A gripping and heartbreaking tale of family, duty, and the secrets we keep from those we love most. 

Two women. Two centuries. A life-changing night…

1952: Vivien and Max collide in the thick London smog. Within a few years, their whirlwind romance sees them living a quiet life on the Norfolk coast, blissfully happy with their beautiful daughter – at least, that’s how it appears…

2019: Isobel is hoping for a fresh start when she inherits her beloved grandmother Vivien’s house in Silverton Bay. But when she discovers an old photograph of Vivien at one of the infamous parties held at Silverton Hall in the 1950s, Isobel is forced to question how well she really knew her grandmother. Silverton Hall is a place Vivien swore she never went and never would – but why would she lie? And what other secrets was she keeping?

Together with an old friend, Isobel searches for answers. But is she prepared for the truth?

NetGalley ARC

Title:  The Last Party at Silverton Hall
Series:
Author:  Rachel Burton
Genre:  Historical Romance, Women’s Fiction
Published:  March 2, 2023
Publisher:  Aria
My Rating:  4.5 stars

The Last Party at Silverton Hall is a compelling story with a bit of romance, a lot of mystery, and perhaps equally a bit of history to pull us through the two timelines of Vivian and her granddaughter, Isobel.

This is one of those stories that I don’t want to delve too deeply into information about the story.  There are so many secrets here, so much unsaid in both generations, that it almost leaves the heart aching for what remained for these characters.  It’s possible to see one character as a bit of a villain, but really, I couldn’t do that.  Probably because of the differences between generations, I could fault Max for some things but not everything that happened.

Isabel gets a second chance in many ways when she discovers her grandmother left her home in Isabel’s care and when the man that got away so many years ago for reasons they’d both agreed on comes back into her life now.  During the renovation of her grandmother’s home, there will be secrets revealed and mysteries unearthed.

I enjoyed the dual timelines; they made sense of what was happening in some ways and clouded reasons in other ways.  As I said, to go too deeply into the storyline would be to spoil it for other readers, and I don’t want to do that.

I’ll simply say that I enjoyed The Last Party at Silverton Hall on so many levels.  It’s full of intriguing people, mysteries that need to have answers, and secrets that need to come into the light of day.  This is a story that stayed with me as I’d think back and wonder why I didn’t see something or a point was made that I’d almost missed.  I love a good puzzle, and that is what this story is in many ways… one that doesn’t always give the expected picture at the ending.

*I received an e-ARC of this novel from the publisher via NetGalley. That does not change what I think of this story. It is my choice to leave a review giving my personal opinion about this book.*

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