A beautifully written work of historical fiction, set in 1904, the book tells the story of Nurse Ruby May, a Norland nanny who takes a job in Yorkshire with the England family, looking after their four children. Initially all seems very positive - the rural setting is isolated but idyllic, the children likeable and the job well paid. However it soon becomes clear that all is not as it seems in the household - “there is no such thing as a perfect family” - and in addition Ruby is battling her own demons and clearly has a complicated past.

Hall’s skill lies in creating a character-driven novel, atmospheric and evocative, with a hint of darkness that lingers throughout the book. It is full of twists and turns, and as a reader you begin to doubt all the characters, even Ruby herself. Halls ties up all the threads at the end but also leaves the reader with food for thought. You know you’ve enjoyed a book when you rush out and buy the author's two previous books - they were books I had heard lots of good things about but never picked up, but they are now high on my TBR pile.

Mrs England takes us into the world of the children's nanny in 1904, but not just any nanny, because Ruby May is a highly esteemed Norland nanny - the kind employed by the finest families in the land.

When Ruby is employed by a wealthy mill-owning family in the north of England to look after their four children, she is expecting a fine house and the kind of traditional family she has become familiar with, but what she finds at Hardcastle House has her bemused. While Mr England is charming and welcoming, fitting the bill as the perfect father, Mrs England seems distant and withdrawn, with little interest in her own children. There is something not quite right about what goes on behind closed doors in this house, and Ruby is inclined to think that the odd behaviour of Mrs England is the cause of the uncomfortable atmosphere, but stuck as she is in a position somewhere between that of a servant and family member, she does not really have anyone to talk to about her worries. However, it turns out that she is the perfect person to see what is actually happening here, and the traumatic childhood that she has done her best to hide may be the very thing that gives her the power to make a difference.

As she does so well, Stacey Halls beautifully recreates another historical setting in which complex female characters are at the mercy of a world ruled by men, this time in Edwardian Yorkshire, and there is a lot of fascinating social history about the changing times that she weaves subtly into the story. It is a delicious slow-burner of a tale that explores power, control, mental health and family secrets, with a pervasive feeling of insidious menace that nips at the corners of your mind, and I thoroughly enjoyed the way the truth about all the characters unfurls ever so slowly as events play out. The way Halls uses letters as an important story device is really interesting here, and the relationships that develop between Ruby and many of the characters as she finds her feet and makes peace with her past is delightful.

While I can't really go into the plot in any depth without giving the game away, suffice to say this is one that will keep you guessing all the way through as Halls leads you down the garden path until knocking you for six with a glorious climax full of feminine rage on the windswept moors. It's definitely my favourite Stacey Halls' book yet!

Mrs England is the third book from historical fiction writer Stacey Halls. I read and love both The Familiars and The Foundling, so this was an incredibly anticipated release for me. The story follows Nurse Ruby May a graduate of the Norland Institute. When she is forced to leave her position she knows she needs to find another as soon as possible. When the opportunity comes up to be a nurse to the four England children, Ruby takes the position immediately. When she arrives in Yorkshire she soon finds things aren’t right with the family. Mrs England is detached and mysterious, and the servants won’t talk to her. As Ruby spends more time with the family, she uncovers more than she could possibly imagine.

Stacey Halls is one of those authors where you start reading the book and then become immediately torn between reading it slowly to savour the beautiful writing, or racing through it in a single night because of the compelling story. For me I ended up reading this until the wee hours of the morning, I just had to know what was happening with the England family. The story is really addictive and it has such a fascinating premise. It really focuses on the idea of marriage and power in a relationship. Yorkshire really comes to life in the beautiful and vivid writing and I felt completely transported back to that time period.

Like her previous novels, you can tell an immense amount of research has gone into this story. I loved the slow-building feeling of menace in the story, it’s so atmospheric and there were some moments that definitely gave me a feeling of dread. One of the most compelling things for me was the complex characters – so many of them are way more than they seem on the surface. Mr and Mrs England were brilliant characters and Halls has a brilliant way of making you question who they truly are. Ruby is a really interesting protagonist and I loved learning about her family and her past alongside her time with the Englands.

