You don’t choose to own Roxborough Hall, the Hall chooses you to be its owner. For two centuries the vast Tudor mansion has been in the Mordaunt family, but not inherited by a conventional process. The property has an entail, a legal device which describes the limits and circumstances by which the property may be passed on. In this case, the owner must pass the property to the person whom they believe will benefit the most and who will ensure its survival. Although the new owner is most likely to be a member of the family this is not requisite, the decision is at the discretion of the current owner who, it is hoped, will pick the person who best fits the criteria. And that person will fit the criteria because of the way the Hall has moulded them.
Cecily, the eighty-five-year-old current owner, is dying, although her scattered family don’t know that yet. Her lifelong companion, Violet, is taking care of all the arrangements, as she has always done. Appointed as Cecily’s maid in 1958, she has grown with her, maturing into a personal assistant, household manager, constant companion, and always a keeper of secrets. And there have been lots of secrets over their nearly sixty-five years together. Violet’s last undertaking for her friend is to oversee the entailment process, after which the lawyers will take over and deal with the routine disposals of the will. The entailment process has become standardised over the years: the current owner writes a letter to each member of the family, plus anyone else who might have some expectations; all but one of the letters explains why the recipient has not been given the Hall, the exception explains to the recipient why they have been chosen. The letters are distributed at the start of a formal dinner, perhaps to give time to think over what has happened. The recipients will be Cecily’s two sons, David and Grant, David’s two daughters by his first wife, his second wife, Grant’s adopted son, a lawyer representing Cecily’s estranged daughter, and Violet, of course. Who will be the chosen one, and how will that effect their future relationships with the others?
A beautifully contrived situation, written in beautiful English, within an expertly structured exposition. Through a series of flashbacks, vignettes, slipped into the forward narrative of the story, we discover the history of all the characters, the role the Hall has played in their lives and their attitude to it, the expectations they have about the entailment, the incidents which have made them the people they are. All are properly developed, believable characters (even the minor ones). It’s a complicated story, but trying to second guess the plot twists (and the twists in the sub-plots), while weighing up the information to try and identify who will be chosen, I found hugely enjoyable.
I would like to thank NetGalley, the publishers and the author for providing me with a draft proof copy for the purpose of this review.

The Will is a book that will pull you in and be difficult to put down. This is definitely one of those books which is action packed and full of moments to keep the reader interested.

There is so much scandal and drama in this book, you can’t help but want to keep reading. Cecily Mordaunt has her will in place to state who will take on the stately home.

Reid gives the reader numerous perspectives and some dual timelines to fill in gaps of this one. You can’t help but turn page after page. This is definitely a dysfunctional family, but they keep you turning page after page.

Reid has definitely transported me with this book. The array of characters really add another element to this one. David and Bryony are particularly ghastly.

There have been twists in this one that I have failed to predict. I have loved the devious nature of the characters and the secrets unfolding. This has been a very entertaining book to read. I will have no hesitation recommending this book to other fans of the genre.

For one. Their family home is Roxburgh Hall - magnificent, centuries old mansion in the Norfolk countryside. For another, the house isn't passed down from parent to child - but rather to the family member deemed most worthy. Cecily Mordaunt is dead. On the evening of her funeral, her family will gather for dinner, and each will be given a letter, revealing who is the nest custodian of Roxburgh Hall. The house is a burden, a milestone, a full-time job, but they all want it. And some are willing to do anything to get it.

I was drawn into this book by the end of the first page. This is a really good family drama. The characters are well developed and complex. The pace is fast, the plotline was mysterious, and I never knew what direction it would make next. I do like a story that has a dysfunctional family in it, but there are quite a few characters to try and remember. The outcome is surprising.

I would like to thank #NetGalley #RandomHouseUK #TransworldPublishers and the author #RebeccaReid for my ARC of #TheWill in exchange for an honest review.

The Will is a clever twist on the traditional “lots of rich folk in a mansion” suspense novel, in that it’s not a murder mystery, but rather an intriguing drama about which family member will inherit Roxborough Hall, the ancestral home, and why. I’ve been avoiding the “psychological” genre, as they all got too samey, but this had lots of positive reviews and I’m glad I took a chance on a new-to-me author. This would make a fantastic TV mini-series!

