This book gripped me from page 1. The writing is so beautiful. The story has a huge cast of characters but it’s very easy to follow. A fantastic book for fans of historical sagas

First in a brand new drama series
1901. When the Earl of Stainton dies in a tragic hunting accident, Giles, the eldest son of the noble Tallant family, must step forward to replace him as the head of the family. But Giles has avoided the Castle and his stifling relatives for years, deciding instead to forge his own path away from the spotlight. Now, he must put aside his ambitions and honour his duty to the family.

With their world upended, the Tallants and their servants struggle to find their place in the house - and society - once again. And Giles realises that, along with the title and the castle, he's also inherited his father's significant financial troubles that threaten the security of his entire family.

In Kensington, Kitty Bayfield, the painfully shy but moneyed daughter of a Baronet, has just left school with her penniless companion Nina. Nina captures the new Earl's heart, but only Kitty can save his family from their debts, and soon Giles must choose between his duty and his heart . . .

The Secrets of Ashmore Castle.
This is typically my kind of book. I was drawn to it as it looked like a really good historical drama in the vein of Downton Abbey, but it didn’t live up to my expectation. The backdrop to this story is a large country estate with a penniless Earl looking desperately for a rich lady to marry him and save the family from ruin, the book never really went beyond this. Yes it has a good cast of characters but all it did here was set the scene for the next book. I was disappointed with it as I expected something to happen but unfortunately for me I was left definitely wanting. I guess I’ll have to wait for the second instalment to see if this story comes to life. So for me this is a 2⭐️ story. Many thanks to #NetGalley and Little Brown Book Group for an advanced reading copy of this book.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for an early review copy.

I loved watching Downton Abbey, therefore I was looking forward to reading this book. I could tell how, it was inspired from that show and it made me want to read it even more.

I’m so looking forward to the rest of the series as the way it was written was so beautiful and so were the plots.

Recommend It.

I love Downton Abbey so I was keen to read this. I definitely could see the inspiration from the show shine through in the book and I loved it. Like the show it is part of a series and I'm so looking forward to reading more. The writing was beautiful, the plotlines were just perfect to the style of the book. Very entertaining. I loved it

I really enjoyed this book. After the first few pages I was hooked and was keen to discover what would happen to the characters and how their stories would enfold. Cynthia Harrod-Eagles has a style of writing that makes the story accessible, with characters who are many and varied, giving an insight into life above and below stairs. This book has teased the reader with possible future storylines; how will Nina cope with married life and a resentful housekeeper? Will Kitty’s life change when she has the baby? What will James, or Hook as we now must call him, do next? I hope there is a sequel to answer these questions and many more.

Oh wow!!
I was gripped from the first page and held to the end. The writing was wonderful and the historical detail superb.
Ashmore Castle is a huge ancestral home encumbered with massive debt but with the façade of all being well, which often happened in those times. Giles, the eldest son, comes into his inheritance a lot sooner than expected and to say he's less than happy about it is an understatement. His mother, the Countess, doesn't help matters. She's a cold, unfeeling woman who is only interested in herself.
There's a huge cast of characters in this book. Between the family, servants, villagers and friends you need to concentrate to keep up with who's who. However, the characters are wonderfully drawn and each one is as interesting as the next.
I love reading about the servant's lives as much as the main family and we have some unpleasant people above and below stairs and one or two are quite slimy.
This book is the first in a new series and I'll be waiting very impatiently for the next one.
A fantastic read and I'd recommend it to anyone who loves historical stories with great characters who all have their own secrets.

Thanks to Little, Brown Book Group UK and NetGalley for the chance to read this book early.

Ashmore Castle is the Home of the Stainton family and their servants.

I did like sections of the book, the writing is good but there are just too many characters. Once you are interested in one it moves onto another. And because there are so many characters and stories I found it overlong. It’s clearly been influenced by Downtown Abbey, which is essentially a soap opera in period clothes, with its gentry and servants. I found this rather tiresome and added unnecessarily to the characters. I found myself skimming sections of the book. Personally I’d prefer a bit more focus to the story. Although there isn’t really a story per se, just a series of events happening to a various people in a house. I don’t know what the titular “secrets” are. Finally it doesn’t conclude so much as just stop. It’s evident it’s all intended as the first in a series however it isn’t a series I particularly want to revisit.