This was a great book the plot and all. I really loved all of the vivid description and I felt I was transported to England. The characters were all really interesting and i loved seeing it through their eyes.

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Thank you to NetGalley and KDP for allowing me to read this ARC!


Content Warning: death (including that of a child), murder, arson, rape, sexual assault, misogyny.


Agnes Ashford has been taken on by the prestigious Bryant Family to work as an archivist. When she happens upon a piece of information that reveals the dark underbelly of the secretive family, it only leads her deeper into their thrall. It doesn't help that she finds herself inexplicably drawn to the charming Lady of the house, Helen, who is as equally beautiful as she is ruthless. If only Agnes knew just what this treacherous path would lead her to...

Darkly luxurious, teeming with secrets and malice, Fielding's Lying With Lions kept me enthralled until the very end. As someone who is a huge fan of historical fiction, I was only too glad to pick this one up, especially when I realized that it was a turn of the century Gothic. I've never read any Fielding's other books, although I've had a few on my to-read list for many years now, and I'll certainly be diving into them now!

In essence a character study, we follow the reserved, cunningly smart Agnes as she climbs through the ranks, making herself an invaluable tool for Lady Helen. Both of them are fascinating, oftentimes downright Machiavellian in their scheming, and it's these two that truly bring the the novel into vivid life. There's also Meredith and Harold, Lady Helen's children, who are equally interesting and show us the true dysfunction of the family through their eyes.

Funnily enough, the main criticism I have is that I actually think this could have benefitted from being longer! It's only around 230 pages, not very big at all, and while I think usually books need things to be cut or pared down, it was the opposite in this case. We skip ahead a few years several times throughout, but I would've liked a couple more chapters for each time span. I think that, with a bit more material, the relationship that blossoms between Helen and Agnes would've been even more engrossing and well-fleshed out.

I also must mention that Fielding has a truly beautiful way with words. Some of her descriptions are just absolutely gorgeous, and I loved feeling as if I were actually transported back to Edwardian England. I think some might, like myself, be a bit confused by some of the politics of the time (for example, there's a lot to do with Asquith, Home Rule and arms trades) but don't let that daunt you! Once you get fully into the novel, everything comes together, and you might end up learning more about the time, just as I did!

I haven't read a book set in Edwardian England and I was intrigued to learn more about that era. I was pleasantly surprised how much I loved this story and the characters that permeate through the pages. Agnes job is to catalogue the Bryant family and when she discovers a dark secret who will she tell? or will she keep it under wraps? Agnes decides to help them and then this becomes so much more than just a job. An intriguing and well thought out story that has a mixture of history, secrets and mystery. I really enjoyed it and felt I learnt much more about the Edwardian Era than I did.

I really wanted to love this book. I adored the plot and was hoping that the writing would be exceptional. The plot was very unique and twisty. The writing, however, felt superficial and emotionless. The emotions and depth were ignored in favor of simply telling us what Thea actions were. Sadly, it was difficult to bond with any of the characters. I think this book has a lot of potential with judicious editing, however as it currently exists, it did not fulfill my hopes.