This book was a great mix of Historical fiction and mystery and family secrets.

In the summer of 1928, a death takes place that will lead to events that change the Challant family forever. The youngest of their children Ines will be plagues with memories that she has buried of that night, long ago. We are brought back to the present day where is starting to rewind her journey and rediscover the truth of what really happened. On the surface they look like the perfect family as as the book flows the cracks begin to show.

Set in the family summer house on the French Riviera we are swept away by the opulence. This is a very well written book with in depth characters that keep you turning the pages waiting to see what the outcome would be. I really enjoyed the book and will definitely look out for other books by the author. I really enjoyed her writing style, especially as she weaved between the timelines,

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins UK, HarperFiction for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Wow! Couldn't put this down from the moment I started reading. The book connects with the secrets from the past and how it impacts the characters now. What happened and why, with a recurring theme of birds subtly connecting the plot.

The book is written in multiple timelines and perspectives and focuses on all the main protagonists. I liked that about the book as it felt like we were seeing the journey of all the characters. The book has themes of love, family, deception, and greed. It also shows not everyone is what they seem like and how time and past can take a toll. I like how the book uses the timeline and locations and at times goes beyond the obvious. A 5 star read for me!

Thank you HarperCollins UK, HarperFiction and NetGalley for this e-arc in exchange of my unbiased review.

A historical family drama with lots of secrets. Quite complex and plenty of backwards and forwards across the timeline so you have to keep your wits about you but brilliant characters and a fascinating story.

‘THE SECRET KEEPERS’ BY TILLY BAGSHAWE

Tilly Bagshawe’s latest is a juicy family drama set before, during, and after WWII. It focuses mainly on the Challants, a well-to-do English family, led by a devout father whose sole purpose in life, it seems, is to make everyone around him unhappy. Especially his frail devoted wife, who’d rather spend time collecting exotic birds than focusing on her crumbling marriage. The couple has four children: three girls and a boy, the latter the most obedient, though not necessarily the favorite (that would go to the youngest girl who later on would pay dearly for this privilege). When tragedy strikes one summer night during a raging thunderstorm, the life of the Challants is not only affected but forever changed as secrets from the past eventually surface.

As expected, there is more than meets the eye in this compelling tale of love and lost. It starts off quite strong, with one protagonist in the present time facing some inner demons on a shrink couch, and paces efficiently once the novel revisits the past for the family drama to unfold. From the get-go I felt connected with most of the characters (I draw the line with the rotten dad), especially the four siblings who try their best to stay afloat despite constant turmoil in their lives. Of course like in any well-made or not so well-made sagas, everyone is gorgeous and rich (or surrounded by wealth) and suffers greatly in the name of love (or self love to some) but never did I feel, in this particular novel, unattached to their plights.

Fans still looking for Bagshawe’s unique bonkbuster style, however, may be a tad disappointed as the sex and shopping approach in this one is quite tamer, but overall THE SECRET KEEPERS is still a very amorous affair with its strong narrative, colorful characters, not to mention its finely-tuned historical flavor. Indeed, since her previous novel THE SECRET OF SAINTE-MADELEINE, there’s a new Tilly Bagshawe in town, a Tilly Bagshawe who’s matured to an ever greater storyteller, a writer who knows where she stands in this so-called women fiction territory. And all is left to say is: brava, talented lady, you’ve got another winner in your hands.

My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this 4 and a half stars reviewed ARC.

If you’re in the mood for an amazing historical novel with a mystery at the heart of it, you’ve come to the right place! Tilly Bagshawe is back with a winner!