What a fantastic book. I really enjoyed it and would love to read more by this author!

We follow four generations of Percys and their extraordinary lives at Rutherford House.
The story more or less begins with the flamboyant, Theodore, ‘Teddy’ Percy, married to Vivienne. Together they have two children: Freddy and Imogen.

There is also an important role for the loyal, 'invisible' Mrs Shaw, the faithful housekeeper who knows what to do with everything and assists the family in word and deed.

We follow the choices and lives of Imogen, and Freddy, a somewhat unusual boy, and a bit of a loner, who unfortunately dies on his ninth birthday due to a fall down the stairs. Imogen cannot cope with the tragedy of life and goes all out on pills, booze and promiscuous behaviour.

The story is told in part by Christie, a nurse who nurses Lilian - Imogen's daughter - when she is admitted to an institution.
As it turns out, her mother was killed in a car accident years earlier. Christie's mother, who suddenly disappeared from her life never to return, develops a close bond with Lilian. She is fascinated by the traumatic history of Rutherford House. Eventually she goes to investigate on her own and it becomes clear why her mother disappeared from her life.

Other perspectives include Milly, - the housekeeper - and Duncan, Lilian's father.

At first, it took some getting used to figuring out who was who, and how the family connections ran. The writer deliberately made that happen. Everything remains (deliberately) vague, and very occasionally there are hints as to how things really are. So it was a bit of a puzzle at first.
Gradually, more becomes clear, but it remains to be seen whether the reader sees the outcome coming.
I don't want to go into too much detail about the how and what, for fear of giving away too much of the story.

I enjoyed reading the book immensely, peeling off layer by layer to find out the truth.
The gothic atmosphere in the story reminded me of Shirley Jackson’s novels.
And I think the story is ideally suited to be filmed.
Highly recommended!

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for this arc. I leave this review voluntarily.

3.5 Stars
One Liner: Mixed bag

Christie is a psychiatric nurse at the institution where Lillian is recovering from a mental breakdown. They become friends (though it is against the rules). Christie helps Lillian recover and encourages her to get back to her life (and the stately home, Rutherford- Percy House). She feels a mysterious attraction toward the strange family and its past. However, Lillian is not adamant about not accepting her family home and legacy.
Christie tries to uncover the past of Lillian’s family and discovers a shocking connection to her own family. It appears that her missing mother has ties to the Rutherford House. Will Christie finally find the answers to her questions, or will she end up with more questions? What will happen when the secrets are laid bare at last?
The story comes in the first-person POVs of Christie and Milly and a third-person POV of Duncan.

My Thoughts:
With multiple POVs and timelines, the beginning sure feels messy and confusing. The dates appear after a few chapters, and by then, the damage could be done if the reader feels annoyed. I could create a timeline and link the characters a bit easier because I note down the names and details when I read a book.
The short chapters made it easy to sustain the pace. The book has almost 90 chapters, but that’s fine because most are short and keep the story moving.
Once I understood the basic premise, I could figure out half the twists. Not that I mind, as it shows that the storyline and the reveals make sense to the reader. The final twist was a surprise, and that’s good too.
I really wished Imogen had a few chapters in her POV. She was one of the main characters, and reading her twisted thoughts would have elevated the story a lot more.
The chapters with Milly and Duncan are done well. Somehow, I didn’t feel for Christie’s character. Some of her actions made me doubt her professional capacity as a psychiatric nurse. The insta-love angle wasn’t appealing either. It felt a little too convenient.
The characters were well-etched despite being more than a handful. However, I wasn’t particularly impressed by a couple of twists that had to be there to merge the tracks and arrive at the climax.
While the book has many individual elements that sound good, the overall effect wasn’t great or wow. I liked it enough but wasn’t eager to know more or rush to the end. I didn’t have the feeling of satisfaction a good book (irrespective of the genre) would give.

To summarize, The Shadows of Rutherford House is a contemporary gothic family drama plus thriller with interesting characters and a twisted plotline.
Thank you, NetGalley and Hera Books, for the eARC. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.

