Arethusa Clayton a formidable woman is on her death bed. Faye, her daughter is with her, as is her faithful member of staff Temperance. Every night whilst staying with her mother in their large Newport home Faye has had a dream. She’s in a castle and is climbing a winding staircase and opens the door at the top of the staircase where there is someone waiting and as they turn she realises the face is her own. After her mother’s funeral she and her brother Longan meet with the family lawyer to hear the reading of the will. Quite shockingly Arethusa has said her ashes are to be returned to Ireland and scattered on the grounds of Deverill castle. Although the siblings were aware of their mother’s Irish decent, they know of no family or why she would even wish to return to the place she left and never even mentioned. In addition Faye is provided with Arethusa’s diary which is written in some sort of code which they cannot decipher. Much to her brother and husband’s disgust Faye insists on going to Ireland to Ballinakelly to see why this is where the ashes are to be scattered. This two week trip with forever change the course of Faye's life as she finally discovers her mother’s history .
Although this is not the first Deverill. novel, it is the first I have read. This was a wonderful read linking the past and the present. I will most definitely be going back to read the other stories about this family. Wonderful read by an excellent writer.

Arethusa dies in America but leaves instructions that she wishes to have her ashes scattered in a remote part of Ireland. Her daughter Faye, against everyones advise, decides to travel alone and fulfill her mother wishes. Along the way she discovers a lot more about her mother and her family background.
As usual Santa Montefiore tells a great story. I have read a lot of her work but had not read about the Deverills. However this does work as a standalone novel and not having read the others did not detract from the story. She draws you in and keeps your interest until the last word.
Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and the author for granting me an advance copy

I liked this book, a lot. I really connected with her writing towards the loss of the main characters mother and the grief she felt. It was actually really cathartic to read myself.

I am not a massive fan of the Deverille stories, having said that this is my favourite.

An ejoyable read and a worthy contribution to the Deverill series of books by Santa Montefiore.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for this ARC

A captivating finish to the story of the Deverill family. Great for fans of the original trilogy and new readers alike.

What a wonderful saga that Santa Montefiore has written and I couldn’t literally put it down until I had finished it! It is a tale in two parts the beginning of the century and the 1960s and starts when Faye’s mother Arethusa dies and leaves a letter with her solicitor requesting that she is buried in Ireland. So Faye, a typical American housewife decides to ignore her husband and brother’s wishes and go in search of the place she came from to decide what to do next. This is a beautifully crafted story flashing easily between past and present and Faye discovers an amazing secret life and a family that she never heard of before. Like her mother Faye finds herself in a situation that makes her examine her life and what she needs to do for the future. A great read!

I just finished this book and really loved it.I have read the deverille trilogy on holidays over the years and I loved this one to finish off the story.beautifully written lovely reading about times in old Ireland and around a Castle.

I am a massive fan of this author and have thoroughly enjoyed reading her novels over the years. She's a real gem in the vein of Rosamunde Pilcher and I recommend her works to all fans of The Shell Seekers. This one left me a little cold, I felt there were a few too many cliches for me and sadly I didn't finish it. It's a first for me to leave this author's book to one side. Shame ... but i suppose it happens when you have such a rich body of work. I'm putting it down to being a blip and will remain a fan!

This book is an epic saga set in Southern Ireland in two time periods, the end of the nineteenth century and the 1960's,. it is the story of Faye, and her mother, Arethusa (sorry but this name really annoyed the hell out of me) who lived in Ireland at the turn of the twentieth century. When Faye’s mother dies she leaves a will in which she asks her daughter to go to her homeland, Ireland and scatter her ashes. She also leaves a bequest that will only be revealed after this has been done.

I think this book will appeal to readers who enjoy historical family sagas and romance.

This is a heartwarming family drama set in two timelines.
This is a great read perfect for fans of family sagas.
This book has been well researched and you are treated to some Irish history as well as a great story

I love these historical mystery/romance. I always feel swept away in the story and Santa does that with every book she has written. I cannot recommend this book enough if you love this genre!!!#NetGalley #TheSecretHours

Firstly, the cover of this book is beautiful so that instantly made me want to read it and as I know that the author, Santa Montefiore writes epic stories, The Secret Hours was an obvious choice as my next read.

Although I have read other works by Santa Montefiore, I have not read the Deverill series so I was slightly concerned to find that this book is also part of that world. I needn't have worried as this book can stand alone and I did not feel as if I was missing out on parts of the story not having read earlier works.

This book is set in two time periods, the end of the nineteenth century and the 1960s. Both were times when there were certain expectations of women and we see the struggles of both Arethusa and her daughter, Faye, as they try to find happiness despite what is expected of them.

This was a captivating and enjoyable read. There were many twists and turns and I really felt for both Arethusa and Faye. I now want to go back and read the Deverill series to spend more time in this world and it's characters!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a free e-copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

The Secret Hours is the new book from Santa Montefiore, an author who never disappoints with her books. This book is about one of the Deverill women but is not part of Santa Montefiore’s Deverill trilogy so you don’t need to have read these books. The plot moves between 1960’s and the late nineteenth century, and follows Faye Langton and her mother Arethusa Clayton, born a Deverill. When Arethusa, known as Tussy, dies she asks for her ashes to be scattered in Ireland which comes as a shock to to Faye and her brother Logan, who knew nothing of her mother’s past. Faye decides to travel to Ireland to learn more about her mother, a journey where she also finds out more about herself. Set in the beautiful Irish landscape this is a book about love, family and forgiveness.