The Mordaunt family have an unusual way of handing down their large elegant Norfolk home: rather than going to the first-born son, the current owner picks the successor they deem most worthy, who finds out by letter in a ceremony they have been repeating since the 1700s. Now that charming, flighty matriarch Cecily Mordaunt has died, her descendants have gathered - each with their own reasons for wanting the beautiful house that means more to them than anything - but only one can keep it.

This twisty character-driven “whogetsit” introduces a vivid cast of hopefuls - from ageing playboy Grant, the favoured younger son, to beautiful feckless Lizzie, the granddaughter most at home at Roxborough. Or will Cecily shock them all by leaving it to steadfast Violet, the maid turned carer who has looked after her all her adult life? I was surprised by how invested I became in finding out! I liked the multiple perspectives and flashbacks to the past where successive secrets are revealed, most of which surprised me, and thought the ending was perfect. Highly enjoyable, so I’ll be looking out for more from this author.

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House UK/Transworld for the ARC. I am posting this honest review voluntarily. The Will is published on November 10th.

It’s been likened to ‘The Pursuit of Love’ but I haven’t read it so can’t comment, but I loved this book from start to finish.

Our narrator is Fran (the Darling of the title) who is looking back at the time she lived with her Radlett cousins at Alconleigh in the ‘absolute arse end’ of Norfolk. We meet Uncle Matthew (former rock star, anti-mobile phones, and many other things) and Auntie Sadie (matriarch, stately and serene), oldest cousin Linda (militant vegetarian, hopeless romantic), Louisa (17) Jassy (12) and Robin (3). There’s a lot of home educating, the great outdoors, dungarees, improbable suitors and their strange parents, heartbreak and sadness (the ending – sob).

Great cast of characters – from Uncle Matthew who has some of the best lines, to Creepy Jared who minds the horses! Especially loved the two pages of things Uncle Matthew hates, which includes hats, Dijon mustard, pot pourri, poncy sunglasses and racists. Oh and books. He has only read ‘A Street Cat named Bob’ which moved him so profoundly that he vowed never to read anything else ever again, since nothing else could ever be as good.

There are so many great lines in this book – and not just from Matthew. Highly recommended – and not just because it’s set in Norfolk (where I am)!

I tore through this deliciously twisted tale of family secrets and loyalties.

Roxborough House has been in the same family for generations, but rather than being inherited by the oldest child, the current owner can decide who the next owner of Roxborough will be based on who they believe is the most deserving. No-one knows who it is going to be until after the death of the predecessor, when all potential inheritors receive a letter and have to open them together.

Cecily has lived in the House for over 50 years, bringing up her children there and often having her grandchildren to stay for extended holidays. The House means a lot to several members of the family and they are all hopeful that they might be the ones to inherit. When it is time for her to pass it on, the family gathers together, keen to see who it might be, but nervous that it might not be them. When they find out who it is, no-one is more surprised than the new owner - what does it mean?

There are multiple viewpoints and timelines, with secrets being spilt and bonds being forged across generations, which kept the story interesting and alive, The tension builds and builds, with futures depending on what the outcome is. There were some brilliantly unlikeable characters who must have been great fun to write - and some more pleasant ones too, thank goodness.

If you're looking for a page-turning tale of family intrigue and mystery, this is a great choice!

Family secrets have been kept, and family members who don’t deserve anything stand to benefit! A fantastic read from start to finish and the pages will turn themselves!

A fun romp through the dysfunctional lives of a wealthy family all wanting to inherit Roxburgh Hall. Full of twists and turns, the author made the characters sufficiently believable to keep me reading until the end. The only thing I found quite tricky was how many people, and therefore back stories, there were to try and remember
Thank you to netgalley and Random House for an advance copy of this book

A great read which keeps you guessing! A real family drama over who will inherit and of course it’s never deserved by the person who does. Family secrets abound which kept me turning the pages.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in return for an honest review.

Roxborough House is passed down to whoever the previous owner wishes, and the recipient has no idea until their predecessor has passed away. Which leads to a tense family funeral when Cecily Mordaunt dies, and everybody thinks they deserve the house ...

This book made for quite a gripping mystery and I was intrigued by where things were going. The family was fairly interesting to follow, and the drama was more than enough to keep me guessing!

I received a copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review

This book sounded so good. Honestly I dont think it was for me. I didn't connect with any of the characters at all.

This book sounded so good. Honestly I dont think it was for me. I didn't connect with any of the characters at all.

