Do you know, I sometimes say that I’m not a big fan of a historical story told in a straight-forward way – I always tend to look for a dual time thread, maybe a less conventional timeline. And then I read a lovely book like this one, and remember that I actually really do enjoy a well written great story, and all those little extras aren’t needed at all.

This book is a sequel to The Buttonmaker’s Daughter, which is still unread on my kindle (but maybe not for much longer…!) – I suspect reading it first might add to the richness of the experience, but there’s enough time separation between the two stories that the background is more than adequately covered within this book. The Secret of Summerhayes really has a bit of everything, with a central mystery, loads of intrigue, a murder, and a gorgeous romance, and the vividly drawn setting of the Summerhayes estate in a state of sad neglect. The story is set just before the D-day landings, Bethany is companion and carer to Alice in a few attic rooms, and the rest of the estate has been taken over by Canadian troops awaiting their call to action. All the characters are beautifully drawn, Bethany strong at the story’s centre – the villain of the piece is quite wonderfully villainous, the romantic lead one that makes your heart race, and the incidental characters equally fascinating in their actions and motivations.

The story’s a real page turner, the writing so smooth and easy to read, the historical detail plainly well-researched but included with a lightness of touch. This was a book I totally disappeared into for an evening and long into the night, totally losing any sense of time – and isn’t that a sign of something rather special? If you enjoy romance, suspense, and a vivid sense of time and place with beautifully drawn detail, you’re going to love this one – much as I did.

It is 1944 and Bethany is living at Summerhayes as a companion to the elderly owner Alice. Most of the house has been requisitioned by the army and is inhabited by Canadian soliders but it is falling to bits around their ears. Alice's nephew lives next door and is trying to get his aunt to move in with him.....but is he all that he seems!

Bethany was a school teacher but her school in London got bombed out and so she took this job and has found herself becoming very fond of Alice and very protective of her. Someone is trying to cause her problems and writing to her pretending to be her daughter Elizabeth who eloped with an Irish man over 20 years ago and has never been heard of since.

With the help of Jos, one of the Canadian soldiers, Bethany is determined to get to the bottom of this but as things worsen she actually starts to fear for Alice's life....can the secrets be uncovered and what really did happen to Elizabeth?

A great saga with some lovely characters - I loved the two Canadians Jos and Eddie and will have to read the first book now the Buttonmaker's Daughter

The Secrets of Summerhayes by Merryn Allingham is more a catch up rather than a direct follow on from The Buttonmaker's Daughter which I had read earlier this year. The two books are loosely connected but anyone reading this new book will not miss out if they have not read the first. In fact the books felt like two separate distinct stories although the feelings of waiting for something to occur are strong in both. Honestly I had expected the story to pick up from where The Buttonmaker's Daughter had finished as the conclusion was so open ended and the reader was left with many unanswered questions so to find this new book set nearly 40 years later was quite a surprise. What surprised me even more was that most of the characters I had become familiar with were absent for one reason or another. I was disappointed to say the least and I hoped that the answers I had wanted would be filled in some how. It took me quite some time to settle in to the story and to re-familiarise myself with the setting. I was also trying to fill in the gaps too quickly where as the author drip fed us information and clues at a slow and random pace. I think this quote sums up perfectly what this book really was about 'Layer after layer of individual stories with no one ever knowing the full picture'. There were numerous characters introduced and ever so slowly their stories were told and eventually things came together.

The Summerhayes estate is not the glorious house and gardens it once was. Years of neglect, the absence of key figures and unsettling past events have taken their toll. With the outbreak of World War Two the house had been requisitioned and now in 1944 the Canadians have arrived and set up camp. There is an overwhelming tension and sense of unease, of terrible things to come pervading throughout the story. A lot of things regarding the army are being kept hush hush but the soldiers know something is afoot and the tides of change are nearly upon them. Bethany (Beth) Merston has not long arrived at the estate and is in the employment of the matriarch Alice who is now in her eighties and not in the best of health either mentally or physically. Her living quarters are confined to a number of small rooms whilst the house she once adored and loved living in with her family is deteriorating around her. Beth once a teacher in London has arrived as Alice's helper and carer. Her school had been bombed out and she has no connection with her own family. In fact Beth never wants to talk about her family or love for that matter. Beth for the most part kept her personal side very close to her chest. Like many other characters in books she had a distinct fear of letting go, of committing and expressing one's feelings. The reader gets the impression that this job in the countryside somewhat takes her away from the horrors of war and keeps her mind occupied so she doesn't have to confront some painful realities.

Beth was by far my favourite character throughout the book. She was kind and caring and took an active interest in everything around her. The more she became aware of Alice's little foibles the more she became an ever more endearing character. She does her best with the meagre rations and the upkeep of the house but she can sense there is a painful story waiting to be uncovered that still affects Alice today. I think the fact I knew what had happened to Alice's family up until the outbreak of World War One somewhat took away from my enjoyment of the story because the element of mystery and suspense was gone for me. Yes I had unanswered questions regarding the ending but all that had come before I knew and it took away from the enjoyment of what I was reading.

