Special thanks to Netgalley and Inkshares for allowing me to read an advanced copy of this book! One of my favorite historical eras to read about is Victorian Era England, and this book does a lovely job of capturing that time period!

This book is a fictional story that revolves around some actual events that happened in the late 1800s. I was enthralled by DeLuca's use of language and could not put this one down! Chapters are broken up in a way that has some events of the "future" happening in between the main storyline, which leads the reader to constantly wonder how it is going to end.

DeLuca definitely did her homework for this book and it shows. She has a great understanding of how women in this era were treated, and goes in depth as to the many ways a woman could be lost in society. From those stuck in prison, to poverty, to those taken to the madhouse, DeLuca shows how terribly women were treated. I was angry reading this book because of the frustration I felt FOR the characters and the positions they were thrust into. I was enthralled by the story, and am so thankfully to have crossed paths with this story!

If you are someone who likes historical fiction, Victorian Era set novels, or love a good story that involves prisons, mad houses, lies and deceit...you will love this book!!

What an interesting time in history. What today would be post partum depression mixed with trauma was simply labeled insane. Highly engaging novel from start to finish. Left me raging for poor clara and her injustices. Best historical novel that I have read in a while.

Thank you netgalley for this arc

"I became acquainted with madness at the age of twenty-six. During that same year, I met the accused murderer Mary Ann Cotton and learned that the evil ones amongst us are not confined to the filthy alleyways of the poor. They mingle freely in the polished parlours of the middle classes and the gilded ballrooms of the wealthy."

If that first paragraph did not grab your attention, well, maybe you are just a bit mad yourself. 

Set in England in the year 1873, readers learn that Clara Blackstone has spent the past year in one of the many insane asylums that operated in England during those years.

"My baby was limp. I'd strained to pull myself up from the fog of ether to hear its cry above the doctor's mumbling. Silence... They told me it was a stillbirth, but I barely heard them beneath the sound of my own screams."

Clara's mental illness? Well, today we know it as postpartum depression exacerbated by the fact that her baby was stillborn, but in 1873, she was simply labeled as "insane." 

During her year of torturous treatment in the asylum, her husband moved them from London to the city of Durham. It was on her way from the asylum to their new home that their carriage was caught up in a crowd.

The crowd was trying to lay eyes on a woman being led from the courthouse to her transport to the jail. A chant arose:

"Mary Ann Cotton, Mary Ann Cotton.
The rope will break yer neck.
And yer'll be dead and buried and   rotten."

Clara and her husband eventually arrive at their new home and Clara vows to herself that she will never do anything that could result in her being returned to the hell of the asylum.

That day should have been the start of a new life for Clara, but as readers learn, there are things about her husband that arouse Clara's suspicions.

When Clara begins doing charity work at the woman's prison, she is set on a trajectory she could never have seen coming. Readers will not want to put this book down and will find themselves rooting for Clara and possibly even beginning to view multiple murderess Mary Ann Cotton with a dose of sympathy and maybe even a hint of respect.

Along with this wonderful work of historical fiction is a look at the barbaric treatment of "patients" in asylums during that period in history. The author has clearly done her research and exposes many of the horrific "treatments" women were forced to endure. She also includes the fact that many women were shipped off to insane asylums based solely on the testimony of their husbands. So, if a man wanted to take up with a younger woman, all he had to do was say that his wife was hysterical and off the wife went to a life filled with torture and despair. Unfortunately, it is now well known that this happened far too frequently. 

THE SAVAGE INSTINCT is a superb work of historical fiction intertwined with historic facts. Author, Marjorie DeLuca seamlessly weaves her story around the enigmatic figure of the all too real, female serial killer Mary Ann Cotton. I thoroughly enjoyed her take on this historic figure.

Also, the story's protagonist is 100% believable. Clara Blackstone could easily have been a real person. Her imprisonment in two separate insane asylums proved lifealtering (and not in a positive way.) How her husband treats her once she is released shows the attitudes of the time. Mental illness was seen as a personal failing and not an "illness" at all. Unfortunately, many people still view mental health issues that way today.

At a few places in the story, I thought I knew exactly what was going to happen next. Both times I discovered (to my delight) that I was wrong. I love it when a plot does not become predictable.

I rate THE SAVAGE INSTINCT as a solid 5 OUT OF 5 STARS ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ and I will be keeping an eye on this author's future endeavors.

*** Thank you to #NetGalley for providing me with a free copy of #TheSavageInstinct ***

Great book! Engaging from the beginning to the end. Looking forward to reading more by this author! Highly recommended!

