Book Synopsis:
Remember, remember, the fifth of November…
1605: Anne Catesby fears for her family. Her son, the darkly charismatic Robert, is secretly plotting to kill the King, placing his wife and child in grave danger. Anne must make a terrible choice: betray her only child, or risk her family’s future.
Present day: When her dreams of becoming a musician are shattered, Lucy takes refuge in her family’s ancestral home in Oxfordshire. Everyone knows it was originally home to Robert Catesby, the gunpowder plotter. As Lucy spends more time in the beautiful winter garden that Robert had made, she starts to have strange visions of a woman in Tudor dress, terrified and facing a heartbreaking dilemma.
As Lucy and Anne’s stories converge, a shared secret that has echoed through the centuries separating them, will change Lucy’s life forever…
Sweeping generations from the 1600s to the present day, with the enthralling Gunpowder Plot at its heart, Nicola Cornick’s utterly enchanting new timeslip novel will sweep you off your feet. Perfect for fans of Lucinda Riley, Barbara Erskine and Kate Morton.
My Review:
I’m a huge fan of this author and always immediately preorder her books when I find out she has a new one out. I absolutely loved this absorbing, intriguing read which I will be recommending to everyone.
The story is told in two timelines one following events that lead up to The Gunpowder Plot and the other in the present day following an archaeological dig to try and uncover a lost Tudor garden. I remember doing The Gunpowder Plot at school but don’t remember much of it so I absolutely loved learning more about the period and the events that lead up to it. The author perfectly blends fact with fiction to make for a really intriguing read which lead to lots of googling sessions to find out more. I also really loved the present day storyline as I always love following archeological digs (huge Time Team fan here). The supernatural elements helped add a special touch to this book and helped create some of the intrigue in this book as you wonder why it’s happening. Unusually for me I actually loved both timelines equally and enjoyed watching them both unfold.
I quickly found myself absorbed into the story and into the lives of the characters. There always seemed to be something happening to keep my interest and even when there wasn’t I was so involved in the story and interested in the historical details that I couldn’t put it down. It’s a book that helped keep me sane this half term and had me hiding away from the kids as I had to read just one more page, chapter anything I could! The two storylines gradually merge together and I loved the natural, unforced way this happens. I can’t wait to read more from this author!
Huge thanks to HQ stories for inviting me onto the blog tour and for my copy of this book. Highly recommended by me!
About The Author:
USA Today bestselling author Nicola Cornick has written over thirty historical romances for Harlequin and HQN Books. She has been nominated twice for a RWA RITA Award and twice for the UK RNA Award. She works as a historian and guide in a seventeenth century house. In 2006 she was awarded a Masters degree with distinction from Ruskin College, Oxford, where she wrote her dissertation on heroes.
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