📖 Book Review ~ The Fourth Queen by Nicola Cornick

Boldwood
9 May 2026

Thanks to the publisher for the copy of this book

Now: When Jenna arrives at Winterhill House, she’s instantly transported back… to the priory that stood there before, the life she lived before, and the secret she kept in her past life for the fourth queen of a despotic king.

1539: King Henry VIII is intent on destroying the Catholic church, and with the dissolution of the monasteries, beautiful young prioress Marris is about to lose everything. She knows she has to do whatever it takes to keep her sisters safe, even agreeing to marry the wealthy man who has been gifted the priory land.

But when she marries him, she also finds herself catapulted into the court of the king. And her mastery of the German language makes her an ideal companion for his new queen, Anna of Cleves. It’s destined to be a short marriage… But after the divorce, when Anna finds herself in trouble, it will be Marris she turns to.Will Marris risk her life to help the fourth queen? Because defying the king is the highest treason, and keeping this secret will put everything Marris has fought to keep safe in the gravest danger..

📖 My Review..

I always think of Anna of Cleves as being the most forgotten of Henry VIII’s Queens as she was the first one who escaped with her life intact and thanks to some clever negotiations came away from the beleaguered marriage with her dignity and her coffers largely intact. In this fascinating dual time story the author gives us an altogether different view of Anna of Cleve’s time at the Tudor court and does so by cleverly intertwining both past and present in a totally believable story about Jenna in the present who remembers in vivid detail her time as Anna’s confidente in the Tudor court.

The author has given us a very believable account of being able to recount a past life, and wouldn’t it be fascinating if it were true? I was totally convinced by Jenna’s recollection as her time as Marris North and yet was also totally invested in the modern day story and Jenna’s dilemma of having to rescue something from the past, with all sorts of added complications.

With fine attention to every single detail, the story is richly atmospheric, combining snippets of history with a real sense of time and place. I raced through the book in just a couple of afternoons, eager to learn more and keen to travel back in time with two very believable heroines who together help to make the story such a joy to read.

About the Author

Nicola Cornick is the international bestselling and award-winning historian and author of over 40 novels featuring women from the footnotes of history, and has been translated into 25 languages.

Facebook: @Nicola.Cornick

Twitter: @NicolaCornick

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📖 Book Review ~ The Alchemist’s Secret by Clare Marchant

Boldwood Books
9 March 2026

My thanks to the publisher for my copy of this book

Now: When Paige returns to her ancestral family home, Woodham Hall, she’s nursing an unbearable heartbreak. The man she’d thought she loved has told her the most terrible lie, one she feels she’ll never recover from. The only thing that seems to be able to hold her interest is the story of a poisoning that once supposedly happened in the house – depicted in brutal detail in a painting by an unknown artist…

1672: Jeanne’s life at Woodham Hall is happy. Admittedly her brother-in-law – the lord of the manor – is unfaithful to her sister, causing terrible discord in the house. But Jeanne adores her sister, and her niece, Helene, and even though her growing feelings for another member of the household are illicit, they are bringing her great joy. That is, until Sir Robert chooses to move his mistress in.

Jeanne and her sister are to be banished to a French abbey to live out their days, but all the sisters can think is how to get back to Helene, and the woman who Jeanne might just love. From the glittering court of the Sun King to the dark depths of French society and those who perform alchemy, they will do whatever they must. Even if it means murder…

📖My Review..

After a devastating relationship break up Paige returns to her family home at Woodham Hall where, in order to keep busy, she gets involved in the day to day running of the family business. With time on her hands Paige becomes intrigued by a rather macabre painting which has been hanging in the house for many years. The visual nature of the painting alludes to a catastrophic event which happened at Woodham Hall in the sixteenth century and thoroughly intrigued, Paige is determined to get into the heart of the mystery.

This wonderfully atmospheric dual time story takes us back to the events of 1672 when Jeanne and her sister Helene are banished from Woodham Hall by Helene’s unscrupulous husband. It’s a story of intrigue, danger and the ultimate revenge, all combined with a modern day story which wraps itself around Woodham Hall like a blanket, sheltering those who call this beautiful place home and gradually revealing the deadly secrets which have been hidden for centuries.

Beautifully written, with a real sense of atmosphere, I was engrossed in the story as both timelines fitted together really well, with neither one competing with the other. I have now read a few of this author’s previous books and I am always impressed with the amount of historical detail and the genuine believability of both the story and the characters. The Alchemist Secret is a fascinating story of family secrets, deadly lies and fatal retribution.

About the Author

Clare Marchant is the author of dual timeline historical fiction. Her books have been translated into seven languages, and she is a USA Today bestseller. Clare spends her time writing and exploring local castles, or visiting the nearby coast.