A slow burner but it did get better . A family drama gothic in places .All in all a mediocre read. I hope other readers will enjoy it more just not for me.
Many thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC in return for giving an honest review.

Loved this! The unexpected twists never ended til the very end . The links between the timelines were done well and fairly easy to follow. Thoroughly enjoyed this.

Pretty good! The multiple POV's were easy to follow and the characters illicit strong emotions (love or hate, there's no in between). Kind of twisted but not in a bad way. I say go for it!

This was actually an interesting read.

There were too many different characters POV although the present was told by Christie's POV. I had a hard time following the time line and some parts became a little confusing but it is the middle of the story that got me hooked into the story. The story is mainly focused on ancestral secrets that seem to surface, I liked reading Christie's and Duncan's POV and also Milly the housekeeper. Overall, the whole story was very unpredictable and the plot keep changing which is making me guess what the ending was going to be like. Overall, I actually enjoyed reading this book and worth four stars.

Many thanks to Netgalley and Hera for the ARC. The review is based on my honest opinion only.

Very engaging story.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing to read this book early.

Slow to start but then wow! What a journey. Loved this book, an excellent read from one of my favourite authors. Thanks to the author, Netgalley and Hera Books for giving me the opportunity to read this fabulous book.

GIVE IT TO ME.

In short: an upstairs-downstairs family drama - mental illness - lost love - missing mothers - long buried secrets.

Gothic mysteries are at the top of my favorite genres and this is an excellent example of a modern take. Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read and review.

This was the type of Gothic tale I love. A crumbling English estate. A noble family desperate to keep up appearances even as their coffers are dwindling. A family curse that is widely accepted by the family and villagers and a possible haunting of the estate.

This was a thoroughly engaging story of the troubled Percy family – told entirely through the perspectives of those within their orbit. This alternating three-era timeline was told through the perspectives of Milly, the Percy family housekeeper (1960s & 1970s), Duncan, the Percy family gardener (1980s) and Christie, a psychiatric care nurse caring for one of the Percy family women (present day).

These three perspectives and timelines ensure the story moves along quickly as secrets, lies and trauma are unveiled. A highly enjoyable read.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for my copy - all thoughts are my own.

Fantastic book! I loved the storyline, told through the characters Milly, Christie and Duncan, and switches from past to present.

There are many secrets, love found, love lost and suspicious deaths.

The Percy family live at Rutherford House, but have fallen on hard times. The men in the family all seem to die young, and the women are the secret keepers.
Lillian is a patient at a psychiatric unit, and Christie is her nurse, who has grown quite fond of her. They are both trying to come to terms with the loss of their mothers, even though the losses occurred 20 years previously.
Milly is the lady's maid who became part of the family, and keeps their secrets, and her own.
Duncan is the son of the groundsman who takes over his father's job when his father is injured, but he has close ties to the Percy's when he marries Imogen.

Practically every chapter leaves you wanting more of the mystery to be peeled like an onion, there are many layers to this book, and it all ties in, with all questions answered at the end.

Really engrossing, and the characters seem real, not all of them are endearing or likeable, some are very devious and downright evil.

I loved this book, and am looking forward to reading more from this author. Definitely one of the better books I have read this year.

Thanks to the publishers and Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.

If you want a story that has more twists and turns than a roller coaster this is it.
the story istold in several timelines and has many characters chiming in. the characters
are very much part of the story but they come in in the then and now. it also seems typical
that these old villages have the most complicated histories and that those in the "big
house" seem irretrievably linked to the villagers, however much they look down on them or
howeverresentful the villagers may be towards the richer folk.

Lust and love, resentment and murder all surface in this well crafted story.
The final reveal was a surprise for me. if you want a book that keeps you guessing from
beginning to end this is one for you.

