Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy of this book with no obligation to review.

I quite enjoyed this, a very quick and easy read with various things to think about . I can't think offhand of any other book I have read which is set in the 19th century with a black woman as the main character. .

Hester, Jos and Jenny are likeable characters but I would have liked some of their backstory, I was not entirely convinced by Gervaise's desire to make reparation to the former enslaved people, especially those in far away Honduras but I suppose it was possible. I was also not convinced by Rev Bright falling in love with Artemis and remaining close to Gervais after everything that happened. I was intrigued by Aphrodite "passing" and would have liked to have known more about how she did this and what happened to her after her secret was exposed.

It was always my understanding that black people faced a lot of racism in those days but in the book, this does not seem to be the case.

Although the book is a good enough read, I feel certain aspects could have been fleshed out more and again, given the lack of women's rights in those days, I wonder how likely or even legal it would have been for Hester to have been appointed an executor of a will.

Not a 4 star for me but I have given 3 stars to books I have enjoyed less.

House of Shades by Lianne Dillsworth

Hester is a doctoress, using her mother’s skills and recipes to treat the ladies of the night around her Kings Cross home. She’s offered a commission to work in the Fitzrovia home of Gervaise Cherville, a rich factory owner with declining health.
If Hester can diagnose and treat his illness he will pay her ten pounds, a life changing amount of money in 1833. Thinking that the fee will help them move to a better area of London, she leaves behind husband Jos and slightly wild sister, Willa, to work at Tall Trees the Cherville mansion. However there’s a dark energy in this old house, as if there’s a curse on Cherville and his mansion.He asks if Hester will track down two women who worked in the house - Aphrodite and Artemis. However, they weren’t servants but slaves and Cherville’s treatment of them torments him and keeps him awake at night. If Hester can find the women, allowing him to make reparation before he dies, he will raise her fee to twenty pounds. Hester is torn, twenty pounds would allow them to move to the country, removing Willa from the temptations that keep her out at night. Yet, will these women want to found, especially given Cherville’s abuses of power? Also, can Hester as a black woman, put another black women in danger without the consequences being on her conscience forever?

Inheritance is a huge theme in the novel and especially, the way in which characters receive their portion. Of course an inheritance isn’t always financial and the intentions of the giver play a large part in what it can do. Hester’s mother has given her an incredible inheritance, her doctoress’s bag of herbs and potions that can ease sicknesses of the mind and body. This of course helps her earn a living, tending to the prostitutes around their part of town at night. Kings Cross is known as a red light district and Hester tends to their venereal diseases, but also their bruises when men take what they want without paying. However, she also has the keeping of her younger sister Willa which isn’t easy. Willa is wild, easily led and naive when it comes to the intentions of men. Hester’s husband Jos finds it difficult living with Willa, especially when the sisters are at odds with each other. Willa works at the Cherville’s factory and has been noticed by Gervaise Cherville’s son, Rowland. It’s clear to Hester that his intentions aren’t honourable, but can she convince her headstrong sister that he isn’t as in love with her as he claims? When working at the Cherville’s house can she stop Rowland from recognising who she is, while also taking care that he doesn’t put undue influence on his father. Rowland isn’t happy with Gervaise giving away ‘his money’ in reparations, after all their plantation has hundreds of slaves and where will his charity end?

I loved the double meaning of the title House of Shades; the shades or ghosts of the past play their part here, especially in the mahogany furniture Cherville had made from the trees on the plantation. However, it also refers to shades of skin colour. I loved how the author explored the concept of passing, especially in the light skinned Lady Raine, and colourism. Hester herself is very dark skinned, a colour that immediately places her in an unusual category. Her position as a doctoress situates her somewhere unexpected, far higher in a house’s hierarchy than we might expect. There would be darker skinned slaves on Cherville’s plantation who are confined to working in the fields and bear the brunt of the ill treatment meted out whereas those slaves considered lighter skinned might get to work in the household. Traditionally house slaves were thought to be higher in status than field workers, but whereas field workers get to leave the crops and spend time with their families in the village in he evenings, house slaves are at the beck and call of their master or mistress and even sleep in the house away from their families. There is a moment where Margaret is startled when she bumps into Hester on the landing, lurking in the darkness. She would only expect to meet servants of her own status on the master’s floor, not a black woman with her herbs and potions. I wondered how light skinned Willa was, to make her ‘palatable’ to Rowland Cherville, who appears to think slaves are expendable. He certainly doesn’t want them taking ‘his’ money.

