THE HOUSEKEEPERS
ALEX HAY
Harlequin - Graydon House have very kindly asked me to participate in their blog tour for The Housekeepers by Alex Hay which comes out TODAY! I'll start by telling you all about the book and the author and then share my review!
THE BOOK
The night of London's grandest ball, a bold group of women downstairs launch a daring revenge heist against Mayfair society in this dazzling historical novel about power, gender, and class.
Mrs. King is no ordinary housekeeper. Born into a world of con artists and thieves, she’s made herself respectable, running the grandest home in Mayfair. The place is packed with treasures, a glittering symbol of wealth and power, but dark secrets lurk in the shadows.
When Mrs. King is suddenly dismissed from her position, she recruits an eclectic group of women to join her in revenge: A black market queen out to settle her scores. An actress desperate for a magnificent part. A seamstress dreaming of a better life. And Mrs. King’s predecessor, with her own desire for vengeance.
Their plan? On the night of the house’s highly anticipated costume ball—set to be the most illustrious of the year—they will rob it of its every possession, right under the noses of the distinguished guests and their elusive heiress host. But there’s one thing Mrs. King wants even more than money: the truth. And she’ll run any risk to get it…
After all, one should never underestimate the women downstairs.
THE AUTHOR
ALEX HAY grew up in the United Kingdom in Cambridge and Cardiff, and has been writing as long as he can remember. He studied history at the University of York, and wrote his dissertation on female power at royal courts, combing the archives for every scrap of drama and skulduggery he could find. He has worked in magazine publishing and the charity sector and lives with his husband in London. The Housekeepers is his debut novel and won the Caledonia Novel Award.
LINKS TO FOLLOW ALEX:
MY REVIEW ***
Oceans 11 meets Downtown Abbey in this upstairs/downstairs heist of the century.
I was really excited by the premise of The Housekeepers and was expecting it to be my book of the year from the blurb alone, which is high expectations going in! The main characters are mainly female-led which is great and I really enjoyed the plot being presented – ransacking an entire household of possessions during the party of the year undetected.
Unfortunately, some aspects of this book fell short. Firstly, I didn’t feel like I got to know the characters as well as I could have – there are quite a few of them and they all have their own secrets which aren’t revealed until later in the book. This means that it feels like you are held at arms-length with some of them. There were also quite a lot of strands to the story – the part about young girls in the household didn’t really make sense to me and I was unsure why it was included. Lots of people seemed to be related to other characters as well which was difficult to keep track of in my mind.
The pace is quite slow which was a surprise – I was expecting myself to be racing through it. I also felt that the conclusion of the heist itself wasn’t as satisfying as I had hoped. Don’t get me wrong, it is a fun, light read but expectations were high, and it didn’t quite deliver!
Overall, The Housekeepers is a brilliant premise but was let down on the execution which was a shame, with a pace that dragged and too many characters and sub-plots which muddied the plot. Thank you to NetGalley & Harlequin, Graydon House & Headline - Review for the chance to read the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
LINKS TO BUY