CE Rose

Isolated Ruth Parker is overlooked by her mother and is taken under her aunt’s wing, who guides and moulds through her teenage and university years. But when Ruth finds a locked room in the attic of her aunt’s house, it opens a whole can of worms.

I found this gothic inspired family drama quite a slow burner but enjoyable nevertheless. It draws you in gradually, the tension builds up gently and it ends with a dramatic finish. I loved the style of writing, it has an insidious almost sinister atmosphere to it. A sort of Daphne du Maurier meets Diane Setterfield type of feel. I thought the characters were well drawn, I could picture them easily. I liked Ruth even if she did make some rather rash decisions sometimes An engaging and compelling read about secrets and how they can reverberate through the years and then come back to haunt you!… (mehr)

I was already intrigued by The Shadows of Rutherford House but when I learned it was set around South Yorkshire I decided I definitely had to read it.

Rutherford House is the seat of the Percy family, now quite run-down and faded. The story is told from the points of view of Milly, the maid who started working there in the late 1950s, Duncan, the son of the man who looks after the grounds in the 1980s, and Christie in the present day, a psychiatric nurse looking after Lillian, the granddaughter of the current Percy matriarch.

It's my own fault, but in the early chapters I was busy and distracted and didn’t give the book as much attention as I should. The chapters are short and chop and change between the different characters quickly, something I love in a book, but my lack of concentration meant I struggled initially to gel with the different threads. However, once I'd got my act together and really got stuck into the Percy goings-on, I was totally engrossed. It's a fantastic tale, with an intricate and expertly woven plot that links Christie with the other strands of the story, and I loved the setting of the faded grandeur of Rutherford House and the difficulties of looking after a large estate which grew more challenging as the years passed.

I really enjoyed The Shadows of Rutherford House. It starts as a slow burner and builds to a fiery crescendo, a drama based around three families with secrets and lies from the past echoing down through the generations. I'll be checking out the other books by C.E. Rose.… (mehr)

A multifaceted gothic style family drama told via three voices, that of psychiatric nurse Christie, housekeeper Millie and estate manager Duncan, spanning a period of about 40 years.

I really enjoyed this story, I found the plot intriguing. The three timelines kept me on my toes, I did have to concentrate. I like stories about dark family secrets and this is a great example of the genre. It’s atmospheric and engaging. I liked the individual voices of the characters, they are very different and well written. The chapters are short which added to the suspense and made it into a page turner with a surprising twist at the end. All in all a gripping and compelling read.… (mehr)

I was drawn to this book by its glorious cover and also because I enjoy stories with a house as one of the characters. So a win win situation for me! It’s definitely a tale of secrets, too, and quite the family drama.

I found this story a slow burner but at the same time intriguing and the action does hot up towards the end. Each character has a skeleton in their closet and each skeleton is gradually revealed. This gives the book an air of mystery and made me want to turn the pages. There are some little surprising twists and turns on the way and I liked the writing style. All in all an enjoyable and engaging read with an ending which I didn’t predict!… (mehr)