I enjoyed this book which kept me guessing what would be the outcome while using chapters set in the past which explained the background to the characters and their motivations. There were some anomalies which slightly irritated (who set out the letters etc) and the staff, who must have been working hard to maintain a 15 bed stately home we ghostly shadows. However the story was well paced and although the ‘secret’ of Jonty’s heritage was signalled early on, I still liked the book.

Who doesn't want to live in a very big stylish English manor house? Roxborough Hall in Norfolk is such a house, and although it's often filled with people, there are times that only one or two people call it their home.
Although most members of the extended Mordaunt family know how much work (and money!) the upkeep of Roxborough Hall may cost, they secretly hope that they will be the person Cecily left it too. Cecily's been living in Roxborough Hall since the fifties, together with her husband and three children, and not to forget her best friend Violet.
Now, Cecily is dead, the family is summoned to come over for the reading of the will, and of course one of them will learn they inherited 'the big prize'.
The story is being told from various viewpoints and set during various times. It soon becomes clear that there is absolutely no one who has nothing to hide, and the story is full of surprises. Not all of them pleasant. On the contrary.

I just loved this book because of the original story, the characters, the tension building up during the story and the many surprises, up until the end.

Thanks to Netgalley for this review copy.

Loved The Will by Rebecca Reid. A large family estate is always left to the most deserving blood relation and it doesn’t automatically follow that the oldest son will take ownership. After her death, Cecily’s family are called together for the traditional family meeting where they each receive an envelope which will tell them whether or not they have been left the house. Watched over by Violet, Cecily’s faithful personal maid and confidante, we learn about past and current relationships between family members, as well as grudges which will not go away. An excellent book with more twists than a helter skelter!

Family secrets, squabbles and drama all mixed in with mystery and deceit...

I hugely enjoyed The Will, and found it very hard to put down. The characters are certainly not all likeable but they're all interesting and make you want to read on to find out what they're hiding.

The story focuses on the family of Cecily Mordaunt, a rich lady who owns a huge estate including the desirable mansion called Roxborough Hall. After Cecily dies, on the night before her funeral, her family is summoned to the Hall for the traditional dinner where they'll find out who Cecily has left the hall to. But, of course, things don't run as smoothly as expected...

I loved the elements of history tied into each character's storyline. We flick between various characters in different moments in history as we learn more about what they intend to do if they inherit the hall, and realise not everyone has good intentions for the beautiful building! It takes a bit of getting used to all the names, as there's quite a few characters to keep track of, but they're all so different that this soon becomes easy.

There are surprises throughout the book in the characters' chequered histories, some interfering spouses, and a very devoted companion and lady's maid, Violet, and watching them all engage - and clash - makes for a brilliant read. I really enjoyed this novel and would recommend it to anyone looking for a gripping domestic thriller.

The Will is a story of family, death, betrayal, desire and love.

The book is so easy to read that I whizzed through it. The story line is gripping and the family skeletons keep coming! Told from multiple time points we learn the history of the family and Roxborough, the family estate.

The characters are varied and quirky. There is someone for everyone to relate to and someone for everyone to be annoyed by!

The story is dark and deceptive and makes you consider how far you would go to get what you want!

When it's time for the family estate to be passed on we quickly learn that everything about this family is more complicated than it first appears.

Every stage of this book unraveled the complex past of its characters. And when you think things couldn't unravel further they do.

A book that compels you to turn the pages until the very end.

A slow burner with a twist to the end.
Cicely dies and the family gets together to find out who will get the family home Roxborough Hall, all the family gets there point of view across and all want the house for different reasons.
The story has different POV and timelines which run together very smoothly and keeps you in suspense with a good twist to the end.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the ARC

With a cast of upward of 11 main characters,most of who give their Points Of View and narrative throughout this book needs a ‘Cast List’ at the beginning,I managed without but did take me a good 25% to remember who was who and who had done want with you and how they were all related,that aside it is a good drama surrounding a stately home that is bequest to a family member on the death on the current owner,it doesn’t go on hierarchy or age just on who the present owner feels would benefit from the house on their departure from the world……you can imagine the chaos,bad feeling and resentment this causes ( it’s all done via a meal where letters are given to each person who could be in line to get the house )
The books approaches very sensitive subjects head on and sometimes without resolution,however this is very true to life,not all awkward and unpleasant situations do have a rosy outcome,it was very true to life in this respect and I liked how the author didn’t tie all these things up to be ‘sorted’
All round an interesting,at times dramatic read that had an not OTT ending that made sense of everything that had gone before