Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and the author for the opportunity to read this book in return for my honest opinion.

I have read a few of this author's previous works and loved them, so I was excited to get this book. While it was enjoyable, it was not my favorite for sure. I do like thrillers and this one takes place in London in Elizabethan times. I liked the plot and was surprised by the ending but for some reason I had a hard time getting into this book.

Set in the late 1500s, The Cursed Wife begins with a murder. We come into the first chapter to find one woman dead and another stunned by what has taken place. But we don’t know who is dead, and we don’t know who killed her.

Mary was born into a loving family. Then suddenly at the age of six, that is all taken away when her parents and all of her siblings die suddenly of an illness. One day she simply wakes up when her fever breaks and has no family left.

Because her father has gambled away all of his money, and the money her mother brought to the marriage, there’s nothing left to pay the rent. She is then shipped off to her mother’s relative, to be a companion to her cousin.

On her way to her new life, a young girl tries to climb up on her cart and steal her doll. Trying to defend herself she pushes the girl off at the same moment that the cart driver starts driving forward again.

The girl is caught underneath the wheels and killed. In her grief, her mother curses Mary for murdering her daughter. Mary carries this curse through her life, always feeling the pain and horror of what she has done.

Catherine, known as “Cat“, Is the daughter of Sir Hugh Latimer. Mary is to be her companion, and Catherine tells her that companions are friends. She immediately confirms that she will be Mary’s friend too.

Throughout the book, their lives are detailed back-and-forth. One chapter of Mary than one chapter of Cat. Slowly we see how a bright future turns when circumstances, jealousy, and selfishness take hold.

Keeps You Guessing

The progression of their lives from childhood through to adulthood was fascinating. The way their relationship changes so subtly over time made a very interesting read.

This book is a psychological thriller of the best kind. You don’t know who’s dead, you don’t know who did it. Right up until the last minute you have suspicions but they will be wrong. You will have no idea what really happens.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and was surprised by the ending. I will definitely be looking out for more from Pamela Hartshorne.

Reviewed for LnkToMi iRead in response to a complimentary copy of the book provided by the publisher in hopes of an honest review.

The Cursed Wife is touted as an Elizabethan psychological thriller and is my first book by author Pamela Hartshorne. The era was interesting, but I would call this more of a gloomy Historical Fiction read with a titch of suspense and a slight creep factor.

At times, I was engaged in the lives of Cat and Mary, two very different women living in Elizabethan England. But, more often than not, I found the pacing choppy, the writing repetitive (due to Mary and Cat retelling their sides of the same story) and Mary was frustratingly naïve. The reader knows what's going on but much of the book is spent waiting for Mary to finally catch on to what is obviously happening in her own home.

Mary and Cat had a dysfunctional, ruthless, obsessive rivalry. Neither are overly likable at any point in time but at least Cat added some nastiness while Mary just obsessed over her creepy wooden doll and fed into her self-fulfilling prophecy regarding the curse.

I think this book would have been better as a novella. In a shorter format, I think it could have packed more of a punch. Instead, it's a gloomy look at an obsessive and destructive relationship that wasn't suspenseful enough, lacked a strong ending and, unfortunately, won't be a book that stays with me long.

Disclaimer: This Advanced Reading Copy (ARC) was generously provided by the publisher, via NetGalley, in exchange for my honest review.

The Cursed Wife is a fantastic read! The contrasting personalities of the two female protagonists gave such an interesting perspective and twist on the traditional historical fictions I normally read. Each woman was strong and interesting and I went back and forth over which one I preferred. In the end, I realized I loved them both for their own reasons.

Both Mary and Cat were strong, smart women in very different ways and they made their way in the world the best way they knew how. Mary was the more reserved, introspective, and delicate or the two, while Cat was boisterous, determined and became slightly unhinged. The role reversal was so interesting and was pivotal to the plot. I found that all of the various relationships in the book were very complex. Romantic, familial and friendships.





No detail was lost and I often felt that I could see and smell the captivating streets of Elizabethan London. I enjoyed the descriptive nature of Hartshorne’s writing and it added so much to the colour and ambiance of the story. The city streets were almost a character in themselves. From the house interiors to the storefronts and even the clothing each woman wore, I could easily picture the scene.

The supernatural was a subtle, but present, force throughout the book with the lingering curse and Peg the creepy doll. It gave just enough interest and mystery to the story without making it feel like an outlandish fantasy novel.

The ending was an exciting surprise! I certainly didn’t see it coming but it didn’t feel rushed or out of place. It fit within the pace of the story and wrapped things up while still leaving enough room for you to add more with your own imagination.