Stacey Halls is rapidly becoming my favourite historical fiction writer. This is another brilliantly plotted and well-executed tale, one that I will be recommending to everyone I know. If you love historical fiction this one is a must-read.

Published today by Zaffre books, I am extremely grateful to both them and Tracy Fenton of Compulsive Readers for the blog tour invite and gifted e-book review copy of 'Mrs England'

And yes, for those who stuck with Stacy through the storming debut, to that so called notorious 'second book', this third one is absolutely on a par with the others as principle protagonist , Nurse May, trained in Norland, travelled to Yorkshire, takes on the offspring of a mill factory owner.

Having grown up with younger siblings, becoming a nanny at this new and exclusive institute which focusses on the emotional and physical nourishment and building of the next generation is something that May is suitably proud of, having gained a scholarship to study there and gained impeccable feedback on her conduct.

However, with her initial family to whom she has been assigned moving away to Chicago, May has to make a stand for reasons she does not wish to go into. And so, the reader's emotional radar engages and starts moving at this-after all the trouble she has gone to to become a stalwart young woman, she is about to give it all up to head to ....Yorkshire?

This goes through her mind on a loop as she travels north from London, and meets the most unexpected family.

Mrs England, the daughter of a very well off family, the only girl amongst 3 boys, has 4 children with whom she is tangentially involved, their upbringing being the sole responsibility on 'Nanny Nangle', Mr England's childhood nanny.

Mr England himself appears to be more 'hands on' than May is used to-her first person narrative allows such deep and wonderful insights into a woman almost 'out of time', in  that she is unashamedly focussing on the education of both her girl charges as well as the boys. Her focus on the minds of the children as well their physical health is a shock to a household which is used to running as it has always done.

However, on meeting the boy's tutor, Mr Booth, she receives this ominous warning-

All happy families are alike;each unhappy family is unhappy in its own way''

And again, that disquieting feeling rises up as insiduously as the fog which creeps into the England home and discolours the wallpaper-what is the secret at the heart of this rather unusual family?

The two female leads are quite extraordinary-even though we only see Lillian through Ruby's eyes, we get a very strong sense of her characters and a perception that they are played as opposites. This can be seen by the reflection of their names: Lillian as white, ethereal and fragile whilst Ruby is hard, vibrant, and absolutely coloured in shades of red.

The dark undertones of the tale are set by Ruby who refuses to talk about her family yet confides to the reader that the are the reason she cannot take a position with a family which travels. And in Lillian, we see from how her family treats her that she is seen as inconsequential, she doesn't even bear the family Greatrex name. They seem distant and cold, not loving but scornful and dismissive.

One hand has this wife who appears adored by her family yet rarely interacts with them, and on the other,a young woman whose family are her foundation but will not discuss them. Both are engaged in the business of producing and caring for the children in their charge, yet neither supports what would be considered a 'traditional' family unit.

The historical detail is rich, and the social detail even more so-as a modern parent, the idea of out sourcing your childcare and having, essentially a complete stranger in your house who presents you with said offspring once a day seems...dissociative and alienating.

And yet, alienation is brought up by Charles when he first meets and talks to Ruby-she explains her child care philosophy and he comments that she is an alienist.

The arrival of Ruby and her highly skilled ways not only brushes through the house, and makes it a family home, it is the catalyst for a deeply gothic tale with an air of both Rebecca and Jane Eyre. I cannot imagine a more intoxicating combination, the creeping undertones of dread shot through with the social and societal mores of the age, all held beneath the umbrella of the haunting prologue(which will genuinely haunt you!) creates a deliciously dark and beguiling novel with characters that you will never forget.

Stacy Halls is a writer who goes from strength to strength. I needed a proper lie down after each of her books, and after this one, I took the dog on the longest walk in the rain, to try and work through the modern gothic masterpiece I had just finished. It's a properly dark and deeply feminist take on the household structure of the early twentieth century and I am thinking of booking a holiday to cope with her fourth novel.

