BLOG TOUR: The Attic at Wilton Place - CE Rose

The perfect life. The perfect home. But at what price?

Introspective Ruth Parker is desperate for love and attention. Overlooked as a child by her cold and critical mother, her pain manifests in loneliness and a crippling lack of self-esteem. When glamorous actress ‘Aunt’ Vanessa, her mother’s childhood friend, shows an interest in her, Ruth basks in the blinding light of her attention.

Once Ruth escapes to university in London, Aunt Vanessa invites her to Wilton Place, her stunning Belgravia residence. As she blossoms under Vanessa’s guidance, Ruth finds herself torn between student life and the hypnotic, luxurious confines of Wilton Place. Belgravia wins out, but when Ruth explores the gloomy attic of her new home and finds a hidden, locked door, she discovers that Vanessa is hiding the darkest of secrets from her childhood, secrets that threaten everything Ruth knew about her own mother.

How far will Ruth go to find the truth - and how much does she really want to know?

 

What did I think?

CE Rose weaves a dark and deceptive tale in gripping new novel, The Attic at Wilton Place and I really enjoyed it.  With a majestic and slightly creepy house at its core, it is hauntingly gothic and the house is bursting with secrets that will be revealed when the level of suspense reaches maximum.

I have mixed feelings about the main character Ruth.  On the whole, I felt sorry for her as she has been groomed and manipulated by her 'Aunt' Vanessa, something that Vanessa found easy to do as Ruth's mother (Joyless Joy, as I named her) shows her no affection whatsoever.  Ruth makes some questionable decisions but I had to remind myself how young she was and that she was being played like the cello she so loves.

This story has so many layers and CE Rose perfectly balances her build up of suspense with gradual revelations to keep the reader hooked.  I thought I had it all worked out but I was wrong on every single count and I was delighted to be wrong as I love to be shocked and surprised by such talented authors.

Filled with suspense and bursting with secrets, The Attic at Wilton Place is a twisty page-turning gothic thriller that thoroughly entertained me.  It's well worth a read if you like your books deliciously dark and creepy.

I received a digital ARC to read and review for the blog tour and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

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BLOG TOUR: The Shadows of Rutherford House - CE Rose

Darkness lies at the heart of this family…

In 1959 Milly starts her new life as a housemaid at Rutherford House, working for the aristocratic Rutherford-Percy clan. Entranced by her new mistress, Vivienne, she becomes deeply embroiled in the household and the keeper of dark secrets the family conceals beneath the mansion’s grand exterior.

In the present day, Christie is working as a psychiatric nurse when she meets troubled patient Lillian Percy, Vivienne’s granddaughter and heiress to Rutherford House. They soon bond over the loss of their mothers – Lillian’s died when she was a child; Christie’s mysteriously disappeared over twenty years ago – and Christie finds herself increasingly fascinated by Lillian’s family and their imposing ancestral home.

As Christie learns more about the Rutherford-Percys, she finds a shocking clue that could help her uncover what happened to her own mother. Desperate for answers, Christie puts her job, her family and even her very life on the line. But how much of the truth does she really want to know?

A twisty, chilling and unputdownable page-turner about family secrets, perfect for fans of Kate Morton, Louise Douglas and Harriet Evans.

 

What did I think?

With two intriguing and compelling dual timelines, The Shadows of Rutherford House is a gripping page turner that's impossible to put down.  It's filled with dark family secrets and has an eerie, gothic setting in the grand ancestral home of the Rutherford-Percys.

The present day storyline centres around the friendship between nurse Christie and her patient Lillian.  Christie is haunted by the disappearance of her mother and she is constantly looking for clues as to what happened to her.  Lillian may have lived a life of privilege as a Percy heiress but she also lost her mother at a young age.  Christie and Lillian have a lovely friendship but the dark cloud of Rutherford House is looming over them.

Buried in the past storyline is an absolute bucketload of secrets and tragic events.  The key to unlocking the secrets of the past is in the present and the story flicks seamlessly back and forth between them as I greedily devoured every single word.

How the storylines intermingle is nothing short of genius and just when you think you have uncovered all of the secrets, there's more!  I absolutely loved it and I was shocked and surprised at every twist in the tale.

Dark, twisty and gripping, The Shadows of Rutherford House is an outstanding gothic thriller that is full of secrets and suspense.  Very highly recommended.

I received a digital ARC to read and review for the blog tour and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

My rating:

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