This was a well-crafted easy-to-read novel. During the opening scenes, I had some doubts about compatibility, but kept reading and was pleasantly entertained. I shouldn’t have doubted, as I’ve read and enjoyed Cornick’s work before. I pondered the relevance of the title at times but that too resolved itself to my satisfaction. This is a fanciful work of fiction with some extrasensory elements. I don’t typically travel to the Tudor period in my historical reading, so was unfamiliar with some of the key characters. The author’s note at the end made it even more interesting to me!

I was able to read the book throughout one day (without neglecting my family!) I was entertained, my curiosity was piqued, and the plot caught me by surprise. Overall I would recommend The Forgotten Sister as it held (without taking away from the merits of Cornick herself as an author) a Susanna Kearsley-esque appeal.

Review to be posted November 10/20 as part of the Harlequin Fall Reads Blog Tour .  A complimentary copy of the title was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Disclaimer: I received this e-arc from the publisher. Thanks! All opinions are my own.

Book: The Forgotten Sister

Author: Nicola Cornick

Book Series: Standalone

Rating: 4/5

Recommended For...: time travel fans, historical fiction, mystery, thriller, romance

Publication Date: November 10, 2020

Genre: Historical Fiction Mystery

Recommended Age: 18+ (romance, sexual content, slight language, death, gore, violence)

Publisher: Graydon House

Pages: 368

Synopsis: One woman's secret will shape another's destiny ...

1560: Amy Robsart is trapped in a loveless marriage to Robert Dudley, a member of the court of Queen Elizabeth I. Surrounded by enemies and with nowhere left to turn, Amy hatches a desperate scheme to escape--one with devastating consequences that will echo through the centuries ...

Present Day: When Lizzie Kingdom is forced to withdraw from the public eye in a blaze of scandal, it seems her life is over. But she's about to encounter a young man, Johnny Robsart, whose fate will interlace with hers in the most unexpected of ways. For Johnny is certain that Lizzie is linked to a terrible secret dating back to Tudor times. If Lizzie is brave enough to go in search of the truth, then what she discovers will change the course of their lives forever.

Review: I really liked this historical mystery! The book did well to keep a Phillippa Gregory feel to it and present a mystery. I’m not sure if all the facts are true and what aren’t, but the book is well written and exciting to read. I also liked the parallels between past Amy and present Lizzie and the time travel aspect of the book.

The only issue I had with it is that I wish that the book did better at character development. It was good, but I wanted a little more to connect with the characters.

Verdict: It was good!

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. 

Of course, just as people seem to be getting themselves back together following the stress of the past week, that’s when I happen to hit a snag. And I don’t think it’s the fault of The Forgotten Sister, as it’s been well received, with a friend even raving to me about it as I entered my speedy downward spiral with it. It’s more that this book is a major mismatch for me. 

I love the Tudors, so anything set in the time period interests me. And the mystery of Amy Robsart’s death provides interesting fodder for novels, which hasn’t been tapped into quite as much as some other scandalous episodes of Tudor history. And what there was that was set in that time period? Beautiful. I love how things started fairly optimistically for Amy, but with each twist and turn with the rise and fall of new monarchs, and Robert Dudley having to figure out how to keep his head, it keeps him away from her for extended periods. And then, his childhood friend, Elizabeth, ascends the throne and honors him lavishly, and of course there’s suspicion either Dudley or Elizabeth plotted her death. It’s all so fascinating.

However, this is also a dual timeline novel, and Cornick seems to have forgotten what makes the best ones work: make your contemporary characters equally compelling, and provide a strong connection between the timelines for seamless transitions between perspectives and time periods. However, the contemporary characters are just lesser copies of the historical ones with sometimes comical names…I mean, Lizzie Kingdom, Dudley Lester, seriously? I gave up trying to follow the contemporary storyline after a few chapters, as while there was apparently a murder investigation for modern day Amy, I didn’t feel invested enough to care. 