A beautifully measured account of family secrets in 19th century Yorkshire, with the right amount of darkness and mystery to enthrall. By keeping the narrative straight forward and restrained, the exposing of secrets has far more impact. Masterly and gripping, excellent.

Stacey Halls is one of my favourite contemporary authors, and I had high hopes for her latest novel. Mrs England did not disappoint – in fact, it might be my favourite yet.

It's a beautifully crafted historical novel, with an atmospheric setting and gripping storyline. The world of Hardcastle House and its characters are vividly imagined, and the mystery is cleverly constructed: what starts as a disconcerting sense that something is not quite right gradually turns to slow-burning menace. It's a compelling exploration of power and control, truth and gaslighting, with echoes of the gothic in an Edwardian setting.

Mrs England is a real page-turner, and I was captivated from start to finish.

Stacey Halls builds up a beautiful, encompassing, atmospheric world and then populates it with characters that stand out. From the outset I was drawn to Ruby May, a Norland Institute nanny. Ruby is the daughter of a Birmingham shop-keeper and she has attended the Norland Institute as a scholarship girl. Ruby has been working for a glamorous and wealthy couple, the Radletts, caring for their only child, Georgina. It’s her first job since graduating from the Norland Academy and the family are as thrilled to have her as she is to be there.

Then out of the blue, Mrs Radlett tells Ruby that that Mr Radlett’s job means relocating the family to Chicago. Ruby is devastated. The family wants her to go with them; that was never in question, but for reasons of her own, Ruby will not go. The Norland Institute is less than pleased. Norland nannies are trained to expect to stay with a family when it moves, and leaving a family before a child has outgrown a nanny is frowned upon.

But Ruby is adamant and offers to take on any family that will have her if she can stay in the country. It is clear that Ruby has reasons for refusing to travel abroad, and she is clearly keen to stay in contact with her family, but more than that she is not saying.

So Ruby finds another placement, one that Norland would not easily have filled without her volunteering. She is to work for the England family and their four children. Mr England runs a cotton mill set amidst the dark woods of the Yorkshire moors surrounded by a rather bleak countryside; so different from the London society she has been used to.

Arriving on a wet and windy night, Ruby realises just how isolated this place is when she has to dismount her carriage and walk through the dark woods to get to Hardcastle House where she is to reside. She learns that the children’s previous nurse had been Mr England’s nanny and had taken on his children, finally dying of old age.

Ruby May has a lot to do during her first days and weeks at Hardcastle House. Her predecessor’s eyesight was not so good in her latter years and so there is a great deal of basic housekeeping to do in the nursery. To her surprise, Ruby finds that her orders come direct from Mr Charles England and that Mrs England, Lilian, has little to do with either the children or the running of the house.

Ruby finds herself in somewhat of an isolated position. She is not a servant and the other household staff look on her with suspicion, suspecting she thinks herself a cut above them. So Ruby ploughs a lonely furrow, becoming the children’s guide and protector; teaching them, playing with them and keeping them nicely washed and dressed. All these are normal duties; ones which are usually carried out to allow a loving mother to be the beautiful, smiling presence in her children’s lives – but that’s not happening here. Instead it is the affable cigar smoking Charles England who stops in to the nursery to enjoy time with his children.

The reader knows that this is a house in which something is off. Ruby knows it too, and she feels so sorry for Mr England who bears the burden of his wife’s cold exterior and has to be everything to his children.

Ruby May is such a brilliant character. Determined, hard-working, and so concerned for her family, in particular her sister, to whom she writes weekly. She sends half her wages home, too. Though we don’t know quite why she is concerned for her sister, it shines through in the way she eagerly awaits her letters.

Stacy Halls allows us to fall for Ruby May while building an atmospheric and menacing undercurrent to life at Hardcastle Hall. There’s a naivety to Ruby that alerts the reader to the possibility of real danger and this helps keep tension high as events develop.