I felt there were long periods of nothing much happening in the story bar the daily routine of Beth as she cares for Alice and also tutors Ralph – the son of Alice's nephew Gilbert. There was a lot of repetition that didn't bring the story forward. I felt there would be some action or a little incident and then nothing really for several chapters so much so that you would have forgotten the bits that had made you excited for what was to come and then it all fell flat. Then I stepped back and thought to myself didn't I feel the same when I read The Buttonmaker's Daughter and yes that is where comparisons can be made between the two stories. Both books had major lulls before anything happened and I suppose if I was to view it as being realistic of everyday life at the time that would be the case. Book one had an overwhelming sense of doom about to occur with the outbreak of war and this book the sense of nervousness about the next big hopefully final push.

The story is more or less told from two viewpoints that of Jos Kerrigan, from the Canadian army, and that of Beth. Jos is similar to Beth in a way that he does not want to become entangled with anything as that would mean developing feelings which he believes leads ultimately to loss. As he waits for commands from the higher powers he turns his attention to a small section of the gardens at Summerhayes to bring them back to life as he feels it will bring him comfort and keep his mind occupied. Through this he meets Beth and Ralph and in doing so becomes intertwined in their story. I felt the connection between Jos and Beth and would have hoped it could develop into something more but both were so stubborn and it proved frustrating to read about.

As strange things begin happening at Summerhay,s and Alice becomes ever more confused and believes things that couldn't possibly be true, events take a slightly more sinister turn. I had my suspicions as to what exactly was going on and the reasons for it but I was hoping for something else as it all just seemed a bit too obvious where as I felt it needed something really surprising that would throw the readers off track. To me the mystery surrounding things happening with Alice was all too obvious as there were so many clues. On the other hand there was a revelation around the halfway mark that seemed to come out of nowhere and my first impression was that this was very random and out of place and more convincing, firm evidence was needed. It didn't seem to fit with the overall storyline although the author went on to develop it some more and made it tie in with everything. Still now I am finished the book I am not quite sure that I wanted that to happen. It all seemed to much of a coincidence and put in place just to make things resolve themselves that little bit more easily. It never seemed to sit well with me.

Unfortunately for me The Secrets of Summerhayes wasn't as good as The Buttonmaker's Daughter. I had said before that I would love the books to develop on as a series but I don't hold the same opinion any more. I think everything has been tied up with this book. If the author had continued on maybe a year or two later from the end of the first book it would have made a real difference. I think in skipping forward she missed out on what a lot of readers would be looking for when they begin this book. Maybe the author pinned herself into too tight a corner dismissing forty years when she could have written about the intervening period. I did like Beth and Jos but their story wasn't as riveting as that of previous characters. As a reader coming to this book with no previous knowledge of the first it will read fine but for me it didn't fully work and sadly I wasn't as enthralled as I had expected to be.

It's 1944, Bethany Merston was a primary school teacher until the school is bombed and the children moved away.

So Bethany starts employment to Alice an elderly lady who owns Summerhayes Estate, as a companion to the old lady.

Summerhayes was a beautiful estate many moons ago but now Alice only lives in 2 rooms with many others falling into disrepair.

The military have commandeered the property and grounds for their men, the beautiful gardens are over grown and unused.

Alice starts receiving letters from her long lost daughter are they real or are they fake?? Bethany is trying very hard to look after Alice but each day this becomes more difficult?? Alice is plagued with the past and is the past haunting her??

This is a great story with the entwined stories of Jos and Eddie the Canadian soldiers that are based at Summerhayes.

Well written with a great mix of characters, a very compelling storyline that keeps drawing you in.

Thanks Netgalley and the publisher. I really enjoyed this book and all the characters and how the people in 1944 managed I cannot imagine

It is wartime & Beth is a companion to an elderly lady, Alice Summers, who lives in a country house with the army camped out in the grounds. Alice's daughter disappeared years ago but who is sending the mysterious letters? Will Beth fall for the local landowner or the young soldier whose past is mysterious?

To be honest this isn't an original book and it is rather predictable. It didn't take long for me to size up the story and know who was going to be married to who and how the mystery was solved. Having said that, as a book of this type, it is quite good. The characters are interesting with good personalities and some back story. I did care about them to some extent and was keen to finish the book & be sure that my predictions were correct.

I would have liked a little more information on the past. Perhaps some flashbacks giving more details of the missing daughter would have been nice. However, I do know that not everyone is a fan of flashbacks so may see their lack as a big positive.

There are many book in a similar style available on the market. I would class this as one of the better books of this style; certainly above average.

I received a free copy of this book via Netgalley.

Excellent book. Great storyline and characters. A real page turner. I would recommend this book.