The Winter Garden is an engaging dual timeline novel, focusing on a property which once belonged to the family of Robert Catesby, known for his involvement in the Gunpowder Plot. Cornick manages to make both timelines engaging, letting us inside the heads of the protagonists in both the modern day and Elizabethan/Jacobean periods. She deals well with different sorts of loss and the effect they have on our psyches and allows an endearing romance to develop. The ending was maybe a little rushed, with a crime element feeling slightly out of place but overall it was a very enjoyable read with a delightful setting.

Another brilliant book by Nicola Cornick. Two stories, one set in the present day and the other about a family in the 1600. A garden that intrigued two women from different times.
A historic mystery novel that has it all!

I fully loved this dual timeline story and I love Nicola's writing style. Two women from different era's and yet things tie together.
It's a gripping story and I couldn't put the book down. I definitely recommend this book.

A timeslip novel that slips effortlessly between now and 1605, ‘The Winter Garden’ by Nicola Cornick is an intriguing mixture of the Gunpowder Plot, garden history, archaeology and spookiness.
Lucy, recovering from a viral illness that has forced her to give up her career as a professional violinist, is recuperating at Gunpowder Cottage, home of her absent Aunt Verity. Verity has commissioned a garden archaeologist to investigate links to the original house on the land, said to have belonged to Robert Catesby, one of the Gunpowder plotters, and his wife Catherine. Lucy, weak and depressed, is upset to find her bolthole is not as isolated as she expected. But she soon becomes pulled into the mystery of the garden and the story of the Catesbys. When Lucy gets the chills and sees the figure of a woman in a cloak and the outline of a beautiful winter garden full of snow and frost, she’s unsure if she is hallucinating and on medication that doesn’t agree with her. As Finn, the architect, and Johnny his assistant, explain more about their discoveries, Lucy finds herself pulled into the mystery and becomes a researcher of historical documents. More visions, and a dead bouquet left threateningly in her kitchen, add to the tension.
In both time narratives there is personal grief, loss and the togetherness of family and friends. Lucy is in limbo, emotional and full of indecision. Just like Catherine Catesby. Following the clues, Lucy regains her emotional strength as she asks difficult questions, faces opposition and rediscovers her bravery.
In 1605, Anne Catesby must pick up the pieces after the sudden deaths of her husband William, daughter-in-law Catherine and eldest grandson William. Her grieving son Robert, always a flighty, strong-willed boy, leaves his youngest son Robbie with his mother and disappears to London. Anne, already short of money because of fines imposed on Catholic families such as the Catesbys by King James I, struggles to live from day to day. And in the background is Anne’s brooding brother-in-law Thomas Tresham, Robert’s godfather, who is involved in the mysterious Order of the Knights Hospitallers of St John of Jerusalem. There are hints of lost treasure, which may, or may not, be buried in the garden.
I found the clues at times sketchy and unrealistic and the names of the various houses and estates added to this confusion, though Cornick is constrained at times by historical fact.
An unusual story which kept me returning to the book to read more. There’s a particularly strong cast of supporting characters including Lucy’s sister Cleo, Finn the architect with his dog Geoffrey, and brooding siblings Gabriel and Persis. The two timelines melt into each other as the mystery progresses and I didn’t, as is often the case with dual narrative novels, prefer one story to the other. Cornick is a wonderful novelist who tells a good fictional story built on strong historical foundations and doesn’t allow her historical knowledge to bully its way into the reader’s mind.
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Simply loved this book. It was my first time reading this author but it won´t be the last.

Certainly the style reminded me of Kate Mosse but it definitely didn´t put me off. Covering the 1600´s and the present day, tying the generations together with a house and it´s garden.

Take my advice, grab a copy and read it.

My thanks to NetGalley and HQ for giving me the opportunity to read an advanced copy in return for an honest review.

As a rule I do like historical fiction and this one didn’t disappoint. Set over two timelines, 1605 and present day, it gave a very different angle to the gunpowder plot story and I found it very interesting and enjoyable to read. Both timelines were woven together well, crossing over in the present day. This would be a great read in the run up to 5th November. If you like authors like Lucinda Riley you will really enjoy reading this book. Thank you to NetGalley and HQ for letting me read and review this book.

