Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington for this e-ARC!

This book started off well, with its suspense and mystery that made me want to continue reading and find out what is happening in Rose Briar Hall. The writing was good and atmospheric. However, I was not invested in the story and continued reading only for the sake of finishing it. It seems that gothic mysteries are not my cup of tea, so if they are yours, you might enjoy this one!

This book was super suspenseful and interesting! I loved the setting, the slightly gothic feeling, and all the secrets. It was very well done and I will be checking out more from this author!

I thought this was really well written and I look forward to reading more from this author in the future. I think it will find readers at our library, so we will definitely be purchasing for the collection.

This is a quick fun read written by a talented author. I cannot wait for more from this writer. The main character is likable and while some of the other characters are not, the story still is a mystery that I enjoyed. Somewhat Gothic in nature. Reminded me of those I have read in the past and absolutely liked. Thanks Netgalley.

I loved James’s debut novel, The Woman in the Castello and couldn’t wait to read The Secrets of Rosebriar Hall. This mix of historical fiction set during the Gilded Age combines gothic mystery and psychological thriller with a touch of romance.

Excited to showcase their new Long island mansion, newlyweds Charles and Millie Turner are hosting a party for their friends. When Millie wakes up after the big dinner party, she cannot remember anything. She discovers that someone has been murdered and she’s a suspect. Her husband is concerned about her health, the staff won’t tell her anything and even her friends have deserted her.

The reader is carried along on Millie’s path to find the truth. Her husband becomes an expert liar and her once treasured home becomes her prison. Millie’s journey for the truth forces her to face how influenced she has been by her husband’s manipulations and opinions. The author’s writing draws you into Millie’s predicament. You feel her frustration and find yourself routing for her as the twists unfold.

A fast-paced read that’s hard to put down! Kelsey James has become one of my favorite authors for that special mix of gothic suspense and history. Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington for the advanced readers' copy.

A twisty psychological mystery set in the Gilded Age of New York with murder, an eery setting, and a touch of romance. We begin the book waking up with Millie Turner after a dinner party had gone terribly wrong. A guest ended up dead. A guest that Millie did not particularly care for. But what truly happened that night among the crystal glasses and turtle soup?

I felt frustrated for Millie and kept turning the page to discover what was truly going on in her head and in her home. Her husband attempting to send her to a sanitarium, her parents lack of help in the matter, her maid’s betrayal and more. She could not trust nearly anyone, not even herself. Was she a murderess? We as readers also learn about society at the time, women’s rights and infidelity laws throughout the story.

I enjoyed my time in this book and would recommend to readers who love historical mystery and romance. Thank you to NetGalley and Kelsey James for providing me with my ARC ✨

Set in 1908, newlywed heiress Millie wakes up with no memory of what happened in the previous days, a husband worried about her health and friends who have deserted her. When everyone keeps her in ignorance she decides to find out what happened that night.
It is an atmospheric novel with a narrative that draws you right into the story and characters that touch you.
It manages to make you relate to Millie's dilemmas, you feel her helplessness, her anguish and finally her determination to get to the truth.
A historical mystery with a bit of romance that keeps you glued to your seat and unable to stop reading.

Fantastic psychological suspense for lovers of historical settings! Millie's Long Island mansion becomes a terrifying prison, cold and isolated. She can't trust her husband, the staff, or even her own memory. Often once a character escapes the scary house, everything's fine. Not so in this book. I really enjoyed that for Millie, leaving the house is no escape. In fact, the suspense keeps ratcheting up. One by one her friends and resources are chipped away. Society, her own parents' opinions, the medical establishment, and the legal system are all stacked against her. The courtroom drama twist was such a terrifying reversal!

Millie's journey is also compelling. Not only does she have to learn to save herself, as you'd expect; she also has to face how much her husband's manipulations have influenced her opinions and turned her more passive and also snobbier. It seems scarily realistic how hard it is for her to break free--he's such a good liar that she keeps doubting herself, which ups the suspense. I liked that she ends able to feel pity and even sympathy for some of her husband's other victims rather than seeing them as hated rivals.

