Reality keeps shifting as chapters are told from different points of view in this story of 3 siblings, raised by abusive and cruel parents in a seemingly idyllic English manor. Their alcoholic mother long dead, Rose, Hettie, and James, upon the death of their wealthy father, must return to their childhood home and spend seven days
together, amicably, in order to gain any inheritance. All three harbor secrets and hatred based on what they endured as children, but not all of what they believe is necessarily the entire truth. None of the three are particularly likable but their stories and intrigue as they plotted against one another kept me reading to see what the next twist would be. Not a book you want to read when you need a happy, feel good title, but definitely a good read when you want a deeper, twisting tale that leaves you wondering how the characters will come out on the other end of their stay at Warbury House.
Thank you to NetGalley and Storm Publishing for the opportunity to read an advance copy, I’ll. be looking at more by this author!

"The Secret Inheritance" is the story of the last will and testament of Jude Fitzherbert. Strangely the will is to be read before the funeral and stipulates that his 3 offspring must remain together in the family home, and behave in a friendly manner, for a week prior to full disclosure of the contents of the will. This proves to be a really trying time for a very dysfunctional family, who all seem to have different expectations about their inheritance. Matters are not entirely helped by the two long-term family retainers; butler Michael and housekeeper Clara. At the start of the book Clara is the only person there with Jude when he dies; none of the children are there, and this gives an early indication of their relationship with their father.

The unfolding of the complexities of this family, with sibling rivalry, lies and deceit, is a tour de force. This is a great, if disturbing at times, read.

Thanks to Net Galley and the publishers for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Rosie is mute, by choice, Hettie is unhappy, and James is not in touch with either of them. This family has its fair share of secrets and assumptions (and we know what assuming does). When their father dies they all reunite (with their families, fake and real) at “home”. The secrets and assumptions unravel in this well written novel. I was engaged right until the satisfying end. Enjoyed every single minute of this book!

The Secret Inheritance book is filled with family drama, greed and secrets which has unexpected twists and turns that keeps you involved in reading the book.
The book centers around the old family house that the three siblings- James, Hettie and Rosie- used to live and the death of their father resulting in bringing back the three of them to hear his will.
It progresses with a battle of wit and cunningness for the inheritance bringing out lies and secrets in unexpected ways that could repair or break their relationships.
I would like to thank the author and Net Galley for the opportunity to read an ARC of this novel.

The story flowed well and the characters were well developed. I recommend this book and look forward to more from this author.


****Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an ARC in exchange for my honest review****

It’s tough to get into or like a book when the characters not enjoyable. This was the case for me with this book. I liked the idea of the story., but without a character to like, it was not a great read for me.

What a read! I can easily say that this is one of my favourite reads of the year, and that's saying something.

This is the first book I have read by this author, but most definitely an author I will now be stalking 🤣. I absolutely LOVED the writing style. The ebbs and flows of intrigue just had me hooked completely from the get-go, and the curiosity it emitted was just superb.

When their father Jude passes away, the three siblings convene to their childhood home, Warbury House, for the will to be read. But their is a stipulation in place. The siblings and their families must stay at their family home for a week before they find out what they are entitled to.

None of the siblings actually need the rumoured five million. The eldest Hettie is a (un)happily married mother to her three children, James is a successful lawyer, but being gay was not accepted by his father so brings along his face fiancée and Rosie, the youngest is a (secret) world renowned author. Selectively mute, she struggles with the thought of being around so many people for that long.

Told from several perspectives and timelines, this is a story of sibling rivalry, greed, secrets, lies, and topics that are deep and disturbing.

A twisty, atmospheric, gripping tale that I will highly recommend to anyone who loves a psychological family thriller.

Huge thank you to Netgalley and Storm Publishing for the ARC.

As usual in my reviews I will not rehash the plot or the publisher's blurb!

I've read many novels by Rachel Lynch - including the Kelly Porter series - so was delighted to be invited to read this.

The style and atmosphere is somewhat different here - the story felt much darker, with swirling undercurrents of dread, sorrow, revenge, and guilt. The characters are all very well written but I didn't actually like a single person - they are all deeply horrible in their own ways.

The plot is clever and well thought out, with twists that I didn't expect, and explained how the characters had become as they are. In spite of that, I still didn't warm to them. I did hope though, that some of them would be changed for the better after the events had unfolded, and that they would find peace - which illustrates the quality of the writing - they felt as though they could be real people...

