Set in two different time lines each story was a distinctive one. 

1861 and we have George, young, innocent and somehow a misfit in his family. Parents are very indifferent to him and it is only his elder brother who keeps him moored to a family spirit. Parents act very strangely but then their inexplicable behaviour is sort of rationalised much later.

George falls in love with a domestic in their house. In a bizarre set of circumstances, Lucy dies of poison and George confesses to the murder, believing he is protecting his mother.

He ends up in prison but is released on the working of his brother who does not for a moment believe that George is responsible for the death. Neither brother speaks of what is uppermost in their minds and George gets on with his life.


Fast forward to present times and Cassie faces a conundrum. Contacted by the child she gave up as a day old infant she is delighted that it is not difficult to bond and get to know the lovely young lady her daughter has turned out to be.
Not such a good surprise is to know that the father she always knew is really not her father, and that her actual father is a shady character in a prison.

Tracing your ancestors may be a good idea for some but for others it can turn out to have unpleasant surprises and for Cassie the story of George was a major one. Underlying both time lines the importance of family and the family support so important to one is seen in both stories. The lack of in one story, and the overwhelming support in another.

It was an excellent read set in the two time frames both very well done.

Thanks to Net galley and HQ Digital for an advanced copy of The Forgotten Gift in exchange for an honest review. This was a solid 3.5 stars for me rounded up to 4. The premise of the story was great, the character development was done nicely, and it seamlessly and cohesively went back and forth between the two time periods and the two main characters George and Cassie. My only fault with the story was that it seemed a little unnecessarily wordy and predictable. Overall, I really enjoyed this book and look forward to reading more of Kathleen McGurls work.

Thanks to NetGalley and to HQ Digital for an advance copy of this book.

The Forgotten Gift by Kathleen McGurl is a dual timeline story. 

While I did enjoy the two different timelines, I'm not sure that I like that they alternate. I'd much sooner have a bigger chunk set in each time, several times if necessary. But the constant flicking backwards and forwards interrupted the flow, for me. 

Both storylines were too tenuously linked, but the Christmas gift at the end of the story satisfied me on that count.

I found myself to be far more interested in George's story than in Cassie's. There were no deep mysteries and a few too many coincidences. So while George's story held more historical intrigue, Cassie's story was a little pastoral for me. I also found myself guessing what little twists and turns there were very early on in the book. 

During George's story, I became confused with two doctors whose names began with the letter D, and I thought at first that there was a typo. And I found the main twist in this storyline too predictable - I guessed it right from the start.

Finally, I don't know how the cover relates to either of the stories, but it is a nice cover. A lovely cover, in fact.

Book has been reviewed on behalf of the Historical Novel Society, and the review will appear in the February issue of the Historical Novel Review.

Thank you HQ and Netgalley for an ARC of this novel. Set in two time periods this novel tells us the story of Cassie, George and Bethany and their journey with their families. The novel is all about the role of family in everyone's life. This novel is a very gentle slow paced novel with no twists and turns. The mystery as such is not that hard to predict. Too many similarities in both Cassie's and George's life makes any mystery predictable. If you are in a mood of a very gentle and family historical fiction this novel will fit the bill.
3.5 stars

The Forgotten Gift by Kathleen McGurl is a marvellous dual timeline that had me gripped from the start.
The novel is set in present day and in the form of a diary from 1861 as we follow two main characters.
A desire to explore one’s family history and to seek out the two names in an old will leads to uncovering age old secrets as we explore what really does constitute a family. Family is not always bloodline. Family is made up of people who love us. We see different types of family within the novel.
We witness a character searching to be loved. Sometimes no matter how hard we try, no matter what we do, we just have to accept that we cannot earn love. Love must be freely given. It cannot be forced. Sacrificial love is shown as a character puts their own well-being behind them, sacrificing even their personal safety.
There is the theme of parents. Not every parent puts their child’s well-being first. We witness examples of how not to parent within the tale.
In 1861 England had a strong class system. We see how those of the lower orders were abused by those of higher rank. It is horrific to witness the liberties taken by masters and how there is never any come-back.
We observe the theme of second chances. It is beautiful to witness it unfold. There are some very warm and welcoming families.
The characters were realistic and well drawn. I found the main two characters easy to relate to.
I really enjoyed The Forgotten Gift. The tale enthralled me from the start. I love Kathleen McGurl’s novels.
I received this book for free. A favourable review was not required and all views expressed are my own.

