really enjoyed this book. The story was well told, with the detail leading to a gradual unfolding of the truth. I became fond of the heroine (Hester) and was interested in how she lived and the way her religion overshadowed her life. She was a bit of a misfit and this made her more appealing. I have only given it four stars because I felt the ending was a little rushed, the loose ends seemed to be gathered together very quickly and, for me, a bit predictably.

Hester travels to a workhouse to find out why her sister Mercy died there and discovers strange stories about new born babies being taken by a Pale Lady. Hester is haunted by her sister’s ghost as she searches for the truth but is unaware her own life is in danger as she uncovers secrets and lies….

Hester travels to a workhouse to find out why her sister Mercy died there and discovers strange stories about new born babies being taken by a Pale Lady. Hester is haunted by her sister’s ghost as she searches for the truth but is unaware her own life is in danger as she uncovers secrets and lies….

I found the historical aspects in this story really interesting and this, along with the supernatural content, made for an excellent read. The storyline is very plausible as we look at some of the happenings back in the days of Southwell Workhouse. There are a few sinister characters within the plot, as Hester endeavours to find out what happened to her sister Mercy. The characters are well developed and a few twists and turns are encountered as the story unfolds. The conclusion is worth waiting for and overall this was a good reading experience - even though the content was not within my normal reading genres.

The Shadowing Set in the 1830’s The Shadowing is a story about Hester seeking out the truth about her sisters death at a Nottinghamshire workhouse. This story has many layers, it is a gothic tale about family relationships, ghosts and babies being taken. The main part being about daily life inside a workhouse in the 1800’s which is perfectly described allowing me to really build an image of the living conditions in my mind which one was forced to live in. I wasn’t sure if I was going to enjoy this book, but Rhiannon Ward creates such good characters and builds a great atmosphere that I was straight away routing for our lead character Hester. It is an emotional read and can be very upsetting in parts, but as Hester gets to the truth of what happened you cannot stop reading until the conspiracy is fully investigated.