I loved the dual stories in this book as we alternate between Tudor times and the story of Amy Robsart and the present day Lizzie Kingdom. This book captivated me from the start as well as throwing light on a period of Elizabethan history that is in itself fascinating. This book is superbly written, highly imaginative and I loved every second of it.

Ok I went into this book with absolutely no idea what I was gong to expect. I have been in a bit of a slump BUT this book got me out of it. I haven’t read many historical fiction books and I have to say this was written so well I had read it within two sittings.

Nicola Cornick blends the past and the future seamlessly within this book and I was able to enjoy both the past and the present. Both characters were real enough that you couldn’t help but feel for both of them. I will say that I preferred Amy Robsart character more than Lizzie, but I honestly think this was because you got to know more about her.

So the book is about Amy Robsart who is living in stressful times where, one Monarch replaces the other and everyone is out for what they can get. I really enjoyed her chapters, it not only gave me a little insight to the history of the monarch (yes I am aware this is a work of fiction) but her emotions were captivated and I felt that I could feel them.

Lizzie is our modern day female character. She hasn’t had the best life, I mean she is a celebrity but that doesn’t mean she is happy. Everyone around her is out for what they can get and not really taking into account what she wants or how she is feeling. She is strong and you can’t help but like her the more the book progresses.

The different perspectives are told form Amy Robsart and Lizzie Kingdoms point of view. YOu see the lead up to Amy’s death and how she passes, the thing is this is echoing in the future and tragedy strikes Lizzie. Even though it was slightly easy to find out who the killer is I didn’t mind. I loved the complexity of politics in the 1500s and how this impacted everyone and how the future was shaped.

 This book is different, I mean we transport from past to present but they are interlinked. I like that the characters all have a link to one another and that as you read further you start picking up on this. The added bonus of this book is the fantasy element, of psychometry, it added an extra element to the book that was enjoyable and wholly different to a historical fiction.

Nicola Cornick’s style of writing was easy to read and I was able to follow the storyline from past to future without any problem. I also liked the characters, all of them were different and felt that they had enough back story for me to understand them.

Overall a really good historical fiction book that will have me reaching for more books like this.

This story rooted in historical fact weaves a tale of ambition, deceit, love and the paranormal, which engages and informs. The ultimate betrayal in the Tudor times, echoes over the centuries, with a series of tragic consequences.

Based on the mystery surrounding the death of Amy Robsart, the circumstances of her marriage, are explored, amid the intrigue of the Tudor court. In the present day, there is a suspicious death of another Amy, whose marriage was in tatters. Lizzie running away from a media scandal reconnects with Johnny, who is sure she has a historical link to the present tragedy. 

Intricately woven contemporary and historical storylines enlivened with complex characters and authentic settings, make this an addictive story.

I received a copy of this book from HQ in return for an honest review.

I would like to thank Sian Baldwin at HQ for asking me to be apart of the blog tour for The Forgotten Sister. 
As soon as I read the blurb for this book I knew I had to read it. I love a story that features the Tudors and like Nicola Cornick whose Grandma had books on the Tudors, I love nothing more than watching the amazing TV series or reading historical books and wishing I could be apart of that era.
The Forgotten Sister is set in the present day and in 1560. In 1560 we follow Amy Robsart who is married to Robert Dudley who is Queen Elizabeth favourite and he is besotted with her. Amy wants freedom and a life of her own and decided to escape..moving forward in time in the present day we meet Lizzie Kingdom who is a celebrity has to escape the public eye due to scandal, on meeting the Robsart family a completely unexpected journey takes place. 
I was completely hooked from the first page and I was excited by the fact that I did not know where this story was going to go. I loved Lizzie and her complex history and I adored Amy, the links between the past and present day were so cleverly written. The Tudor era sounded so real and as believable as present day London. 
Nicola Cornick has just become one of my favourite authors and I am excited to read more books by her.

I loved this book. The story is set in 2 time periods which are linked by tragedy. I liked the idea of time travel and trying to put right past events. All of this made a really interesting memorable story.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy.

The Forgotten Sister by Nicola Cornick is a marvellous time-slip novel that has its roots in fact. The story has two time periods – 1550’s and present day. Actual historical figures are within the tale including Elizabeth I and Robert Dudley. They were both familiar to me as a historian.
The novel is an exciting read as both stories run parallel, causing the reader to read with heart racing. As the action flows, we are powerless to prevent the conclusion.
I loved the characters. They were well drawn and realistic. The leading ladies were very likable and easy to empathise with. A couple of characters elicited feelings of dislike as my emotions were guided by the pen of Nicola Cornick.
I was familiar with many of the locations. It gave me a thrill to read of Hales Owen in Worcestershire, as we actually go to Lifecentral, a church in Halesowen.
I always love Nicola Cornick’s novels. They thrill, entertain and educate me. I can never put them down (except to sleep!)
The Forgotten Sister is a fabulous read that I can highly recommend.
I received this book for free. A favourable review was not required and all views expressed are my own.

