The Housekeeper of Thornhallow Hall

The Housekeeper of Thornhallow Hall

I read a lot of historical romance. I was interested in reading this book because of its focus on the housekeeper of a large house. I tend to enjoy historical romances that focus on ordinary people more than I enjoy always reading about the rich and famous.

I enjoyed the premise that Thornhallow Hall has set empty for ten years. The skeleton staff has been instructed to keep a few rooms ready as if the Earl may return any moment but not to touch the rest of the house. There has been a succession of housekeepers who don’t stay long. Rebecca was the only applicant for this most recent vacancy. She decides that the remaining rooms need to be cleaned and tidied before the whole house falls down in disrepair. This does not go well with the Earl when he suddenly does return.

This book features a more Gothic vibe than I usually see in books that I read. To me Gothic books lean more towards tragedy and heightened (but yet repressed) emotion than towards the lighter, more comic, books that I tend towards.

This book fits that bill. Both of the main characters have secrets that they will not reveal. Both feel that they are not going to live normal lives because of their past. They recognize a bit of themselves in each other and are drawn together. Slowly they start to reveal parts of their lives that they’ve kept hidden from everyone else. There are high stakes problems in addition to their angst. If you enjoy romances with a Gothic feel, then this might be the book for you.

Lotte James trained as an actor and theatre director, but spent most of her life working day jobs crunching numbers whilst dreaming up stories of love and adventure. She’s thrilled to finally be writing those stories, and when she’s not scribbling on tiny pieces of paper, she can usually be found wandering the countryside for inspiration, or nestling with coffee and a book.