#BlogTour The Last Daughter by Nicola Cornick

 It’s a pleasure to take part in the BlogTour The Last Daughter by Nicola Cornick

About the Author 

Nicola Cornick is a historian and author who works as a volunteer researcher and guide for the National Trust in one of the most beautiful 17th century houses in England. She writes dual time novels that illustrate her love of history, mystery and the supernatural. Her books have appeared in over twenty five languages, sold over half a million copies worldwide and been described as “perfect for Outlander fans.” Nicola also works as a consultant for TV and radio.

Follow @NicolaCornick on Twitter, on Goodreads, on Instagram, on Facebook, Visit nicolacornick.com

About the book

A secret hidden in the past. A family bound by a dark legacy… Ever since her sister disappeared eleven years ago, Serena Warren has been running from a ghost, haunted by what she can’t remember about that night.

When Caitlin’s body is discovered, Serena returns to her grandfather’s house, nestled beside the ruins of Minster Lovell Hall in Oxfordshire, determined to uncover the truth. But in returning to the place of her childhood summers, Serena stands poised at the brink of a startling discovery – one that will tie her family to a centuries-old secret…

Taking readers from the present day to the Wars of the Roses in the 1400s, and with an enthralling mystery at its heart, The Last Daughter is a spellbinding novel about family secrets, perfect for fans of Lucinda Riley, Barbara Erskine and Kate Morton. 

Review

Serena is reluctant to return to the place where she lost the most important person in her life. The uncertainty has now become a certainty – her sister Caitlin is dead. The remains found close to their old ancestral home. She still struggles to remember what happened on the day her sister disappeared, perhaps because she is afraid she played a part in it.

We leave the mystery and crime scenario of this dual timeline story and meet the characters of the second timeline. The timelines are linked via Minster Lovell Hall and the Lovell family, who in turn play their part in the contentious struggle for power and the War of the Roses.

Cornick is definitely evolving when it comes to her craft, this is by far the best I have read by her yet. it is a captivating combination of historical fiction, crime, magical realism and is topped off by a sci-fi element. It might sound like a lot of genres to mix, but it absolutely works – the storytelling and weaving in and out is done really well.

It also doesn’t hurt that the story is linked to one of the most controversial mysteries in British history, which delivers plenty of fodder for a great read. 

Buy The Last Daughter at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Publisher ‏: ‎HQ pub date 8 July 2021. Buy at Amazon com.

#BlogTour The Forgotten Sister by Nicola Cornick

Today it’s my turn on the BlogTour The Forgotten Sister by Nicola Cornick.

About the Author

Nicola Cornick is a historian and author who works as a volunteer researcher and guide for the National Trust in one of the most beautiful 17th century houses in England. She writes dual time novels that illustrate her love of history, mystery and the supernatural. Her books have appeared in over twenty five languages, sold over half a million copies worldwide and been described as “perfect for Outlander fans.” Nicola also works as a consultant for TV and radio.

Her new novel, ‘The Forgotten Sister’ is a re-telling of the Tudor love triangle between Queen Elizabeth I, Robert Dudley and Amy Robsart. It is out in April 2020 and is available for pre- order in paperback and e-book.

Follow @NicolaCornick @HQStories on Twitter, on Amazon, on Goodreads, on Instagram, on Facebook, Visit nicolacornick.com, Buy The Forgotten Sister

About the book

One woman’s secret will shape another’s destiny…

1560: Amy Robsart is trapped in a loveless marriage to Robert Dudley, a member of the court of Queen Elizabeth I. Surrounded by enemies and with nowhere left to turn, Amy hatches a desperate scheme to escape – one with devastating consequences that will echo through the centuries…

Present Day: When Lizzie Kingdom is forced to withdraw from the public eye in a blaze of scandal, it seems her life is over. But she’s about to encounter a young man, Johnny Robsart, whose fate will interlace with hers in the most unexpected of ways. For Johnny is certain that Lizzie is linked to a terrible secret dating back to Tudor times. If Lizzie is brave enough to go in search of the truth, then what she discovers will change the course of their lives forever.

Review

I think you have to know your history to fully appreciate the way Cornick has melded fact and fiction to create this dual timeline story, although to be fair the majority of readers will have heard, read or seen something about Henry VIII, Elizabeth I, Robert Dudley and Amy Robsart.

In 1560 we see Amy embark upon what will be a short-lived marriage with Robert Dudley, which culminates in her untimely death. A suspicious death that becomes a barrier between Elizabeth and Robert. With the suspicion of murder hanging over him he is no longer considered a possible match for her majesty, although I would argue that she would never have forfeited an inch of power by marrying any man.

Elizabeth I was driven by her need to be in control of her own destiny, perhaps because it was so often in uncertainty as a child. After the tyrannical behaviour of her father and his obsession with women and a male heir – it is ironic and poetic justice that the daughter of Anne Boleyn reigned with such determination.

In the present day the tragic past is mirrored in the lives of Lizzie, Dudley and Amelia. It’s more than that though, somewhere along the line Lizzie is connecting to the past, perhaps to someone or something lingering and waiting for justice.

