Great multi-period piece. I really enjoyed the parts about the Winter Queen, who doesn't get enough notice in the historical fiction community.

Three generations of women, each mired in their own separate sets of turmoil, centuries apart, enliven the pages of this novel as the similarities in their circumstances are slowly revealed. At the center of each woman's life is Ashdown House in Oxfordshire, a house that was once home to Elizabeth Stuart in the 17th century and later to courtesan Lavinia Flyte in the 19th century. In the 21st century, Holly Ansell travels to her family's mill home in Ashdown Park when her brother Ben goes missing.

At the heart of each woman's woes are a diamond encrusted mirror and a pearl, both of which were rumored to have magical powers. Yet as Cornick's narrative unfolds, she highlights the death and destruction that follow the powers of the mirror and pearl no matter the time period in which they are found.

Cornick has penned a page-turner that expertly captures the life of each woman in mesmerizing detail as she links the women through time and tragedies. Cornick's latest is not to be missed, especially by fans of novels which span different eras and are imbued with a touch of magic.

A masterful weaving of three different love stories in three different time periods into one enjoyable whole. Very well done!

I've made it to the end, and I still have no idea what this book is about. I knew there was a character named Holly, but I just couldn't get into this story. The split narrative was hard enough to understand, and I just could not figure out what was going on throughout this whole book.

This is a seemingly well-researched historical fiction about Elizabeth Stuart.. The author intersperses the narrative with stories from the 1600's, a diary/memoir, and present day search for a missing brother. It is magical realism, time travel and romance rolled into a fantastic tale.

A joy to read. This is a great holiday read with substance. It follows Holly's search for her missing brother and the break-up of her engagement. As the search involves researching two periods of history, it is much more than just a romance novel. The part set in the 17th century is based on real historical figures and events. I will certainly look out for more of Nicola Cornick's books

I received this as an ARC through Netgalley. I decided to check this story out mainly as it covered a part of British history I don't read much about. It also has an appealing cover. Firstly, I must say I was a little disappointed by the mix of this story. I honestly wish that it had been more 50/50 between modern day and historical fiction. It felt like the story in modern day could have held its own without the historical fiction part, but it also made the historical fiction side seem almost pointless. I get that in the scheme of things, all of the characters and how they're intertwined is important. I just don't think it was handled as well as it could have been. I was a big fan of Holly though. Her personality, her profession, etc. She was the best part of the book. Overall, the story was fairly interesting, just needed a little work.

What a book! Really enjoyed! Highly recommend. Perfect book club pick!

When I read the description for this book I was expecting a more YA book, so I was quite surprised when I started it and the story featured older characters. The overall premise of the story was enjoyable though. It's set partly in the present and partly in the past, which creates an interesting narrative. The writing was beautiful, although it tended to be slow at times.
I think the reason I didn't enjoy this book as much as I thought I would, is because I couldn't relate to any of the characters at all.
I would still recommend this book to anyone who's interested in historical fiction though.

House of Shadows: A Novel by Nicola Cornick is a women’s historical fiction that is scheduled to be released on October 17, 2017 by Harlequin. I was drawn to this book because it is as a bit of history and romance. Plus, I have heard a lot of good things about the author, Nicola Cornick and I wanted to see for myself. This is a beautiful story that is set in three timescales that starts in the 1600’s, then the 1800’s and up to present day. Cornick as written a beautiful and truly atmospheric novel. I really enjoyed reading about the different characters in time and be transported in their different worlds. There is a lot of love that runs through out the book and shows how time effects the relationship outcomes depending on the time frame. I really enjoyed reading this novel.

I have never read this author before and the premise certainly intrigued me. This story takes place in two timelines but is bound by one object. I quite enjoyed the winter Queen's story as I have never read anything about her. An interesting obviously well researched novel this is a good , gothic , historical read

This is the second of Nicola's books that I've read as she continues to amaze the reader with her time slip novels. It is incredibly difficult to write a dual storyline that keeps the attention of the reader equally focussed on both parts of the narrative. Somehow, and I don't know how, Nicola Cornick manages in this book to keep three storylines going; sixteenth century Europe, early nineteenth century and the present day all interlinked by a crystal and a mirror. Reading the book, it's almost as if you can touch the people in the past through these objects, a really uncanny feeling. I thoroughly enjoyed the historical narrative yet oddly,I found the present day story of Holly and Mark and the search for her missing brother to be the most gripping. Excellent read.

Thanks for Netgalley and respective publishers.

