing for me. This took far too long for me to read because of this (and I’m a speedy reader). I feel like the writing is lacking in the sense of grammar, usage, and mechanics. Even so, the storyline was entertaining and the character development was great! If it goes through another round of edits, this could be gold.

Yet another book written in present tense. I was only able to get a few pages in before I had to throw in the towel. Based on the many Goodreads reviews which state that there are multiple POVs, me abandoning this book certainly seems like a good thing.

Thank you anyway for the ARC. Better luck next time?

I absolutely loved the description of this book and was excited to read this title. However, I was not able to get into this book and sadly DNF. I had a hard time keeping track of the characters and the plot did not pull me in. I so wanted to love this book!

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the copy of this ebook in exchange for my honest review!

I thought this book was incredibly slow paced and I was quite confused by the multiple timelines and POV’s. I thought the plot sounded so interesting but this book just fell flat for me. I don’t enjoy romance and there wasn’t even much going there. The premise made it sound interesting however. I thought I would enjoy the historical fiction but that didn’t do it for me either. Disappointed in this one.

Thank you to Net Galley for this e-book in exchange for my honest review.

I wish I did it have to DNF an ARC, but I just could not get through this one. It’s even more disappointing because I am a fan of Iona Grey. I enjoyed Letters to the Lost (4 stars) and The Glittering Hour (5 stars), but this latest one from her just felt cumbersome, too many characters, not enough plot, pacing was slow. DNF at 22%.

Thank you very much to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for the advanced reader’s copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

The Housekeeper’s Secret by Iona Grey
Historical fiction
4 ⭐️
Release date: 8/13/24

This historical fiction/historical romance is dual POV with alternating timeline set at Coldwell Hall, in northern England. An angst-y forbidden romance begins between Kate, the housekeeper and Jem a footman who arrives to work with his own agenda at Coldwell Hall.

The story goes between the manor and WWI frontlines and through each season’s events of Coldwell Hall: a funeral, a renovation, a wedding. This book reminded me a bit of a Kate Morton novel with a mystery woven into the alternating timeline.

Would recommend if you like historical fiction!
ARC via NetGalley

#bookreview #ionagrey #thehouskeeperssecret #historicalfiction #netgalley

This is a super entertaining story set in an old manor house in England. The author does a wonderful job of conveying the time period without letting her research get in the way of the story. The different timelines and stories keep readers on their toes, and the pace never lags.

Highly recommended for fans of Gothic fiction and historical novels.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an advance e-galley; all opinions in this review are 100% my own.

This story had some interesting plots which required a lot of attention as the story jumps between time periods. That does make it difficult at times to keep track of characters with changing names and behaviors. The main storyline of a brother trying to find out what happened to his sibling gets a little lost at times. Overall not a bad story but it did drag a bit in the middle.

This is a interesting book






Interesting book, as you travel back in time ! Women were property at this time hard to understand , how different times were! Men ruled! But sometimes servants could change to balance. Storie as old as time.

Adoration! Loved loved loved it! The true story of most of the old manor houses in England. The disregard for the help.. the mistreatment of women, the inequality of pay and respect. The novel is a brilliant recreation of pre WWI England and the hard working lower classes taken advantage of by the upper crust. Most of us associate this kind of cruelty and poverty with Dickensian England but here we are 70 plus years later and not much has changed. The novel recreated the sounds, smells, weather and life in the english countryside mostly romanticized by the Brontes and others. This is realism and romanticism mingled and at its best. Kate and Jem.. wonderful protagonists who propel this historical novel to its heights!

From the first line, I thought this was written in second person, but then it seemed like third person, but then it went back to second, and I got confused and frustrated. I didn't care to stick with it. I was just annoyed by it.

Leaving five stars. I don't feel I made it far enough to be able to judge how it will be received by the target audience.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC.

The Housekeeper's Secret by Iona Grey. St. Martin’s Press, 2024.

Coldwell Hall is a neglected mansion near Sheffield, seven miles from the nearest train station. Locals avoid the place, unwilling to be live in servants. I could smell the decay of the place as I read.

We come to know something that brought almost every person we meet to Coldwell Hall, whether servant or upper class. Although most of the servants have suffered at the hands of others, they get on well with each other and there’s mostly a family feeling among them. The new baronet is a self-indulgent and often violent wastrel, his friends and valet are cruel misfits, we can only feel sorry for his bride and her maid.

The Housekeeper's Secret unfolds in four sections, one for each season, and within each, a dual timeline (1911 and 1916), as seen through the eyes of two main characters. There is Kate, hiding from her past, as the Hall’s housekeeper in 1911, and again as a housekeeper in Brighton in 1916 but with a different name, volunteering half-days weekly in a military hospital. There is Jem, in 1911 willing to work as a footman so he can search for evidence of his brother’s murder at Coldwell Hall, and a soldier in 1916, writing letters to Kate from the battlefield that he doubts she will ever read. Occasionally supporting characters step in to tell us things Kate and Jem are less likely to know.

I am not an expert of the period, but appreciated the historical details that support the story and firmly place the characters in 1911-1916 England. In this respect as well as this book’s superb character development, and writing and approach reminded me of Susanna Kearsley’s latest book. From me there is no higher praise. The Vanished Days, also historical fiction is also written using a dual timeline (1683-1687 and 1707) but moving back and forth, not linear, within seven sections.

This is my first experience with Iona Grey, but I see she has written two other highly rated books that I will buy and read right away.

Disclosure: I received a review copy of The Housekeeper's Secret for free via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. #TheHousekeepersSecret #NetGalley