Facebook: claremarchantauthor

Twitter: @claremarchant1

Instagram: @claremarchantauthor

@BoldwoodBooks 

📖 Blog Tour ~ The Strawberry House by Rachel Burton

Boldwood
4 March 2026

Thanks to the publisher for my copy of this book
and Rachel’s Random Resources for the invitation to the blog tour 

1938: For Camilla Kerrigan, life at her family's Oxford manor is a delicate balancing act – between duty to her family and a yearning for something more. When her brother Anthony returns for the summer, bringing with him a new friend, Camilla recognises a kindred spirit. Like her, Henry is thoughtful, restless and uncertain of his future.

But the arrival of four strangers – among them a gifted artist determined to paint Camilla’s sister Mabel – soon shatters the fragile peace of the manor. In the shimmering heat, desires are stirred and one impulsive act will set in motion a tragedy that echoes for decades.

1952: Haunted by war and the memory of that long-ago summer, the last thing Henry wants is to return to Montagu Manor. But when a photograph arrives, showing the painting he thought destroyed – the portrait that ruined so many lives – he is drawn back into the past.

Now, Henry and Camilla must face the secrets that shaped them, and the love that refuses to fade.

One unforgettable summer. One devastating secret. A love that time could not erase.

📖 My Review..

When a set of artists arrive at Montagu Manor in 1938 their presence not only disturbs the equilibrium of the house but they also become involved in a huge scandal which will reverberate down through the years. At the centre of the story is Camilla Kerrigan who lives, with her family, at Montagu Manor and whose history is entwined with the fabric of the house and its connection to the artist, William Morris. 

Beautifully written, with a compelling dual time narrative, the story starts just as the country is on the cusp of war which not only brings a time of great change but there are also some big decisions which have to be made. This is portrayed well in the indecisive nature of some of the central characters particularly in light of what happens once their all too brief sojourn at Montagu Manor is over. Divided into two distinct time frames, I found that I was equally at home in the 1930’s getting to know the characters as I was in 1952 when we are drawn back to Montagu Manor to discover more of its secrets.

As the history of The Strawberry House is gradually revealed so a story of family drama, long buried secrets and the hope of second chances is finally revealed.

🫖Best read with.. large pot of tea and slices of cake

About the Author

Rachel Burton is the bestselling author of historical timeslip novels and romantic comedies. Rachel was born in Cambridge and studied Classics and English Literature before starting a career in law. She lives in Yorkshire with her husband, a variety of cats and far too many books.

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📖 Featured Book of the Month ~ The Winter Garden by Nicola Cornick

 

HQ
10 November 2022

My thanks to the publisher for my copy of this book

1605: Anne Catesby fears for her family. Her son, the darkly charismatic Robert, is secretly plotting to kill the King, placing his wife and child in grave danger. Anne must make a terrible choice: betray her only child, or risk her family’s future.

Present day: When her dreams of becoming a musician are shattered, Lucy takes refuge in her family’s ancestral home in Oxfordshire. Everyone knows it was originally home to Robert Catesby, the gunpowder plotter. As Lucy spends more time in the beautiful winter garden that Robert had made, she starts to have strange visions of a woman in Tudor dress, terrified and facing a heartbreaking dilemma.

As Lucy and Anne’s stories converge, a shared secret that has echoed through the centuries separating them, will change Lucy’s life forever...

📖 My Review..

This clever time-slip novel combines both a strong sense of history with a compelling modern day mystery. Set during the latter part of the sixteenth century we are introduced to the Catesby family whose connection to the aptly named Gunpowder Cottage gives a clue as to where the story is going. In the present day Lucy, due to a debilitating illness, is coming to terms with the loss of her musical career and recuperates at her aunt's converted property in Oxfordshire. Gunpowder Barn shadows the original Tudor buildings and it is here where Lucy feels an affinity with those who once lived in the shadow of the Gunpowder plot.

The Winter Garden moves effortlessly between past and present without either time periods overshadowing the other. I was equally engrossed in the Tudor world, getting to know the Catesby’s and Robert in particular, whose mercurial and reckless nature, would lead him along the path of insurrection and danger. There’s a distinct air of melancholy in the Tudor sections but this is offset beautifully by the supernatural elements in the modern day mystery and especially Lucy’s determination to uncover the secrets of those who once called Gunpowder Cottage home.

The Winter Garden is an engrossing dual time story which captured my imagination from the start and as it’s such a perfect autumnal story I am delighted to make it my Featured Book of the Month for November.

🥂Best read with.. a glass of champagne and marshmallows toasted on the fire…

The Winter Garden is published by HQ on the 10th November and is available to pre-order from wherever you buy your books.

About the Author

International bestselling author Nicola Cornick writes dual-time historical mysteries that draw on her love for genealogy and local history. She studied History at London and Oxford and worked in academia for a number of years before becoming a full time author.

Website

Twitter @NicolaCornick

@HQStories