** spoiler alert ** 
 I adore Kate Morton and the way she writes, but after reading her other two books (The Forgotten Garden and The Distant Hours) I was disappointed with this book. The House at Riverton lacked the eery mystery and charm the other two books had. The plot wasn't... wait.. what was the plot???? Ohhh... The house maid has a secret, a secret that makes no difference in her life what so ever. And the secret was no surprise! We all knew Robbie really didn't kill himself. I never found my self reading as fast as I could to figure out what ever mystery the next page would hold. The story boils down to a love triangle with a tragic ending. I feel like if Kate would have focused more on the rivalry between the two sisters, and expressed more of the passion between Hannah and Robbie the book would have been better. Instead the book focuses on Hannah and her kept secret. I wish her keeping the secret would have meant something in her life, changed something for her that would have created more of a climax... in HER life. Instead it's only her conscious that's effected. In my opinion Grace was way to happy being a Lady's maid! LOL How could she not feel the injustice done to her by having to be her own sister's maid???? 
 My fantasy ending: Grace finds out shes related to Hannah and decides she doesn't want to be her maid anymore! Then thinks up a plan to reveal her betrayal to Emme... ending with the death of Robbie. She then blackmails them into giving her her rightful inheritance and goes on to marry Alfred and they have adventures together! Hannah is left poor and divorced... and Grace finds it in her heart to forgive her and take her in. 
 Despite all the criticism..I did love Kate's writing style and the way she was able to bring me back to that time and place at Riverton so easily.