Mrs. England by Stacey Halls

Disclaimer: I was sent a free book and am voluntarily leaving this honest review.

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I admit I enjoy a good book that has lots of twists and turns. Stories that don't turn out exactly as you think they will but rather take a left turn when you think it will take a right.

Book Description

Simmering with menace, Mrs. England is a portrait of an Edwardian marriage, an enthralling tale of men and women, power and control, courage, truth, and the very darkest deception.

West Yorkshire, 1904. A young Norland nanny named Ruby May is assigned to a remote estate to care for the children of a wealthy couple from a powerful mill dynasty. Ruby hopes it will be the fresh start she needs. Yet when she arrives at Hardcastle House, she finds the staff is hostile to her, and the lady of the house, Mrs. Lilian England, cold and withdrawn. The only person who seems solicitous is the gentleman of the house, Charles England, but in an uncomfortable way.

It doesn’t take long for Ruby to sense all is not as it seems, that the households a dark secret. But there’s no such thing as the perfect family--Ruby herself should know. And she would be the last person to pry; after all, she is holding a dark secret of her own.

About Stacey Halls

Stacey Halls was born in 1989 and grew up in Lancashire, England. She studied journalism at the University of Central Lancashire and has worked as a journalist since the age of 21, writing for publications including The Independent, Fabulous magazine, Stylist, and Psychologies. She lives in London with her husband. The Familiars is her first novel.

My Thoughts

I found the book to be enjoyable. It did leave me guesses till the end though I admit it was a wee bit slow in parts. The characters we lovely though I would have liked a little more background on a few. 

Not sure I believed some of the connections between some of the characters. I felt there were several times the author could have made a bigger impact and didn't but overall a nice read.

I felt Ruby had secrets and would have liked for the author to delve deeper into them. The one we got was rather shocking but still, I felt there could have been more.

I did enjoy the author letting us know from the beginning that this story was taking place in a cold remote area. It set up the surroundings to really add to the creepy feel the house and family had. 

Not sure I say a 5 star read but close and one I would read again on a story night.