The Secrets of Ashmore Castle by Cynthia Harrod-EaglesMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
Three 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.
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