We might be able to add it to the collection since the author is California born and raised, and our Braille and Talking Book Library has a wider collection scope so they should be able to acquire it as long as it's available in a suitable format. Really looking forward to this one coming out!

Secrets of Rose Briar Hall is a gothicy mystery about Millie Turner, daughter of a rich New Yorker who has married the handsome Charles Turner. The make a beautiful couple and with Millie's money they have built a beautiful home. After a dinner party, Millie wakes to find that a guest has died and she is suspected of being the killer. Her husband turns from solicitous to dangerous as Millie tries to uncover the truth about the night.

With plenty of twist and turns, the author leads us on a tortuous path the answer and leaves us with an explosive ending. I really enjoyed this story, it's a quick read and I found it hard to put down. From a historical fiction standpoint it dives into the lack of rights women posessed in that era and the cultural attitude towards divorce. All in all a good read.

The Secrets of Rose Briar Hall holds an enticing historical mystery bringing us back to the gilded age of New York. It took me a bit to get into the story, but once I did, I really enjoyed this book. As told from the point of view of Millie, our main character, we struggle along with her to figure out what is actually going on. Is she a murderer? Or is it her husband? Is he trying to kill her now or is it his loyal maid?

To me, the most interesting parts of the story involved the absolute lack of rights that women had at the time. Millie has everything going against her. Her husband wants to put her in a sanitarium, and Millie believes that if she goes she will be murdered. Her parents shut her off when she files for divorce from her husband. It's extremely rare and difficult for a lady to divorce her husband in those days. If the judge sees fit to not grant the divorce, then she must remain married. Her struggles to gain independence from the man she thinks is a killer coincide with her struggle to learn the truth of what really happened at Rose Briar Hall. The combination of storylines are what made this mystery a page-turner for me.

I enjoyed this book and I highly recommend it for book clubs. There are plenty of interesting discussion points. Thank you to Netgalley and Kensington for the advanced digital copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

This book starts out great but about halfway in it leans more to romance, a love triangle, or a contrite fantasy, instead of a Gothic mystery. While reading a book, I sometimes think back and remember what has been covered, in this one, truly little. All of what had happened could be summarized in a few sentences.

I am not a romance reader and try to steer away, unfortunately I quickly lost interest when the main character is so sure of her looks that any man will swoon. I kept on reading hoping it would get better.

The best I can do is three stars. As the other reviews show, I am in the minority, but I expected more in-depth character development and more storyline. The story concept was there, it just needed to leave out the frivolous.

I thank Kensington Books along with NetGalley for providing this Galley edition for no requirement other than my offer to provide an unbiased review. This one comes in with three stars.

This atmospheric gothic tale, set in 1908, explores a time of patriarchal dominance, when a mere suggestion of unreasonable behaviour was enough for a woman to be sent to an asylum, if her husband had reason to want rid of her. James sets her scene with Charles and Millie, a devoted, handsome, wealthy couple, who are hosting the most lavish society party of the season. But when Millie wakes up the next morning, she has no memory, and when she discovers it is three-weeks later and she has been drugged, she is still told nothing. The house is freezing, her maid treats her with contempt, the staff have almost all been laid off, dust sheets cover the furniture and her husband absents himself without explanation.
Millie’s discovery of the reasons behind everyone’s odd behaviour astounds and frightens her, but there’s plenty more revelations to come. Desperate for help, she turns to a journalist knowing he may sensationalise her story, but it’s a risk she must take. James’ novel is filled with luscious descriptions, tantalising characters and plenty of confusion and menace, as Millie finds her only means of support cut off by her smooth-talking husband. Using many plot twists, James does a superb job of exploring misogynistic supremacy, whereby an abuser performs subtle psychological trickery on their victim, keeping them in a constant state of doubt. A high-tension cat-and-mouse plot from start to finish. Highly recommended.

This historical thriller had me on the edge of my seat! I found myself thinking about it when I took reading breaks and couldn't wait to come back to it. What an engrossing, suspenseful read this was! There were times when I was almost uncomfortable with the [completely accurate] way a husband had total control over his wife for so much of our history.