What Was This Sourcery! 😳😯🤯😳🤯

Okay everyone list up! This incredible gothic thriller was intense, insane, and absolutely gobsmacking! I mean holy fluff cakes! I absolutely adored the back and forth between Milly, the housekeeper from before and Christie now. The dark, deep and undeniably sinister atmosphere of this book set it so perfectly and as the plot and subplot unfolded, I was absolutely dumbfounded by the ending and tie up that was so freakin' satisfying and jaw-dropping! Rose keeps you on the edge of your seat, keeps you curious and absolutely enthralled the entire way. I dived into this book headfirst like diving into a fort of warm, fuzzy blankets & pillows. It swallowed me up & took me hostage. An absolutely dark, crazy & insatiable ride of deep, dark family secrets that will you thanking your lucky stars you aren't them. I need comfort food... STAT!

Mყ 𝐒ყɴ𝐨ρѕιѕ: Christie is a psychiatric nurse and has become fond of her patient, Lillian. But while helping her through her issues, she's still dealing with the disappearance of her own mother from over twenty years ago. With Lillian finally clear to go home to Rutherford, Christie decides to help her settle in, but becomes invested and intrigued into the history of the Rutherford-Percy family. As dark and integrated as the past of the two families become apparent, Christie feels she may have found clues leading to her own mother's disappearance.

Thank you to NetGalley & Hera Books for this ARC.
Release Date: November 10, 2022

𝐌𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐭: 4.5 / 5 Jack-o'-lanterns! 🎃

Book 93 was fascinating. The characters were rich and the story engaging. Great job @cazengland1. Thank you to @netgalley and @hera_books for the opportunity to read an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

The Shadows Of Rutherford House is the story of a family over 50+ year time period. It follows 3 different time periods as we learn the family secrets and the darkness they're shrouded in .
It was a fast paced read that slipped fairly seamlessly through the different time lines. Had a couple of fun twists towards the end as well. I really enjoyed the story and look forward to reading more from this author.
Please find my spoiler free youtube review attached.

This is the second book I have read of CE Rose and she definitely hasn’t disappointed me. It tells the story from a few character, to start with I did get a bit confused of how the characters would be linked, I just couldn’t work it out but it made me want to continue reading so I could find out. It all made perfect sense and was a lot clearer as I continued to read on, the twist at the end had me stunned- I just wasn’t expecting it. Another well written book by CE Rose.

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?
Really enjoyable read and totally recommend
Thank you NetGalley and Hera Books
I just reviewed The Shadows of Rutherford House by CE Rose. #TheShadowsofRutherfordHouse #NetGalley

Well written with a compelling storyline and well developed characters. When the book starts off it is a bit of a slow burner but as the tension in the plot increases so does the pacing until I was completely gripped. A good level of twists too

The Shadows of Rutherford House is one of the best books I’ve read recently! This book is told from several point of views; Milly, Duncan and Christie and at different points in time. At first I wasn’t sure how all these characters were going to connect but once they did I was hooked! The story follows the lives of the family and their help for four generations and how secrets can be kept for years. Without giving any spoilers away, the link between all these characters is masterfully revealed in the end. I enjoyed that as a reader we would peel a new layer back of the mystery each time the POV switched, instead of everything being revealed at once. The characters are all developed well and their actions stay true to the character through the entire novel. The attention to detail the author also has in describing the house is amazing. This is an easy 5 stars for me and would highly recommend to anyone that enjoys mysteries and thrillers!

Thank you NetGalley and Hera publisher for sending this book for review considerations. All opinions are my own.

The Shadows of Rutherford House was my first book written by author C E Rose. After reading this book, I look forward to picking up more books by this author.

I must say, I had a difficult time following the timeline at first as this book is divided into three different narratives; Milly, Duncan and Christie. I’m glad I continued reading because I ended up enjoying this book once I got past understanding how the characters and timelines fit together. The story ended up unfolding beautifully.

You never know what you can find once you start digging for information. Manipulation and secrets was a major theme throughout generations of the Percy family.

Thank you NetGalley and Hera Books for the virtual copy of the ARC. Head to your local book store to purchase this recommended read as early as November 10th, 2022!