O o o o o o o o o o
MY GOODNESS....................................
Super-duper, Wonderful, Incredible and Mysterious Historical Fiction.
Highly highly recommended not only for Historical fiction lovers, but Romance lover and mystery lovers too.

LOVE !
MAGIC !
GRIEF !
EXPECTATIONS !
PASSION !
MYSTERY !

This book possess huge no. of content of all the above and they are contented about the Topic.
I've got this book since 15 days or more, and I was expecting like normal kind of Historical book.
Because, I had read starting chapter they were like Warming up for the game.
When I went forward, It was so mysterious and comprehensive when 3 Parallel stories moves like step by step. However, I move in stories with time, but this book didn't give me much time to delay further and playing the game with abundant energy.
The greatness among stories were interconnection of them, which surprised and astonished me.

* It shows gratitude of Love and importance of Magical Mirror and Pearl.
This book defines about History of Britain, about Elizabeth I and her lover.

Her lover's cousin and his lover.
and his lover's Husband.
Sorry, If last lines may confused you, It was important in order to sustain the story for those who didn't go through it yet.

In the beginning this book confused me just a bit because it jumped straight into the main storyline and then the points of view continued to change. As the story progressed though the storyline that connected all kinds of infamous people through history, which was intricately woven into the story, I was finally captured. I wasn't sure about the Pearl or Mirror in the start but it made for a great historical fiction adventure with a touch of whimsy, mystery and a connection to these women that is great. I gave this story 3/5 stars because it took me awhile to get into it but was a great read.

I had a hard time getting into this book. I'm not sure if it was the rhythm of the writing or if I just wasn't into the story.

3 stars to [author:Nicola Cornick|63843]'s [book:House of Shadows|25715447], an ARC I received through NetGalley last week in exchange for an honest review. I realized it takes time to build up a good rating before publishers choose you to read new releases by famous authors, and so I set about choosing books by new authors or unknown authors that I might enjoy. Little did I realize, Cornick has several published series I could have gotten familiar with. While this book's plot and setting initially attracted me, I feel it could have been stronger in the execution. Let's get to the deets:

<b><u>Story</u></b>
Holly receives a phone call from her 6-year-old niece in the middle of the night, noting her father (Holly's brother), Ben, has gone missing. Holly takes the long train from London to a distant Oxfordshire town where their family owns an old English home. Ben had been staying there for a few days doing research on the family tree when he disappeared. Holly's just separated from her fiance and chooses to stay at the country home and search for Ben. As she traces clues, she learns he may have stumbled upon (1) the pearl and (2) the crystal mirror that the Winter Queen of a German duchy, Elizabeth Stuart, of the English Stuarts (Charles and James, Scottish kings) used with her husband, Frederick, as powerful objects to create fire and floods when in their wars. They were originally given to Mary Queen of Scots by her cousin Elizabeth I of England, as a wedding present after being previously stolen from another member of the family. The story is told through three time periods: (1) 1630's with Elizabeth, (2) 1800s with Lavinia and (3) 2000s with Holly. Somehow they are all connected, and it seems someone used the power of the pearl and the mirror to wreck havoc over the centuries. But how it all comes together, who is related to whom, and what happened to Ben are at the crux of this multi-level story.

<b><u>Strengths</u></b>
1. The story is intriguing. Real people (Elizabeth, Frederick, Mary, etc.) are woven with fictional people to create an imaginative story to capture readers attention. You'll find yourself flipping between the book and Wikipedia trying to figure out which parts are true. Did the pearl exist? Was the affair real? Did she really go on to have 11 children that eventually gave rise to most of the European thrones?

2. The story is very descriptive and you will clearly picture all of the setting and backdrop. It seems quite beautiful. You can separate easily from the views of the house in 2 of the 3 time periods, given it didn't exist in one of them. The best word I can use is to say it is "pretty." It sounds like the author has been dreaming of this story for a long time, so kudos to her for bringing it to full fruition.

<b><u>Suggestions</u></b>
It felt like something was missing, and the parts that were present didn't fully line up for me. I love telling stories over multi-time periods, trying to figure out the connections among each of the characters. And some parts of this story handled it well; however, the ending was rushed which felt like I didn't have time to absorb the consequences of each lie, affair or murder that occurred over the 400 year period. I think there should have been less focus on the current story's secondary characters (Ben's potential affair, Holly's hook-ups, the multiple friends who didn't really contribute much) and more focus on drawing out the connections among the different families over the years.

