C. E. Rose – Steph's Book Blog

About The Book

Darkness lies at the heart of this family…

In 1959 Milly starts her new life as a housemaid at Rutherford House, working for the aristocratic Rutherford-Percy clan. Entranced by her new mistress, Vivienne, she becomes deeply embroiled in the household and the keeper of dark secrets the family conceals beneath the mansion’s grand exterior.

In the present day, Christie is working as a psychiatric nurse when she meets troubled patient Lillian Percy, Vivienne’s granddaughter and heiress to Rutherford House. They soon bond over the loss of their mothers
– Lillian’s died when she was a child; Christie’s mysteriously disappeared over twenty years ago – and Christie finds herself increasingly fascinated by
Lillian’s family and their imposing ancestral home.

As Christie learns more about the Rutherford-Percys, she finds a shocking clue that could help her uncover what happened to her own mother. Desperate for answers, Christie puts her job, her family and even her very life on the line. But how much of the truth does she really want to know?

My Review

With thanks to the publisher for the copy received. I always enjoy a novel with more than one narrator, I find it adds to the intrigue and provides differing views of the same situation. And in this novel I found it worked really well, covering three generations where initially I couldn’t even begin to work out the connection.

Christie was a character I adored. I had a lot of appreciation for her honesty, her approach to her career and the evident loss she felt concerning the disappearance of her mother. She crossed the line a little with building a friendship with Lilian but she did still have her best interests at heart and tried to maintain a professional relationship. You saw a lot more of her vulnerability with her relationship with OJ, a character who made me smile a lot.

But there wasn’t just her that the reader got to know well. There was Duncan during the 1980s, probably the one who I had the most sympathy for as the way he was manipulated was revealed and Milly from the 1960s, the more I read about her the less I liked. But strangely, there wasn’t really anything I could put my finger on. I just found her a little too controlling and too familiar for an employee.

The house itself was just like I imagined one that had run out of money to be. Areas gradually being closed adding to a claustrophobic and cold atmosphere. Nowhere that anybody would call home, I couldn’t imagine a less happy home. My feelings didn’t change as I got towards the end, if anything they increased as the truth was revealed.

The ending was a shock, just before everything was revealed I had decided that I knew what happened to Christie’s mother and those connected to her. I couldn’t have been more wrong. The real outcome was much more sinister and captivating than anything I imagined.

A fantastic novel with characters that felt real

About The Book

The imposing gates of Ramsay Hall yawned open. As Serena and 4-year-old Lana walked up the long driveway, little did they know the dark secrets that lay within.

When Serena Green accepted the role of housekeeper for wealthy widower Hayden Ramsay, she never imagined her new home would be Ramsay Hall, an ancient, sprawling mansion in Northern England.

Serena quickly becomes an integral part of the household, making friends with Hayden’s younger son Hugh, despite Jack, his older brother’s, coldness towards her and Lana.

But the hall’s beautiful exterior hides many ugly secrets. Though Serena and Jack begin to grow closer, she’s confused by his behaviour around Lana. What is he guilty of? And is there more to their mother’s death than the Ramsay men will admit, even to themselves?

As the harrowing past of Ramsay Hall unravels, Serena fresh start becomes a fresh horror. She fears for her and Lana’s safety, but what are the bleak secrets in Serena’s own past?

This house is built on a lifetime of lies… and the truth might just bring the walls crashing down.

My Review

With thanks to the publisher for the copy received. I have read books by this author ( under the name Caroline England) before and enjoyed all of them. The House Of Hidden Secrets is my favourite one out all of them. It contains everything I like about a novel. Intrigue, suspicion and plenty of twists.

Serena has taken the position of housekeeper and carer to Hayden Ramsay at the family home in Cheshire. Living with him are his two sons Jack and Hugh. It became evident immediately that the atmosphere was unsettled. More so with Hugh than any of the others. For some reason he was banished from the family home and was living in less than ideal conditions in a caravan at the farm where he worked. But in some ways, he was happier than any of the others.

There were three narrators, Serena, Jack and Hugh. As you read you found out more about all of them and at times it was unsettling to read. It was obvious straight away that Serena was hiding from her past and needed the remoteness of the area to keep herself and her young daughter hidden. What was less obvious was what had happened to Jack and Hugh in their past. And whilst I had a lot of sympathy for Jack it was Hugh whose story affected me the most.

As the secrets were revealed the amount of manipulation increased. It was done slyly, to more than one person, but wasn’t entirely successful. I really enjoyed reading how the manipulator’s true personality was gradually shown as their desperation increased.

This was a novel I found very difficult to put down. When a novel has each chapter focusing on a different character it has to work and this worked perfectly. I needed to know what happened to each of them constantly.