The story opens with Millie preparing to host the first party at the Long Island home that was a wedding gift from her parents. After meticulously building and decorating, she is finally taking her place as a society hostess. The story jumps to Millie waking up and fining out that three weeks have passed since the party, her home is cold and empty, and a guest died that night. Millie's husband, Charles, has a maid and doctor who have kept Millie sedated. He's considering sending her to an asylum. Millie is desperate to find out what happened and free herself from her oppressive home. Her allies in this are the gate keeper, one of the only servants she brought to her married home and his son, who works in Manhattan as a reporter.

The pace is lightening fast and the story is so exciting. I was reluctant to put this down! There are times when the reader is as unsure as Millie about who is trustworthy. What a fantastic, exciting ride!

this was a wonderfully done Gilded Age element to this book. It uses the Gothic elements to what I was looking for and enjoyed in this type of book. Kelsey James has a great writing style and the characters were everything that I wanted in this book. I could see the elements of Gaslight movie and thought it worked with the mansion element. It had everything that I wanted from the description and enjoyed how the characters worked in this universe. Kelsey James has a great writing style and can't wait to read more from them.

An atmospheric, cozy thriller set in the gilded age of New York.

This has plenty of twists and turns and had me gripped throughout. It’s written in first person PoV, which is not my first choice for this genre or time period, but oddly it made sense to be in Millie’s head. She is an unreliable narrator at first while she is being drugged, manipulated and gaslit, but as we go on we get to witness her growth and struggle first hand. I can’t really fully dissect this book as I don’t wish to reveal any spoilers but I found the concept fascinating. It was gothic, creepy and filled with angst and frustration. The villain in this is truly the lack of agency that women had at the time. It was frustrating to read about a woman whose life was in peril, and the lack of care, the laws of the day and the misogyny that kept her there.
There are some light moments throughout that balance out all the heavy, a sweet side romance with a childhood friend. And some of the elements were over the top, but done for tension and dramatic effect, so I went with it. The ending was interesting and maybe an odd choice, but I can’t discuss it here so hit me up if you’ve read it and want a conversation about it.

Married to Charles, living on a vast estate, Millie wakes one morning feeling ill. The last thing she remembers is getting ready for the party they threw yesterday, but that was weeks ago and she has no memory of the time in between. And Charles won’t let anyone tell her what’s happened. Think Gothic and Gaslight, and you’ve got the makings of a great novel.

Secrets of Rose Briar Hall
by Kelsey James is a stunning crossover between gothic gaslight mystery and psychological thriller.

Told from the pov of the protagonist Emily, the story is dialogue centered but this gives an authentic perspective to the storyline in respect of the srnsibilities of the time

The writing is on point, the ambience and scene-setting is perfect for the era and the plot is beautifully woven

A good, solid read. Fab

Thank you to Kensington Books, (A John Scognamiglio Book) and the author Kelsey James. My review is left voluntarily and all opinions are my own

Great story about the gilded age and main character Millie living in a nice mansion with her husband, then in the day she remembers nothing the next day obviously you find out a lot of secrets and twists in this book and what her husband did I was hoping for a different twist but she ended up not remembering because of her husband.
Staff all gone and she’s in this house by herself. I didn’t like the ending I thought it was a really long book it did keep me on my toes to find out what was going on in the story but it was very long after we found out what was going on.

I would still give this book like 4 stars. Thanks to NetGalley for giving me this book to read.

3.5 rounded up to 4

It’s the Golden Age and Millie Turner, new-money heiress, married Charles Turner, a money man from a well established New York Family. She’s holding her first event in their newly built Long Island mansion, hoping to impress everyone and reflect well on her husband. But on waking the next day she remembers nothing. Only it isn’t the next day, she’s been asleep for weeks. The house is cold and dark and most of the staff have left. Suddenly she no longer feels safe in her home.

I loved the first few chapters of the book, it was so atmospheric, I felt Millie’s confusion and mounting fear. I was drawn in straight away. As gradually we found out the truth and then the story lost its way somewhat. It stalled in the chapters where Millie escapes and lost the gothic charm. But it pulls it back in the final few chapters.

Wow!

Excellent story during the gilded age. The author weaved a believable story in this historical mystery that kept me captivated until the very end leaving me wanting more.

Amazing job. Please write more.