I look forward to reading more from this talented author.

My thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for an ARC. All opinions my own.

Loved the premise, toxic families are always fun in thrillers. Found this one a bit tricky, different character POVs but voice similar in each made it a bit tricky to follow who was who, or really get to know them.

Dark and mysterious with so many threads and family secrets this book will keep you engrossed.
Hettie, Rosie and James’s father has died. And finally they all return to the family home. All estranged for years, they are back to claim what they think is theirs by right. But there are so many twists and turns it’s impossible to work out what will happen next.
Is any inheritance worth the cost?

Thank you to NetGalley and Rachel Lynch for my copy.

After their father’s death, three estranged siblings come together for the reading of the will. What they find is that collecting their money will be no easy task.

Each sibling has secrets of their own but the family secret could ruin them all.

It was interesting to see the dynamic between the character change throughout the story. The story line could be predictable at times and some topics in the book could be uncomfortable for some.

I’m so excited that I got to read and review this book through Netgally. .

I enjoyed this book a lot. The remaining three offspring of a very wealthy man are summoned to their family home for the reading of his will. None of them have been back for many years and the story unravels as we get to know each of them with different chapters in different povs. The rivalry and disconnections this family have endured are revealed in their full horror but the skill of the author is that because of the different voices, your sympathies waver. Great characterisation and believable three dimensional protagonists.

I really enjoyed the books. The dynamics between the siblings were realistic and the dialog flowed well. Some of the plot was predictable but well written. I would definitely recommend this to my book-friends.

So much family drama!

Reunited at their family home for the reading of their father’s will, the story revolves around estranged siblings, Hettie, Rosie, and James. The story is told from different perspectives, in both past and present. Each sibling has secrets, but the long held family secrets are what threatens everyone. While the premise of the story was what I expected, this is a dark domestic thriller with many heavy topics and scenes which caught me off guard. I found many parts uncomfortable and difficult to get through. I powered through and was satisfied with the ending, but unfortunately this book was not for me.

I have rarely read a book with such detestable characters, practically devoid of any redeeming features between them. Did I enjoy it? No. Did I think it clever? Yes, very. It gripped me enough to see it through to the bitter end, and that is entirely down to the author’s considerable skill.

I found this book fascinating from beginning to the end. The various characters and their relationship with each other. I truly wonderful read which I can't praise enough. Beautifully written.

Patriarch of the family has passed; his children have returned for the reading of the his will. Each child has returned for different reasons and all have scores to be settled. A very dark novel, not for everyone. The characters are all dysfunctional; probably due to thier parent's child rearing behavior. and their education at Catholic schools. I struggled to finish this, I did so because I wanted to see how It ended. I will not be recommending this book.

The patriarch of a large, wealthy family dies and the family comes together for the reading of his will. Suddenly all of the dark secrets surrounding the family members come out. His daughter Rosie returns to the family home where she must spend seven days with her estranged siblings Hettie and James before she can receive her share of the fortune her father left behind.
The truth about her brother’s tragic was never revealed and other old wounds come alive. Rosie has not spoken in years and she suddenly realizes she must begin to speak to learn the truth. But when she returns to the family estate, will she learn that truth?

This book feels like the grown up version of "inheritance" YA books I've loved, like The Westing Game and The Inheritance Games. There is a lot of family drama where all the key players have secrets, complex back stories, and their own objectives. While I wouldn't say the characters are likeable, the complexity that the author gave them kept me invested in the plot and moving forward with the book. It is a dark story about family secrets that will keep you turning the pages.

This has:
- Family drama
- Multiple POVs
- Mystery, manipulation, and suspense
- Old money vibes

Thanks to NetGalley and the authors for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was a very dark and disturbing read and not at all what the blurb that accompanied the book hinted the story would contain. Yes, it said that there were family secrets and estranged siblings, but that doesn't come close to the terrible darkness and evil that these family members endured and inflicted on one another. It is a very well-written book, the characters are interesting, and the storyline is really solid and interesting, but the content itself goes beyond even terribly dysfunctional family drama and secrets. There was physical abuse, psychological abuse, and murder spelled out in heartbreaking and stomach-turning detail. I honestly cannot say that this was a book I am glad I read, but if you are a fan of books that contain dark and disturbing abuse, then you will enjoy this story. I cannot give it a bad review, but can only say that it was not my type of novel.
I received this book as an advanced reader copy from the publisher in exchange for my honest review.