An enjoyable read and dual timeline which I always enjoy, well written and very descriptive and a wonderful cast of characters. Loved the historical aspect of it

A brilliant read and one I really enjoyed. The characters are loveable and varied, the plot is one that is engaging and medium paced. I found myself completely drawn into the story and enjoyed the writing style.

As a fan of Nicola Cornick’s writing, I was looking forward to reading The Winter Garden and I was not disappointed. This dual timeline story is set between the present day, and the years leading up to the Gunpowder Plot in 1605.
With her career as a classical violinist destroyed by illness, Lucy retreats to her aunt’s cottage to rest and work out her next move. There she meets Finn who is undertaking the excavation of the grounds in the hope of uncovering a Tudor-era garden. Initially she is not interested, but as strange unsettling dreams and visions cause her to doubt her sanity, she needs to know the truth about what happened in the past.
In the Tudor era, the story is told by Anne Catesby, whose son Robert who was one of the conspirators in the Gunpowder Plot, and provides a fascinating insight into life in England at this time. Elizabeth was on the throne, Catholics could not celebrate their religion openly, and this caused a lot of resentment. When the situation did not improve under James I, this culminated in the attempt on his life at the opening of Parliament.
I was equally invested in both timelines which is not always the case in historical fiction like this. It did not feel as if one story was more important than the other as the narrative flowed seamlessly and never felt forced. This is down to the quality of the writing. The atmospheric setting adds to the mystery, and the historical research is used with a light touch. The characters are well drawn, and the romance is fairly low key but believable. I really enjoyed reading about this historical period, and look forward to Nicola Cornick’s next book. Thanks to HQ and NetGalley for a digital copy to review.

This historical novel follows two timelines - the story of Anne and Catherine Catesby in 1605 prior to the Gunpowder Plot and of Lucy, a present day musician whose career is cut short by illness and who is staying in Gunpowder Barn to recuperate.

Lucy is haunted by Catherine and endeavours to find out about her and what treasure she wants found.

Central to the story is the excavation of Catherine’s Winter Garden and the Catesby’s family secrets are brought into the light.

Added to this there is the developing relationship between Lucy and Finn and an unexplained death!

An enjoyable read.

Lucy suffered devastating in her life so she took the opportunity to have a long holiday at her aunt’s fifteenth century house. Previous occupants lived in the house during the referendum which brought its own complications. Read how Lucy’s life and Catherine’s intertwine to fight to bring love and peace to the house.

A very enjoyable story, based on historical fact, during the late 1500"s and early 1600's, plus present day. Based in the Berkshire countryside with the "aristocratic' families of the Tudor times coping with the changes from Catholicism to Protestant beliefs as a result of Henry falling out with the Pope/Vatican.
The present day is set in the same area with an archeological garden designer wishing to reestablish the Tudor garden. A ghost is featured, the lady of the house during the Tudor period, who died young leaving a son to be cared for by the grandmother. The ghost is restless due to some "treasure" being unfound/lost.
The Gunpowder plot is planned in part by the widower husband with the grandmother trying to tell the authorities about the plot.
There is a romance between the gardener and a girl who is staying at one of the cottages recuperating from a debilitating illness. They discover the "treasure" and help the ghost to be less restless. I used to think of ghosts of frightening beings, but this book shows a new side and I'm sure some people do see ghosts as a result of some restlessness in their lives.

Enjoyable double story line. Catherine from the past connects with present day Lucy.
Lucy a musician is ill after covid and can not continue her career as a violinist, her sister Cleo looks out for her and suggests a break at their aunt's cottage, which is available as the garden is being restored. After an initial frosty meeting with the restorer Finn, Lucy is persuaded to help find the original plans for the garden.
At the time of the gunpowder plot Robert, the son of William and Anne married the beautiful Catherine, they eventually have two sons, although a love match Robert continues to squander money and puts their future in jeopardy by getting involved in religious conflicts. Catherine throws herself into designing a beautiful garden for their home. Tragedy strikes leaving Anne to care for her Grandson.
A tale of love, families and betrayal.

Thank you to HQ for my invitation to the blog tour and for my copy of the book in return for a fair and honest review.

I love a dual time line in the story and this one is set hundreds of years apart but is set in the same house in Oxfordshire.

Lucy is a professional musician but an unexpected illness has caused her to have to reevaluate her whole life. As this is not something that she wanted or expected, she has come to stay at her Aunt’s house to convalesce. When she arrives she is greeted by a man called Finn and his dog Geoffrey. Finn is a gardener and he has also had a lot of grief to deal with. Lucy begins to settle in Knightstone.