<b><u>Final Thoughts</u></b>
Given it had some good parts and some so-so parts, I give this one a 3... I'd recommend it for fans of this genre who like things a little open-ended, who like royal and non-royal connections and who love the English countryside.

I'd read a sample of this author's work again, as the writing and language was good (a little slow at times), but the plot would have to be pretty strong for me to jump on the next one. That said, it is a fair book -- just not as good as others in this genre that I've read and loved.

This thoroughly enjoyable book goes back and forth between 3 time periods: the 1600's, the 1800's and today. Holly has left her fiancee and London for Ashdowne, Oxfordshire to look into the disappearance of her brother Ben. Apparently he was researching their family tree before he inexplicably vanished without a trace. Holly decides to do research of her own, hoping that will lead her to Ben.
I was fascinated by the 1600's, featuring the Winter Queen, Queen Elisabeth of Bohemia who was exiled in the Hague, the Netherlands, while her husband, King Frederick of Bohemia was off fighting wars to reclaim his Kingdom. It led me to Google quite a bit, learning about a history I knew nothing of. Lovely to not only be entertained, but learn something in the process.
We also meet a courtesan, Lavinia, who lives at Ashdowne House in the 1800's until it burns to the ground.
There are 2 items that bind these 3 women: a crystal mirror and a pearl. Whoever owns these 2 and is driven by greed, chances death by water or fire.
If you like history, romance and a mystery, you will love this book.
Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for the eARC.

Nicola Cornick's new book "House of Shadows" will have you captivated from the very beginning. There are struggles, romance, royalty and danger all of which synchronize to make an intriguing historical fiction.

Elizabeth Stuart, Queen of Bohemia (Winter Queen) is depicted as devoted to her husband and maintains her royal influence and poise throughout the novel. Elizabeth's character is hard to relate to because of her royal status and as a reader we do not get to hear her opinion as much as we do the other two female protagonists. Lavinia however offers a dichotomy between royalty and a commoner.

Lavinia live a life far from the safety of the royal court. Lavinia's life is dependent upon her protectors and through her diary we get a glimpse into her emotions and frustrations.

Holly, the third female protagonist of this story, plays detective in the present day. Holly's character connects the history of Ashdown House in Oxfordshire for us and she is also just as complex and insightful as the other two heroines. Her brother Ben has gone missing and everyone around her seems to be downplaying his disappearance. Ben's disappearance leaves Holly feeling uneasy, she suspects something terrible has happened to him but she can't explain why and she also can't seem to interpret the sudden visions she has been having.

Cornick captures the spirit of a time slip narrative. At times "House of Shadows" can be deeply interesting from a historical perspective and at other times it is a page-turner you won't want to put down until you have solved the mystery! I would highly recommend reading this whether you are a lover of the historical fiction genre or just looking for a great read!

I would also like to thank NetGalley and the Publisher Graydon House for receiving a copy of this book to read and review.

This was a fantastic story that swept me through time and place! Even with the dual POV, there was never a question of who was narrating and who's story was being told.

This is a story about finally finding your own happiness and of closing the patterns of life. I related well to both Holly and Elizabeth, and I would recommend this wholeheartedly to anyone looking to take a glimpse into history, while knowing some things are never as far away as the present.

Beginning in 1596, at the Palace of Holyrood House in Scotland, this wonderful historical fiction book, King James is looking at a black velvet box, sent from Queen Elizabeth as a gift at the christening of his daughter, named for Elizabeth even though she had brought about the death of his own mother, Mary Queen of Scots.

The box contains the Sistrin Pearl and a diamond encrusted hand mirror. The pearl, born of water, found in the oyster beds of the River Tay centuries before, a part of the collecion of King Alexander I. The mirror, forged in fire by the glass blowers of Murano, encrusted with diamonds of the finest quality and given as a gift to King James' mother, Mary Queen of Scots on her marriage. It was said to have powers of prophecy and destruction through fire and flood.

Following Elizabeth after she marries Frederick, an English princess marrying a German Prince, joining lands and armies. Frederick is easily seduced by the powers of the mirror and pearl. Away fighting wars to regain his lands, Elizabeth bears children and waits.

She is waiting more for her husband's man, William Craven, than for her husband. As we easily go back and forth in the book to their story in the 1600's to present day at Ashdown House, built by Craven for Elizabeth. It is also a story told through the eyes of the woman who did live in the house, Lavinia, a courtesan with a connection to both the past and the present.

I can imagine quite a few different readers for this book. The history buffs of course. The love stories, those interested in the Kinghts of the Rosy Cross.