I haven’t read any of the previous books about the Deverill legacy and it didn’t make any difference to my enjoyment or understanding of the book. The late nineteenth century and the 1960’s were both a time of a patriarchal society, with women’s rights and freedom just beginning to change in the 60’s. Although there are about sixty years between Tussy’s and Faye’s stories, they are both shackled to an extent by societies expectations of them. Tussy, is a tenacious and wilful character, who knows her obligations to marry well, to be a good daughter and wife but she wants her fun first, to live before she gets married for duty. She is very much led by her heart rather than her head which can have consequences.

Faye, like her mother is shackled by society. She has always submitted to her father, brother and husband like a good daughter, sister and wife should, but in going to Ireland she defies her husband and removed from America finds a new sense of freedom in Ireland. Faye gains the strength her mother had as a young woman, and the more she learns about her mother and her Deverill heritage the more she questions her life as a wife, and a woman. I was really rooting for Faye to take control of her life and emerge from her dull life into a more exciting one, like a caterpillar to a butterfly.

Santa Montefiore brings the stunning Irish landscape to life, with Castle Deverill like a fairytale castle in its midst. In setting the book in the 1960’s and late nineteenth. century the is able to address quite a few important issues of the period including poverty, pregnancy out of wedlock, how women’s lives were decided by their fathers and then husbands, racism and forbidden love and how even though there is a over half a century time frame things had not changed much.

As expected from Santa Montefiore, The Secret Hours is an enjoyable and compelling read that I couldn’t put down once started. Tussy and Faye are both wonderful characters, who you can’t help but admire and invest emotion in their respective stories. There is no doubt of Santa Montefiore’s skill as a story teller, and this is another stunning novel and one I highly recommend. Beautiful setting, characters you care about, and an engaging story, a perfect read.

The Secret Hours.


I have read a few books by Santa Montefiore but I didn't know before I started this one that it was the fourth in a series of books about the Deverills. This didn't detract from the story as I had no idea there were other books but I now want to to back to book one and read them all. It seems a fifth one is to follow.

Faye is an American housewife with grown up children staying in an unhappy marriage for their sake. When her mother dies she leaves a diary for Faye to read and wants her ashes scattered in Ireland where she was born. Faye and her brother know nothing about her mother's childhood in Ireland or why she came to America and while Faye is desperate to fulfill her mother's last wishes her brother and husband are violently against it.
Faye decides to go against their wishes for the first time in her life and much to everyone's surprise she travels to Ireland on her own.

A whole new world and new family opens up for Faye and she is distraught when she has to leave. Will she follow her heart or do what is expected of her?

I loved this story. It had a few twists and turns before the end. We learn what happened to Faye's mother and why she left her family to go to America and what the family were told. There is also a lovely present day romance which added to the whole ambience of the book.
Santa Montefiore never fails to deliver a cracking good story and this is one of those.

I have read and have really enjoyed all of Santa Montefiore's previous books and highly recommend them all, so I was looking forward to reading this book. I wasn't disappointed. I couldn't put this down.

Although this is another story of the Deverills, this could be read as a standalone novel. But if you haven't read the other Deverill novels, I would highly recommend you to do so as they are fabulous - perfect for anyone who enjoys family sagas and romance.

This was captivating from the beginning. I was immediately hooked into the story. Fantastic characterisation and such a wonderful setting. Such a heartwarming family story, I loved the irish history woven into the family story. Delightful.

Fantastic, I can't recommend this highly enough and can't wait for the next book from Santa.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this in exchange for an honest review.

This story takes place over a period of 60 years, covering two generations of the Deverill family. We meet the American daughter, middle aged, discontented with her marriage and frustrated at her acceptance of the belief that to obey and conform is her role in life. Troubled by mysterious dreams of a castle in a far away country inhabited by her double continues to disturb the equilibrium of her life. The death of her mother, followed by a death bed request results in a determination to fulfill her mothers last wishes even to the extent she will move completely out of her safely controlled comfort zone and enter the forbidden territory of satisfying her own selfish needs and desires. . A diary revealing lost secrets from her mothers past and a visit half way across the world slowly unravel the tenuous links with an unknown family and series of events from 60 years previous. Discovering her mothers hidden past sets off a chain of events that will alter her life and that of her husband and family irretrievably. A love story from a previous age, where duty and respectability where all that mattered collide with the longings of a repressed wife and mother who unexpectedly is given a second chance in life. I was never sure how both these love stories would end and impatiently reached a conclusion that was both sad and uplifting. Mystery, love, a family saga, historical connotations. For me this book gives the reader a hugely enjoyable escape to the mores of two very different eras. Escapism personified. I really really enjoyed this book.

I really thought that “The Last Secret of the Deverills” was the last book of the series, but no, there was one more story to tell. It the first books were Kitty’s and men of Deverills, then this book is Deverills daughter’s book. Since Arethusa is only mentioned on family tree under name Tussy, I had no idea at first who she is. This book is actually Arethusa and her daughter Faye’s book. In a way, it reminded me a lotCecelia Ahern’s P.S. I Love You, just instead of husband sending his wife to Ireland, here mother sends her daughter to Ireland. And just like in the previous books the libronovella must contain a lot of drama, lot of tears, lot of love and secrets.

A wonderful ending to this family saga.

Another epic story from Santa Montefiore which I thoroughly enjoyed. The story slips between mother and daughter’s story showing differences in attitudes between the times but also similarities. Perfect beach read.

Thanks to NetGalley for an early copy in return for an honest review
Again a very good read and one I can highly recommend to others.
I could not put this down.
Thoroughly enjoyable.

beautifully written and captivating. This is then kind of book you should take on your Summer holidays. I am a huge fan of this author's writing and this doesn't disappoint