The Housekeeper's Daughter

Woodicombe House #1

by Rosie Meddon

A story of family, secrets and love set in the beautiful Devonshire countryside at Woodicombe House.Kate Bratton dreams of more. It’s 1914, and her life is mapped out ahead of continue working as a maid in the beautiful Woodicombe House, settle down with Luke the gardener and, of course, start a family.

Desperate to run away in search of adventure, Kate’s plans are curtailed by the arrival of the Russell family at Woodicombe House. Tasked with becoming a ladies-maid for their daughter, Naomi, Kate gets a glimpse of the other side of life. Little does she know that all families have secrets, no matter their standing.

Will Kate return to the safety of her life before the Russell’s departure? Or will the handsome Ned Russell turn her head?

The Woodicombe House SagasThe Housekeer’s DaughterA Wife’s War The Soldier's ReturnPraise for The Housekeeper's

‘I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book and found the story to flow well. There were many twists and turns that built up to the final conclusion. Very enjoyable and definitely recommended’ 5* Reader review

Genres: Historical Fiction

300 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 7, 2018

Reviews

[Joanne D'Arcy · Rating 3 out of 5]

War is coming.

It is going to bring changes to Kate Bratton whose life is already planned for her, to be a maid, marry the gardener and have children for the cycle to start all over again, just like her own mother.

When the Russell family arrive at Woodicombe House, Kate is surprisingly elevated to position of ladies maid to Naomi Russell and whilst it is not her ideal job, it means she is exposed to thoughts and ideals of others and the handsome Ned, Naomi's twin brother.

A friendship deepens between Kate and Naomi as they are both trying to avoid the paths that have been laid out for them.

War might be coming but it is secrets which is going to be the undoing of the Russell family and it seems that Kate is going to suffer as well.

Which is the safer option to follow the path or break out on your own?

I found this book slow in parts and I admit to skim reading quite a bit until the plot got going in the last third of the book. There was too much made of nothing I felt to pad the book out and the characters other than probably Kate and her family were rather too flat.  I have read better saga's.

If you like historical fiction and don't mind being taken on a slow stroll through a story then this book is ideal for you. I would be intrigued a to how the saga continues, I am assumed by the marketing that their will be more than one book but I am not sure if I would want to read it.

Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for the opportunity to read this book.

[Sheila · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kate works as a maid in England during 1914, her mother is the housekeeper and her older sister, Edith works in the kitchen. Luke is the gardener and has been pressuring Kate to marry him for years but she longs to do something different vs just spending the rest of her life doing the same thing. She wants to go to London, to experience a different life but Luke is happy just staying right where he is.
When a family shows up with a son and daughter around her age, her life takes a different turn. The daughter decides almost immediately she wants Kate to act as her personal maid, a role Kate has never done before. Kate becomes enthralled with the daughter's twin brother, Ned and dreams of someday perhaps marrying him. With war looming on the horizon, it becomes a favorite topic for the men.
Kate learns near the end of the story a secret that one of her family has kept for years and it involves her.
I enjoyed the book and I see it is only the first in a series involving these characters.

[PAMpublish · Rating 4 out of 5]

A pre-WWI story about the life of a housekeeper's daughter at an elite British country home. Restless and a bit immature, Kate is engaged to Luke who is a handyman but refuses to set a date, especially as the family hosts the rich and elite. Somewhat mesmerized by their lifestyle she yearns for more, especially assigned as a lady's maid to the daughter. With much in common, she meets and crushes on her brother Ned. However, besides the difference in class, family secrets interfere with any relationship. This story is well-written, true to the times with much description and a surprise ending, however a bit slow getting there. Otherwise, a relatively clean novel for those interested in the life of the British elite during this time era.

[Claire Rackett · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bit of a slow start but once I got in to the book I really enjoyed it. The characters were varied and this coupled with the class difference helped develop the themes running through the story. The time setting gave am insight into life before the war and some of the implications of it too. The ending was not predicted but a good one to have. It was well written and flowed which enhanced reading, the only thing I didn’t enjoy too much was the fact that some chapters were so very long. I would like to give this three and a half stars due to the slow start and long chapters, other than that a very enjoyable and different read for me.

[Barbara Deeprose · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not Bad

Kate Bratton works with her mother and sister in Woodicombe House and is expected to marry Luke, the gardener, but Kate wants more. When visitors to the house arrive, Kate is immediately attracted to their son, Ned, and he promises to find out what opportunities she might find in London just as the first world war is about to break out, but Kate is left broken hearted when Ned leaves in a hurry and there is worse news to come. I quite enjoyed the book but felt it was very similar to books I have read before.

[Fran Burdsall · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reminds me of Upstairs, Downstairs or similar turn-of-the-century British class-based soap opera. Our heroine, the housekeeper's daughter, gets caught up in the intrigue of the summer guests at the estate. Most of the goings on are mildly tedious. The ending is full of twists and (thankfully) a happy ending. The moral of the tale is that not all the upstairs gentry nor all of the downstairs working folk are to be trusted.... but some are A-OK.

[Amanda Bennett · Rating 4 out of 5]

I happened to pick this book up by chance as it was part of a special offer in The Works. I’m so glad I did as I’ve enjoyed reading the story very much. I’ve not read anything written by this author before, but have bought the next two books in this particular sequel on Kindle so I can continue reading this saga.

[Mary · Rating 3 out of 5]

It Has Its Moments

While the plot is engaging and Maddon has done a wonderful job of bringing Woodicombe House to life, I wasn’t really impressed with the book. I didn’t like Kate at all. I found her petulant, childish, unkind, unpleasant, and extremely short sighted. I also found the story to be more than a little tedious.

[Psammead · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well worth reading. Loved it.

This is well worth reading. I really enjoyed it. A little different from most of these kind of books. Now I am going on to the second book and looking forward to knowing what will happen now.

[Shelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

A nice, entertaining book with an unpredictable ending.

[Pandora · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had to persevere with it before I could get into. It dragged for most of the book but the last few chapters were quite good.

[Mrs Wendy Lee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enjoyed this book but found it a bit hard to get into but once I had throughly enjoyed it so will read book 2

[Lula Wilson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Matters Not as They Seem

Loved the story and even when the true background was revealed. Dreams can quickly be erased but end out well.

[Charlotte Mcnulty · Rating 4 out of 5]

So it took me a bit to get into this book. I’ll say it wasn’t overly bad but it began to pick up more so in the end like the last 3 chapters. Took a HUGE turn for a SURPRISE for sure. Over all. It was an ok book.

[Shannon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Slow paced in the beginning but worth the read!

[Karen · Rating 2 out of 5]

Slow moving, not much happening, I started to skip chunks to find some interest. All happened in last chapter or two and a very abrupt and unsatisfactory ending.

[Charlotte · Rating 5 out of 5]

loved reading this and the others

[Jess · Rating 1 out of 5]

I read a lot of historical fiction but just can't get into this one. Giving up.

[Heidi Hogan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful Historical Novel

Looking forward to reading more of Rosie Meddon’s books.
I truly enjoy period novels and this book did not disappoint. Good dialogue and character development. Interesting people and content.

[Tracey · Rating 4 out of 5]

A slow but lovely story set in Devon just before world war one. Although it was gentle I didn't find it boring, in fact it kept me reading even though I was away on holiday when I finished it. Kate is the main character and she was easy to warm to, she dreams of more than staying in Devon marrying a man she's known all her life, and being a maid to upper class families. Near the end a big secret is disclosed, Kate is left heartbroken but maybe all is not lost. There is a sequel to this book that I will be looking out for.

[Virginia · Rating 4 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.