I don’t doubt there’s an audience for this book; my friend’s response and the glowing reviews suggest it is a good book, it just isn’t one that appealed to me, in spite of the awesome premise. If it interests you, I’d recommend trying it out for yourself to see what you think.

I received an ARC of this book to read through NetGalley. All opinions are my own. The Forgotten Sister by Nicola Cornick is an intriguing novel that moves between the life of Amy Robsart, wife to Robert Dudley in the Tudor era and the present-day life of Lizzie Kingdom, former child star and currently a tv presenter and B-list celebrity. Amy realizing that her husband's ambition and his devotion to Elizabeth I will always come before their marriage, is desperately seeking an escape from the life she is forced to lead. Lizzie finds herself in the middle of a scandal when Amelia Lester nee Robsart, the wife of her best friend Dudley Lester, is found dead at the bottom of a staircase, eerily echoing the death of Amy in 1560. Johnny Robsart, Amelia’s youngest brother Johnny is convinced that Lizzie’s talent for psychometry, the ability to read the past by touching an object, can somehow change the past and perhaps prevent Amelia’s death. When Lizzie the last person seen in his company before he goes missing, she’s arrested and finds that Dudley, her agent, and her assistant are all more concerned with Lizzie the product and not Lizzie, the person. Arthur Robsart, Amelia’s older brother with whom she has a mysterious bond, and her cousin Juliet come to her rescue as they seek to solve the centuries-old mystery and prevent further deaths. I enjoyed this book immensely and highly recommend it. Steam Level: Closed Door. Publishing Date: November 10, 2020. #TheForgottenSister #NicolaCornick #Harlequin #GraydonHouse #BooksOfHCC #NetGalley #HistoricalFiction #HistoricalMystery #ContemporaryRomance #MysteryAndIntrigue #bookstagram #bookstagrammer #HistoricalWomensFiction

An amazing introduction into the Tudor lifestyle during the 16th century with fascinating characters representing within dual timelines.
Nicola Cornick created a masterpiece of historical fiction that starts off with some crispy and enticing information between Amy Robsart and Robert Dudley who are in one loveless marriage. His hardened outer core is apparent towards Amy as he seeks to entice Queen Elizabeth 1 -making him one of the most disliked characters in this novel.
The present day gives us a glimpse into Amelia's world with Dudley until she's mysteriously killed having fallen down a flight of stairs.
Can you say call me crazy... but this is shaping up to be a barn burner with Dudley becoming increasingly close to Lizzie when an ensuing scandal forces her to flee for her life.
With this comes change and change isn't always for the better but it's needed and many times considered a necessary evil.
With this formulation we find that Lizzie is questioning the responses of those closest and wondering is she's been played and taken advantage of rather than respected and appreciated.
It's a tight wrapped novel that explores more than mere friendships but also the tangled web of these individual lives during a remarkable time period.
Nicola has truly formed a believable, credible, and enjoyable experience with a past that matched the present harmoniously.
Thank you to Nicola, the pub, Harlequin Books for participation in this blog tour, NetGalley, and Amazon Kindle for this ARC in exchange for this honest review.

Title: The Forgotten Sister
Author: Nicola Cornick
Genre: Historical Fiction/fiction
Rating: 4 out of 5

1560: Amy Robsart is trapped in a loveless marriage to Robert Dudley, a member of the court of Queen Elizabeth I. Surrounded by enemies and with nowhere left to turn, Amy hatches a desperate scheme to escape—one with devastating consequences that will echo through the centuries…

Present Day: When Lizzie Kingdom is forced to withdraw from the public eye in a blaze of scandal, it seems her life is over. But she’s about to encounter a young man, Johnny Robsart, whose fate will interlace with hers in the most unexpected of ways. For Johnny is certain that Lizzie is linked to a terrible secret dating back to Tudor times. If Lizzie is brave enough to go in search of the truth, then what she discovers will change the course of their lives forever.

I initially didn’t like Lizzie at all, but she slowly grew on me a bit—as she showed great character growth and change through the course of the novel. She actually held it together way better than I would have, considering everything she was dealing with and experiencing. 

