Listened on Hoopla while reading eArc


Really enjoyed. Didn't care for certain elements.
Wanted more information about the relationship 10 years previous.
How was the protagonist able to time travel? I felt that was never addressed or made clear.
I would recommend and plan, in future, to pick up more by Cornick.

eArc provided by Graydon House via Netgalley

As a lover of historical fiction I was really excited to be able to read this book! The Description really sucked me in and I’m happy to say that the book lived up to my expectations. I connected quickly with the main characters and found myself excited to follow along in their adventure. Though the book ended up being a little slower paced than I normally like I wasn’t put off by the pace. The writing was vivid and lovely which really brought settings to life. If you enjoy historical fiction then this book is worth a look!

Alison Bannister and Mary Seymour were cousins orphaned at a very young age and sent to live in Wolf Hall. They did not like each other but over time they did in fact grow to trust each other a bit. Alison began an affair with Mary's cousin Edward Seymour that resulted in a child. Flash forward 400 years and Alison spies an old painting in an art gallery falsely listed as Anne Boleyn but Alison knows that it's actually a picture of Mary. Alison has spent years trying to figure out what happened to Mary because she is the last hope Alison has of ever finding out what happened to her son.
This is a time travel book that covers all the bases. It has historical fiction and facts all wrapped up in one not to mention magic, romance, and intrigue. I loved every facet of this novel. I only rated it 4 stars because I found Alison to be a tad bit on the obsessive compulsive side.

Thanks so much to NetGalley, the author, and the publishing house for the preview of the book.

The Phantom Tree is a beautifully written time-slip historical novel by Nicola Cornick. Published 21st Aug 2018 by Harlequin on the Graydon House imprint, it's 384 pages and available in paperback, audiobook, and ebook formats.

This book is genre crossing. There are elements of romance, mystery, and historical fiction written around a framework of actual historical characters and events. The characterizations are well done and the dialogue flows pretty well.

There is a strong element of magic (in the context of the time travel). The parallel timelines blend well and the plotting is clear and concise enough that the reader has no trouble following along. I admire the author's ability to blend two entirely disparate times, cultures, languages, etc, into one cohesive whole.

There is no strong language whatever. There is implied sexual content (consensual), but nothing graphic. I found the ending somewhat contrived, but again, the writing is exquisite and it is primarily a historical romance.

Enjoyable, entertaining, and well written. I would recommend it to fans of Diana Gabaldon or Barbara Erskine who are looking to branch out.

Four stars.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

I began this book and got to approximately the 16% mark before deciding to DNF it. I will be rating it 3 stars in order to not impact the rating in an overly positive or negative way. This book just was not for me.

This is a DNF for me, couldn't get past the first 50 pages, wasn't a book for me. The book didn't not grab me and often found myself wondering when reading that I had to keep reading the same page a few times to just remember what I read.

My first read of 2019 - and what a read it was! A joyful amalgam of historical fiction, time travel, and love story, "The Phantom Tree" was a compelling tale. My first time reading Nicola Cornick, but definitely not my last. The author brought the past to life with vividly rendered, well-researched prose that highlighted both the positive and the negative aspects of life in the sixteenth century.

The story is told via two timelines, one in the sixteenth century and one in the present day, which are linked inextricably. The premise being that time is not linear, but deeply layered.

A 'time-slip' novel, this book will appeal greatly to lovers of Diana Gabaldon's 'Outlander' series, as well as most other lovers of historical fiction. Yes, it makes you suspend belief with the time-travel and the telepathic communication, but the author incorporates this SO well with the dual story-lines that the reader becomes fully immersed in the narrative.

I am now eager to search out more of this author's work. Highly recommended.

4.5 stars rounded up

An epic time travel time for anyone who longs for a life in another time. Fans of Susanna Kearsley will enjoy this mysterious read.

Allison needs to find her son, her only hope is Mary Seymour. But Mary belongs to the 16th century and Allison is a part of the modern world. They are drawn towards each other, finally working together as allies as they unravel the mystery behind Mary’s sudden vanishing and the whereabouts of Allison’s son.
The Phantom Tree covers multiple genres such as Historical Fiction, thriller, contemporary romance with a slight hint of time travel and fantasy. The writing is what attracted me to this book. It’s lyrical and mysterious at the same time. The time travel angle felt very original and the story instantly drew me in.
The characters are beautifully written and the events have a mystical aura that complements the plot brilliantly. The story begins with two distinct narratives and later converges into a common thrilling masterpiece that can only be described as magical and dramatic.
The Phantom Tree poses to be the book with just the right amount of thrill, fantasy, and drama. This book is also very addictive and I found myself reading it at all times.

I couldn't finish this book. It was not what I thought it would be. I really struggled to pick it up, so I decided to not finish it. I feel like it could have gone a different direction and I might have enjoyed it more.

