The premise interested me, but there were too many gaps in the story and the logic. It made it difficult for me to suspend disbelief and get into it. The characters started sharing such personal details with strangers. It felt unnatural. It felt like it was just to progress the plot.

I had a hard time with every single character in this book. None really had redeemable qualities. I like a flawed character, but I didn't see much goodness in them, and that was disappointing. I wanted to connect. Instead, I was just a simple spectator rather than being invested and involved in the characters and the plot.

I love Nicola Cornick's books. They never disappoint.
From the bestselling author of House of Shadows and The Phantom Tree comes a spellbinding tale of jealousy, greed, plotting and revenge—part history, part mystery—for fans of Kate Morton, Susanna Kearsley and Barbara Erskine.
This one definitely will keep you turning page after page and on the edge of your seat. A very good historical mystery. 5 stars all the way for it.

Cornick is fast becoming my go-to author for suspenseful, fascinating time-slip stories, and she delivers another one with The Woman in the Lake. Moving between present time and the 18th century, Cornick tells the intertwined stories of Isabella, Constance, and Fenella, all bound together by a gorgeous and deadly golden gown. Each woman struggles with her place in the world, complicated by aggressive, violent, and manipulative men who, in turn, cause the women to take drastic measures to survive.

The story is well-paced, with lovely description and dialog, and characters who attract and repel the reader equally. My favorite among them is Constance, the insignificant lady’s maid who turns out to have more brains and balls than any of her “betters.” Consider this a one-sitting story - you won’t be able to put it down.

This was a fun, interesting read. While amazing, Cornick still creates a good story and I enjoyed this one.

I was invested in this book right out of the gate. It was so interesting and the back and forth between past and present was really cool and intriguing.

I loved the mystery that was threaded throughout the story. The bizarre nature of the gown and what it might be capable of was such a subtle threat and the suspense that was paired with it really moved the story along.

I thought the characterization was really strong in the three main women. There was good depth built for each and they each have their own personal quirks that differentiate them from each other. I think what I like most is that each woman is strong in their own way and they are each the hero of their own story.

Overall it's a really nicely structured mystery historical fiction and I highly recommend it.

The Woman in the Lake is a dual timeline story, one branch set in 18th century England, the other in present day Great Britain. There's a touch of suspense and the supernatural, a tiny bit of romance (present day timeline only), and a whole lot of murderous intent. Sadly, neither plotline works--the characters in the 18th century one have a little personality, but that's only when compared to those in the present day one, who are so wooden you can practically hear them creaking as they move through their paces.

The 18th century plotline could have been fascinating, but it's as if each character was given one personality trait and by the time the two main narrators of that period start to become more than caricatures, the story is approximately 90% done. The present day plot seems to exist only to be a "modern" plot, perhaps because...well, I can't think of a reason, which shows how little it adds to The Woman in the Lake.

Eminently skippable.

I just read my first book by author, Nicola Cornick, The Phantom Tree, just a couple months ago. Thanks to my dear friend, Stephanie, for the recommendation fo this author. After that breathtaking experience, I couldn’t wait to read The Woman in the Lake. It held up!

There are three narrators in The Woman in the Lake. Lady Isabella and her maid, Constance, both in the 1700s, and Fenella, in the present day.

Lady Isabella‘s husband is ruthless and abusive. Constance does her best to care for her, but there is only so much she can do. Fanella has a problem with taking what is not hers. There is a loose thread that spans from past to present that ties these women together, but that is part of mystery held within the pages.

The Woman in the Lake is rich with themes of jealousy and revenge in times of decadent living and the society life. The characters are complex and feel natural and realistic. I adored Lady Isabella and despised her evil husband. Affairs, plenty of darkness, and a fast-paced clip, kept the story moving, and there is a supernatural element that is part of Cornick’s signature.

I found the story to be chilling and suspenseful, even more than I expected, and the historical backdrop of Georgian England was quite charming. Everyone has his or her flaws, and the characters were what really made this story, especially Lady Isabella and Fen.

Thank you to the publisher for complimentary ARC. All opinions are my own.

This is a wonderful book told by 3 people. 2 in the 18th century Lady Isabella and her maid and Constance and in the present by Fanella. What ties the characters all together is a beautiful golden dress Lady Isabella's husband bought her after one of his abusive nights. Lady Isabella's marriage is a nightmare and she asks Constance to destroy the dress, but Constance doesn't. Fanella is a kleptomaniac that steals the dress from a museum. I loved how the author has the golden dress tie together all of the characters. I enjoyed some of the characters flaws and all. Some are just plain evil like Lady Isabella's husband. I felt all that Lady Isabella felt and her circumstances are truly horrifying. I received an advanced readers copy from NetGalley and Harlequin Graydon House. All opinions are my own.