Hall wonderfully creates a suspenseful mystery with a dangerous edge. Utilising a terrifically created dark atmosphere of bleak countryside, dangerous crags and dark woods the whole feel of the novel is one of impending disaster. As we puzzle over what secrets Ruby is keeping, we begin to realise the terrible power that is being exerted in Hardcastle House – a power that threatens the children in Ruby’s care.

Mrs England is a slow burner, all the better to build to the menace that is the poison at the root of the relationships in Hardcastle Hall. Both a Gothic mystery and also an exploration of a marriage, Mrs England shines a light on the status of women in Edwardian society.

Verdict: A beautiful, dark portrait of a bleak Edwardian marriage, full of deception, misdirected power and terrible secrets. Atmospheric, simmering with tension, with richly-drawn characters and a strong sense of place that permeates the book, Mrs England is a fine historical novel with themes that resonate today. I could not put it down.

I've been excited to read Mrs England ever since I heard the first rumblings of interest about the book on social media about six months ago. It's always fascinating when there's bit of a buzz around a story, Stacey Halls first two historical fiction novels have done extremely well, so it was with a high degree of expectation I began to read Mrs England.

Its setting amongst the dark satanic mills of Yorkshire allows the brooding nature of the story to exude from the very first time Ruby May sets foot from the carriage which has carried her from the railway station to her new home. Nurse May, as she is known, is newly employed by wealthy mill owner, Mr Charles England to care for their four young children, and with his wife, Lilian being somewhat fragile in mind and body, Nurse May is left to look after the children with all the expertise that her Norland Nanny training allows.

That there are festering secrets at Hardcastle House becomes apparent as the story progresses and it is with a sense of disquiet that these secrets are gradually revealed. Lilian England is an enigmatic creature, prone to bouts of moodiness and depression, whilst the ebullient, Charles Hardcastle's larger than life personality seems to linger even when he's not present on the page. I rather liked Nurse May, but she too has secrets she would rather not be exposed to scrutiny and it is all these hidden and rather shadowy tensions which make Mrs England such a fascinating story.

Beautifully reminiscent of the confines of Edwardian England and not just for the working people whose lives were governed by hardship and toil, but also for the upper classes whose luxurious lifestyles often disguised traces of misery, manipulation and control. Mrs England once again proves just what a talent the historical fiction genre have found with Stacey Halls, as with each successive story, she just gets better and better.

Well this was definitely worth the read!
It was a little slow going during the first half, but Halls dropped in plenty of unanswered questions to wet the appetite and enhance the need to know more!

From there it all kicked off in the right directions and I was drawn in hook line and sinker.
Towards the end discoveries were made that didn’t even cross my mind, but were very much interesting ones!
I read this continuously wanting to know more!

I give this a well deserved 5 stars, and I would definitely recommend!

I completely fell in love with Stacey Halls’ writing last year when I read both The Foundling and The Familiars. So I have to confess, I didn’t even read the synopsis before picking this up.

And Mrs England absolutely lives up to my expectations.

For me there’s two things that I’ve come to associate with Stacey Hall’s novels.

Firstly, beautifully atmospheric historical fiction. Here we have a grand house in the early 20th century, with a classic family with three children. But from the start there feels like something is off. Mrs England, is the most Gothic of her novels really leaning into the grand old hours in the country with and almost Mr Rochester style character in Mr England as the patriarch of the family. You’re never totally sure what to make of him, and the family relationships as a whole keep you a little on edge.

Secondly, at the heart of all her novels Stacey Halls writes fantastic and complex female characters. We’re reading this from the perspective of Ruby May. She didn’t have the best upbringing, including some aspects which aren’t made entirely clear at the beginning. But she ended up at a very highly regarded nurse school, and her position at Hardcastle House is her last chance after issues with her recent placements. There she meets the rather elusive Mrs England who doesn’t seem to know how to behave around her children and clearly has a strained relationship with her husband. The way these characters develop through the novel is fantastic.

Overall, I think Mrs England may be my favourite novel from Stacey Halls yet. And I will absolutely pick up anything she writes in the future.

