The Housekeeper


Book Description

"I am the housekeeper, the hired help with a messy past who cleans up other people's messy lives, the one who protects their messy little secrets." When Anne Morgan's successful boyfriend--who also happens to be her boss--leaves her for another woman, Anne finds herself in desperate need of a new job and a quiet place to recover. Meanwhile, her celebrity idol, Emma Helmsley (England's answer to Martha Stewart), is in need of a housekeeper, an opportunity which seems too good to be true. Through her books, website, and blog, Emma Helmsley advises her devoted followers on how to live a balanced life in a hectic world. Her husband, Rob, is a high profile academic, and her children, Jake and Lily, are well-adjusted teenagers. On the surface, they are the perfect family. But Anne soon finds herself intimately ensconced in the Helmsley's dirty laundry, both literally and figuratively. Underneath the dust, grime, and whimsical clutter, everyone has a secret to hide and Anne's own disturbing past threatens to unhinge everything."--




The Housekeeper


Book Description

She's a liar. She's a stalker. She's in your house. When Claire sees Hannah Wilson at an exclusive Manhattan hair salon, it's like a knife slicing through barely healed scars. It may have been ten years since Claire last saw Hannah, but she has thought of her every day, and not in a good way. So Claire does what anyone would do in her position—she stalks her. Hannah is now Mrs. Carter, living the charmed life that should have been Claire's. It's the life Claire used to have, before Hannah came along and took it all away from her. Back then, Claire was a happy teenager with porcelain skin and long, wavy blond hair. Now she's an overweight, lazy drunk with hair the color of compost and skin to match. Which is why when Hannah advertises for a housekeeper, Claire is confident she can apply and not be recognized. And since she has time on her hands, revenge on her mind, and a talent for acting… Because what better way to seek retribution—and redress—than from within the beautiful Mrs. Hannah Carter's own home? Except that it's not just Claire who has secrets. Everyone in that house seems to have something to hide. And now, there's no way out.




The Housekeeper's Secret


Book Description

For fans of stranger than truth stories, Sandy Schnakenburg is uncovering rattling and unprecedented revelations in this powerful memoir of love, secrets, and survival. When Lee Metoyer is hired to be the new housekeeper, she has no idea that she’s about to become the anchor to a family in an abusive patriarch's home, setting a mystery in motion that will take decades to uncover. At the age of seventy-two, Lee falls ill and on her deathbed asks Sandy to write her story. The only problem is, Sandy doesn’t know the story. Embarking on a quest to honor Lee’s final wishes, Sandy takes an emotional and thrilling journey, unveiling shocking truths not only about her beloved housekeeper but also her own upbringing. As she digs further, she learns that Lee came to her family’s sprawling estate in Barrington, IL, harboring a secret past. For decades, she’s been in hiding. But Lee is not the only one with secrets; Sandy’s quest forces her to grapple with her own family history as well, and to finally confront the effects of the psychological abuse she suffered as a child. Both a chilling and exciting personal tale of love and survival, The Housekeeper’s Secret is a gripping saga that illuminates the resilience of the human spirit.




The Housekeeper's Secret


Book Description

"This BEAUTIFULLY-WRITTEN HISTORICAL is a SUMPTUOUS, PAGE-TURNING DELIGHT filled with an enticing mix of FORBIDDEN ROMANCE and buried secrets.” —Ellen Marie Wiseman, New York Times bestselling author of The Lost Girls of Willowbrook Duty, desire, and deception reside under one roof. Standing in the remote windswept moors of Northern England, Coldwell Hall is the perfect place to hide. For the past five years, Kate Furniss has maintained her professional mask so carefully that she almost believes she is the character she has created: Coldwell’s respectable housekeeper. It is the summer of 1911 that brings new faces above and below the stairs of Coldwell Hall—including the handsome and mysterious new footman, Jem Arden. Just as the house’s shuttered rooms open, so does Kate’s guarded heart to a love affair that is as intense as it is forbidden. But Kate can feel her control slipping as Jem harbors secrets of his own. Told in alternating timelines from the last sun-drenched summer of the Edwardian Age to the mud-filled trenches of WWI, The Housekeeper's Secret opens its door to a world of romance, the truths we hold onto, and the past we must let go. "RICH IN ATMOSPHERE AND BRIMMING WITH INTRIGUE, THE HOUSEKEEPER'S SECRET IS NOT TO BE MISSED!" –Amanda Skenandore, award-winning author of The Nurse's Secret "BRILLIANTLY RESEARCHED...I rooted for Kate, fell completely in love with Jem, and will hold their unforgettable story close for a very long time to come." –Jenny Ashcroft, author of Island in the East and The Officer and the Spy




