The Wild Dark Flowers: A Novel of Rutherford Park

By: Elizabeth Cooke
Publisher: Berkley Trade
Publishing Date: July 2014
ISBN: 978-0-425-26259-7
Reviewed by: Mary Lignor
Review Date: May 2014

The Wild Dark Flowers is book two in the "Rutherford Park" series and tells the story of the family and their servants living at Rutherford Park.

Rutherford Park is a beautiful estate owned by the Cavendish family. It is a dream house and money actually seeps out of the walls and gardens. The family has been around for decades and are certainly among the elite of folks who have a winter home in London and a summer home in the countryside. Starting with the first book about Rutherford Park, the reader will realize that all is not well and almost everyone at the estate, upstairs and down, are harboring secrets.

In this second story of the Cavendish family, World War I is about ready to explode and their only son, Harry, has joined up with the Army. William Cavendish, owner of the Park and his wife Octavia have been living a lie for some time, staying married for the children’s sake. Their son, Harry, is now in the Army and World War I is about to change the lives of the family and many other families. The family also consists of two younger women, Louisa and Charlotte, and a tiny baby girl who is Harry’s child by a liaison with one of the maids. This is a very aristocratic dynasty that is ready to fall apart. This particular story ends with many unanswered questions that I’m hoping will become volume three as the problems are far from settled.

The Wild Dark Flowers follows numerous haunting love stories and conflicts. While interesting, these intertwined plot lines were, at times, difficult to understand. Still, the book was well researched and gives readers an intimate look at the details of living on a beautiful country estate. The author does a good job of showing what it was like to endure all the trials and tribulations of the ruling family as well as the men and women who served them.

Quill says: While not quite as gripping as the first book in the series, I look forward to reading more about the Cavendish family and those who live at Rutherford Park.