Lying with Lions

Being a huge fan of historical fiction, I jumped at the chance to be a part of the blog tour for Annabel Fielding's Lying with Lions.

In Edwardian England, Agnes Ashford, an archivist, is working for the Bryant family. In the course of her work, she stumbles across a big family secret that has been carefully hidden away. This starts a relationship with Helen Bryant which takes her from archivist to personal secretary when an unexpected death occurs in the household.

I loved the setting of this book. From the suitably creepy English Hartfell Hall with its underground tunnels to the streets and sights of Rome, one of my favourite places. Starting in early Edwardian England, we stay with the Bryants through to the First World War. I should also note here that I love historical fiction set in wartime.

Agnes, as the protagonist, is an interesting character. I think I'd have enjoyed a little more backstory on her part, but that's just my own opinion. I was never very sure whether or not I particularly liked her, but I certainly didn't hate her. Her motives and feelings were never overly clear but it was easy to see that she definitely cared for the Bryant family.

Helen is a strong female character who seems to be very much in control from my point of view, something which was certainly confirmed later on in the book. A woman of privilege who always gets her way.

Meredith was my favourite character, hands down, and I'd have loved to have seen some more of her. Full of wit and character! Harold was intriguing too.

I enjoyed the first half of the book a lot more than the second. The intrigue of the secret that Agnes uncovered, along with a murder and the relationships between Agnes and Helen and also between Helen and her son, Harold, after being reunited. I struggled with the politics involved in the second half of the book. That part of history is something that I studied at A Level but it was the least favourite part of my studies – but that's just my personal preference.

The big reveal was expected but I did enjoy the flash forward at the end, along with Annabel's afterword which what parts of the story had been based on real events. Especially the link to Wentworth Woodhouse, which is just down the road from me!

The only other thing I struggled with was a couple of instances of present tense being used when it should have been past tense, but I was reading an advance copy.

If you're a fan of historical fiction with a bit of a dark side, make sure you check this one out!

A huge thank you to Annabel for the ARC and for allowing me to be a part of the blog tour!