The Mandeville Affair

by Callie Langridge

A fateful summer in pre-war London brings two forbidden love stories together at the Mandeville family’s grand house.

In 1938, Audrey Entwistle leaves her beloved gardens at Hill House to help with the war effort. Dazzled by the noise and busyness of London, Audrey’s experience of the city soon takes a turn for the extraordinary when she begins seeing visions of a young maid in 1813. Could the girl’s tragic love story hold the key to Audrey’s own family history?

As Audrey tries desperately to protect her sister Rosemary from heartbreak and scandal in the present, she must also confront the truth about their past, guided by a mysterious woman who seems to move between worlds.

From the glamour of Regency London to the shadows of impending war, this tale of sisterhood, sacrifice, and love across time reveals how the houses of the Mandeville family guard not just their secrets, but their own.

Readers will be utterly swept away by this captivating timeslip novel from the bestselling author of A Time to Change. Perfect for fans of Kate Morton, Christina Courtenay and Lucinda Riley.

What readers are saying about this

“Loved this book. Didn’t want it to end. Cried at the end.” Reader review, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

“Took my breath away in a way I never thought was possible… filled my arms with copious amounts of goosebumps, whilst also pricking my eyes with unshed tears… It broke my heart, then it fixed it again.” Reader review, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

“I just couldn’t get enough of it… I really didn’t want this story to end. I was so wrapped up in it… An emotional rollercoaster of a read… Right from the start, the author captivated my heart and soul and I loved everything about it. An absolute must-read!” Reader review, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

“A really powerful and heart-wrenching novel about love and self-sacrifice… It is beautifully written and for a few hours I got lost in its pages… Now it is ended and I feel bereft… a most beautiful and fabulous novel.” Reader review, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

420 pages, Kindle Edition

Expected publication December 10, 2026

About the author

Callie has a passion for history and the world and lives of those who came before us. Through her writing, she explores social history, complicated relationships, and how the extraordinary happens every day.

She can often be found roaming the halls of historic properties and has a particular fascination with venturing into the hidden parts of houses …

Callie lives in London along with an ever-growing collection of antique curiosities, more books than any person really needs, and a blanket waiting for a Jack Russell terrier to occupy soon!

Twitter: @CLangridgeWrite
Facebook: Callie Langridge facebook.com/CallieLangridgeAuthor/
Insta: Callie Langridge instagram.com/callielangridge/

Reviews

[Cindy Spear · Rating 4.5 out of 5]

This has been an intriguing series and now with The Mandeville Affair, Callie Langdridge delivers up another great story (the 5th) in the Mandeville Mysteries. Set in pre-war London, it is a tale of sisterhood and forbidden love. As always, Ms Langridge provides in depth solid characterisation and vivid detailed descriptions that make me feel as though I am transported to the settings. My imagination moves freely through the alluring and mysterious environments that unfold with grace and precision. Also through characters like sisters Audrey and Rosemary, I connect deeply with emotional landscapes that make it is easy to empathise with these women who have had a difficult start in life. They lost their parents in a house fire and became orphans, which led to them being sent to an orphanage—where life for them was not so great. Thankfully the Mandeville’s came to their rescue when they were teenagers. Took them in and trained them to be maids. Their relationship with their rescuer-employer has been a positive one. Audrey, particularly is thought highly of by Sir Edward’s sister, Mrs Kenmore. And it was a joy to see the pleasant interactions between them.

We see a strong sisterly love exhibited by Audrey for Rosemary. But being the oldest, means she has been caretaker of her younger sister. Sometimes Audrey gets a bit over protective which frustrates Rosemary-- especially now that she is a grown woman and testing her wings. Rosemary has chosen a love that is not approved of by her sister and this causes some friction. Although the reason Audrey feels this way is understandable, a lesson must be learned that we cannot judge an entire family by its individual members. Some can be bad, yes, but there can be good ones, too.