What a brilliant story !Told in two time lines from 1500,s to present day ,beautifully written,it tells the story of Amy Robsart who is married to Robert Dudley in Tudor times entwining it so cleverly with present day characters.The past is told through Amy and the present through Lizzie Kingdom.I really loved the ending .Many thanks to the Publishers the Author and NetGalley for my copy in return for an honest review .

This is a duel timeline story that's told from the 16th century Tudor times and the present day. It centres around the mysterious death of Amy Robsart. Amy was married to Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester. 

Dudley Lester and Amelia Robstart are set to divorce.  But she's found dead at the bottom of the stairs. The same way Amy had been found centuries ago. 

This  ook had a duel timeline that  blends Historical and modern day stories. It revolves around the mysterious death of  Amy Robsart. The past is told from Amy's perspective whilst the present is told by Lizzie Kingdom. I did find the story hard to get into as the pace was a bit slow and confusing. But once I got into it I really enjoyed it. Theres quite a lot of characters to try and remember. This is an intriguing and thought provoking read. 

I would like to thank NetGalley,  HQ and the author Nicola Cornick for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A book of two halves, the first timeline is Tudor England, and deals with the life and mysterious death of Amy Robsart, the unloved and left at home wife of Lord Robert Dudley, an aristocratic member of the court of Queen Elizabeth, and rumoured to be a lover of the " Virgin Queen". 
The death of Amy Robsart has been a genuine mystery, and this book gives a most unusual and also, quite plausible explanation of her demise. It also shows the misfortunes that can occur when you are married for your family wealth , are childless and live far away from the excitement of court life, in rural Norfolk. The historical research is excellent, and I have learnt much from this account, and have actually visited some of these areas, many years ago. 
The present day story, in my opinion lets the book down. The modern day characters mirror almost exactly those in Tudor days, which I found very annoying, and felt very forced and contrived. They are not a likeable bunch, being shallow and egotistical, but I suppose that is representative of modern society. The supernatural element of the story was interesting, but a little too over the top for my liking. I found it very atmospheric but I felt it was added only as a prop to the story, which was a great shame. A good writer doesn't need such obvious contrivances to bring all strands of an otherwise fascinating story together. If it had just concentrated upon the story of Amy Robsart, it would have been a fascinating alternative to the accepted ideas about her death. The story only became interesting after chapter 15, in my viewpoint, which is a lot of writing to plough through, whilst getting annoyed about how the names of one timeline were introduced to modern times. 
I was disappointed by this book. I have read others by this author and really enjoyed them. An interesting first timeline, but the second one was not to my taste. 
I have rated this as a three star read. I will leave feedback on Goodreads. Thank you for my advance copy, this review is all my own thoughts.

This brilliant book grips you from the very first page
A duel story line set in  the reign of Elizabeth 1 and present day with a little touch of time slip added in.
At first you don’t realise how the two story lines resolve but you will not be disappointed with the end. Very satisfying read cannot recommend it enough

The Forgotten Sister is a dual timeline novel split between the sixteenth century and the present day. It centres around the mystery surrounding the death of Amy Robsart, wife of Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester. His cruel treatment of his wife, and the ruthless ambition fuelling his desire to be the partner of Queen Elizabeth 1, makes him a thoroughly despicable character.
In the present day,  Dudley Lester, a member of the boy band Call Back Summer, is married to Amelia Robsart and they are on the verge of divorce.  She is found dead at the bottom of the stairs just like Amy all those centuries before. Dudley had been spending far too much time with his childhood friend, Lizzie Kingdom, and the ensuing scandal forces her to flee. A bit late in the day, she has come to realise that the people she has surrounded herself with do not have her best interests at heart; to them she is just a commodity to be exploited. Lizzie is alone among the characters in the modern part of the story to change for the better. This is fortunate as she was not very likeable at the beginning. 
I found this book quite slow to get going; it was not obvious what the connection between the two strands of the story was until about a third of the way in (or maybe this was just me). This was not helped by the fact that the modern-day characters were particularly vain and shallow, and it was hard to care what happened to them. 
The story is told from the alternating points of view of Amy and Lizzie. The sixteenth-century strand is well researched and full of fascinating historical detail. The supernatural element is done with a light touch, lending an extra dimension to the narrative. The characters are well written and believable. Overall, this is a  gripping and atmospheric story that you won’t be able to put down. 
Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for a copy in exchange for an honest review.

