A Reader's Opinion: HOUSE OF SHADOWS by Nicola Cornick
A READER'S OPINION
Exquisitely written and captivating! HOUSE OF SHADOWS by Nicola Cornick spans centuries and overlaps the lives of three distinct and fascinating women. Ashdown House is remarkably atmospheric, and is not just the run-down house it appears to be. In present-day, Holly, while searching for her brother, Ben. When Holly stumbles upon Lavinia's diary (1801), her life is interwoven with Lavinia's and the Winter Queen. The author seamlessly transports the reader from one time to the next, holding interest and engaging them on a fascinating journey of discovery, danger, mystery, and romance.
The historical detail is magnificent! Cornick made me believe I was in each time period living alongside the characters. I felt so deeply for all of them. There is so much to this book that a few paragraphs of my thoughts won't do it justice. Read the synopsis and then read the book to know what I mean. With the knot of emotions the author evokes in this riveting novel, HOUSE OF SHADOWS is a must-read! Nicola Cornick has found a new fan.
Rating: 5 Stars | Content Rating: 3 1/2 Hearts | Reviewed by: Kaylie Morgan
BOOK SYNOPSIS
The wooded hills of Oxfordshire conceal the remains of the aptly named Ashdown House—a wasted pile of cinders and regret. Once home to the daughter of a king, its secrets will unite three women across four centuries in a tangle of romance, deceit and destiny…
1662—A queen
Bound by sex and birth to live for everyone but herself—and to love always in secret—Elizabeth Stuart entrusts a pair of arcane artifacts to her faithful cavalier to keep safe for her rightful heir. But fate will not be generous to the Winter Queen, throwing the question of succession into turmoil, the aftermath of which will resonate through the generations.
1801—A courtesan
Lavinia Flyte wanted so much more from life than to be a courtesan at the mercy of the cruel Lord Evershot. He has brought her to Ashdown, the home of his ancestors, for reasons he guards greedily. But the maids' whispers of hidden treasures—a pearl with the power to foretell the future—consume her with a curiosity she confides only to her diary, unaware of the misfortune that threatens.
And the mystery that binds them.
Alarmed to hear her brother has gone missing at Ashdown Park, Holly Ansell is inexplicably drawn to the clues contained in the journal of a Regency courtesan who was living at the historic home when it burned to the ground two hundred years ago. Lured by the tragedy at Ashdown, Holly's search leads her not only to the truth about Lavinia, but deeper into her own connection with the Winter Queen.
For fans of Kate Morton and Barbara Erskine comes an unforgettable novel about the power one lie can have over history.
Contemporary/Historical/Gothic | Oct 17, 2017 | 432pp | Publisher: Graydon House
Format Read: E-book | Source: Provided by the publisher via NetGalley