I really enjoyed the Amy timeline. She also grew and changed as a character, and I enjoyed that, although I cannot imagine putting up with all the nonsense she put up with. Excellent writing and clearly the author did a lot of research to bring the historical details—though fictionalized—to life.

Nicola Cornick is a bestselling author. The Forgotten Sister is her newest novel.

(Galley courtesy of Harlequin/Graydon House in exchange for an honest review.)

(Blog link live 11/13.)

Two time frames, 1560 and Amy is in a loveless marriage to a man who may send their lives into a tail spin and set the course for Amy to make some big decisions that could affect generations to come.  In the present day, Lizzie Kingdom is caught in a public scandal and while she wants to hide away, she is forced to confront the scandal and see if she can solve it to clear her name.  

When I read books with two time frames, I tend to like one over the other, but in this one, I liked them equally, but separately.  I didn't find the overlap for a long time and each storyline could have been its own story and I didn't feel as though they honestly affected the other until the bitter end and I wished they had "interacted" earlier.  

For me the one thing that made reading this book so difficult was the duplicating of names from one time frame to the other.  After finishing the book, I understand why it was done, but while reading it made it difficult to remember who was who and taking notes while reading the book was at times distracting from the reading experience.  

I have only read one other Nicola Cornick and there are a few in her backlist that intrigue me, so I may need to find them and make a determination on my thoughts on her catalogue.  Have you read her?  What is your favorite from her?

Wonderful Tudor novel told in alternating timelines. A mysterious death in the present connects us to the events of the past. In 1560, Amy Robsart was in a loveless marriage and was treated cruelly by her husband, the Earl of Leicester. The Earl Robert Dudley has political ambitions and will do anything it takes to achieve power. I loved the connection between the two points in time and there was a supernatural element to link them, which was interesting. If you enjoy historical fiction, stories with dual timelines, the Tudors, and political intrigue, I recommend this novel.

The Forgotten Sister is a story that is told from the past and the present.  

I love the Tudor era , what could be a better read?

There is Amy  during the 16th century  who is married to Robert Dudley , Earl of Leiscester , who in turn is infatuated with Queen Elizabeth 1 not to mention power.

Amelia in present day is found dead under suspicious circumstances and poor Lizzie Kingdom (love the last name)  becomes one of the main suspects due to her relationship with Amelia's husband

I found both stories pulled me in  slowly but surely and I was curious to see how they were related.

Nicole Cornick did a wonderful job tying the stories to together.  

The pages turned themselves and The Forgotten Sister is historical fiction at its best and I was sad to end the book.  

Thanks to NetGalley and Harelquin (US and Canada) , Graydon House for the privilege for reading The Forgotten Sister.

The story flips between the 1500's and the current time.  Amy Robsart is married to a member of the royal court, as much as she loves him, he is in love with Queen Elizabeth.  He constantly puts her in remote houses, and goes on with his life while she is trapped and alone.  One day she is found dead at the bottom of the stairs, was it one of his devious plots?

Current time, Lizzy Kingdom has lived in the limelight for years but now she is being partially blamed for the death of her best friend's wife who was found dead at the bottom of the stairs.  A series of events lead her to believe she may be the only one who can break the curse that started with Amy Robsart.

Very interesting book. It follows the story of a  mystery that goes from the 1500’s to the present. A women was murdered in the 1500’s and since then many other women have mysteriously died. Is it the ghost from the 1500’s?

After reading the authors note at the end of the book I found out the murder in the 1500’s is based on a true story.

I enjoyed the book was it did not pull me in. It had a lot of interesting parts and I liked how it changed from the present to the 1500’s.

Well, I thought I was over my Tudor obsession - then I picked up this book. 

This book takes place on two timelines with the modern story mimicking the historic story, down to the names of the major players involved. It’s not subtle, but it’s a delicious homage like a Tudor version of “10 Things I Hate About You,” using British glitterati and mixing in some paranormal elements. I loved it.