Reparations are a huge theme in the novel and potentially the cause of Gervaise Cherville’s illness, as he admits the concerns and guilt around his treatment of slaves. Could his disturbing symptoms of insomnia, hallucinations and sleepwalking be put down to the end stage syphillis he’s suffering, or are the women he’s wronged in that house haunting him? When Hester first finds a dark, cold room off the kitchen she feels straight away that this isn’t a cold larder. There’s something about the space that she can feel and isn’t remotely surprised that slaves were sleeping in there, deemed unfit to be housed in the attic rooms with the servants. If all he wants to do is make reparations and apologise would it help the women to hear it? Or will the mention of their former master be so terrifying it disturbs their lives and leads to them fleeing once again? I suspected Gervaise hadn’t told Hester all that transpired between him and the women, in fact I doubted he even fully understood the extent of what he’d done. Yet it was Rowland Cherville who made my blood run cold, not only is he entering into exploitative relationships with young women who work in his factory but he doesn’t appear to have any empathy at all. His entire focus is on his own needs. He refers to his father’s money as his own, even though his father is still alive, and seems to have no feeling for his illness or imminent death. In fact he’d rather his father died, before he’s able to give all his money away. He also cares nothing for any of the slaves on whose backs the factory, Tall Trees and his inheritance have been built. They’re simply incidental to his own plans.

I really enjoyed the way this novel took me into the reality of Victorian England for black women. It gave me a new perspective, after her first novel which looked at the rise of freak shows and the display of black women’s bodies. This felt like a more insidious and secret experience, rich men using women as domestic slaves and the objects of their desire behind closed doors, while seeming like a respectable businessman to society. One of the things I hate most is the taking away of identity, so the way Cherville gave his slaves the names of goddesses made me shiver. It shows his desire for them on one hand, while keeping them in a cupboard, locked away all night like animals. While Hester is searching for them I was wondering whether they’d found that identity again, reclaimed their names and found a space to be relatively free. I feared that they’d had to adopt yet another identity to disappear, constantly looking over their shoulder. Hester is a heroine that it’s easy involved with and I really sympathised with her feeling of being in-between: torn between being a wife and a sister; being between her patient and her fellow women; not a servant, but not entirely free either. There’s even a revelation that draws her even further into the history of Tall Trees. I wanted a happy ending for Hester, that she might be able to leave London and live that simpler life she and Jos have been craving. This is another triumph for Lianne Dillsworth and neatly places her on the list of authors whose books I would buy without question in future.

A Victorian mystery following a black doctress. A case of the blurb being about what the writer wanted the book to be rather than what it actually is. I was expecting a dark gothic chiller full of twists and turns but instead got a fairly bland Victorian drama with clunky writing and a predictable plot. Not one for me.

I was looking forward to reading ‘House of Shades’ by Lianne Dillsworth. Unfortunately I was very disappointed as the book didn’t live up to the blurb. The writing I found to be very flat and repetitive and the storyline was predictable. It’s a shame as I think it could have been so much better.

I tried very hard to get into this book but I am afraid that it wasn't for me. I found that I couldn't connect with the characters or their stories. I felt that they often didn't act as people would - for instance, Jenny risking her job to help a woman she had just met break into the housekeepers office. Everything felt very one dimensional and repetitive.
I won't review this on my blog because I do not review books that I do not like as I feel no good can come from it. Especially, as it may put off readers who might feel differently.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I wasn't a fan of this book. I found the story a bit flat and could have said more than it actually did. I would have liked more historical context about slavery and the abolitionist movement in the early 1800's and this would have given the book more substance but felt it was just Hester running around trying to find people before her employer did and not having much luck.

Despite this the book was quite fast paced and I did like Hester as a character, she could have been better though.

I found this story strangely flat. On reading the blurb and seeing the cover, I expected a gothic and atmospheric read, but I didn’t feel that either the writing or story delivered. Many thanks to Netgalley for an arc of this book.

A young expectant mother goes to care for an elderly man who seeks to atone for his part in the slave trade. Is he truly repentant, or just cleansing his soul? She discovers unexpected links to his family, and her sister is in danger from an amorous son. It has all the ingredients of melodrama and penny thriller, which would have been lapped up by the servants in the house. Abolition means that the slave trade has been banned, but there are many loose threads to tie. The cast of characters could be from any nineteenth century novel, the simple yet likeable kitchen maid, the suspicious and resentful housekeeper and the rogue son who has no intention of letting his inheritance slip away from him. It was all too predictable, and yet unbelievable at how this pregnant woman was dashing all over London looking for answers and no one suspected her condition.

I really enjoyed this book, its well paced and interesting. I liked that it delved into slavery partially and this bought up repercussions for the slave owner.

Doctoress Hector reeves was a fantastic character but had strong dislike for the house from the get go without knowing its history so the beginning felt abit blindly emotional.

All in all a great gothic story with depth.

House Of Shades by Lianne Dillsworth. Hester is a doctoress and wow she has a strong dislike of the house she’s been employed to work in before she has even got there. It’s a good story and I enjoyed all the characters but Hester bounces from one extreme to another. I enjoyed the concept of dealing with the fall out from slavery but I could have done with a bit more of that. It was a good book I just think it could have gone deeper. My take away from this is don’t be a slave owner.

Absolutely loved Lianne Dillsworths’ debut novel so I was very excited to see what her second book would turn out to be and House of Shades has exceeded my expectations. I absolutely loved it.

The book is receiving reviews about it not being very gothic but to me that’s a good thing (personally) and not something the actual blurb describes it as anyway.

