This book is gripping. The writing is beautiful. There are a lot of characters in this book who are all well developed. This is the first in a 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 . . . This book is not only dramatic and engrossing, it is also insightful and wise.

I love historical fiction and this was no exception. It was well written with a compelling storyline and well developed characters. The book is full of vivid descriptions and rich imagery which just heightens this bookto a next level.

I love Cynthia Harrod Eagles. I have read all of the Morland Series and the Bill Slider mysteries so when I saw this new book’s title, I was expecting some sort of historical mystery novel. However, I found this beginning of a new series to be quite disappointing.
The period itself is an interesting one. It’s set in 1901 when people are just getting used to the idea of a king on the throne after the death of Queen Victoria. The Boer War is ending and the fight for Women’s suffrage is just beginning. All of these events are included in the novel completely naturally and the author’s period detail is perfect as always.
The plot is a fairly standard one. Giles becomes Earl of Stainton after the unexpected death of his father and finds that the estate is heavily in debt. His only way to solve the problem is to marry an heiress. Giles is a reluctant Earl, he would far rather be spending his time excavating ancient ruins in Egypt and he is an interesting character. His bride Kitty is also well written. She is painfully shy but once married begins to find her feet and show her real personality. These two are supported by a whole host of minor characters including a pleasure-loving younger brother, a would-be concert pianist and a footman with more than a passing resemblance to Thomas in Downton Abbey. The problem for me with most of these characters is that there are simply too many of them for any real development. We jump from one viewpoint to another so quickly that at times it’s hard to follow who we are reading about. I was interested in the character of Dory who we meet right at the beginning of the story but we don’t really learn that much about her.
For me, the lack of development of most of the characters was disappointing but my real problem was that despite the title, there simply weren’t any secrets. I was expecting some mystery to reveal itself as the novel progressed but nothing appeared. The book is a pleasurable read if you enjoy those long sagas detailing the lives of people at a certain period in time and as such, it’s quite similar to the later books in the Morland Dynasty series. I was hoping for a bit more plot and mystery though.
Thank you to Net Galley and Little Brown Book Group UK for letting me read this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

hree and a half stars.

I had wanted to read Cynthia Harrod-Eagles' War At Home series (love the covers), but they seemed to be at quite a high price point for an untried series, so when I saw this book available on NetGalley I jumped at the chance.

The book starts in 1901. Lord Stainton is killed in a hunting accident and his heir, Giles Tallant, is recalled from Egypt where he has been happily excavating tombs and avoiding his father's disappointment. When Giles returns, to his mother's constant disapproval, he learns that his father has ignored advice to economise and the estate is on the brink of bankruptcy. As distasteful as it sounds, Giles must look to marry an heiress in order to give his sisters a dowry, give his mother her dowager's pension and save Ashmore Castle (which isn't a castle), even though he loathes it and England. Despite his age, Giles has never had much conversation with women, his interest in archaeology has kept him in the company of men, he's barely even kissed a girl.

Kitty Bayfield is a chronically-shy heiress, her stepmother wants to bring her out into society (in order to make a good marriage), but realises that might be difficult, until Kitty's former headmistress suggests that Kitty's best friend, Nina bolsters Kitty's confidence and might be a useful companion during the season. Although a penniless orphan, Nina has been raised by her aunt, an intellectual who has exposed her to radical thinking and encouraged her to become a teacher.

When Giles and Nina meet at a ball, he believes her to be Kitty and is immediately bowled over by how easy she is to talk to, how clever and interesting. But when he discovers that Nina is the penniless companion he must decide whether to follow his heart or save his family.

Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed reading this very much, but I 'm not sure how I would describe it. Perhaps the blurb's suggestion that this is perfect for fans of Downton Abbey is correct, because this feels like there are lots of characters with stories which are given airtime but don't go anywhere eg Giles' brother, or the sewing maid. It reminded me very much of those long family saga books that were very popular in the 1970s and 1980s where no-one ever gets an HEA and each generation inflicts its own misery on the next, although I hasten to say it wasn't that grim.

I am intrigued and will definitely read the next book as I want to know what happens to our three main characters and the supporting cast.

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

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

From the start of this book I was unable to put it down. I loved the way it was written and the descriptive details.

The castle is big but it’s got a huge debt. Giles receives his inheritance a lot earlier than he expected to and he’s not at all happy about it. The Countess, is only worried about herself.

There are quite a few characters in the book from the members of the family, the villagers, servants. It was interesting to read ably the lives of the servant's lives as well as the family members.

I’m looking forward to reading the next book on the series.

I recommend this book.