I requested this book mainly because I have always been fascinated by The War of the Roses and Richard III in particular. What I hadn't realised was that there was a paranormal aspect to the story, which I don't usually go for. My fault, I hadn't read the blurb properly.
So for me the positives were the chapters on Anne and the end of the Plantagenets. I also quite liked Serena and the mystery surrounding the disappearance of her sister.
The negatives were how the two stories were linked together. I hadn't read a book by this author before so wasn't aware that this is her her style.
When I realised where the story was heading I did come close to not finishing but in the end did and it is entertaining.
Funnily enough, having read the excerpt from the next book, I'm quite tempted to get it so maybe I'm being converted.

Enjoyed reading my second book by Nicola Cornick.

Two parallel stories. Heartbreaking loss or Serena of a twin sister in modern times and the growing up on Anne, a fiesty young lady in the 15th Century

Enjoyed the historical details and the visits to modern day Oxford

Will write a full review for the blog tour

Happy to recommend, enjoyed reading

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for an early review copy.

Hooked from the beginning.

Serena’s sister disappeared, it’s been eleven years. Since then she’s been plagued by not being able to remember exactly what happened that night.

So, when her sister Caitlin’s body is found, she goes back to her grandfather’s house. The house is near the ruins of Minster Lovell Hall, in Oxfordshire.

Serena is bent on finding out the truth. Coming back to the place where she spent her childhood summers, she’s about to uncover something, something that will bind her family to a secret, one that’s centuries old.

Highly Recommend This.

I never wanted this story to end, and struggled to stop reading it, when my life had to return to its normal cycle.
To combine two eras with such ease requires a great deal of research and writing talent. I loved the story comparisons and was totally immersed in the differing eras, and the people who lives were played out within the pages of this book.

A family with a hidden secret is always an exciting read, but this gripping story takes some beating. Serena’s sister Caitlin disappeared eleven years ago but Serena’s memory has blocked it all out until Caitlin’s body is found. Returning to the home of her grandfather Serena is determined to uncover the truth. Serena’s discovery links her family to a centuries old secret. A spellbinding and magical tale set across two timelines, the present day and back to the War of the Roses and beyond. With a perfect blend of fact and fiction this is a read which will keep you in your seat until the last page. Absorbing, magical and spell binding. A must for lovers of historical fiction. I can’t wait to read more by this author.

What an absolutely brilliant read! When I read the first few pages, I did hope there wasn’t any plagiarism involved, as the story of the Mistletoe Bride, is one I am very familiar with, but how that event related to the overall themes in this book, nobody could possibly foresee! It’s a very ingenious, fantastic story, that beautifully marries the 15th century and present day, so very well.
I do love the War of the Roses time period. . This book also gives another interpretation of how the Princes in the Tower may have met their deaths, but I recently read a book , The Killer of the Princes in the Tower, by M.J.Trow, and that also gives one cause to think!!
Two strong female protagonists are involved here, Serena Warren in the present day, and Anne Neville in the 1400’s . Serena had a sister, Caitlin, who disappeared eleven years ago. Serena has suffered loss of memory of these events ever since. Serena is staying with her Aunt Polly in California, when she is informed that the Police have found a body, and that’s when all the strangeness and mystery begins!
In the 14th Century, Anne Fitzhugh, only 5 years old is to be married to Francis Lovell, the King’s ward. Anne’s mother is of the Neville family, the most important family of the North, the Earl of Warwick, the Kingmaker, is her uncle. They marry at Middleham Castle in Yorkshire in 1465.
Francis and Anne set up a household at Minster Lovell, and this is the scene for both past and present events.
When Serena returns home, she goes to stay at Minster Lovell Hall, hoping that the location will trigger memories for her. As her memories gradually return , the whole story becomes so fantastic, but also so utterly believable and real, all loose ends are neatly come together.
The War of the Roses, the mystery of the Princes in the Tower, are all intertwined with Serena’s family history. It is thought provoking and mind blowing in equal measures! I am trying so hard to give a five star review without giving away too many spoilers, which is proving almost impossible!!
This is not the first book I have read by Nicola Cornick, but I think this is the best so far!! Magical and mysterious, I devoured this during back to back football matches, it’s a real page turner!!
I will leave reviews to Netgalley and Goodreads. Waterstones will follow. I have previously visited Warwick Castle and Tewkesbury when reading about the War of the Roses, now I feel a trip to Minster Lovell Hall is in order. I love a book that enthrals and educates!!
My thanks to HQ books and Netgalley for my ARC, in exchange for my honest review.