In 1938, Audrey is asked to help with the war effort by utilising her talent for gardening. Mrs Kenmore takes her to the city of London to teach others how to grow vegetables. But while there, she begins to have strange visions that she does not understand. Are they imagined or real? As we know from these stories, there is going to be an unusual time slip happen but in this book it is much later when it takes full effect. It did not bother me that this novel offered a different approach as I still enjoyed the two timelines. Audrey also befriends a young nurse she meets at a church who is weeping due to the loss of one of her young patients. Audrey tries to comfort and help her by showing kindness, and this opens a door to a new friendship that will lead in unexpected directions.

The older thread is set in 1813 and focuses on a young maid named Sarah who demonstrates a tragic love story that will effect Audrey’s current timeline. This young maid is connected to Audrey’s family history in a way she/we would never expect. When confronted with an emergency that involves her sister, Audrey is faced with her own flaws and how she must overcome them and change her viewpoints to see a better outcome. Yes, a bit cryptic but I cannot tell the story!

I encourage those who love the series and those who might like to step on board and read them to start from the beginning and then grab a copy of the latest on December 10th. Lose yourself in another imaginative and complex Mandeville mystery that has a lot to say about love, family, sacrifice and forgiveness. Once again the houses owned by the Mandeville family deliver up their secrets with warmth, passion, vigour and surprise twists. This is a captivating timeslip that tugged on my heartstrings from the first page to the last. 4.75 stars.

Thanks to Storm Publishing and Netgalley for a review copy.

[Lynn Reads · Rating 3.5 out of 5]

3.5 ⭐

The Mandeville Affair is the fifth book of the Mandeville Mysteries, but can be read as a stand-alone. There were a few callbacks to plotlines and characters from previous books, so it might be more fun to start with the first book in the series.

I feel a bit conflicted about this one. It was well-written, with a beautiful atmosphere. The descriptions of work in the 1810s and 1930s and of Audrey visiting London for the first time were brilliantly done and made me appreciate how much the world has changed over the centuries.
Both storylines were interesting, but not a lot happened in the first 80% of the book. The ending felt very rushed in comparison and I would have preferred the story to be more spread out throughout the book.
Without spoiling anything, making this as vague as possible - I also don’t like the use of characters being bad at communication to create tension, which was just unnecessary at that point in the story (especially since it was resolved so quickly after anyway).

Thanks to Storm Publishing and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this review copy.

[Joan Jordan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Audrey Entwistle is invited by her employer at Hill House to go to London to help with the war effort in 1938 by teaching others how to grow their own vegetable gardens. While in London, she sees strange visions of a couple from the early 1800s. Though she initially tries to explain away the visions, they continue until she begins to understand that the couple involved may have links to her family. With Audrey's sister, Rosemary, potentially in trouble, Audrey tries to learn all she can in order to help her sister avoid disaster.

I've read one or two books in this series and found them moderately enjoyable. This one was somewhat confusing, though, in the switch back and forth between the early 1800s and 1938. Also, the pace was rather slow and there was not a lot of clarity given concerning others connected with Hill House who may have had similar visions. I felt that there were loose ends, but that may be deliberate in order to leave the series open. I doubt I will read any additional titles, though.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

[Patricia Williams · Rating 3 out of 5]

The latest book in the Mandeville family series of time slip novels. The Mandeville Affair centres on Audrey who has worked for the Mandeville family since she was taken in as a young teenager with her sister from the orphanage and trained as a maid in Hill House. Audrey now works as an apprentice gardener there in 1938. The era she 'slips' to is the regency era when Lady Mandeville opens the new London house. The stories in both times are excellent as always. This book is slightly different in that the main timeslip occurs towards the end of the book and brings all the rest of the book together. Although I enjoyed this book and Audrey's story I didn't enjoy it as much as the previous books in the series. I realise the author can't keep using the same narrative but this one just didn't have the same appeal for me.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read an advance copy. All opinions are my own.