I have loved Stacey Hall’s previous two novels so was excited to be invited to be part of her new book Mrs England. Ruby May is a sought after Norland Nurse and when her employers decide to move to New York she doesn’t want to go with them. She is offered a position in Yorkshire to care for the four children of Mr and Mrs England, wealthy mill owners. What at first seems like the perfect position soon begins to tarnish, with strange events and a mistress who seems distant. Ruby has a feeling of unease, but she has secrets of her own that she doesn’t want exposed.

Mrs England is another brilliant novel from Stacy Halls, and like her previous books has a underlying sense of unease. The eponymous Mrs England is mistress of Hardcastle House, a place she grew up in with her family, wealthy from the indusrial revolution with their cotton mills. But, she seems very distant from her family, who she treats with disdain, especially her mother. She seems fragile,and disconnected not wanting to spend much time with her children, which Ruby finds strange. The title maybe Mrs England but the book mainly revolves around Ruby. Coming from an impoverished family, she gained a scholarship to the Norland Institute, and is much liked by her previous employer and those who run the institute. She came from a large family so loves looking after the four England children, but is confused as to why their mother is so distant and why she must report to Mr England instead. Ruby is enamoured with Mr England, his good looks, charm and his way with children; he seems the perfect husband and father. But of course no one is perfect, and Ruby sees cracks start to appear. Ruby has her own backstory which is drip fed during the book. She writes to her younger sister Elsie frequently, and we know Elsie has health problems which is why Ruby sends half her wage home every month to help pay for her care. However, we are left wondering why she has a bundle of letters from her father, unopened and hidden among her private possessions, and why she doesn’t want her photograph with the England family to appear in the paper.

Like in her previous books Stacey Halls is brilliant in the creation of her characters, especially the women in their roles as wife, mother, daughter and friend. As the book progresses Stacey Halls makes the reader question the characters, their back story and their actions. This adds to the suspense and menace of the book, we know somthing is wrong but not what. Taken what we know now about the danger of cotton mills it was fascinating to read the descriptions of how they work. The children love the ‘snow’ room where the cotton threads fall to the ground like snow, but we now know that that caused respiratory disease. Also shocking is the how the injuries, maninly to children, were just part of life at the mill. In contrast to the industrial setting is the stunning scenery of Yorkshire. The crags, waterfalls, flora and fauna are beautifully described, and whilst stunning also have their own menace, especially in bad weather and at night.

Stacey Halls seems to go from strength to strength with her writing. Mrs England is a wonderful read in both setting and character study. The tension, suspense and menace build slowly towards a surprising conclusion that had me totally enthralled. Beautifully written, and utterly compelling, I adored reading Mrs England, and was sad I had to finish it. I highly recommend this book

Ruby May, a Norland nurse begins her new post looking after four children at the home of Mr and Mrs England, in Yorkshire. There does seem something strange about Mrs. England, just as if she was incapable of running the household. Mr. England seems to have everything in control and makes all the arrangements necessary. There is also something in Ruby’s background that has had an effect on her. This was an absorbing story with a number of secrets that gradually become known. This was an interesting read that certainly makes the reader think about different relationships. I received a copy and have voluntarily reviewed it. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Mrs England- Stacey Halls

1904, Ruby May is a Norland Nanny, and is sent to Yorkshire to the home of mill owners the England’s to care for their four children. But something is not right. Mr England is very welcoming and warm but Mrs England is much more mysterious.
The servants are unwelcoming and Ruby feels increasingly worried.

‘𝓢𝓸𝓶𝓮𝓽𝓱𝓲𝓷𝓰’𝓼 𝓷𝓸𝓽 𝓻𝓲𝓰𝓱𝓽 𝓱𝓮𝓻𝓮....𝓘𝓷 𝓽𝓱𝓮 𝓱𝓸𝓾𝓼𝓮. 𝓦𝓲𝓽𝓱 𝓽𝓱𝓮 𝓯𝓪𝓶𝓲𝓵𝔂.’

There is a sense of unease reading this, some creeping undercurrent that something is not right and added to the tension of reading this novel.
This burns slowly and at times can be all at once suffocating, confusing and isolating. We get glimpses of Ruby’s life as a girl and what happens to her and what leads her to become the woman she is. There are parallels to Mrs England that are drawn and my thoughts of her were reframed as I read, we are very cleverly gaslit reading this book, no- one is as they seem.

