Miriam has one year to uncover an unimaginable past and a secret that only women can discover.The life of a freelance illustrator will never rake in the millions so when twenty-eight year old Miriam discovers she’s the sole surviving heir to her great-aunt’s fortune, she can’t believe her luck. She dreams of selling her poky city flat and buying a studio.But great fortune comes with an … with an unbreakable contract. To earn her inheritance, Miriam must live a year and a day in the decaying Heachley Hall.
The fond memories of visiting the once grand Victorian mansion are all she has left of her parents and the million pound inheritance is enough of a temptation to encourage her to live there alone.
After all, a year’s not that long. So with the help of a local handyman, she begins to transform the house.
But the mystery remains. Why would loving Aunt Felicity do this to her?
Alone in the hall with her old life miles away, Miriam is desperate to discover the truth behind Felicity’s terms. Miriam believes the answer is hiding in her aunt’s last possession: a lost box. But delving into Felicity and Heachley’s long past is going to turn Miriam’s view of the world upside down.
Does she dare keep searching, and if she does, what if she finds something she wasn’t seeking?
Has something tragic happened at Heachley Hall?
Goodreads Reviews
“It’s an intriguing read with twists and turns, stops and starts and I absolutely loved it.”
”…beautifully written mystery weaves a spell around the house…”
“A haunting romance full of intrigue.”
more
The first line of the blurb – “Miriam has one year to uncover Heachley Hall’s unimaginable past and a secret that only women can discover.” – was the reason I wanted to read this one. I mean, who doesn’t want to know the secrets of an old mansion?
It took me 2 days to get 31% in. Part of this may be because it is written using British terms rather than American terms and I’ll admit that I am not well versed in British English. The other reason may be because the story moved slow. However, I have a steadfast rule that I try to read an entire ARC and darn it, I still needed to know the secret!
The heroine, Miriam, is a well – written character. She is determined and I like that about her. The hero, Charles, was probably my favorite character in the book. The secondary characters are introduced in a way that you know enough about them but they don’t overpower the main characters.
I was set to give this book 3 stars until I hit 68%. Then I couldn’t put the book down! From that point until the final chapter redeemed the book for me. I finally got the payoffs I had been waiting for – the secret of the house, why great-aunt Felecity left the house to Miriam, and a pivotal point in our main characters’ potential romance. The epilogue was a little flat for me. I wanted to know more about what happened to Miriam and Charles once the year and a day was up.
Overall, I’m glad I finished the book once I started it.
The Women of Heachley Hall by Rachel Walkley was a pleasant and delightful journey through one woman’s discovery of herself, her family and their history.
When Miriam is informed she is heir of her great aunt’s mansion, she is excited to sell it and settle into a more comfortable lifestyle. Her plans are intercepted when she finds out the only way she can take ownership of the mansion is to live it in for one year. With little options left, she concedes to the fact that she will be living in the massive, cold, vacant house alone.
Soon she makes a couple friends in town, and befriends a handyman who lives in the area. She decides living in the house is bearable for one year, except for the unexplained noises, banging and bizarre trails of ash that keep appearing throughout the house. Is it possible her Aunt Felicity left a haunted house to Miriam? On a mission to find out, she sets out to dig up her aunt’s missing box in an effort to solve the mysteries that lie within the walls of Heachley Hall.
This book was an interesting marriage of women’s fiction, multi-generational history, paranormal experiences and even a little romance. It was not a fast-paced read, and the first half was a bit harder to get through than the second half for me. The mystery and secrets really ramped up at the halfway mark and I then became obsessed with finding out what was hiding in Heachley Hall. I am glad I pushed through because the end was unexpected and an enjoyable pay off.
4 fanciful stars
Review by Amy, Late Night Reviewer for Up All Night with Books Blog