The Phantom Tree

Nicola Cornick

Graydon House, Aug 2018

384 pages, kindle, paperback, audiobook, audio cd

Historical Novel, Time Travel

✭✭✭✭✭

Provided, NetGalley

The cover is so appropriate for this story of partial history and partial time travel. I loved this historical novel, using what is known and adding a good ending is always fun, especially with the twist of time travel to tie it together. Have you lived in the past, another life? Did you know important people in history? If you could go back, would you recognize your former life?

So many characters and not enough time to do them all justice, even some of the main characters might have been a bit thin. Adam for one. Though most of the historical characters were quite well done, fleshed out and explained enough to give you a good idea of what they were like.

The pace was steady. The tension built at each peak nicely and slowly built throughout the whole story.

The main character, Alison Bannestre/Bannister wasn’t explained so much as experienced. We got to know her as the story went on. It didn’t take long. She was a nasty child, mostly because she had never really felt the security of been treated well or with love. This was typical of the time and her situation. Political families had children to trade off for better position, wealth, or favor. And being from the former political family certainly wasn’t an enviable position to be in, if you lived past the change of office.

There is a highlight to this story and that’s when Alison sees the portrait of Mary and she accepts the connection to Adam.

Query: What is the secret of Richard? Read this wonderful historical novel with time travel twists and find out.

Highly recommended.

I received this book as an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I am a big fan of historical fiction and have enjoyed other novels about the time period surrounding Anne Boleyn. So, when I read the description of this book it sounded right up my alley and plus it had some fun time-travel in it!

I liked that this book went back and forth in time so you got a background of what had happened and what was happening at the same time. It was not confusing which is nice so the story was easy to follow as the time changes happened. With the book going back and forth you got to really know Alison's character and also that of Mary and how their stories came to be intwined. You get to really see the difference in how Alison's life has changed and how she has adapted to this new time period. You also see her struggle with wanting to go back, but also stay with the life she has here. It makes you think if it happened to you what would you do?

This book has mystery because you want to know how it is all going to play out and connect because Mary promised Alison she would find a way to leave word to her and she did; but you are kept guessing at how she would do it. This book also has some romance in it for both Mary and Alison, but the romance doesn't take away from the real story of Mary and Alison, which is nice. The historical part of this story is definitely there, you feel like you are really in the past when you are reading about it and can tell the author did her research on the time period.

I thought the plot of the book was good and it had a nice pace to it with some unexpected twists to the mystery. The supporting characters were well written and helped move the story along. I think it was a unique take on the time-travel idea and liked that it involved the two different time periods trying to find a way to connect with each other. I am definitely glad I read this book and would recommend it!

While browsing antique shops, Alison comes across a painting of Anne Boleyn, though she knows the true subject is Mary Seymour, daughter of former queen Katherine Parr. How? Because she was there at Wolf Hall with Mary…five centuries earlier in 1557.

I first became aware of Nicola a few years ago through one of my GoodReads Recoomends posts (based on my most absolute favorite book of 2016!). I instantly fell hard for House of Shadows and had been itching to get my hands on The Phantom Tree since it first came onto my radar.

At sixteen, Alison became pregnant but refused to name the father. As a result, she was exiled, only she saw a chance to run and took it. Unfortunately for Alison, she somehow found herself centuries in the future. While she’s been able to acclimate to 21st-century life, she desperately wants to find her way back to the 1500s, back to her son.

The Phantom Tree has it all: romance, time travel, scandal, a centuries-old scavenger hunt. I enjoyed every moment I spent within its pages and it was over all too soon.

I LOVE time travel stories!  And, while this one was confusing at times, I still enjoyed it and would recommend it to those who love the genre.  And, if you're a fan of historical fiction, specifically Tudor history, this book is a bonus.  Fans of the Tudors often speculate about what happened to Katherine Parr's daughter and this book is a fictional telling of her story from the imagination of the author.

The gorgeous cover of this book is what first attracted me.  I'd never read a book by Nicola Cornick before, but after reading the blurb, I requested it on NetGalley.  Told in modern times by Alison and the 16th century by Mary, the story is a fantastical one.  But, the way it's written it almost seems plausible that one could travel back and forth in time.  My only problem with that aspect of the book is that it's never really explained how she's able to time travel until the end.  I was too confused by that point to care.  

All in all, it's an intriguing tale with excellent writing and great characters.  I'm looking forward to her next book.  

*Thanks to NetGalley and Harlequin - Graydon House Books for an e-book copy of this book in exchange for my honest review*

Most books that involve time travel can't come anywhere close to The Time Traveler's Wife or Diana Gabaldon's Outlander series, but The Phantom Tree does just that. It's the perfect blend of historical fiction with just the right amount of fantasy (i.e. the time travel). Inspired by a real character from history, Mary Seymour (daughter of Katherine Parr and Tom Seymour) The Phantom Tree takes us from 16th century England to current day England.

