Set in 1901, Lilian Delaney is an apprentice to bookbinder Mr Caxton. She lives with her elderly father who is a bookseller and moves between her place of work and the book shop with nothing else in her life. Things change however when she is given a book that has been badly burned and discovers in the end pages a letter that tells of. a secret love between a lady and her knave. This sets Lily off on a path to discover other books by the same author and recover more of the love story. Unfortunately others are also after the same books and papers and Lily comes up against those who will go to any lengths to secure the books.
I enjoyed the setting of this book very much, the Oxford that Lily knows well, and her journeys by train across the country in search of the books. I liked the character of Lily and her interactions with her employer Mr Caxton. I liked the rather lewd Ambrose very much too and enjoyed the way Lily took him in her stride.
But most appealing was the story within story aspect of this novel which keeps you reading on two levels. I was immediately drawn into Lily's world - the story of the lady and William was slower to get going but by the end I was fully invested in them as well.
All in all an excellent read, one which kept me guessing until the end.
With thanks to Netgalley and HQ Stories for an arc copy in return for an honest review..

I was asked by NetGalley to review this and boy was I pleased and privilaged to do so

A story within a story, A bookbinder- there are hidden secret inside a book, throughout the story Lilian searches for missing books to piece this all together. What an historical thriller, well reserched - this author writes well and telld a great story that the reader will not be able to put down.

Such a treat and will be up there in the top ten just in time for the Christmas gift buying this festive season

Loved it due for publication November 6 2025

This is an outstanding book, perhaps in the genre of Dickens. Each chapter is almost a story in itself, so it can be a pick-up and put-down book. I found it engaging right from the very start. However, by the time you get halfway through, you cannot put it down. We follow the main character, Lillian, on her travels around late Victorian England by train. The descriptive sections really capture the atmosphere, and at times, you feel like you are walking alongside the characters. What I found very engaging was that you were never quite sure exactly what the mystery was that she was trying to solve. There was just one little section where she inflicted an injury on herself that didn't quite pass the plausibility test. A masterpiece such that I will be looking for more from A. D. Bell.

“Books were so much more than paper and words; they held magic within them and ever hand they passed through was touched by that magic, forever changed, even if they did not know it”

A burned book falls in to the hands of bookbinder Lillian Delaney, the book holds secrets which haven’t seen the light of day in many years.

Lily sets out on cross country journey to unravel the truth between the pages to meet book sellers, publishers and book collectors.

As the truth grows closer we’re taken on a journey of love, loss, obsession, despair and redemption.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to review this eARC, this is my honest opinion.

Lilian Delaney is a Bookbinder in Oxford back at the turn of the 20th century. When Dr Ashburn asks her to rebind a book specially for his wife, she goes to visit him to collect the book.
She comes away with another book also, this one has been snatched from a fire, Dr Ashburn had found it in the box of books sent to him from an Antiquarian bookshop in London. Hidden in the end cover Lilian finds several sheets of handwritten paper. Lilian is intrigued and vows to find out who wrote the pages hidden in the book, this sets her on a very dangerous course.
Will she uncover the truth?

I really enjoyed this! The writing style was engaging and kept me hooked from beginning to end. I especially loved the strong, modern main female character set against the historic backdrop. It made the story feel fresh and compelling!

It reminded me of The Shadow of the Wind but I liked this one better 😉

Overall a 4/5⭐ from me.

I would recommend this to anyone who likes historical fiction with a bit of mystery in it.

This book! It kept me up reading, it kept me reading and ignoring those around me. So rude! And I enjoyed it so much, the book that is. It was such an appealing book to read.

It's an adventure type of story, set in the early 1900's. Miss Lillian Delaney is the young lady who brings the whole thing to life,

Apprenticed to a bookbinder and the daughter of an Oxford bookseller. There is plenty of intrigue in the story and puzzles too, cleverly placed by the author around the book!

It's the combination that I like best, old-fashioned bookshops, history, puzzles and a bit of sleuthing. If a bit of fantasy or magic was also added in I wouldn't complain, but I was really happy to read this book.

Set in England during the last year of the Victorian era, this fast paced book with a strong heroine lead makes for a great story. Lots of twists and turns; murder, trickery and mystery. I also enjoyed the second story embedded in this one, and the ending left me thinking we might expect a second book based around this protagonist? If that's the case I'll look forward to reading that one. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance reader copy.

Enjoyable read. Lily engages on a quest initiated by an almost chance aquisition of a partly burned book which takes her into the world of book collectors, unsavoury characters and a hidden love story. This obsession to track down other books and the story they reveal is a fast paced and at times exhausting round of train travel. I did feel that, in reality, the heroine was subject to such a sequence of events, that her continued resilience was a little far fetched. However, I look forward to more from this author.