‘𝓘 𝓴𝓷𝓮𝔀 𝓪𝓫𝓸𝓾𝓽 𝓼𝓮𝓬𝓻𝓮𝓽𝓼.’

I love the writing, its really strong and I felt pulled this way and that with my thoughts on the characters. This book is about power, control, courage and deception. It is dark gothic fiction at its best - atmospheric and all consuming. You simply must read it!

✩✩✩✩✰

Like Ruby, the reader is immediately struck by Hardcastle House’s remote location, surrounded by thick forest. Certainly one of the book’s many strong points is the evocation of the brooding nature of the landscape. For example, the nearby cotton mill owned by the England family is described as ‘crouching like a secret at the bottom of the valley’. Or the moorland surrounding a small village described as ‘lapping against…cottages like a great flood of bleakness’.

Ruby is also struck by the surprising informality of the household. In particular, by Charles England who seems to take more of an interest in his four children than does their mother, Lilian. Indeed Lilian spends most of her days within the confines of her bedroom either, Ruby supposes, through physical or mental frailty. If anything, Lilian seems worn down by the influence of her powerful family, the Greatrexes, only really coming to life when away from Hardcastle House.

From early on in the book there are some spine-tingling moments, often evoked by a single sentence such as Mr England’s intruction to Ruby to lock the nursery door at night. There are also questions about the motivations and truthfulness of all the characters, including Ruby herself. Why is she so disturbed at being photographed? Why does she avoid opening the bundle of letters hidden away in her trunk? Only in her correspondence with her sister Elsie does Ruby seem to feel free to disclose a little of her life at Hardcastle House.

Gradually the truth about the many secrets lurking within the England household emerges, revealing a chilling picture of deception, manipulation and control. If you love the gothic elements of novels such as Rebecca or Jane Eyre, you are sure to enjoy Mrs England.

In her author’s note, Stacey Halls reveals the real life event that inspired a key moment in the book. I’ll say no more about it other than to advise readers to refrain from reading the author’s note until they’ve finished the story.

I fell in love with Stacey Halls writing when I first listened to The Familiars on audio, I then went on to listen to The Foundling and was absolutely mesmerised by them both so when I heard about Mrs England the excitement was immense and I certainly was not disappointed.

Ruby May a trained Norland children’s nurse is sent off to West Yorkshire to live with the England family, she’s to be in charge of their 4 children which she immediately falls in love with. Mr England is a friendly gentleman who has a lot to do with his children, Mrs England on the other hand is very absent from the family life. As Ruby settles in it’s clear that this wealthy family may not be all they seem to appear to be to the outside world.

One of the things I’ve found about Stacey Halls writing is her ability to transport the reader right into the setting and time of her novels. It’s so easy to picture everything as you’re reading but it’s not overly described and I absolutely loved being transported to West Yorkshire, 1904.

The characters were vivid and utterly compelling and as the story unfolds it seems there are many secrets hidden with each of them and Halls has a way of making you have your suspicions with each and every one of them.

I found myself so totally engrossed in Mrs England, I was pulled right in from page one and it’s a really hard book to set down. I found myself picking it up at every opportunity I got. I had this desperate need to know what was going to happen next, it was almost like an addiction.

Mrs England is beguiling, suspenseful and utterly addictive. With its fantastic characters and atmospheric landscape it’s definitely one of my most favourite reads of 2021 and I can not blooming wait to see what Stacey Halls comes up with next. Five massive stars from me.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this, the third novel from historical fiction writer Stacey Halls. Set in an Edwardian household in Yorkshire, we follow Norland graduate Ruby May as she takes an appointment with the wealthy England family as a nurse to their four children. But once she gets to her new situation, things are not as they appeared. Mrs England, the mistress, appears not to recall hiring a nurse. The children insist on comparing Nurse May to their previous Nurse. And the master of the house appears not to understand what the proper rules of society are, even going so far as to - gasp! - pick Nurse May up from the train station himself!
As time wears on in the England household, it becomes clear that everyone is keeping secrets, and there are are secretive dynamics at play that Ruby works hard to unravel as she becomes uneasy in her situation.