An immersive historical mystery with a time-slip twist. The Wars of the Roses is a fascinating period of history. The deaths of the Princes in the Tower is it's finale, ensuring Richard III's accession to the throne. The setting of the ancient Minster Lovell Hall in Oxfordshire binds the tale together. Add the love story of Francis and Anne Lovell and and magical lodestar causing trouble in the present day as well as historically and you have a great read.

Serena is on holiday with her enigmatic Aunt Polly in California when she has the call to say that her twin sister, Caitlin's body has been found in strange circumstances, many years after she disappeared. Aunt Polly seems unsurprised by this discovery.....

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book. Oh what a book this was. I loved the dual timeline you really get a grip of the story. It’s like your transported there, well that’s how I felt. Great storyline and characters. Brilliant reading thank you. Definately a 5 star read…

What a gripping example of time shift fiction! The story is told through the dual narrative of Serena, a bespoke historic tour organiser from present day Oxfordshire, and Anne, the wife of Lord Lovell, right hand man of Richard III.

It soon becomes clear that they are connected through their link to Minster Lovell Hall but I found myself binge reading to discover in what deeper ways their lives would intertwine and what part the mythical Lovell Lodestar, which was stolen during the 13th Century, played in their stories.

In the present day, the story revolves around the discovery of the body of Serena’s twin sister, Caitlin, who disappeared mysteriously 11 years before. While this brings some closure for Serena, she struggles with the seemingly impossible circumstances in which her sister has been found and the fact that she is still desperately trying to remember the events of that tragic day.

The historical section is clearly very well researched. It takes place during the 15th century reigns of Edward IV and Richard III. The heroine, Anne, is well-rounded and helps to bring this period to life through her description of the politics and family connections that determine the course of her life.

The story explores a very original take on one of the most perplexing mysteries in history; the fate of the Princes in the Tower. While I’m no history buff, I found this absolutely riveting. I do love it when a book teaches me something, and one thing I was fascinated to discover was that the final battle of The War of The Roses was fought a few miles from my home. I’ve driven past the place many times and never knew!

Overall, this is a thrilling page turner, that combines some great historical fiction with a supernatural twist.

The Last Daughter by Nicola Cornick is a fabulous dual timeline novel that blends fact and fiction. The reader is educated about the period surrounding Richard III and Minster Lovell in Oxfordshire.
The action is set in the fifteenth century and present day in alternating chapters. There is an age-old mystery concerning the lost lodestar which is the source of legends and tales.
In present day a family is still reeling from the disappearance of a daughter eleven years earlier. “A part of her was still trapped in the moment of Caitlin’s disappearance.” Where there are no answers and no closure it is impossible to move forward.
An archeological dig makes a surprising discovery that throws up more questions than answers.
A terrible trauma has closed down a memory as we witness the power of the body to protect from more trauma. In contrast we see the painful effects of Alzheimer’s on a family as a loved one is slowly slipping away.
I really enjoyed The Last Daughter. It was exciting, unique and educating. Nicola Cornick really is a marvellous author.
I received a free copy from Harper Collins via Net Galley. A favourable review was not required. All opinions are my own.

This is way up there with The Phantom Tree , which is my favourite Nicola Cornick book to this point. I can't wait to see what she comes up with next. I gripping read and one I throughly recommend! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I have read Nicola Cornick before ( The Phantom Tree ) and loved that one , and The Last Daughter also does not disappoint .
I love timeslip novels especially ones that take you back to around the time of the Tudors .
The ' present ' story is Serena and her family are 10 years down the line from missing her twin Caitlin who mysteriously vanished one night . Serena has the feeling she witnessed something but is suffering memory loss of that night.
The characters in the book bring the story alive and leaves you wanting to hear more about them.
I was a little annoyed at Serena 's aunt Polly who finished every conversation with ' hon ' but that is my only negative.
All in all a brilliant read .

With the discovery of her twin sister's body eleven years after her disappearance, Serena still has no clear memory of what happened that night. It emerges that her family have a long connection with Minster Lovell Hall and the Manor House where her grandparents lived. Their story is revealed through the present day and the fifteenth century Wars of the Roses in this atmospheric and enthralling time slip novel.

I’ve long been a fan of books by Lucinda Riley, Barbara Erskine and Kate Morton, and now I have to add Nicola Cornick to that list. I’ve just finished reading The Last Daughter (due to be published in July 2021 by @harpercollinsuk ) courtesy of @netgalley. I started it for a little distraction at 11 a.m. on a wet Bank Holiday Monday, and finally finished the last page late this afternoon. I literally couldn’t put it down.