Both stories were equally compelling, with the historical retelling of the tragedy of Amy Robsart’s marriage just as intriguing as the mystery of what is happening in the present - I was completely drawn in to both. I liked how the modern story mirrored the historical one but it had enough differences that it had its own direction and there were some surprises and twists in there to keep things interesting.

The paranormal elements I thought were just enough to add a little flavor to the plot without turning it completely into a ghost or science fiction story. It was believable enough to be spooky and send a little chill, but not so out there as to be cooky, if you know what I mean.

I have to say, after reading this book, I am looking forward to checking out more from this author. This book was very well written, and I really enjoyed it.Fans of historical fiction and thrillers will really enjoy  this one!

The Forgotten Sister is an interesting take on the unsolved mystery of Amy Robsart's death, Robert Dudley's first wife. The book alternates between Amy's perspective, beginning in 1560 before her marriage, and the modern day perspective of Lizzie Kingdom, whose life cleverly parallels that of Queen Elizabeth I, Amy Robsart's arch-nemesis. The initial set-up is somewhat complicated, and it took me a bit to settle into the story. Once I reached the half-way point, I couldn't put it down because of some ingenious plotting/modern parallels. There are supernatural elements at play throughout the book that make the book even more exciting to read. If you enjoy historical fiction with a side of mystery and supernatural intrigue, you will love this one! Thank you to Netgalley and Graydon House for the librarian preview.

i really enjoyed the two different time periods and really enjoyed the series, the characters were great and I had a good time reading this.

The Forgotten Sister's cover is a bit misleading, as much of the novel takes place in the present day and the mystery is there also. Overall, it was fine, but starts slow and the choice to make the characters all have the same names was confusing at first (even if it makes sense for reasons that become apparent as the story goes on). 

Still, fans of Tudor England historical fiction and authors such as Philippa Gregory will be entertained.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher for review. A different version of this review will be published in the Shelf Awareness for Readers newsletter.

The novel takes place in England, during two time lines: 1560 (Tudors Times) and the present day.

Inspired by the death of Amy Robsart (Robert Dudley's wife) in 1560, the author takes us back and forth, from past to present, to explore a supposed curse that causes the death of young women, to this day.
The protagonist of the story in the present is Lizzy Kingdom, who has psychic powers that allow her to know in detail events that occurred in the past, only by touching objects related to the events that occurred.
In this way we learn that certain relevant events in history may not have occurred in the way they were related to us.

It's also a good reminder that history repeats itself, and that, in most cases, the most powerful characters in our history manage to get away with murder.
I think that, in this case, the author manages to do justice to a character about whom we know little about her life, and even less about her death.

The prose is beautiful and the descriptions are pretty. I just wanted to see a little more time traveling and about Amy Robsart but I guess that this book is a good incentive to investigate more about her life.

This is a book about Amy Robsart, wife of Robert Dudley, and a curse. It is dual timeline with it taking place in the Tudor era and modern day era. It is an interesting concept but I wish it would have taken place more in the Tudor era. It was a good book and I look forward to reading more by this author.

I’m not sure if I liked the supernatural aspect of this book. I like the author’s direction but not the style. Amy Dudley’s story is so sad.

A historical fiction book that combines happenings from the 1600 to modern day.
There is a curse on this family. Through time women have has their lives ended by being pushed or accidentally falling down a flight of stairs. History seems to have repeated itself when Amy is found at the bottom of the stairs with a broken neck. No one is sure if it was accidental, murder or suicide. Amy was getting a divorce. She had been in a loveless marriage with a philandering husband.
Her brother Johnny is wanting his sister back. Going back in history to change the past he thinks is the only way.
Is time travel the answer?
An intriguing read based on history.
Recommended!

**Full review to be posted to Goodreads, Amazon, and NetGalley, closer to publication date!**

I always love a good historical fiction, especially when it's about the Tudors, and there's always a fun element added when it's a dual timeline story as well! I loved the way she developed all of the characters and managed to build an authentic and fascinating historical world, as well as how she managed to weave in the present day timeline and plot to go along with it.  I had a great time with this book and I think Nicola Cornick is a strong author in the historical fiction genre and this book was yet another success!