This story had lots of secrets and drama to keep me interested. The book did slow towards the end which was weird for me. The multiple timelines were done well along with the development of the characters, mainly Fiona.

I really liked this one. I kept thinking that it was written by Kate Morton (compliment given)...seemed like her vibe more than other Kelly Rimmer books that I have read (like the German Wife). She is a gifted author that can change genres well.

Kelly Rimmer did it again! What an emotional book about family and trauma. Following Fiona uncover the true secrets of her families past after moving into her deceased uncle's estate. I love her storytelling and I absolutely loved this book. Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!

3.5 stars
In the aftermath of a tumultuous year, Fiona Winslow returns to a small town in New South Wales, Australia with plans to restore Wurimbirra, the crumbling (and possibly haunted) estate belonging to her late uncle that she once called home. While clearing the house, she finds a mysterious box containing multiple copies of a book called The Midnight Estate in her uncle's library and begins reading. As she's drawn into the captivating story, Fiona realizes that there are disturbing parallels to her own family's history and the lines between fiction and reality begin to blur.

A bit predictable but still enjoyable read that starts off strong and then slows pace as it shifts back and forth between the current timeline and the book that the main character is reading. Family secrets, themes relating to trauma and domestic violence, an interesting story within a story, a historical mystery to unravel and a house that provides a bit of a gothic atmosphere - overall an ambitious and entertaining novel from Kelly Rimmer.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for providing a digital ARC of this book for review purposes. All opinions are my own.

The Story Keeper by Kelly Rimmer completely pulled me in. The way the past and present wove together felt seamless, and the emotional weight of the story hit me hard in the best way. I loved the depth of the characters and how personal their journeys felt.

Fiona Winslow, a preservation architect, finds herself at a crossroads in life. Recently forcibly retired and divorced, with her children off to college, she decides to buy and restore her childhood home, Wurimbirra, in Eastern Australia. As she dives into the restoration process, Fiona uncovers her family’s darkest secrets—uncovering a mystery that has haunted her family.

This story is told through multiple timelines, which I found to be an effective way to reveal secrets slowly and add depth to Fiona’s journey. I especially enjoyed the historical mystery mixed with a touch of gothic atmosphere. Fiona is surrounded by complicated characters, which adds layers of intrigue to her journey as she unravels the mysteries surrounding Wurimbirra.

This was my first Kelly Rimmer book, and I was impressed by her storytelling. The emotional depth and intricate plotting kept me engaged throughout, and I’m excited to dive into more of her books in the future.

Thank you to Mira and NetGalley for the early read in exchange for a fair review. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and can’t wait to explore more of Kelly Rimmer’s work.

**ARC Review**
I really enjoyed this!
At first I was a bit unsure where exactly the story was going but the more I read, the more intrigued I got, and the more I started to put the story together.
This is the third book I’ve read by Kelly Rimmer with the first two both being five stars and both being historical fiction based on WW2 (The German Wife and The Paris Agent), so I was interested to read something a bit different from Kelly and this one did not disappoint! While I wouldn’t say it’s my favorite, I definitely enjoyed this story and think it’s worth the read!

Thank you Kelly Rimmer and Hachette Books for the ARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

*Releases July 30th in Australia and New Zealand*

Tropes:
- Dual POVs
- Three Timelines
- Book inside of a Book
- Historical Mystery
- Suspense

Quotes:
“History doesn’t always stay in the past, Fiona.”

“Books are everything,” he said. “Whatever you need in life—escape, wisdom, knowledge, power, pick up the right book and it will all be there.”

“Confidence is an armour, a brittle shell that grows around a person to protect and shield the softest part of them. Even the strongest armour gives way under enough pressure, erodes after enough attacks.”

“Maybe this time I can make my destiny my own. Leap out of the plane and trust my parachute to work.”

I read this book as the Midnight Estate but the title as changed to The Story Keeper. I really enjoyed this book and wish that I could read more about the characters in the book! This is a uniquely written book by the very talented Kelly Rimmer as it is a book within a book. The characters are well developed and the plot is very engaging. This book is over 400 pages which sometimes leads me to have to push myself to complete it but not in this case. I couldn't wait to keep reading right until the end!

Thank you Net Galley, Kelly Rimmer and Harlequin Trade Publishing for the opportunity to preview this title. The opinions shared are my own.
The Story Keeper or The Midnight Estate is now available and a must add to your TBR!

This was such a fun read. I loved that it was set in an old home and that the protagonist had a love for architecture and design—that was a fun addition to the story. There were times I was worried the story was going into actual ghost territory (spoiler: it doesn't), but it perfectly walks that line. I could see the twist coming from nearly the beginning, but it was still a fun ride to get there. I'd read another book from this author without question!