This book quickly drew me in. I enjoyed the story, following the gentle  Victorian George, from falling in love with the new servant, to discovering the secrets within his family and the scandals that easily arise. The modern timeline followed Cassie, through her search of her family history  and the secrets within  it also explores her relationship with her family as it follows similar events to those of George. 
The dual timelines are well written and are easy to follow, no getting muddled between them,  I found that I was surprised to reach the end of the book and wanted more! However, on reflection it finished at the right time.  
 I did find the cover, somewhat perplexing,  as it didn't relate to the story.
I have not read this author before and will now look out for more of her work.

I really enjoy a dual timeline novel and I was immediately attracted to the blurb, about George in the 1860’s and Cassie in the present. I am fascinated by genealogy and I found this book drew me in really quickly. Poor George, born to parents who are bitter and grieving and seem to despise him and idolise his older brother Charles. They are looking forward to the day that he will out of their way.

A new maid Lucy, arrives at their family home and George is smitten, he is warned off of her by his parents but this does not stop them meeting. She has an accident and it becomes apparent he is not the only one in the house who is infatuated with Lucy. George decides to buy Lucy a gift as a sign of his love but when he gets home he takes the gift to her and is devastated by what he is confronted with. Even though he is distraught he still has feelings for her and events take a devastating turn for George and Lucy.

Cassie is researching her family tree and she discovers something about George that shocks her and she has also a past of her own that she is having to confront after many years. As the story progresses it is uncovered that she is not the only one in the family hiding a secret and its a huge one.

This is a great book and the first I had read by this author but I will be definitely reading more. I enjoyed the pace, the emotion and the characters were interesting and I wanted to keep reading. I found Cassie’s side of the story touching and hopeful and I enjoyed how the book effortlessly switched between the two stories. Poor George makes the ultimate sacrifice for his family and that is all I am giving away. A great 4 **** read.

The Forgotten Gift was an excellent dual time line story. I was quickly engrossed in both Cassie and George’s stories and the unforeseen twists kept me engrossed and entertained. I also want to point out that I loved the cover.

Secrets, scandals, and surprising reveals make “The Forgotten Gift” a superb book to read! The author narrates the story with two parallel arcs of different timelines. While they may initially feel disconnected, the author does an excellent job of connecting everything. 

Moreover, I loved the characters. Cassie is lovely in the role as she tries to figure out her family tree and learns a few surprises along the way that changes her life. I enjoyed the relationship she shares with her mother, Tony, and Andy. My favorite character, however, was George. I loved the way the author wrote Geroge and thought he was the highlight of the story. He is naive, charming, selfless, and just a wonderful person. He does his best to help everyone, even if he doesn’t know them well, like Pinkton. It was fascinating reading all the things he endured. There are quite a lot of surprises, and shocking reveals that changes his life. Even the supporting characters like Nathaniel Spring and Lucy add nicely to the story.

Also, I enjoyed the author’s style of writing. She wrote the story in a simple yet elegant manner that is easy and quick to read. I liked the way she sets the similarities between the challenges George and Cassie face. I would love to read some of the author’s previous works, as she is has a beautiful talent for writing dual storylines. 

Overall, “The Forgotten Gift” is a lovely contemporary tale that the reader can connect with, and one that I will not forget anytime soon. I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book, which I received from the author. All views expressed are only my honest opinion.

This was an amazing historical fiction book. Honestly, I've never read a historical fiction book in which the story takes place in two different timeline and somehow everything from the past to the present are connected. This was my first time to ever read this kind of story, and it was so amazing. I was speechless how I've managed to follow the story without any difficulty. I really enjoyed reading this book.