The Housekeeper's Tale


Book Description

Working as a housekeeper was one of the most prestigious jobs a nineteenth and early twentieth century woman could want – and also one of the toughest. A far cry from the Downton Abbey fiction, the real life Mrs Hughes was up against capricious mistresses, low pay, no job security and gruelling physical labour. Until now, her story has never been told. The Housekeeper’s Tale reveals the personal sacrifices, bitter disputes and driving ambition that shaped these women’s careers. Delving into secret diaries, unpublished letters and the neglected service archives of our stately homes, Tessa Boase tells the extraordinary stories of five working women who ran some of Britain’s most prominent households. There is Dorothy Doar, Regency housekeeper for the obscenely wealthy 1st Duke and Duchess of Sutherland at Trentham Hall, Staffordshire. There is Sarah Wells, a deaf and elderly Victorian in charge of Uppark, West Sussex. Ellen Penketh is Edwardian cook-housekeeper at the sociable but impecunious Erddig Hall in the Welsh borders. Hannah Mackenzie runs Wrest Park in Bedfordshire – Britain’s first country-house war hospital, bankrolled by playwright J. M. Barrie. And there is Grace Higgens, cook-housekeeper to the Bloomsbury set at Charleston farmhouse in East Sussex for half a century – an era defined by the Second World War. Revelatory, gripping and unexpectedly poignant, The Housekeeper’s Tale champions the invisible women who ran the English country house. Normal0falsefalsefalseEN-GBX-NONEX-NONE




Murder at Mallowan Hall


Book Description

As head of household for none other than Agatha Christie, Phyllida Bright finds her position includes polishing silver, serving luncheons…and drawing inspiration from the crime author’s fictional detectives when mysterious deaths at Mallowan Hall baffle her famous employer… Tucked away among Devon’s rolling green hills, Mallowan Hall combines the best of English tradition with the modern conveniences of 1930. Housekeeper Phyllida Bright manages the large household with an iron fist in her very elegant glove. In one respect, however, Mallowan Hall stands far apart from other picturesque country houses. For the manor is home to archaeologist Max Mallowan and his famous wife—Agatha Christie… Phyllida is both loyal to and protective of the crime writer, who is as much friend as employer. An aficionado of detective fiction, Phyllida has yet to find a gentleman in real life half as fascinating as Mrs. Agatha’s Belgian hero, Hercule Poirot. But though accustomed to murder and its methods as frequent topics of conversation, Phyllida is unprepared for the sight of a very real, very dead body on the library floor… It soon becomes clear that the victim arrived at Mallowan Hall under false pretenses during a weekend party. And when another dead body is discovered—this time, one of her housemaids—Phyllida decides to follow in M. Poirot’s footsteps to determine which of the Mallowans’ guests is the killer. Now only Phyllida’s wits will prevent her own story from coming to an abrupt end…




Clean My Space


Book Description

The wildly popular YouTube star behind Clean My Space presents the breakthrough solution to cleaning better with less effort Melissa Maker is beloved by fans all over the world for her completely re-engineered approach to cleaning. As the dynamic new authority on home and living, Melissa knows that to invest any of our precious time in cleaning, we need to see big, long-lasting results. So, she developed her method to help us get the most out of our effort and keep our homes fresh and welcoming every day. In her long-awaited debut book, she shares her revolutionary 3-step solution: • Identify the most important areas (MIAs) in your home that need attention • Select the proper products, tools, and techniques (PTT) for the job • Implement these new cleaning routines so that they stick Clean My Space takes the chore out of cleaning with Melissa’s incredible tips and cleaning hacks (the power of pretreating!) her lightning fast 5-10 minute “express clean” routines for every room when time is tightest, and her techniques for cleaning even the most daunting places and spaces. And a big bonus: Melissa gives guidance on the best non-toxic, eco-conscious cleaning products and offers natural cleaning solution recipes you can make at home using essential oils to soothe and refresh. With Melissa’s simple groundbreaking method you can truly live in a cleaner, more cheerful, and calming home all the time.




