Sadly, this book didn't work for me. I felt that it couldn't decide what it wanted to be. The themes were slightly messy despite the interesting premise,

If you’re looking for a book that’s hard to put down, definitely check this one out. It’s not only filled with captivating settings, but plenty of shocking plot twists. You’ll also find the author’s writing style very refreshing and filled with beautiful descriptions that will instantly capture your imagination.

Absolutely loved the cover, and that is what first gets me curious.
Lucy was interesting character, but it felt a bit too much storyvise at times.

Thanks to Netgalley and Lake Union Publishing for an egalley in exchange for an honest review.

It's 1885 and our main protagonist, Lucy Blunt stands behind the bars of a jail cell awaiting her death sentence. Accused of murder, Lucy retells her story, but how much of what she says is the truth?

With a plot that nostalgically took me back to Margaret Atwood's Alias Grace , I was instantly taken in by the narrative and just had to keep reading. Did I actually take a moment to breathe? Whatever the case, this is one January read that you want to enjoy during cold winter nights.

Didn't care for the book. It switched back from when Lucy was in prison and when Lucy wasn't in prison. It was a lesbian love story, murder story, redemption story, and a hate story. I am not sure why I didn't care for it. When Lucy was in jail I sort of liked her and she felt human but when it switched back to when she wasn't in prison it was like she was a different person and a different person was writing it to me. There were some unanswered questions but it could be that I skimmed some pieces because it was very slow in parts.

Un romanzo gradevole e ben scritto, variante americana al romanzo gotico che vede in Laura Purcell una delle mie autrici preferite. per quanto non all'altezza della collega inglese, l'autrice produce un buon prodotto di intrattenimento.

Lucy Blunt has been convicted of murdering two women, and she’s in jail in New Hampshire waiting for her date with the hangman’s noose. Lucy looks back at the mistakes she made, her life spiraled out of control when she fell pregnant to a married man, and her father threw her out on the streets. Lucy uses a false name and references to get a job as a maid, she’s working for the Burton’s, and it’s a house full of secrets, locked doors, and some very odd behavior. Mary the dish washer died and Lucy’s her replacement, when the ladies companion Rebecca becomes ill, and Lucy takes over her duties.

Eugenie Burton’s blind, and I’m not sure if her husband Josiah knows she becomes romantically involved with her ladies maids? When Lucy’s status in the house changes, Rebecca becomes extremely jealous, and you start to question what really happened to poor Mary? Lucy no longer has any idea who she can trust, and that includes her mistress Mrs. Burton. Unfortunately Lucy has told so many lies, has used numerous names and it’s hard to workout fact from fiction. As the time for her execution draws closer, interest in her case increases, and how can she be not guilty, and when she’s lied from the start?

The Companion by Kim Taylor Blakemore is a story about a sinister killer, Lucy maybe innocent, a page turning mystery, and I'm looking forward to reading the authors new book, After Alice Fell. Thanks to NetGalley for my copy and three stars from me.

The Companion by Kim Taylor Blakemore

It's 1855, New Hampshire, with Lucy Blunt in a dirty, cold, vermin infested cell, awaiting her day of hanging. Lucy tells us she is not a murderer, that she is innocent, but we will find that she is very much an unreliable narrator. This is her story and she's going to tell it her way.

It can be very difficult to follow the story because there are numerous timelines and we move back and forth between them often. There is no distinction between one timeline and another which was very confusing to me. I think formatting the story this way takes away from it, rather than adding to it.

During the earlier timeline narration, Lucy's life starts out with a mother, father, and the nicer things in life, then her mother dies, her father becames a slovenly, broken down drunk and Lucy flees to make her own way in life. She admits to having done bad things and now the best she can hope for is a servant's job that she can keep. She is hired by the Burton family and is soon embedded into the dark, creepy, jealousy ridden atmosphere of the place. The lady of the house, blind Eugenie Burton, seems to foster that jealousy among her servants and Lucy is only too happy to wedge herself between the others and Eugenie.

The story has no happiness in it and even the "romance" is creepy rather than romantic. Really, the story is just what you see and I'm not sure what Lucy's telling of it accomplishes. Nobody is likeable, nothing good happens, and Lucy doesn't make a very good case for herself.

Thank you to Lake Union Publishing and NetGalley for this ARC.