I was intrigued by the premise of this book and was excited to receive an ARC courtesy of Netgalley. I read a huge amount of historic fiction and I have to say it’s unusual that I read a book that intrigued me and that I enjoyed as much as I did this one. It tells the story of Clara, newly released from the asylum and embarking on the new life her husband had carefully prepared for her in Durham. The only thing her husband hadn't planned for was the fact that Durham at the time was talking of only one thing: The arrest and trial of Mary Ann Cotton. Clara I found to be an intriguing character as she struggled with the notion of sanity, and of guilt. She goes to visit Mary Ann as a part of a Christian programme to offer solace to prisoners and slowly the two women get to know each other. I found the rapport and relationship they developed to be both believable and completely engaging. The athir cleverly steered well clear of cliches and sentiment. The book has clear feminist undertones, and so it should, the sitauto both these women found themselves in was appalling. I was familiar with the questions surrounding the Mary Ann Cotton case before reading this, and I admire the way the author chose not to focus on the notions of guilt but on the idea of survival. I have to say personally the lack of credible defence for Mary Ann, likewise the reliance on circumstantial evidence is shocking to modern eyes, and I liked the fact the author here acknowledges this without trying to convince you of her own conclusions. It made the story very intriguing as you followed the developing story Clara and Mary Ann. The ending too I have to say was both barbaric, chilling and brilliant. I really loved this book andI don't say that very often. I shall be on the lookout for the authors next work and recommending it to both friends and in my professional capacity.

There are many different ways that people find fame. Or infamy. Victorian England didn’t exactly lavish the female gender with many opportunities, but Mary Ann Cotton has found her way to the public consciousness (and the gallows) by becoming the first British female serial killer. She was fond of arsenic and generous with distributing it to her numerous spouses and children. With the total victim count somewhere around 21, Cotton easily puts Jack the ripper to shame. But he was never apprehended and thus the mystery endured. Cotton was nabbed, tried and hung, no mystery there. Just a general sort of bewilderment at a severe aberrant psychology that must have been at play.
Then again in the time when women (especially those without means) were no more as chattel to be married off, bought and sold, and lock away when they become inconvenient, is it all that difficult to imagine how someone like Mary Ann Cotton might have been driven to commit her horrific crimes.
Plus serial killers have always held a certain dark fascination for the general public. And so was very much the case for the protagonist of this book, a young woman freshly out of the asylum where she was locked away by her dearly beloved for over a year following getting inconveniently and violently upset over the death of her newborn baby. Now she’s out of one cage and into another, with a controlling thoroughly unplesant dandy holding the keys. With her only ally, her beloved grandmother far away and her newly imposed social circle restricting like a corset, she becomes fascinated with Cotton and begins to visit her in prison.
Those encounters will change her life, the abyss stared at for too long will stare back, she may even grow a spine after all. Courage can be found in the strangest places.
So anyway, originally I was going to say something like…I liked this story so much more the first time around when it was Affinity (including the ever excellent BBC adaptation), but really that wouldn’t be fair. There are certain similarities, for sure, and tragically no sapphic attraction to be found, but this book is very much its own beast. For one thing it uses actual historical facts and events, for another the tone is completely different. And then there’s that excellent and oh so appropriate ending. So overall, it’s actually quite good. A sort of belated coming of age story with feminist undertones. It’s somewhat too strongly at times redolent of women’s fiction, but manages to remain thoroughly readable and entertaining. Fans of historical fiction with darker themes and girl power message should enjoy this one. Thanks Netgalley.

I received an advance reader’s copy in exchange for an honest review.

This is one of the better historical thrillers I had read in some time. You grow so fond of the characters, even the murderess. One of the more unique subplots. Beyond five star

Everything about this book drew me in. Historical fiction is a genre that can be hit or miss for me and this book hit it out of the park. I was instantly enticed by Clara’s personality and I felt the emotions she swirled through as the book progressed. The setting was very cleverly aligned with real life events but the facts didn’t bog down the fiction of Clara and Henry’s lives. The overlay of past and present provided an intriguing addition to the story, and I was kept guessing at how events would play out until the very end, which is something I very much enjoy. It was elegantly written and the language seemed to fit excellently with the time period.

Anyone who is a fan of the historical fiction or light thrillers should give this book a read.

I normally hate 1800s historical fiction or gothic fiction but I requested this book because of how amazing the description was. A serial killer and a mad woman?! Count me in.

Of course the woman is not really mad and I was loving the plot and loving how ex her husband was but then it just got crazy. I know people will do anything for money but it got unbelievable at some points.

I also felt like the book jumped around A LOT, there were so many scenes were a was confused on where the characters were supposed to be, what was going on and how they ended up there. The scene were she is on the cliff and saving the little boy is one of those. HOW DID THAT ESCALATE SO QUICKLY?

To be honest I ended up skipping to the prison scenes because the writing in those was just beautiful and I was so interested in the dynamic the two characters had, the rest was filled for me which I didn’t really sign up for.

This story was mediocre. A 3 out of 5 stars equates to a 60%, or a D-. While I wouldn’t score it nearly so low numerically, I did find the author’s writing lacking. The concept was great: braiding together a murderer’s story with an abused woman’s desire to escape her husband. Unfortunately I found myself skimming large parts of the novel, and still not missing any important details or plot points. Thus I would suggest going to Wikipedia and reading up on Mary Ann Cotton’s life and trial, and saving yourself the time it would take to finish this novel.