In 1605 and another family are living in the manor house. Anne Catesby lives with her husband William and son Robert. Anne is worried about Robert and they decide that marriage will calm him down and so they set out finding him a suitable match. They succeed and Robert marries Catherine, this is a time of great turmoil in the church and Anne and her family are Catholics and Catherine’s Protestants.

The two stories become entwined seamlessly and the past of Robert Catesby is uncovered by Lucy. This is a really interesting and fascinating story.

I was entranced with the historical tale and loved how Lucy finds out about the past and the village legends. Set around the Gunpowder plot, it is perfect book to read this time of the year by a roaring fire. It has creepy elements, history and fantastic storytelling. I throughly enjoyed this book.

With 5th November fast approaching, now was the perfect time to immerse myself in a book steeped in the history of the Gunpowder Plot. I have been fascinated by this particular period in history since visiting Coughton Court a few years ago, and discovering that Guy Fawkes was not the most important player in the plot. As such, I thoroughly enjoyed this peek into the lives of the Catesby family, and devoured the chapters written from Anne Catesby’s perspective.

Lucy is a character who really got under my skin, and my heart broke for her and what she had lost. Having first-hand experience of how chronic illness can affect your life, the grieving process that we see her go through over the course of the book felt very real, and Nicola handled it beautifully.

Usually, with books told from multiple points of view, and particularly with timeslip novels, I find that there is one point of view that I am more invested in, and it is generally the historical period that captures me the most. However, in The Winter Garden this was not the case, and I was equally keen to find out what happened in both timelines. The intrigue surrounding the missing treasure and the mystery of who was interfering with the project at Gunpowder Cottage held my interest just as much as Anne’s struggles to keep her family safe.

The Winter Garden is a beautiful book, and I only wish that I could visit Gunpowder Cottage to see Catherine’s wonderful garden in all its glory.

A stunning book full of atmosphere. If you love a time-slip novel then this is for you - set in present day and 1605 in the lead up to the gunpowder plot. The story concentrates on Lucy who due to an illness finds she is no longer able to perform as a musician and whilst recuperating in her aunts house starts to dream of the Catesby family. Easy to read with lots of historical references - loved it.

I read this ARC for an honest review
All thoughts and opinions are mine

I have read this author before so was thrilled to be able to read this

Loved it

This dual timeline novel is set around the time of the Gunpowder Plot in the 1600's with the Catesby Family and present-day Lucy, who finds herself grieving her life as she knows it as her music career comes to an abrupt end due to illness.
The story set in the 1600's is told from Anne Catesby's point of view, she was Robert Catesby's mother, he being the main instigator of the aforementioned Gunpowder plot.
I enjoyed reading this book, the settings were depicted beautifully, the Winter Garden imagined as a beautiful haven. It was well researched with mostly likeable characters!

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this, my 1st book from this author but I will definitely be looking out for more

In this book we meet Lucy, an orchestra musician who has been forced to face the fact that she can no longer play due to illness, she takes the opportunity to recuperate at her Aunt’s cottage. She is grieving for her health and her lost career.

We also slip back into the past to meet Anne Catesby, mother of Robert, who some readers may recognise as one of the men involved in the Gunpowder Plot attempt.

During her recuperating Lucy is haunted by the ghost of Catherine, Roberts wife. Just what is the lost treasure she is seeking? Can Lucy rid herself from the fear she initially finds when she 1st encounters Catherine?

The way the story unfolded is very well written. I liked the 2 timelines and how well they blended. I did initially find it strange that is was Catherine’s ghost Lucy was seeing and yet we were reading Anne’s story. It initially felt a little disjointed and confusing, However I soon got my head around it and enjoyed reading both their stories.

I am most definitely looking for more from this author and would like to thank Netgalley and the publisher for introducing me to her writing

I enjoyed this book.

Lucy has to give up her career as a musician when she becomes ill. Having lived in London for a long time, she moves to a rural cottage owned by her aunt. Soon, she starts to experience odd dreams, centred around a lady in period costume.

The lady is Anne Catesby, wife of one of the gunpowder plotters.

The book moves between present day, with Lucy finding her way in a new lifestyle, and the time leading up to the gunpowder plot.

Nicely interwoven plot lines and believable characters make this an enjoyable read.