The Billionaire's Housekeeper


Book Description

Notorious playboy and hotel heir, Chase Belmont, needs to get away from it all—gold-digging women, a sex tape scandal and unwanted media attention. Now he’s in a dilemma surrounding the grave illness of his father, patriarch Jonah E Belmont, III, who urges him to marry soon or find true love before the elder passes on. After Chase is summoned to the scenic waterfront Belmont Valley Ranch & Spa for an emergency, he decides to go undercover as Chad, a maintenance worker, but his emotions are anything but undercover when he meets the new, lovely housekeeper… Abbi Lopez has had enough of lying, cheating men. Her ex had broken her heart and her trust when she learned he had been living a secret double life. Quite frankly, the last thing she needed was another smooth talker with an ulterior motive. When Abbi is hired at the Belmont Hotel’s Ranch & Spa, the last thing she expects is handsome, blue-collar worker, Chad. Is he the real deal? Can she really trust him to be truly honest with her and as caring as he appears to be? Meet the Belmont family of the affluent Belmont waterfront community… Desperate to see his sons settle down, especially after he’s been given six months to a year to live, elderly hotel magnate and family patriarch Jonah E. Belmont, III gives his sons a bucket list challenge. They each must wed—or at least be in a stable, loving relationship before he passes on and in order to keep their inheritances in the prestigious Belmont Hotels & Resorts legacy. Only his sons are not too convinced about getting married for any reason and vow to remain single…and safe from heartbreak. Read book 3 in Billionaires of Belmont Series… Chase & Abbi’s story




Home Comforts


Book Description

A classic bestselling resource for every household, Home Comforts helps you manage everyday chores, find creative solutions to domestic dilemmas, and enhance the experience of life at home. “Home Comforts is to the house what Joy of Cooking is to food.” —USA TODAY Home Comforts is an engaging and comprehensive book about housekeeping. It is a lively and readable guide for both beginners and experts in all the domestic arts. From keeping surfaces free of germs, watering plants, removing stains, folding a fitted sheet, cleaning china, tuning a piano, lighting a fire, setting the dining room table—this guide covers everything that people might want to do for themselves in their homes. Further topics include: making up a bed with hospital corners, expert recommendations for safe food storage, reading care labels (and sometimes carefully disregarding them), keeping your home free of dust mites and other allergens, this is a practical, good-humored, philosophical guidebook to the art and science of household management.




The House of Hidden Secrets


Book Description

‘Disturbing, eerie, and immensely captivating...will send shivers down your spine.’ Reader Review The imposing gates of Ramsay Hall yawned open. As Serena and 4-year-old Lana walked up the long driveway, little did they know the dark secrets that lay within. When Serena Green accepted the role of housekeeper for wealthy widower Hayden Ramsay, she never imagined her new home would be Ramsay Hall, an ancient, sprawling mansion in Northern England. Serena quickly becomes an integral part of the household, making friends with Hayden’s younger son Hugh, despite Jack, his older brother’s, coldness towards her and Lana. But the hall’s beautiful exterior hides many ugly secrets. Though Serena and Jack begin to grow closer, she’s confused by his behaviour around Lana. What is he guilty of? And is there more to their mother’s death than the Ramsay men will admit, even to themselves? As the harrowing past of Ramsay Hall unravels, Serena fresh start becomes a fresh horror. She fears for her and Lana’s safety, but what are the bleak secrets in Serena’s own past? This house is built on a lifetime of lies... and the truth might just bring the walls crashing down. A twisty, gripping and utterly unputdownable new thriller that fans of Lisa Jewell, C.L. Taylor and Mark Edwards will love. Readers can't wait to enter The House of Hidden Secrets: ‘As I finished the last page, I nearly dropped my eReader! WHAT?!?! Definitely a book you’ll want to pick up!’ ☆☆☆☆☆ Reader Review ‘Gives a new meaning to the description of a twisted plot...I had a hard time putting this book down, it was so intense.’ Reader Review ‘This book drew me in...I loved it. Totally would recommend this to friends. Amazing.’ ☆☆☆☆☆ Reader Review ‘I loved it. Every time I thought I had worked out where the author was going, another twist would be thrown in.’ Reader Review ‘You’re taken through the many twists, turns and secrets that Ramsay Hall has hidden in its walls. I would highly recommend this novel.’ ☆☆☆☆☆ Reader Review ‘Like a modern day Rebecca, The House of Hidden Secrets is a gothic tale full of twists and tension...this story had me holding my breath right up to the final chilling revelation.’ Helen Marsay ‘A divinely layered thriller that makes you gasp on page one and lets you exhale slowly with every turn of the page.’ Stacey Haber 'Dark and disturbing. I was totally engrossed in this book.' Amanda Robson, author of Obsession 'A completely engrossing story, full of intrigue and mystery, and with a dash of romance too. Brilliant!' C.J. Cooper, author of The Book Club ‘Loved how the secrets started to unfold...With one final unexpected revelation at the end, this left me open mouthed.’ ☆☆☆☆☆ Reader Review ‘Loved this one!...Lots of twists and turns along the way. Definitely one I recommend.’ ☆☆☆☆☆ Reader Review ‘This psychological thriller was a never-ending journey of twists and turns...the author had you hanging onto her every word.’ ☆☆☆☆☆ Reader Review