This is about a woman who attempts to do everything for her son, whether that is faking her own death, selling her body or bumping off a few abusive men along the way.

However, I felt the character of Angelica was horrid. I feel as if a story when told from the point of view of the murderer it should be more nuanced and have more character development as the book progresses. I didn’t have any emotions towards her and that to me means an author has failed. I should have been either rooting for her or hating her. But by the end I was indifferent and quite happy that this book was at an end.

I read about a third of this book and gave up.
It wasn't to my taste.
I think the best way I can describe it is overly simplistic.
There were no details or depth to the book.
It was a series of fortunate or unfortunate events I felt.

Possibly if I'd carried on it would have picked up,but not all books suit all people and I happily moved on to something else.

What a wonderful story. It was so full of twists and turns it kept me reading late into the night. It is told in long flashbacks by o n e of the characters. This is definitely one of the most unique and best historical novels I have read in a long time. I recommend this book highly. Don't miss out on this one, you will definitely enjoy it.

The setting and description of the time was what I liked most about this story.Angelica went through a lot trying to protect her son William and it seemed like there was so much tragedy in this book.If you go into this book expecting misfortunes to befall our erstwhile heroine you will be okay.
It’s well written but I just couldn’t get past the constant pitfalls to Angelica leading a happy life.
Thankyou to Netgalley for this ARC

Thank you NetGalley and Amazon Publishing UK for the eARC.
The premise of the book sounded good and I was looking forward to reading it. Unfortunately, I just couldn't like it.
Angelica Chastain and her son William are in Birmingham after having escaped from London in 1880. After an extremely difficult start, Angelica finds a job as a governess with a lovely family who has a son William forms a close relationship with. Wanting security and a good future for William is all Angelica ever wanted and she can finally relax into her new life. When tragedy strikes, her future changes again, eventually for the better. But when her past secrets come to haunt her, she has to take drastic action.
It's very hard to like Angelica, but that wouldn't have mattered had the story and writing been enjoyable to me. I found it flat, almost boring, but can't really explain why...