I see what the author was trying to do, unfortunately it just fell a little flat for me. I hard time caring for any of the characters and found myself skimming to finish.

A short description of the story works on paper - murder mystery with unreliable narrator. Yet, the real read is not good. There is a little mystery present and in reality this is more a bleak story about how hard the women had it in the past, mostly using the trifecta of poorness, abusive men and lesbian relationship (where our heroine Lucy obviously loves much more than the other side, another toll on her poor shoulders). Not a fan. I could not related to the characters. Also, was it really so hard economically for women in 1855 in New Hampshire? I can not attest to the historical accuracy, but the environment feels more as Dickens-portrayed England with the atmosphere of submissivity and dirtiness.

This is a well - written historical story that reminds me both of Laura Purcell’s writing and Alias Grace. Unfortunately, this is not a favourable comparison- those books were far superior. Enjoyable enough but sadly nothing special

3.5 stars

Haunting and atmospheric, this book reminded me of Downton Abbey’s dark sinister cousin. The story alternated between a past and a present timeline. The former being the start of Lucy Blunts employment with the Burtons and the latter being her experience locked in a cell, waiting to be hanged for a double murder. The story recounted what happened during her time working for the Burtons, how Lucy ended up convicted and sentenced to hang, and her role in the murders.

Mrs. Eugenie Burton is mistress of a manor that employs various servants. Rebecca, Eugenie’s companion and Mr. Burton’s cousin, is at death’s door after accidentally getting locked out of the home and almost freezing to death. Lucy Blunt has just been hired as a maid and cook’s helper, replacing the last servant who recently drowned. As Lucy nurses Rebecca back to health and gets to know Eugenie, she discovers there are long standing secrets and manipulations that now threaten her position and lie just beneath the surface.

The mysterious nature of the writing was inviting. It set a particular tone that felt somewhat ghostly and unnerving. The plot captured my attention and I was keen to know what happened to land Lucy Blunt on death row. I wish the characters had been carved out with more colour. They felt flat and needed more depth so the reader could better relate to them and care about them. The pacing was a bit off. At times it was riveting while at other times it moved too slow. A literary women’s fiction that was unique and worth the read.

I received an ARC from Netgalley and Lake Union Publishing in exchange for an honest review.

I received an advanced digital copy of this novel from the author, Lake House Publishing and NetGalley.com. Thanks to all for the opportunity to read and review. The opinions expressed in this review are my own.

The Companion checks all the boxes: unreliable narrator, historical fiction, law drama and murder mystery all rolled into one. It should have been unputdownable, but it wasn't; I put it down many, many times.

The story falls to reach a good pace and the character of Lucy is uncompelling. It was a struggle to read and finish.

1 out of 5 stars. Do not recommend.

A historical murder mystery. As a law teacher, I really appreciated the legal aspect and testimony that this book held. She is a somewhat unreliable narrator, but over all it was a decent book.

The story was interestingly depicted with to and fro narration of Lucy's life in prison and that in Burton Household. The unreliable narrator trope only makes it much more intriguing.

In sorry to say this was a book I just could not settle into. Initially the plot sounded interesting and I expected to get drawn into unravelling the case of why Lucy was awaiting her death sentence but alas, it sat a third way through reading and just did little to entice me back.

I struggled to get into this book. It felt too contrived and many of the characters just didn't seem to come to life - they felt flat.

I felt like this book had a lot of promise, but it just wasn't there for me.

The story jumps back and forth between past and present. Normally I love this style but there’s no clear delineation between the times and it’s confusing. The writing is smooth, too smooth though as you’re partway into a different time before you realize you’re no longer in the past or present. You have to stop and go back a bit to figure out where you are in the timeline. This stop and restart of the story bothered me. There were times that this reminded me of Alias Grace by Margaret Atwood.
ARC provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was an intricate novel about a woman’s life in the 1850’s! Lucy has taken a position working for the wealthy Burton family. She becomes swept up in the whole dynamics of the people who live and work at their mansion. She becomes close to the mistress of the family. In the end she is charged with murder and is serving time in prison. I enjoyed how Lucy told her story.

The writing is beautiful and the story is very atmospheric. But I’m not finding it remotely immersive. More than anything, I feel lost. It seems like it’s all over the place and, at the 20% mark, I feel no pull to keep moving forward. I’m, sadly, not the right reader for this one.