Alison Bannister sees a newly discovered portrait of Anne Boleyn...except its not Anne Boleyn, it's Mary Seymour. And to make it more complicated, the portrait was found by her ex, who is not at all eager to hear that it's not what he thinks it is. And just how does Alison know that it's Mary Seymour and not Anne Boleyn?

The Phantom Tree tells the story through both Mary Seymour's and Alison Banestre, alternating in time between present day and the 1550's. Alison is feisty, but also insecure and afraid to have a relationship...in the present day. Her focus is on one thing only, and that is to find her missing son.

Mary Seymour is a neglected ward, who is passed from one Seymour relative to another. She's essentially penniless but as the daughter of Henry VIII's last queen, she can't just be disposed of. Eventually she falls into the hands of a guardian who's evil wastrel son has a plan to get his hands on Katherine Parr's assets which should rightfully belong to Mary...

How are Mary and Alison connected? Will Alison reconnect with her ex? Will she find her missing son? I loved this book, and loved learning the answers to these and other questions. The Phantom Tree is romance, mystery, and history all rolled into one...although it's called historical FICTION for a reason, as Mary is the only real person in the book, and Nicola Cornick has imagined a life and death for her, as there is little known about her. It's a jolly good read as they say; pick it up, and you won't put it down until you are done!

Really enjoyed this title. I found the characters complex and interesting, as were the relationships between them. The magical elements of the story were well-crafted and so never felt unbelievable, and the historical scene-setting was incredibly thorough, detailed and entirely believable. Will be binging on this author's backlist.

I don't read a lot of historical fiction, but every now and then I find one that captivates me. This is one of those! I loved reading this, and knew from early on that this book was special! The characters, setting, and storytelling were amazing and easy to follow.

A really engaging historical mystery that handles its timetravel elements and dual timelines with a lot of grace and style - I really enjoyed this one

I'm so sad I didn't enjoy this book. I always love anything Tudor related so when I saw this book about a forgotten Tudor that was barely mentioned in the history, I jumped on the chance to review it.

It's not the plot or the characters per se, I think the writer is fantastic and perfect for the era, the plot is intriguing and the characters are likeable. However, it's down to the way the story is told. We jumped right in the middle of the story, where our MC Allison was stagerring in the modern road, being confused and shocked. I thought it's because she just arrived to our world, but then she also made mentions of her work in other countries, her past fling, and so on. So who is she and what happened to her??? I even googled whether it's the second book or something but nope, this is a standalone. From there on, we travelled back to the past. Now, the past is pretty straightforward but everytime we got back to the present, it's the same old confusion of what was happening and who is this girl.

I might get back to this book in the future but now, I dnf-ed it at 27%.

The Phantom Tree was for me everything that I like to see in what I'd consider a historical fiction mystery. I absolutely enjoyed everything about this story from beginning to end. It was absorbing, engaging, rich, and filled with a beautiful blend of fact and fiction that made it utterly un-put-down-able. This was the first book I've ever read by Nicola Cornick, and I can guarantee that it won't be my last. I'm so happy to have gotten such a wonderful taste of of this author's work with this one!

History, mystery, romance, suspense, and a little bit fantasy. Loss and redemption. This book had oh, so much going for it. The writing was lyrical and almost felt magical itself. I enjoyed the atmosphere so much and really felt that I came away with a lot more knowledge of life back in the day of the mid-sixteenth century. The culture and settings were presented in an accurate way, which is of course crucial for a great historical fiction read. Part of what made this book so "catching" to me was the dual timelines of past and present, as well as the alternate viewpoints of the two women we get to read about and enjoy. It all flowed together so smoothly, didn't feel choppy at all, and was overall pulled off well, which in my opinion can be hard to do just "right".

As for the characters themselves, Mary and Alison were both such well-developed and intriguing characters who I fell in love with by the end and didn't want to leave. I'm a sucker for deep characters, with their own flaws and troubles, and these characters satisfied that depth I enjoy reading so well.

The only aspect that I struggled with through the book, though definitely not something I would critique it based on but still worth mentioning, was the whole time travel element. This is simply not something I'm used to reading, and being such a literal/realistic person, I had a hard time almost comprehending it. I will say that the fact I wasn't turned off from the story by it though sort of speaks for itself in how well executed the time travel element was, so you're overall hearing no complaints from me. Just be prepared to stretch your imagination a bit.

I'm so looking forward to Cornick's upcoming book, The Woman in the Lake, which I can only hope to be just as enchanting as this one was!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and the Publisher for providing me with a free e-copy in exchange for my honest review!