A Legacy of Secrets

by Lulu Taylor

IS WHAT WE INHERIT A BLESSING . . . OR A CURSE?

The Carrington family is blessed with good looks, brains and talent – and far more than their fair share of money. The business acumen of an eighteenth-century ancestor has blossomed into an empire in which generations have played their part and taken their share.

But the family is also cursed – pursued by drama, addiction and bad fortune. These things poison their world, each generation handing down its problems to the next. Can the cycle ever be stopped?

In A Legacy of Secrets we meet the beautiful but wounded Flick Templeton and her daughter Etta. Flick’s quest is to find an identity apart from her mother, and to find the man who can love her for herself, not her money or name. For Etta, it is surviving her own and her mother’s pain, and discovering the answer to the who is my father?

Seen through the eyes of Flick, and then her daughter Etta, the story is told alternately through their changing perspectives over the years, as the drama unfolds and secrets are revealed . . .

Full of glamour, drama and the peaks and troughs of fortune, A Legacy of Secrets is the unmissable new novel from Lulu Taylor.

‘Absorbing, compelling and completely unputdownable, every Lulu Taylor novel grips you to the very end’ Lisa Jewell

445 pages, Kindle Edition

Published December 16, 2025

About the author

Lulu was brought up in the Oxfordshire countryside, attended a girls’ school and then went to Oxford University, where she read English Literature. After university, she worked in publishing for several years, before becoming a novelist.

Lulu says of her books: ‘I’ve always adored stories of the rich and reckless at play, everything from The Great Gatsby to the brilliant blockbuster novels of the 80s. It’s fantastic escapism, and I’ve always loved creating my own stories of adventure, romance and luxury. My heroines are often very privileged and blessed with great looks and good health – but that doesn’t mean their lives are simple – far from it. They go through plenty of drama and suffering before everything is finally resolved.

‘Sex, love, beauty and money have always entranced us, and one way or another are the basis for just about every story ever written. There’s plenty of all of that in my novels, along with high fashion, which I love. What’s more, writing about fashion means I can go virtual shopping, dressing my heroines in all the wonderful clothes I adore – the racks of Marchesa ball gowns, the shelves of Louboutins, mountains of Chanel bags and acres of Dior dresses... it’s lots of fun. The stories can also get quite racy at times. It’s all about entertaining and amusing the reader, and enjoying being inside my characters’ glamorous, rarefied existence. ‘I’m always thrilled when someone enjoys reading my book as much I enjoyed writing it.’

Lulu now lives in West Dorset near the Somerset border, with her husband and two children.

Reviews

[Ruth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Every winter for the past few years I have read a Lulu Taylor novel. This year I was delighted to be invited to read and review an eARC of “A Legacy of Secrets”. It is a split timeline book that covers the lifetime of Felicity Templeton, a member of the rich and glamorous Carrington Family. It begins with her Birthday party, in 1952. All the attention from her gregarious mother is being given to her twin brother, who has reached the “age of majority” and is to inherit the estate and family home. Society, class structures and pride are seen in full in the opening chapters as Felicity’s choice of partner is frowned upon and her new life as a married woman with no money or status begins. Time shifts backwards a little as we see the whirlwind, forbidden and intense relationship between the young lovers before their elopement - the first of the secrets of the title.

The story continues through marriage, divorce, illness, across the continents and decades as the role of women in society begins to alter and the class structure is less apparent. So much occurs in the 40 years the book spans, the focus jumps from Felicity to her daughter’s viewpoints the timelines aren’t chronological but I believe the reasoning is to illustrate to power of hidden secrets to alter perspectives and change the future. It is more a change of perspective and date rather than dual timeline as the timespan is quite short. Whilst I love a split / dual timeline novel and each chapter was clearly labelled with dates and the name of the main character involved it was a little confusing. That being said it did mean final revelations and the long lead up to them were all the more evocative.

The overriding theme was love, the love of family, found family and romance both unrequited, new and lasting. Felicity is a loveable, vulnerable but strong character and I was thoroughly invested in the storylines. Searching for answers, finding more secrets and hoping for and a happy ever after.

[Juliaoak · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another good read from an author that I have only recently begun to read their books. The story revolves around 'little girl lost' Flick Templeton and the ups and downs of her life. The reader learns about both her past through flashbacks as well as the present. Having lots of money doesn't necessarily mean having a great life. Flick feels she is unlucky in love but makes the best of it. I liked the way all the loose ends were tied up by the time I read the last page. I enjoyed travelling with her and her friends from the UK to America and back. I could just imagine the places she had been to through the descriptions given by the author. I look forward to reading more books by Lulu Taylor. Thanks to Net Galley for the free read.