This was a nice, pleasant story but sadly, nothing more. I was anticipating something to “kick start” and fire up the narrative, but this was absent throughout the story. Therefore, if you are after a gentle, unobtrusive read, this will suit you perfectly. For me, it was just a little too bland that needed spicing up considerably.

The theme of this dual-narrative is finding your family connections. Switching between the nineteenth century and present day, both George and Cassie’s circumstances change when they realise the life they knew is not the truth. Cassie’s story progresses far quicker than George’s; consequently, I felt more invested in her narrative and believe George to lack some gumption. Admiring Cassie’s choices and the difficult decisions she has had to make, I thought the writer’s portrayal of motherhood and family ties in today’s society was really rather touching. On the other hand, I though George was quite a sap and needed to show more backbone. Despite being imprisoned, I still thought he was a quite a weak character that I could not care for.

I was not too impressed with the cover of this book. Too many books feature characters facing the wrong way! Whilst I can understand what the cover is referencing, I don’t think this reflects the main plot enough. This is disappointing and I think adds to why I believe this is just a mediocre read.

Despite this, I love the significance of the title. At first, I thought the title was reference to a beautiful mirror that George purchases before his life changes. However, the ‘forgotten gift’ is also a clear nod to the theme of family and relationships. Embracing one’s family, even if it is complicated, is just as important as knowing where your heritage. I really appreciate the symbolism of it and wished that the novel’s cover had picked up on this too.

Whilst this may seem like a negative review, I did enjoy this read. Although no surprises and mysteries, I like the family values that McGurl emphasises. Both characters grow through their own stories and I appreciated seeing this change. It was also refreshing to have a story with the central characters being both male and female; I liked the different perspectives but also similarities that emerged between the two.

My first experience of McGurl’s writing and I am not disappointed, but surprised. It is a gentle, historical read that focuses more on characterisation than action. Definitely providing some escapism, this slow, thoughtful narrative explores the importance of knowing your family.

With thanks to HQ stories, NetGalley and Rachel’s Random Resources for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I read this for a blog tour. 

Families are complicated creatures and this story of adoption and finding your family struck a real chord with me. My Grandad is not biologically related to me, he married my Nan and adopted my mum and aunt after her first husband, my biological grandfather, died of cancer really young. He is however absolutely my Grandad and my hero, regardless of blood.

Cassie has to wrestle with similar issues, after finding out a few things about her father and indeed about his ancestor, George. Her own biological daughter, who she gave up for adoption, gets in touch as well. Cassie and George both learn that what makes a family is a bit more complicated than it first appears.

This was moving and insightful, well written and I enjoyed the way it moved between Cassie's life and that of George, 200 hundred years ago.

What a great book! I loved the family theme throughout, it’s beautifully written and I couldn’t wait to find out what happened next. 

I absolutely love dual timeline stories so that was a bonus for me and the connection between the two was really great. 

What I liked:
*Dual timeline
*Beautifully written
*Family theme

I have read a couple of Kathleen’s books now and I have thoroughly enjoyed them.  I read the synopsis for ‘The Forgotten Gift’ and it certainly appealed to me on so many different levels.  I couldn’t wait to start reading and so without further ado, I grabbed a cup of tea, grabbed my Kindle and settled down for what I hoped was going to be a cracking read.  I was spot on too because this really was a cracking read, which I thoroughly enjoyed reading but more about that in a bit.
It didn’t take me long at all to get into this story.  In fact by the time I got to the end of the first couple of chapters, I knew that I wouldn’t be able to put this book down for long.  As the story continued, I had more questions that needed answering and I had to keep reading to see if my questions were going to be answered and whether or not I was on the right track.  I loved the fact that Cassie was researching her family tree and that she uncovers a big family secret that had been kept hidden for years.  I am also researching my family tree and it really is fascinating.  I have come across many family skeletons as the saying goes.  I loved the historical aspect to the story.  In fact I cannot think of one single thing that I didn’t like about this book.
‘The Forgotten Gift’ is superbly written but then I think that to be true of Kathleen’s books in general.  The story is written using two different timelines- there are chapters focussing on the past and on George’s story and there are chapters focussing on the present and on Cassie’s story and her discovery of what happened in the past.  I did wonder if this might prove to be a bit confusing but I needn’t have worried because the chapters interlink well and the story flows seamlessly.  The chapters focussing on the past are written using more formal and historical language and the chapters focussing on the future are written using more modern language.  I genuinely felt as though I was part of the story myself and that’s down to Kathleen’s realistic and very vivid storytelling.  I was gripped by the story from start to finish.
In short, I thoroughly enjoyed reading ‘The Forgotten Gift’ and I would definitely recommend it to other readers.  I will certainly be reading more of this author’s work in the future.  The score on the Ginger Book Geek board is a very well deserved 5* out of 5*.