I loved this. It's dark and gothic and unsettling, even though you can't quite tell why throughout the book. Things happen, but it's never clear whose hand is turning the wheel, and this unsettling creepiness leads to a wonderfully tense read. I would not have been surprised at any point to find a mad wife in the attic or a confession that someone dug up a grave the night the person they loved died. It was reminiscent of that kind of atmosphere.

Halls does a good job of drawing breadcrumb trails through Ruby's past and present, so that although I read with a fierce curiosity and knowledge that I was missing vital information, I never felt so frustrated that I wanted to throw my hands up and give up. Ruby's past and future entwine as the book moves inexorably towards its dramatic conclusion, and I was kept up late to finish, as I couldn't bear to put it away without knowing how things worked out in the end.

Some of the background characters were a little thin in places - the Englands and Ruby are the three most developed and prominent characters - I felt in places that Ruby's backstory and its impact on her could have been a little more developed - but overall this was an absolutely engrossing read, and Stacey Halls is definitely rising up my list of authors I would automatically buy.

Ruby is a Norland nurse who begins a new position at an isolated house in West Yorkshire in 1904. The charming and handsome Mr England is keen to make Ruby feel at home but Mrs England seems to be hiding a secret. This is a gothic mystery with an atmospheric and claustrophobic setting. It’s grippingly menacing, with an air of foreboding that unsettles the reader.

The tense relationships between the England family form the backbone of the book and will keep the reader guessing until the last page. As a backdrop to this, the reader learns Ruby is keeping her own past hidden and the author uses this to explore the consequences of trauma. I read this book in one sitting as it grabbed me by the throat and wouldn’t let go.

Stacey Halls makes me realise how much I love historical fiction. I loved this book from start to finish, written so well with so much description (which I really do like about a book) and had a great pace to the storyline. I enjoyed the eerie atmosphere, I was fully engaged throughout!

Nurse May was a wonderful character. Strong and supportive. I thought she was great with the children - they were really likeable. Mrs England is another character I thought was great, very captivating and despite differences about her from the start of the book throughout to the end, I grew to really like her and root for her.

It had such a great ending, although I had suspicions and theories, I wasn’t expecting the twist. Definitely recommend!

After reading and loving Stacey Halls’ first two novels, Mrs England became one of my most keenly anticipated books of 2021. And she’s done it again. This atmospheric, gothic mystery, with Du Maurier-esque darkness, tension and character-building is a fantastic, absorbing read; I loved it!

Set in 1904 in a country house in rural Yorkshire, Mrs England follows newly-qualified Norwood nurse, Ruby May, as she takes up her new position as nurse to the children of mill-owners Mr and Mrs England. Straight away we realise that there’s something perhaps a little unconventional about the family but Ruby, in need of money to send home to her family, is keen to make a success of her new role.

The first half of the book is filled with a sense of foreboding as we wonder why Mrs England keeps to her room and has very little to do with any of her children or with running the household. When Ruby stops receiving letters, she can’t quite believe that her vulnerable sister hasn’t replied to her correspondence. But if Elsie has written, where can the letters have disappeared to..?

After the slower-burn of the opening pages, the pace picks up in the latter half, and we start to realise something of the sinister goings on at the house. It was here that I was completely and utterly hooked.

Halls has this amazing skill for writing incredible, strong and resilient women, which at the same time feel totally authentic for their eras. Ruby May and Mrs England are not characters I’ll forget in a hurry.

With thanks to Zaffre for gifting me a digital copy .

Absolutely 5 star read for me.

This is a brilliantly told historical novel which is so well led by an intricately written plot and wonderful characters. Halls has a great way of weaving in fact and fiction and history but in a way that makes the book accessible and a great read.
I loved the tale on Nanny May as she took on the role in a gothic old house with a strange family dynamic.

Highly recommended.