"A Gothic tale told across three timelines, The Midnight Estate is a haunting mystery entwining a family's darkest secrets and a captivating book-within-a-book puzzle."
Fiona grew up closely with her cousin Jon and her beloved Uncle Tad, a very successful author. When her Uncle died unexpectedly, her cousin Jon inherited the house and gladly sold it to her. She met resistance from the town's people and her mother, who said the estate is haunted. Deliveries were made difficult when no one wanted to come inside the home. Fiona thought this was nonsense since her fondest memories of growing up were in the family estate. Jon witnessed Fiona's mother and Tad having a heated argument the day he was found dead. So many secrets to uncover in this house: past and present.
Fiona has suffered her share of heartache and emotional meltdowns after she found her husband and best friend having an affair. The book is full of emotions, heart wrenching moments and the capture of enduring love. When she stumbles on a book The Midnight Estate, the story quickly blurs into the reality and fiction for Fiona. It begins to resemble her own life of loss, love and betrayal.
I would have said no to the house, but she gracefully settles in to remodel it to its previous grandeur state. The noises and nightmares appear scary for the reader. I loved the atmospheric tale of Wurimbirra even the book within a book, especially the one she finds sending her on a trail of keys and secrets to reveal. It is a Gothic and epic book I will not forget. I love books with this type of atmosphere where researching the grounds is peril to her.
Thank you Harlequin Trade Publishing sending me this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Australia - 2010

Fiona Winslow, newly divorced, has just purchased Wurimbirra from her cousin who had inherited it from his father Tad, a prolific author. Fiona and her mother lived there for a time when she was a child and Fiona has always loved it. It is a huge mansion and is thought to be haunted but Fiona feels that’s just nonsense. The house has been closed up since Tad died in 1999 so it is full of dust and there are some critters and spiders that need to be evicted. Fiona’s mother remarried some years ago and since then she and Fiona have had a strained relationship and now her mother lives nearby. She is furious when she learns that Fiona has purchased the estate and feels she will regret living there.

Just when Tad died in 1999, a box of books had been delivered to him from a publisher. He always enjoyed buying numerous copies of a new book to share with Fiona and friends. The book inside is called “The Midnight Estate” by F. J. Wilkie, an unknown author to her but Fiona knows she will enjoy reading it.

As Fiona settles into the house, she begins reading the book and slowly things begin to make sense about so many things in her life.

I cannot give out any spoilers here but I have to say that this is a brilliant and compelling novel that has been beautifully written. I was mesmerized the whole time I was reading it. You don’t want to miss this one. It’s truly outstanding.

Copy provided by NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

I didn't want this one to end! At its heart, this is a story about relationships, siblings, friendships, and being the kind of good people who stick their necks out for someone who needs help. We surely need more of that in today's world.
This book is layered and deep, it twisted and revealed, just to twist again. The characters were delivered in a way that had me invested from the start, and as the story unraveled and the pieces began clicking into place, I found myself emotionally involved in ways I hadn't expected.
This one caught me completely off guard. It deals with some heavy topics gracefully and humanely, handling difficult subject matter with the care it deserves. I could not put it down and cannot stop thinking about it days later. What an absolutely lovely story about life and what's truly important, the connections we make and how we show up for each other when it matters most.

This book is Kelly Rimmer’s much-anticipated new historical fiction. I’ve been looking forward to delving into it.

This story introduces us to Fiona as she takes possession of an old family estate in Australia. The home is not only falling apart but is rumoured to be haunted. Because of this, Fiona’s mother and other family members disapprove of her decision to move in and are quite adamant in wanting their old family estate to be left alone (but won’t divulge why). To add to the mystery, in this rundown house, Fiona discovers a book published by a mysterious unknown author that follows the story of a woman in America.

I quite enjoyed this book, which I found to be a nice blend of mystery and historical fiction. The ‘book within a book’ format made the reading interesting and I found myself captivated by both stories.

Rimmer also did a great job creating the rich atmospheric setting of the old estate, which has just enough spookiness to make it a great read just before Halloween.

At its core, this book is a story about family drama, healing and legacy, with well-written characters.

A warning that the book deals with the topic of domestic abuse.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for granting me an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

3.5 stars. This was an ARC from NetGalley. The plot of this one is wildly different than what I expected, but I am not disappointed. This is a tale of the taboo of DMV in the mid-1900s and how men where protected in the good ol' boys club, and a tale of survival. The themes are much heavier than your normal gothic mystery. The plot did move along quickly and keep me engaged. All the haunting and mystery elements are wrapped up half way through the plot. I wish it would have carried through more of the book. #netgalley #thestorykeeper #gothic #mystery

I absolutely adore Kelly’s writing and this was a very solid fiction book. The pacing I did struggle with a bit and the beginning was very slow. The ties were predictable but still a very good story

Kelly Rimmer writes family trauma so well. I great story with a book inside a book that holds so many answers to questions nobody even thought to ask.

A story told with dual timelines. I thought both were really good. The story has a little of a gothic feel to it.
I did think it started a little slow but it certainly ended with a bang! I wasn’t quite ready for it to end, I wanted at least one more chapter

4.5⭐️
This was such an interesting premise: a book within a book! I was invested in the characters, the setting, and appreciated how the twists unfolded in the story.

Rimmer’s latest novel had me hooked from start to finish. It follows a newly divorced woman who buys her late uncle’s mysterious mansion, only to uncover secrets that span generations. Told through a dual-timeline narrative, the story masterfully weaves the past and present with subtle twists and emotional depth. The truth reveals itself gradually, which kept me turning the pages, eager to uncover what really happened. One of the most powerful elements of the book is its reminder that even imperfect people are capable of making extraordinary sacrifices. The only thing that kept this from being a full five-star read for me was the treatment of the strange happenings in the house—there were hints of something more, and I would’ve loved to see those eerie elements explored a bit further.

I enjoyed this book. A mysterious old house set in the remote, Australian countryside. Family mysteries and secrets buried and rediscovered. Mysterious noises and things moving around in the empty house.
I enjoyed both the present story going on in this book and the flashbacks the lead up to the family secret that explains all of the mysteries of the big old house.