It took me a while to invest in this duel time line book, possible because of the many characters, but probably because i was reading in small chunks. As soon as i spent long sessions with the novel, i found i could not put it down!
the death of Dudley's wife, Amy Robsart, in Tudor times, has had historians intrigued for many years and this fascinating novel has put its own spin on events.  from a modern day triangle of Dudley,Lizzie and Am Amelia to the Elizabeth triangle of Amy, Earl of Dudley and Elizabeth 1..

Forgotten family members from both eras play important roles in this fascinating novel.

Oh my word what an absolutely brilliant book this is.   From the first chapter I was hooked on this story,  just wonderful

Two stories, six centuries apart, intertwine chapter by chapter, weaving a powerful tale of love and spite.  We learn that Amy Robsart’s marriage to Robert Dudley, Queen Elizabeth I’s favourite, is a troubled and sad relationship as far as Amy is concerned and she knows also that she has little support as Robert’s entourage car nothing for her.  Can her only chance of happiness be to flea, but can she get away?

Running parallel we get to know Lizzie Kingdom, a celebrity whose close friendship with Dudley Lester leads to trouble and scandal, brought on even more so when Johnny Robsart, who she first met at Dudley’s wedding to Amelia Robsart, re-appears in her life.  Lizzie’s psychic powers lead her to look deeper into the Robsart’s ancestry and the more she learns the more she needs to find out the truth, but can she, and can Amy ever find peace?

Nicola Cornick has written a hard to put down novel, carefully woven around one of history’s great mysteries.  I couldn’t put this book dow

Part historical,part modern ,the characters from the present mirror the characters from the past. Can the curse be broken.?

This is an easy read, a quite enjoyable story touching on fantasy elements of psychic minds and time travel. 
It takes almost 75% of the book to address these issues though having only included a couple of dramatic experiences earlier on. 
As the book is reaching the climax, the time travel theme develops more.
The characters in the celebrity world are not at all likeable and the first part of the book is focusing on this group. The story improves as it develops but I felt disappointed that the main love interest could be spotted from the first chapter.
For me the story felt disjointed as the main character suddenly leaves her life and moves into a new one in a few hours - suddenly remembering a house left to her by her family but so far unused!

I would like to thank the author, the publisher and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read an ARC of this book. This book was a complete departure for me from the books I normally read but it was absolutely brilliant, the characters and the story was superb, I will be recommending it to everyone I know.

Tudor history is not a period I’m usually interested in but after a slow start I got into this book. I found the present day story a little trite and the characters weren’t appealing, but maybe that was the point.

At first I found the parallel storylines very hard to follow as it jumped back and forth between present day and history.

But as I got further into the book, the relationship between the two stories became more clear and drew me in more.

Definitely an interesting way to present a historical story.

All in all an enjoyable read though I'm not rushing out to read anything similar.


**Many thanks to the publisher and netgalley for providing access to this book in return for an honest review.

The Forgotten Sister is a clever novel.  It is a dual time story which uses pyschrometry as a link between past and present. The book contains a conceit., the paralleling of a whole group of characters past and present. Personality traits are reflected in the present, as indeed are names of the Elizabethan characters. For example, Elizabeth I is reflected by a famous star Lizzie Kingdom, the novel's protagonist. The book's narrative centres around the death of Amy Robsart, wife of Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester and the mysterious similar death of the present day Dudley's wife. The death of Amy Robsart s a well-known Historical puzzle. Was she murdered to allow Dudley freedom to marry the Queen? Was her death a suicide? Was it a terrible accident? Nicola Cornick has researched this thoroughly and offers possible and plausible theories.  As an historian I found the present day characterisation initially difficult to grasp and accept. I thought them overly contrived. Once the story gathered pace and past and present interacted I began to see to see this  book's brilliance and importantly it's point. It is structurally excellent. There are beautifully expressed details of place. There are surprises. Elizabeth changed as events proceeded. She became extremely likeable. The novel was page-turning and I was hooked. It has a terrific ending with an appropriate sense of closure. It's beautifully written. This is a delightful and unusual take on the Historical Novel. A world turned upside down and swirling through space and time is put to rights in another time in true Shakespearean fashion. Brilliant.