3.85 AVERAGE

emotional hopeful mysterious sad medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

What a great book with which to start the year! 4.5 stars really. It was compelling, flowed so well, had an inkling of what was going to be the outcome but still wasn’t 100% sure. I loved it - a really great read.
(Spoiler Alert):
And a good portrayal of domestic abuse - the subtlety of coercive control.
dark emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious sad tense fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes
dark emotional mysterious medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Following Ruby, the Norland nanny, as she goes to work for the England family this book has so many twists in it! At every turn I found myself changing my mind as to my thoughts about Mr and Mrs England. I thought this was well written and an interesting concept; I just wish the ending had been expanded more.
dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Complicated
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus: No

I love this book and first and it is so well written! However, it felt like it promised a lot but didn't quite go far enough

Expand filter menu Content Warnings

This was a wonderful read!

I really enjoyed the pacing & the suspense it created. The signs were all there & it was thrilling waiting for it all to come together

I also enjoyed the twists! I did not see them coming, & the ending...

The only downside for me was the storyline around Ruby's past. I've read a few books where they've done similar things, mainly thrillers, to create suspense & intrigue, but more often than not, they're pointless & just filler, & that's how I felt it was used here

Also, what was going on with Ruby & Mr Booth?


Quote I liked:

“Because I don't want to. And that is a good enough reason not to do something. Saying no can be ten times harder than saying yes but makes you feel a hundred times better.”
mysterious sad slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Plot
Strong character development: No
Loveable characters: No
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: No
hopeful mysterious tense medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Complicated
Loveable characters: No
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

Enjoyed this - historical fiction is my fave genre and I really love Stacey Halls. Not as good as her others but still an entertaining read :)
challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes