THISTLEMARSH Hall is the ancestral home of Mouse Dunne, who is a Great War nurse. On her grandfather’s death, she is given leave to return and see to the estate. In this version of Great Britain, the faerie used to be around quite a lot, living parallel lives and advising, at times, the rulers. Now they are absent. The large rambling house in quiet countryside used to be Faerie- blessed, though that’s always a dangerous state of affairs.

Mouse, as she’s nicknamed, is the daughter of a gardener and the lady of the hall. Her parents were disowned, but Mouse spent a lot of time here. She knows what it’s like to be an outsider everywhere. The villagers at nearby Tithe used to have to pay dues to the Faerie King, so they’re probably glad he’s gone. Thistlemarsh Hall will be ceded to Mouse as her brother is mentally disturbed from shell shock. But she has to meet conditions, or her horrid cousin Carlyle will inherit. Even a war nurse has to be chaperoned, etc. and the gothic feel increases throughout the story.

A Faerie statue hidden in the woods comes to life, and handsome, sly Thornwood offers Mouse a bargain. You don’t bargain with the Fae, of course. She knows this very well, and a book of legends assures her they can’t be trusted. Thornwood can use magic to repair and clean the crumbling structure and its furnishings, to meet the conditions. They have a month. Much against her better judgement, Mouse agrees. Given Mouse does not even like the place much, servants are already proving impossible to hire, and the war is foremost in everyone’s minds, it’s hard for me to understand her motivations. If Carlyle got the house, he would saddle himself with immense debt, or else pull it down and rebuild, which might be for the best. Maybe Mouse is already falling under enchantment.

The rest of the spooky tale by Moorea Corrigan follows the frantic efforts to restore the house, against the remnants of spells and the passage of time. I thought the cast list was too short, and while it expands near the end, almost everyone is a Fae, so they follow a set of characteristics. I also wanted to know more about the wider world and how the Fae had affected it – Mouse at first regrets their leaving, but decides later that they would not have been helpful on battlefields. They are too selfish and self-obsessed. Could Thornwood be an exception? This might be classed as a romantasy, but it’s not all that romantic, with constant mentions of sharp teeth, glamours and Wild Hunts. Still, handsome is as handsome does. THISTLEMARSH by Moorea Corrigan will be a useful addition to bookshelves with stories of the Fae.