So what’s it about?
A family is bound by a secret legacy hidden in the past. Serena Warren has been haunted for eleven years by what she can't remember about the night her twin sister disappeared . When Caitlin's body is discovered, Serena returns to her grandfather's house, in the ruins of Minster Lovell Hall in Oxfordshire, determined to find the truth. What she discovers ties her family to a centuries-old secret... Caitlin disappeared 11 yeas ago, but that’s not when she was buried. ..

If the facts Selena uncovers don’t put the hairs on the back of your neck up, nothing will!

Taking readers from the present day to the Wars of the Roses in the 1400's and back, The Last Daughter is a spellbinding novel about family secrets. I’ve always loved The Daughter of Time by Josephine Tey (1951), and have been fascinated by this period of English history since I was a teenager, so for me this book was perfect. As you read it, you come closer and closer to the inevitable and satisfying conclusion via dual timelines and intersecting family secrets.

My advice? Pre-order this book now!

(@njb1966 on instagram)

It took me a few chapters to get into this book, but it was well worth sticking with it,

I was captivated by Anne's story and how her actions set the precedence to be woven into the future. I also loved her love story and how love never dies.

Love, stories from the present and 1400s.

War, history, death, lies, deceit, its all within this book, my only critique are some of the typos.

I definitely recommend it, if time zone hopping, history and mystery are your thing.

Thoroughly enjoyed this book and the fact that one chapter was set in the 1400's and the following chapter in modern day and how it went like this throughout the book, I loved the way the story intermingled and that the modern day tale was in fact to do with the tale from the 1400's
Wonderfully written I got absorbed into the book and loved the story behind the magical loadstar
Look forward to reading more from this author

History geeks will absolutely love this, particularly if you are a fan or want to know more about the 1400s. This gives women a voice in that time period and retells it beautifully.
At the heart of this is a more modern story about a missing girl and the mystery surrounding it. Packed with nostalgia, memories, lack of memories and very strange and unexplained circumstances.
Did take me a while to get into, think the different time periods slowed me down from getting fully immersed into the story.
Cornick ties the 1400s, 1700s and modern day into one big connection and a big reveal at the end.
Light, magical, supernatural,

This was just the most beautiful book ,from it's gorgeous cover to the immersive storyline. I haven't read anything quite as engaging as this in recent years! The characters both past and present were depicted in a way that made them both likeable and easy to relate to .
This book effortlessly blends the dual timelines with elements of history , mystery, superstition, magic and folklore . The author has produced some ingenious plotlines, twisting real events in history with the supernatural elements that we come to expect from her novels.
The book is split between two timelines with strong female protagonists in both . Serena is our modern day heroine, she suffers from a form of amnesia linked to a stressful event in her past. She has shut out everything concerning the disappearance of her sister Caitlin. After the discovery of her Sisters body she finds herself going back to the village of Minster lovell ,where she spent happy childhoods with her grandparents, There are mysterious circumstances surrounding the burial and she needs to retrieve her forgotten memories of the day she disappeared in the hope of piecing together the mystery of what happened .
She has help when she reconnects with friends from her teenage years . We have met Lizzie Kingdom previously, she was the protagonist from The Forgotten Sister , she stumbles upon a memory from the past when she touches an object linked to Serena family home. They don't know much about the family history and it may be too late to find out as her grandfather is suffering from dementia. Jake Lovell was Serena crush in high school , they meet through his sister's work on a local.archaeology site. The attraction between them grows as they spend more time trying to solve the mystery.
We meet Anne first as a child of 5 years old. She is awoken to be given the news she is to Marry her Uncle of Warwick's ward , the 8 year old Francis Lovell. As the reader , we watch both grow into adulthood as the power struggles between the houses of York and Lancaster come to fruition. The rich,vivid period detail and depictions show the level of research that went into the book.
I loved Anne's character. She is loyal and trustworthy , a loving wife and you can understand in turn why she loves her husband. I found myself a little in love with Francis myself.
At the heart of the storyline is the mystery of what happened to the prince's in the tower. The storylines interweave neatly with parallels between the past and present .
By the end of the book all the loose endings are tied and the mystery explained.If only things had happened as the author has imagined , it leaves the reader with a feeling of kismet.
I absolutely loved this book, Nicola Cornick has done for Anne Lovell what Barbara Erskine did for Isobel of Buchan in Kingdom Of Shadows. She has taken a protagonist from the footnotes of history and given her a voice. She is a heroine to really empathise with and the characters stay with you even after the last page has been turned. This is way up there with The Phantom Tree , which was my favourite Nicola cornick book to this point. I can't wait to see what she comes up with next.
If I could give this book more than 5 stars I definitely would! I thoroughly recommend it