Quills and Quartos Publishing
Paperback & eBook; 276 pages
Genre: Historical Romance
Synopsis
A house in one of London’s most exclusive neighbourhoods is home to secrets, mysteries, and two love stories spanning two centuries.
In 1859, independent-minded Kitty Cathcart dreams of escaping Veronica Gardens but her father’s determination to marry her off to a rich man of his choosing forces her to seek happiness and find her own voice by other means. And then the handsome but poor Alex Faraday walks through the front doors.
In 2019, Oxford-educated Josie Minton never dreamt of living in a house as grand as Veronica Gardens, but the nanny’s quarters are a perfect fit for a young woman in need of a job. Wealthy financier James Cavendish and his twin girls quickly find her indispensable to their happiness, but Josie is still searching for her future.
Then the great house reveals the first of its secrets, and the tragedy and romance of one era are brought into sharp relief with another.
My Thoughts
Number 50 Veronica Gardens, a grand London mansion, is the home of Kitty and her father, Sir Roland Cathcart. The appealing façade hides a loveless house. It lacks warmth and laughter, and a malevolent atmosphere permeates its rooms. The servants go about their duties in silence, terrified of their employer and under the watchful eyes and threatening presence of the butler, Havers.
Cathcart is a wealthy industrialist and engineer who has a reputation for ruthless business dealings. He is belligerent, aggressive and unfeeling; a man you do not cross. Kitty is just another means of expanding his empire and consequence. He is determined that she marry the much older Lord Trefusis, a very wealthy widower with vast country estates, but Kitty is as determined to choose her own husband, to leave her father's home in a manner of her own choosing.
Alexander Faraday is an articled clerk engaged to sort through Cathcart's papers, in an attempt to settle a dispute regarding an invention that has made Cathcart very wealthy. He immediately senses the atmosphere in the house and observes how Kitty is mistreated by her father. Mindful of his position as a professional servant in her father's house, Alex is reserved and wary of Kitty's attempts to get to know him. He is aware of the risks she is taking and the far reaching consequences should this come to her father's attention.
The house in the present day is the home of another wealthy business man: James Cavendish, workaholic and father of toddler twins. While James loves his daughters, he is not truly happy. This changes when Josie Minton is hired as a live-in nannny. Her presence in the house makes it a happier and brighter place, a place in which James is now eager to spend more time. She immediately falls in love with her charges and they with her. She also falls in love with the house and its garden.
Josie's connection with James is comfortable from the start and grows into much more. He encourages her to pursue her love of the classics by writing a thesis on her favourite Victorian author, Ethel Turner Everett, and she questions his relationship with his family and forces him to re-examine how he treats them.
Their lives, however, are thrown into disarray when an excavation of a leaky pipe in the garden uncovers more than a simple plumbing problem. The discovery sets Josie on a mission to discover the history of the house and its previous occupants, and how the disappearance of a promising Victorian author is linked to a scandal of the day known as the 'Cathcart Affair'.
This was such an engrossing story that I read it in an afternoon. Both story lines are equally compelling and both romances, even though they develop over a short space of time, are totally believable and more captivating due to their subtlety. The mystery is well done, too, sowing the right amount of uncertainty until the revelation of what actually happened.
At first, I didn't like Kitty and wasn't sure what her intentions were towards Alex. Given her privileged position, her actions seemed selfish and manipulative, but eventually I came to admire her strengths and her courage. Josie, I liked immediately, although I agreed with James that sometimes she had to put herself first.
Finally, I have to mention the house itself. I loved how it transitioned from a place of fear devoid of any joy, to one filled with love and laughter.
The Memory House is a wonderful romantic mystery and one I'm happy to recommend. Jenetta James certainly knows how to deliver a story.
Available on Amazon US | Amazon Aus
About the Author
She is the author of "Suddenly Mrs Darcy", "The Elizabeth Papers" and "Lover's Knot" as well as a contributor to The Quill Ink series of anthologies, "The Darcy Monologues", "Dangerous to know", "Rational Creatures" and "Elizabeth: Obstinate Headstrong Girl".
Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads
Blog Tour Schedule
Monday, August 10
Review at Books and Backroads
Tuesday, August 11
Excerpt at Historical Fiction with Spirit
Friday, August 14
Feature at The Caffeinated Bibliophile
Saturday, August 15
Review at Gwendalyn's Books
Monday, August 17
Guest Post at Encouraging Words from the Tea Queen
Wednesday, August 19
Review at Passages to the Past
Thursday, August 20
Excerpt at Bookworlder
Monday, August 24
Review at A Darn Good Read
Wednesday, August 26
Feature at Reading is My Remedy
Friday, August 28
Excerpt at Probably at the Library
Review at Books, Writings, and More
Sunday, August 30
Review at Nursebookie
Monday, August 31
Review at Tangents and Tissues
Giveaway (US only)
During the Blog Tour, we are giving away a copy of The Memory House! To enter, please use the Gleam form HERE.
The giveaway is open to US residents only and ends on August 31st. You must be 18 or older to enter.
Thank you for your great review & for hosting the tour today!
ReplyDeleteAmy
HF Virtual Book Tours
Thanks, Amy!
DeleteThank you - that is such a touching review. I'm thrilled that you enjoyed it:-)
ReplyDeleteThanks, Jenetta. It was a lovely story!
DeleteSounds interesting. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteIt was a lovely story, with a great twist!
Delete