Quick Synopsis – The story is told between the late 1890s (Kitty) and early 2000s (Greer). The chapters alternate between Kitty struggling being the demure wife in her new marriage hidden away at Ardbray House and Greer is the housekeeper struggling to keep Ardbray up and trying to sell it to a Caitlin Black. All is not as it seems as we delve into the lives and secrets of the women of Ardbray House.

Song This Reminds Me Of – Scarbough Fair by Simon & Garfunkel

Publication Date – October 27, 2023

Rating – 3 out of 5 ⭐

Book Review – I’m going to start my review with a trigger warning, this book deals with child loss multiple times and with suicide.

I want to call this a cozy mystery, but it’s more of general women’s fiction. There is so much discussion of history and women’s rights during the late 1890s especially in textiles. Kitty Gray later Kitty Maclean marries a man who she thinks will let her continue her dream of practicing medicine. Soon after their wedding she discovers that he has no intentions of letting her continue to learn medicine. He would prefer a quiet pretty wife to show off to his slimy business partner, John Hardgrove. After too many infractions against polite society Kitty is banished to Ardbray House in the Scottish Highlands. There she falls in love with the house and the highlands, building her garden up and becoming a world renown herbalist.

Caitlin Black comes from a famous family, but is a bit of a black sheep. She comes to Ardbray House with hopes of buying it and turning it into a retreat from the modern world. Greer has been looking after the house and the ghosts that live there for 50 years. She is a little reluctant to let the house go, she has built her whole life caring for the house and she doesn’t know who she is without it.

This book is about loss and what brings us back to life afterwards. All of the women in book have suffered immense professional and personal losses, but they keep finding there way toward family and love. The family that they build for themselves is really how they heal. There is a little spook factor where ghosts play a role, but there is a good conclusion.

I did really enjoy the parallels between the past and present day in the book. There were so many little things that would tie the two narratives together, it made for a really well rounded story. However, it thought the first half of the book was a little long. Multiple times I was like where is this story going and when are we going to get to the mystery. Some of the background could have been shored up, or the story could have started with Kitty already married. It was just a little long, but a good story and a great debut!

Thanks to Netgalley and Storm Publishing for the eARC.