This book goes between George and Cassie.

George he is living in 1861 aged 19 and he falls in love with a servant.  He ends up in prison and life there is not good conditions in that time are really bad and how they treated prisoners is not good.

We Cassie who is in the present who is doing the family tree and her Father is descended from George she was at a University but ends up leaving after the frst year.  Cassie ha she been working in a leisure centre for years.

Some of the things that happen in this book have certain twists to this story and kept me captivated.

I would read more of this author.

A dual timeline novel set in the Victorian era and the present day, this emotional story about love, family, and secrets is an engaging read. George and Cassie's initial connection is through genealogy. George is a distant relative in Cassie's family history. The story begins with an extract from George's will noting a bequest to the wife of a prison chaplain. Moving to the twenty-first century, Cassie finds an unexpected connection in her family tree.

George is a naive man who seeks, but never finds, parental love, he needs. Cassie has parental love, but never recovered emotionally, from an early life experience. Cassie and George's emotional vulnerability connects them. They are flawed and naive but easy to empathise. Both timelines give the reader a good sense of time and place. It's easy to visualise the Victorian household and the differences in society's expectation in the differing centuries.

The brutal contrasts of Victorian society are portrayed well in a story with many poignant moments. George, despite his lack of worldliness, is loyal, and you want him to find the happiness he deserves. Both stories have family and love at their heart. The plot reveals its secrets in a way that keeps you turning the pages.

Believable emotion, clever connections and historical detail make this an intriguing and satisfying story.

I received a copy of this story from HQ via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

This dual time family drama is packed full of mysterious elements and the puzzle which evolves in the past concerning a miscarriage of justice and the warm hearted story in the present which looks at the complications of family dynamics are each compelling in their own special way.

The story begins in Victorian England with that of George Bitten who becomes enamoured with one of the household servants, but all is not going to go smoothly in this one sided romance and pretty soon George is facing a devastating dilemma. In the present day we meet Cassie who loves researching her family genealogy and when she finds a link between herself and that of the Bitten family she is determined to discover the truth even if it means uncovering some deeply hidden secrets. 

I loved how this novel moved effortlessly forwards and backwards in time as each time frame feels really authentic. There is a lovely contemporary feel to Cassie's story especially when something her own past threatens to shatter the cosy world she has so carefully made for herself. George's sad story, particularly of the Victorian penal system, is equally compelling and I enjoyed how the author made this seem all the more relevant by using the journal George tried so hard to complete.

The author has a lovely way of drawing the reader right into the very centre of the story so that emotional bonds are quickly made with all the characters, and even as one section ended I found myself eagerly anticipating what was coming next.  Dual time narratives are notoriously difficult to write so that the transition between time frames seems effortless, however, this author has really captured this genre and does so in grand style and with a wonderful sense of both history and mystery.

Wow. I absolutely adored this book! Read it in a day and have already started telling people to buy it! 
Wonderful characters, and scenes that made me gasp or smile throughout! I was rooting for Cassie and George like they were my friends!
I did feel like I had to suspend belief a little with some of the twists that came out, but this in no way detracted from my enjoyment. 
The dual timeline was so effective, as if it was a masterclass showing its students how to do it.
Will definitely look out for more from this author!

I usually enjoy Kathleen’s books as I have read quite a few in the past but, this one started off well and then seemed to loose pace in the middle and I found it nit quite so interesting. When that happens in books I find my attention wanes and I just want to finish it and move into another far more exciting book. I do hope her next one will be better.
My thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book in return for an honest review.