It’s historical fiction – a dual timeline murder mystery with a ghostly vibe. Cornick certainly captures the right elements of both modern mystery and historical fiction to create a compelling read.

From Harry Kingdom, Annie Bowling to Lizzie and Bill aka the advisor formerly known as William Cecil, it’s all incredibly clever and entertaining. Then again maybe I just found it particularly amusing because I enjoy reading about that period in history. This would also be a great way of teaching children history by creating a modern equivalent they can relate to.

It’s a captivating read, a fascinating combination of multiple genres, which I think will draw in quite a lot of readers.

Buy The Forgotten Sister at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Publisher: HQ; pub date 30 April 2020. Buy at Amazon com.

Read my review of The Woman in the Lake by Nicola Cornick.

#BlogTour The Woman in the Lake by Nicola Cornick

Today it’s a pleasure too take part in the BlogTour The Woman in the Lake by Nicola Cornick. This is a mystery, but it also has the low key vibe of a psychological thriller with two timelines and a nod towards historical fiction. 

About the Author

Nicola Cornick is a historian and historical fiction author. She studied at London University and Ruskin College Oxford and works for the National Trust as a guide at the seventeenth century hunting lodge Ashdown House in Oxfordshire. Her award-winning books are international bestsellers and have been translated into 26 languages. She currently writes dual timeframe novels for Harper Collins HQ in the UK and Graydon House in the US. She is the incoming chair of the Romantic Novelists’ Association.

Nicola lives near Oxford and loves reading, writing, history, music, wildlife, travel and walking her dog. She also loves hearing from her readers and chatting to them on her blog at nicolacornick.co.uk

Follow @NicolaCornick @HQStories on Twitter, on Amazon, on Goodreads,

Buy The Woman in the Lake

About the book

London, 1765

Lady Isabella Gerard, a respectable member of Georgian society, orders her maid to take her new golden gown and destroy it, its shimmering beauty tainted by the actions of her brutal husband the night before.

Three months later, Lord Gerard stands at the shoreline of the lake, looking down at a woman wearing the golden gown. As the body slowly rolls over to reveal her face, it’s clear this was not his intended victim…

250 Years Later…

When a gown she stole from a historic home as a child is mysteriously returned to Fenella Brightwell, it begins to possess her in exactly the same way that it did as a girl. Soon the fragile new life Fen has created for herself away from her abusive ex-husband is threatened at its foundations by the gown’s power over her until she can’t tell what is real and what is imaginary.

As Fen uncovers more about the gown and Isabella’s story, she begins to see the parallels with her own life. When each piece of history is revealed, the gown—and its past—seems to possess her more and more, culminating in a dramatic revelation set to destroy her sanity.

Review

The story wanders in and out of two timelines and is connected by a vintage gown which appears to have unusual powers. The type of power that can make people who fall into its spell do strange, impulsive and perhaps even volatile things.

The reader is introduced to this volatility in the first chapters when the person wearing it falls prey to the mystery that surrounds it. In 1765 we meet the owner of the dress, a woman abused by her husband and stuck in a dire situation because of the strict patriarchal rules her society is governed by.

Then fast forward 250 years and the reader is catapulted into the future to the present and a young girl called Fen, who comes into contact with the same dress. She makes what seems to be the impulsive decision of a naughty young girl who wants a bit of attention. Is it really that simple?

Both stories have similarities and plenty of intrigue, and everything takes place around the shimmering brilliance of finely stitched layers of material. Abuse, stalking, theft and the machinations of a notorious criminal gang.

Although the dress is in the middle of the plot, there are plenty of sub-plots taking place simultaneously to make the reader question whether there really are strange things afoot or just plenty of examples of terrible human behaviour.

I was intrigued by the idea of an object, in this case the mysterious gown, being able to enhance certain character, personality or behavioural traits. In each person it takes on an individual aspect, because we all have different strengths, weaknesses and odd habits.

This is a mystery, but it also has the low key vibe of a psychological thriller with two timelines and a nod towards historical fiction. 

Buy The Woman in the Lake at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads or any other retailer.

Read my review of House of Shadows by Nicola Cornick

House of Shadows by Nicola Cornick

When Holly gets a desperate phone call her from her niece it is the beginning of a long search for her missing brother Ben and the unravelling of a love story that stretches over many centuries.

Holly doesn’t want to see the other side to Ben. He is beyond reproach and everyone else must be to blame for his disappearance. None of that changes the fact he has not only vanished without a trace, but he has also left his very young daughter to fend for herself in the middle of the night.

Holly discovers that Ben was researching the history of specific items owned by the Winter Queen. They are rumoured to be very valuable and possess magical powers. Destructive magical powers.

The story wanders in and out of three timelines, the past with the Winter Queen, the past with the close descendants and the present with Holly. The link between all of them being the dangerous heirlooms and the mysterious Ashdown House.

Inevitably it comes down to a choice between power or peace, war or sanity and money or being able to just say no. You know what they say, power corrupts, especially when you have a never ending source.

Kornick mixes historical fiction and a wee bit of the unexplained supernatural.

Buy House of Shadows at Amazon UK or go to Goodreads for any other retailer.