This is a split time novel with the voices of 3 main characters telling their stories in rotating chapters. If that sounds like a challenging read, I have to admit that it was as times. However, the book did hold my interest and the author wrapped up the characters lives neatly at the end.

What a wonderful ride this was. I really enjoyed the back and forth of Fenella's story, Lady Isabella and her maid. The writing was a great distraction from life for the past few weeks. I enjoyed the ride through 18th century England and the story of the golden gown. Cornick is a wonderful weaver of tales and this was no exception. I highly recommend this if you are a fan of Philippa Gregory and the like. Apparently her other books are just as good and I am looking forward to jumping in to some other of her works as well.

This ebook was provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Generally, I don’t enjoy split timelines. They don’t do very much for me except give me a headache not to mention, I find that sometimes they are poorly written or that the one character is lackluster in comparison to another and makes for a dreary experience.

However, in this time, we have three narrators and two of them are in the eighteenth century, Lady Isabella and her maid, Constance, whilst Fenella is in today’s time period save for a flashback to the 90’s. I rather enjoyed each of their narratives, though I admit Isabella was my favorite. Trapped in an unhappy and violent marriage, Isabella is at her wit's end. Constance, who has secrets of her own, works for the lady but is actually spying upon her for her husband. Fenella, in the modern period, is dealing with the aftermath of her marriage and the loss of her grandmother.

All three of them have one thing in common–a golden gown that was meant for Isabella. However…there is far more to the gown than anyone anticipated.

At first, I wasn’t sure how they were going to tie together but amazingly, they do and they do so seamlessly. (No pun intended!) The way Ms. Cornick brought it together was brilliant, dropping little hints here and there so that you would experience that ‘aha!’ moment. I liked the parallels between the three women as well and their story with Fen’s life. It was seriously quite brilliant how they all tied in together.

I thoroughly enjoyed this story and how one dress could really bring this rich cast of characters together. Even though, as I said, I dislike split storylines, this one is tolerable since it works to be a full, cohesive story. The characters are lovely and fun; not fully knowing their true motives made it enjoyable. I’d have liked them fleshed out a little more–I couldn’t quite picture each person as the descriptions were sort of vague–but perhaps that is the intent; to let us wonder who they are. And I’d have adored more description to the locales but still, a fun read.

I also thought the momentary time slips were a great deal of fun to read. A little offputting–I’d definitely be scared if I saw things in another time or was transported to another time!–but I loved those moments.

I think if you enjoy Outlander or the series A Discovery of Witches, you’ll more than likely enjoy this book.

THE WOMAN IN THE LAKE - Nicola Cornick
Perfect 10
Graydon House - Harlequin
ISBN: 978-1-5258-02355-8
February 2019
Historical Fiction

England, 1763, and the Present

In the prologue it is 1765 and Eustace, Lord Gerard, who is on his estate of Lydiard Park near the town of Swindon, sees a woman in a golden gown. She stumbles on the path to the mill and rolls to land facedown at the water’s edge. He wants to get rid of her, but first he rips the gown from her body and then nudges her into the mill’s waters. It is only then he realizes this is not the woman he thought it was, but Samuel Lawrence’s wife. Binks, the leader of the local smugglers group called the Moonrakers, who is also Eustace’s close associate, tells his lordship he will take care of everything. Eustace keeps the golden gown even knowing Lawrence also drowned that night. He swears he never meant to hurt the intended victim, but believes the gown possessed him with evil.

In 2004, when her class visits Lydiard Park, thirteen-year-old Fenelle was already a troubled teen. She is afflicted with kleptomania and lives with and takes care of her grandmother, who often drinks too much. Her mother is on an archaeological dig in Patagonia, South America. Inside Lydiard House she enters a room and somehow things change. She sees a beautiful gold gown hung over a chair and then an angry, drunk man yelling. Not wanting to be caught, she impulsively grabs the dress and escapes the room stuffing the dress in her school bag.

From this point three women take over the narrative: Isabella, Lord Gerard’s wife, and her maid Constance, both starting in 1763, and Fenella, or Fen, Brightwell in current times.