An extremely well written enthralling tale. A page turner from start to finish full of mystery twists turns and the odd murder thown in too for good measure. it does get a bit slow going in bits but do stick with Lillian as it is well worth the effort on her journey to find the secrets hidden in the book as nothing is what it seems. A thoroughly enjoyable read.

I really enjoyed this historical mystery with its strong female lead and romantic interest. A 5 star read for me.

Set in 1901 the story revolves around Lily, a bookbinders, who stumbles upon a burnt book with a hidden tale from 1851 involving forbidden romance, a domineering family and a murder.

This book leads Lily on a chase around the country to find the other five books who hold the remainder of the story. She is competing with an unknown party who attempts to destroy her father’s business and his life.

As she learns more about the blighted romance, Lily is made to question her own life and ambitions. She has to face uncomfortable truths and make decisions about her future.

A story within a story - it captivated me throughout.

This was great fun and very pacey. You have to go with the core conceit that someone would want SO MUCH to know what happened to two people they'd never met that they would put themselves and their family in danger. But once you let go of the 'huh? Why???' and just go with it, it's an absorbing read.

This is a strong 3.5 for me.
We follow Lillian Delaney a female bookbinder making her mark in the book world.
When she finds a letter confessing to a murder and craziness ensues. Her life is turned upside down. And the lives of loved ones is threatened as she tries to solve a puzzle of love death and money. Taking her across the UK. Meeting amazing characters and we get to experience 2 stories in one book. And I loved both.
I found this book really intriguing and enjoyed it.

This book is a really intriguing historical mystery.

The plot took a little while to pick up, but was very well paced once the action fully got underway. I really enjoyed the chase and search for the different books, with lots of twists and turns to keep the reader interested. I also liked all the different settings and characters that Lily visited or met along the way, and I was really drawn into her world. The resolution felt slightly rushed after so much mystery, but I did enjoy the hint at future mysteries at the very end.

I liked Lily as a character but I felt like some parts of her character were a bit rushed, or we were told details about her without much evidence of that in her actions. There were so many references to a shady past, but I felt they could have been fleshed out more because they weren’t very believable for the character we met.

As a librarian who works with some rare books, I loved the attention to detail and all the intricacies of bookbinding and book history that were woven into the story!

5 🌟 Thank you to HQ and Netgalley for allowing me to review a copy.

I really enjoyed The Book Binders Secret, I've never read a historical mystery before and this one didn't disappoint. I felt a real connection to Lilian Delaney, she is a headstrong woman who's forging a career in male dominated world at the turn of the 20th century. The story is well written and flows effortlessly. I never expected the ending and I do hope AD Bell writes a sequel.

Lillian a young bookbinder apprentice discovers a burnt book while visiting a client. She finds the book has a secret, within its covers there lies pages of a story from the 1800s of a young couple and their forbidden love. Finding these pages throws Lilian into the path of a violent man who will do anything to recover these pages for his employer and the missing parts of the story. Can she discover who the story is about and what happened to them?
Will Lilian find the remaining pages and keep her family and friends safe?

I enjoyed this story of Lilian Delaney an apprentice bookbinder in London in 1901. It tells of a book Lilian finds which has a secret, but to discover the whole secret she must find the other books in the set, But…….there is always a But, someone else is looking for them who desperately wants to find the secret themselves. There is also a romance element in the story too which I felt should have came into it earlier and it wouldn’t have been such a slow start, all in all I enjoyed it and would like to thank NetGalley and the publisher for this early copy.

I enjoyed the bookish themes in this book. The setting description was vivid and I really felt like I was back in time in Oxford and London with her. I also enjoyed the detail of the bookbinding process and her love of books too. The mystery was intriguing but I felt the pacing was off due to the amount of train journeys she had to do! I enjoyed it overall and I liked the characters she meets along the way.

What a great read, I really enjoyed it. Great story, plot, characters, all come together to make a very good story that is complex and intriguing.It is well thought out and details are spot on. I will leave a more detailed review closer to publication.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and author for the ARC

It didn’t really appeal to me. I’ll share it with my followers who enjoy this style, but I personally didn’t like it that much. I appreciate receiving this copy from NetGalley and the publisher in return for an honest review.

The book has a nice story, a fast pace and interesting characters.
I enjoyed the book a lot and loved how the story came together at the end; it was a fitting conclusion to Lily's adventure.

My main problem is that for a book set in 1901, the female character had too much freedom of movement, which often felt unrealistic. Also, she is expected to accomplish a task that many people before her have failed, without any explanation of why she is so special, which felt a bit forced in some moments.