Good morning, bookworm! Can you believe it’s the middle of April already? Apparently the weather hasn’t got the message that it’s spring time yet and keeps surprising me with frost and snow. It’s even worse in my mystical library as the Weather Books have had yet another fall out with the Gardening Books, so they’re taking delight in spreading frost unexpectedly. Speaking of strained relationships, have you heard about The House Of Hidden Secrets by C.E. Rose? Here, have a slice of lemon cake and a cup of tea while I tel you all about it.

First, here’s the blurb: The imposing gates of Ramsay Hall yawned open. As Serena and 4 year old Lana walked up the long driveway, little did they know the dark secrets that lay within.

When Serena Green accepted the role of housekeeper for wealthy widower Hayden Ramsay, she never imagined her new home would be Ramsay Hall, an ancient, sprawling mansion in Northern England.

Serena quickly becomes an integral part of the household, making friends with Hayden’s younger son Hugh, despite Jack, his older brother’s, coldness towards her and Lana.

But the hall’s beautiful exterior hides many ugly secrets. Though Serena and Jack begin to grow closer, she’s confused by his behaviour around Lana. What is he guilty of? And is there more to their mother’s death than the Ramsay men will admit, even to themselves?

As the harrowing past of Ramsay Hall unravels, Serena’s fresh start becomes a fresh horror. She fears for her and Lana’s safety, but what are the bleak secrets in Serena’s own past?

The house is built on a lifetime of lies… and the truth might just bring the walls crashing down.

A twisty, gripping and utterly unputdoenable new thriller that fans of Lisa Jewell, C.L. Taylor and Mark Edwards will love.

Now, here’s a little about the author: Caroline England was brought up in Yorkshire and studied Law at the University of Manchester. She was a divorce and professional indemnity lawyer before leaving the law to bring up her three daughters and turning her hand to writing. Caroline is the author of The Wife’s Secret, previously called Beneath The Skin, and the top-ten ebook bestseller My Husband’s Lies. Betray Her is her third novel. She lives in Manchester with her family. The House Of Hidden Secrets is the first title written under her pseudonym, C.E. Rose.

To find out more about Caroline, visit her website http://www.carolineenglandauthor.co.uk or follow her on social media.

And here’s my review: Looking back having finished the novel, I never guessed as the protagonist entered Ramsay Hall just how many secrets I would be privy to by the end. The relentless sense of unease was present throughout the book as I tried to figure out who was hiding what and why.

Not a single character, perhaps with the exceptions of Lana and Lexie, the Ramsay family dog, was as they seemed and I was left deliciously disoriented by each revelation.

Serena was obviously hiding something dark despite her apparent innocence and victim status. Hugh seemed to lead a simple life but a scratch of the surface revealed a traumatised and complex past. Jack was the gruff man of the law whose frosty exterior gradually thawed, revealing his own pain and scars. Hayden Ramsay was the recuperating patriarch whose dark depths were hidden by his twinkling eyes.

I enjoyed the way the story unfolded through snippets of information which came out gradually in conversations and the author created characters which intrigued me from the start. I’m giving this a firm 4 stars and recommend it to lovers of Agatha Christie’s motive driven crime novels and modern psychological thrillers.

If you like the sound of this book, you can click on the image above to go to the relevant page on Amazon. I don’t receive anything for providing the link; I’m just being a helpful bookworm. Thanks to the author, publisher and Rachel’s Random Resources for the digital copy of this book in return for my honest opinion.

Well, bookworm, it’s been lovely chatting to you but I fear I must leave you. I just heard a tinkle amongst the bookshelves so I suspect the Weather Books have frozen something and it’s been broken in the fracas. I’d better go and clear it up before the dragons or cats get shards in their paws… until next time, farewell, bookworm!