It’s a brilliant story following Doctress Hester Reeves as she takes on a job nursing an old and rich man who is trying to make amends for the wrongs he’s done in his life. Secrets are unveiled and the Doctress is more linked that initially realised.

Really well written with great characters and it’s paced really well.

I devoured this book and cannot wait for others to pick it up. Will be recommending for sure!

"House of Shades" by Lianne Dillsworth is set up like a gothic mystery book but it turns out not to be fully that genre. Yes, there are mysteries, unlikeable characters but it is more about plantation owners seeking forgiveness by their slaves. It is very topical for now and although the topic and story did interest me, it wasn't what I thought it was originally going to be.

Thanks netgalley and of course LD for this fab piece!
If you’re fans of Claire Douglas and Heidi perks then lianne definitely sidles up nicely within.
I don’t like giving reviews with spoilers so il say that if you’re tempted by the blurb, you’ll be blissfully lost in the book. I love how many new authors I’m getting to read. Another brilliant book in my library 📚

This book wasn't what I expected. The description made it sound as though it was going to be more of a gothic, almost supernatural/historical fiction novel. It became obvious as I read that where the house held secrets, it was the family itself that held the secrets. This is a story of an ailing slave owner who owns a plantation in Honduras. Despite the act making it illegal to own slaves being passed, Mr Bright, the local priest, urges Gervaise Cherville, owner of the plantation and a factory in London with a great fortune, to repent and release and compensate the slaves he owned and unbeknownst to him, still owned in Honduras where they were still being treated appallingly. Mr Bright encourages Doctoress Hester to take on a job at Cherville Manor to help aid him in his illness. However, Cherville has an ulterior motive and needs Hester to find 3 slaves her brought back with him to London. He believes it is their cries he hears in his nightmares and theirs alone that he will be judged on when he passes. Hester, a strong black female protagonist, is used for her race to appeal to these women. But with the promise of money for her unborn child and her family, including her wayward sister Willa, she agrees to help Cherville on his quest. There are many setbacks along the way with character such as the overprotective housekeeper and the son due to inherit his father's fortune who believes the abolition of slavery to be an injustice. Secrets are revealed and lives are changed for good. I enjoyed this book. It was easy to read. I wasn't riveted by it but it was a simple read with a strong message and a true representation of the part Britain played in the slave trade.

London 1833. Hester Reeves is employed as a nurse/healer to Gervaise Cherville, old, frail and ill. He is head of his rich family at his London house, Tall Trees, which is a forbidding, neglected property. Hester is of Afro-Caribbean ethnicity and she soon discovers that the Cherville family wealth derived from former plantation and slavery ownership in Honduras. Gervaise Cherville appears to be suffering from guilt for his slave-owning past and asks Hester to track down two female slaves that previously worked in Tall Trees so that he can make some form of reparation by retrospectively paying them for their labour, thereby assuaging his guilt. Hester uncovers all sorts of secrets in her quest and inadvertently sets in train a series of profoundly events.
The style is fairly formulaic gothic: the young friendly servant and the hostile housekeeper, as well as the dangerous and sinister son Rowland Cherville who has lewd designs upon Hester’s younger sister, whom Hester made a deathbed promise to their mother to protect. The story is rather routine, although the plot is well told and proceeds agreeably with a few unexpected twists and turns. The issue of slavery, guilt, reparation and atonement is very much the essence of the narrative. The historical context is quite light and lacking credibility at times, and the dialogue is not very period in terms of what the characters say and how they say it. Moreover, without giving away any of the denouement, the ending involves a technically highly implausible event that seems to play fast and loose with basic physics.

I wasn’t sure what to expect with this book as it’s not a genre I lean towards usually but the description intrigued me.

The story was well written, in fact so well I had expectations of a twist that never came and do was then disappointed but not the author’s fault.

Good book if your thing.

This is an incredibly thought-provoking book about historical British slavery and what atonement might look like. Hester is unwittingly hired by a wealthy factory owner to help him track down three women he previously enslaved so that he can pay them their dues. The role forces Hester into incredibly difficult situations and unveils secrets from her own history.

This is a well-written fiction book that forces the reader to confront some very uncomfortable yet real truths.

I really enjoyed this book and the setting, the characters and storyline were very engaging. Thanks for letting me review it!

This isn’t my normal read and honestly not one I would venture to go towards again. The story was simple and written well, however I was expecting a lot more twists and turns that never happened. My excitement soon disappeared as such I have given this a 2 star rating as it wasn’t a book for me.

I found that the novel itself isn't what that stupendous cover art, or the blurb and descriptions promise.

Certainly, there is no conspicuous carelessness in Dillsworth's technique; there's nothing in the craft of her writing with which to take umbridge. It's just a bit heavy-handed.

I would describe Lianne Dillsworth's style as too much telling, not enough showing.

I did enjoy the act of reading 'House of Shades', when I could be bothered to remember that I had it 'on the go' as a current read; it was cosy to come back to, but I didn't yearn to get back to it between readings.

Overall, the novel is a bit bland, a bit monotonous; it's all just a bit featureless and flat.