BLOG TOUR} Mrs. England by. Stacey Halls | ARC Review – Past Midnight Book Reviews & More

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Title: Mrs. England

Author: Stacey Halls

Format: eBook (NetGalley)

Pages: 320

Publication Date: 4/12/22

Publisher: MIRA

Categories: Historical Fiction, Mystery, Gothic

Disclaimer: **I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.**

Thank you to MIRA for giving me a chance to read this eARC in exchange for an honest review!

Simmering with slow-burning 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. When recently graduated Ruby May takes a nanny position looking after the children of Charles and Lilian England, a wealthy couple from a powerful dynasty of mill owners, she hopes it will be the fresh start she needs. But as she adapts to life at the isolated Hardcastle House, it becomes clear something is not quite right about the beautiful, mysterious Mrs. England.

Distant and withdrawn, Lilian shows little interest in her children or charming husband and is far from the angel of the house Ruby was expecting.

As the warm, vivacious Charles welcomes Ruby into the family, a series of strange events forces her to question everything she thought she knew. Ostracized by the servants and increasingly uneasy, Ruby must face her own demons in order to prevent history from repeating itself. After all, there’s no such thing as the perfect family—she should know.

This captivating new feminist novel from Sunday Times bestselling author Stacey Halls is her third work of fiction and proves her one of the most exciting and compelling new storytellers of our time.

Content Warning: Abuse, Manipulation, Misogyny

I read this in one sitting and my favorite part of the book has to be the setting and all the details the author gave us about West Yorkshire, England. I could totally imagine the pollution in the air due to the industrial jobs around at that time. I don’t know how anyone could breathe well there! I love how remote location of Hardcastle House, it really added mystery and a creepy undertone, giving the feeling that something wasn’t right in the town…or in the family. But what it is – we don’t find out until later. Ruby’s position as nanny/nurse was very well detailed also. She was a very fleshed out character and through her eyes we see the ongoings within the England household where something is amiss but we don’t fully know the extent until the end.

I thought the story did a good job of making me suspicious of everyone around Ruby, except for the kids, who are amazing kids with different personalities. I was as attached to them as Ruby were. Ruby was indeed a good nanny to her charges. Mrs. England was so mystery, aloof and inattentive towards her children, seeming afraid of her husband and just absolutely unhappy – but is she a danger to herself like Mr. England tells Ruby?

The writing is fantastic and kept me hooked into the story.

The things that didn’t quite work for me was I felt like nothing much happened in the story until the very end. I found the writing and the household dynamic interesting enough that it held my interest but in the end, I felt like it was missing something. I wish there was more suspense. Also there were some interesting feelings Ruby was feeling for a man in the town who was already engaged to one of the maids at the house – not sure where it was going with that storyline but it went nowhere.

Why you should read it:

you like historical fiction with some mystery that involved a dysfunctional marriage and a nanny
good writing
great setting details

Why you might not want to read it:

for me it fell a little flat, needs more suspense

My Thoughts:

I read this in one sitting because I found the writing to be wonderful plus it gave me some suspenseful vibes but I feel like it fell short and had to much more potential to surprise me. I love the setting and characters but I wish more of the action happened earlier in the book instead of at the end of the story. I look forward to reading more from this author.

📚 ~ Yolanda

About the Author:

Stacey Halls grew up in Rossendale, Lancashire. She studied journalism at the University of Central Lancashire and has written for publications including the Guardian, Stylist, Psychologies, the Independent, the Sun and Fabulous. Both of her first two novels, The Familiars and The Lost Orphan, were Sunday Times bestsellers, Mrs England is her third novel.

Author Website | Twitter: @stacey_halls | Instagram:@staceyhallsauthor | Goodreads