The Au Pair by Emma Rous

 

Does Laura, the au pair, have the answer to the question that no one would ever answer?

Does she know why Seraphine's mother threw herself off a cliff right after she gave birth? 

Seraphine hopes so because she must know the answer now that her father has also passed away, but no one wants to talk about it. 

Well...not until Seraphine tells her grandmother she would like to talk to Laura to see if she can shed some light on what happened. Her grandmother panics and pleads with Seraphine to NOT talk to Laura.  This arouses more curiosity for Seraphine.

Grandmother Vera also tells Seraphine that Summerborne House will go to her brother Danny and not her.  That news has Seraphine running out of the house.  

Why will it go to Danny and not her when she lives there? But Grandmother Vera didn't say why and won't say why.

Of course, Seraphine does not listen to her grandmother's request and apparent warning.  What she finds out causes more questions and more danger, but who are the ones that are in danger and what does what she finds out mean?

THE AU PAIR takes us from past to present as we learn about the Mayes family and the situations and activities that took place twenty-five years ago that are still puzzling today.

We hear Laura's voice from the past as she familiarizes herself with the house and the family when she first arrives and her life as the au pair at Summerbourne. 

Then we hear Seraphine's voice present day as she searches for answers from her brothers, her grandmother, and anyone who may have known her mother.

There is plenty of mystery to keep you intrigued along with Ms Rous's alluring writing and secretive characters. 

The flashbacks and description of life at Summerbourne at that time were marvelous.  Old estates with all those rooms, the estate's family, and the folks that work on an estate are always a draw for me.

THE AU PAIR will be enjoyed by readers who enjoy secrets, mysteries, family dynamics, time travel, and descriptions that put you in the book with the characters.  

Nothing can top a good old mystery with family secrets, right? 5/5

This book was given to me as an ARC by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.