Isabella is Eustace’s wife and the daughter of a duke. She hates her philandering and abusive husband and he hates her, probably for the same reason. Their relationship is more one of rape than lovemaking. She knows her maid Constance is Eustace’s spy. Yet, her husband gives her a beautiful gold ball gown. She never wears it. Instead she goes to Lydiard House and tries to figure out a plan to kill Eustace. Shortly thereafter, she discovers Dr. Baird, her doctor in London, visiting nearby. They become lovers.

Constance Lawrence hates being Isabella’s maid, but her father tells her she must. He is part of the Moonrakers as all men in Swindon are. While she dislikes Isabella, she wouldn’t harm her. When she learns the secret of the poisonous golden gown, she decides to use it to her advantage.

Fen has returned to Swindon from London. She is recently divorced from a man whom everyone else thinks is perfect, but she knows he is abusive and fears him. Her sister, who is cleaning their grandmother’s house after her death, sends Fenella a package her grandmother left for her. Inside is the golden gown with a message to return it to where it belongs. Suddenly she is stealing things again despite her wish not to, and then she believes that she sees Jake in Swindon. And then her best friend’s brother, Hamish Ross, sees her steal something.

THE LADY IN THE LAKE is a very different and captivating read: part historical, part contemporary with diverse doses of mystery and romance laced with paranormal ideas, hatred, intrigue, and betrayal. Fen’s life in many ways is similar to Isabella’s, and the golden gown haunts all the characters. The characters are all perfect in their imperfections and will draw the reader into the very strange and curious situations of the story. Great read.

Robin Lee

This book was quite a page turner and I really enjoyed following the dual time periods throughout the story. I like gothic mysteries and this was a thriller. The time periods are current day, with the protagonist being a kleptomaniac, and Georgian England, with that protagonist being an abused socialite. The excitement comes when an object from the Georgian period "mysteriously" ends up in the current day setting and the cruel results that it has on its holder.

This is a book told in three voices, two in the past, and one in the present. The stories are all connected by a gown, gifted to an aristocratic Lady by her husband after a vicious attack, one of many, in which he beat and raped her. The story works fairly well, though it isn’t always interesting, and it held my attention when it was. I don’t wish to reveal anything of the mystery of the story, so won’t elaborate on the plot, I’m sure others will. I just felt portions of the ending, and who characters were revealed to be, was a bit contrived. And frankly , though the many of the men in the book were evil, a few women just seemed stupid. This is the first book I’ve read by this author, and had seen recommendations for her, so may read more, I do enjoy historical novels.

The Woman in the Lake is a dual-time period novel that alternates between modern day and Georgian England plots. In the present, Fenella is trying to get her life back on track after escaping an abusive relationship and mourning the death of her grandmother. Things start to get weird when Fen's sister sends her a package containing an antique gold gown that a teenaged Fen had stolen from a nearby museum. The golden gown plays a huge role in both narratives--it provides a highly original, supernatural twist to the story! In the past, Isabella is gifted the golden gown by her abusive husband, Eustace. Her lady's maid, Constance, is ordered to destroy the gown but chooses not to do so, setting in motion a number of tragic events. Although the characters aren't very likeable, I still really enjoyed reading this chilling historical thriller.

Set in two time periods, Georgian and current day, this gothic thriller has an added bonus of a paranormal twist. A beautiful ballgown that beckons to certain women who fall for the curse. For Fen, it calls to her and compels her to steal it from the manor home she is visiting on a school trip. For Lady Gerard, the original owner, the gown means despair and danger. The gown corrupts all who are near it but for many involved, they were easy to corrupt. You will have a hard time liking any of the characters as they all have their flaws in both time periods. My thanks to the publisher for the advance copy.

I was so bored at the beginning of the book, I almost stopped reading. I don't even know when I became interested. The last parts though were better. A dress possessing people to do crazy things? Far out there, but made for some interesting plot lines.

I had a difficult time remaining interested in this book. Sometimes it flowed very quickly, and other times I would be so easily distracted that I had to reread several pages. I didn't care for ANY of the POV characters. I found Lady Gerard to be snobbish and pompous, Constance to be spoiled and bratty, and Fenella to be incredibly irritating. It's hard to remain engaged in a story when you don't empathize with any characters.

Two women, one in the 18th century, one in the present, linked by a hole in time and by a silken golden gown that brings out the worst in whoever possesses it. Told in the voices of three women, a lady, a lady’s maid and a modern day woman, all in the thrall of something sinister. I really liked this book because all three women were so real, so imperfect and each in their own way so relatable