This is a dual timeline story with Eloise in the present and Alice in the 1900's. Both women have secrets in their lives and both are running away from life.
The first chapter is a real hook and I thought this was going to be a winner. Eloise is a strong character. She's had a traumatic time but thanks to her father-in-law she is able to escape and try to make sense of her life. Alice's story is the weaker of the two. I didn't take to her at all. Her trauma is mainly through her own fault. I thought she was a brat who was totally self indulgent. Even though her experience is explained to her advantage towards the end I still didn't like her.
The connection between the two woman and timelines is tenuous at best. There are way, way too many characters in this book and some of them are not even relevant. If you like Greek mythology you'll get plenty of it here, too much of it altogether. At times it read like a history book and it detracted from the main story..
It's well written and there is obviously a lot of research gone into the subject but it just wasn't my cup of tea!

Fascinating insight into the unfolding of the late 19th century and their age of new enlightenment. This book is half in the now time with reflections to the past, linked through a house and a love of classical studies, mostly set on the island of Crete.
Present day is the story of Eloise preparing for her husband’s funeral, and the turn of the century is around Alice, recently heartbroken and setting off on a classic grand tour in Europe.
I found the first few chapters hard to get into and to grasp the writing and the story. For me the writing and story doesn’t always flow. Although I enjoyed many parts of this book, and appreciated the references to the akashic records, classical mythology and the theosophical society, this may not be everyone’s cup of tea!
The story and characters are both interesting, and predictable at times, my feelings from reading this were dry, which may be from the hot summer days described, the book did not hold my imagination or attention sadly.
I was left feeling relieved when the book ended and would not revisit or particularly recommend unless it was to someone with this specific interest.
I appreciate a lot of thought and energy has gone into making this book, but sadly for me was underwhelming.
Thank you NetGalley for the early read.

I enjoyed this dual-time book set in the 1900s and present time with mystical connections to an ancient civilisation. Eloise, an unexpected widow, flees to the Cretan home bequeathed by her father-in-law. Alice escapes to Crete with her aunt after causing a damaging family scandal. Both women are drawn to ancient society and find a connection between it and each other.

The connection is clever and gradually revealed as their stories progress. The story explores domestic violence and relationships in a cleverly constructed plot. The women are complex and similar in many ways despite the years that separate them. The setting is vividly portrayed and features in all the women's lives. It's an atmospheric, emotional story that becomes addictive reading as the connections and secrets reveal themselves through the characters.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher.

Alice thought a frame was the love of her life but when he married her sister Petronella she knew they could never be together and she was devastated so when her aunt invited her on a trip abroad and made sure her daddy couldn’t say no Alice went. It would be on the train over to France that she would meet a handsome but nondescript guy who Alice had no interest then until he told her he can always tell someone from the club and when she said what club and he said the heartbroken… Her interest was piqued. Eloise is a new widow and although her mother-in-law is heartbroken Eloise can’t help but the thinks that makes one of them. As she ready‘s herself for a trip to the island of Crete she has no idea what Fate has in store for her and what the role her dreams and the old myth of the labyrinth Will change everything. for her. I want to apologize for this weak summary I read this book a few months ago and totally forgot to leave a review this is a really great book and I stayed up all night to finish it and didn’t want to put it down I truly enjoyed this book and when I was in the middle of it I remember thinking I didn’t know how the author was going to bring these two women together but OMG she did I love this book and highly recommend it I received this book from NetGalley in the publisher but I am leaving this review voluntarily please forgive any mistakes as I am blind and dictate my review. When she finds Alice’s two journals the coincidences are too many to blow off and it will not only intrigue Eloise it will bring justice to one of the long-suffering women.

The Forgotten Palace is a riveting story that captures your attention from the very first page and never lets go

The book is not only well researched but beautifully written.

The story is presented in different time lines which works very well.

Eloise from present time is a new widow who only feels relief and in 1900 we have Alice who is broken hearted.

The book shows the power of women and love and throw in some scandal and the pages turn very quickly.

Highly recommend you read The Forgotten Palace and get lost in this heart wrenching and heart warming story.

This was my first Alexandra Walsh book but it not be my last.

Thanks to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for a fascinating read.

What a beautiful and mysterious story. I myself am fascinated by Greek mythology so I soaked up the story presented to the reader.
This story follows a dual timeline. It starts in London in 1900 for Alice Webster,and London present day for Eloise De'Ath. They both are suffering from traumatic events and leave to go overseas to get away and heal. They both end up in the same place in Crete and become engrossed in the excavations where the Minotaur's labyrinth and the palace were situated, and all the history surrounding that era.
I related to the characters in this story, Although there are elements that are a bit distressing, this was written in a sympathetic way.

Simply extraordinary. This is a brilliantly written historical mystery that seamlessly weaves multiple threads of three timelines on the island of Crete, One is the fascinating tale of the Minotaur and the famous Labyrinth. The second is that of Alice, a turn of the 20th-century woman who is connected to the archaeological site at Knossos. And the third is the story of a contemporary, young widow Eloise, whose story mirrors that of Alice as she seeks refuge in the same house that Alice once lived in on Crete.

I loved the clever reimagining of the MInotaur myth, with Adriane at its center. All three women have an existential connection through a shared reoccurring dream that works so well. But this is also a shocking tale of domestic abuse and death that unfolds slowly with tidbits released seemingly randomly until the very end. It's a story of female empowerment too with the best revenge at a funeral ever by the widow!

The Forgotten Palace reminds us of the eternal power of myth, not the sanitized versions often offered but in their original complex and often violent form. The author's research into the early archaeology of Knossos is impressive as is her ability to make an archaic myth come alive and give it new meaning. I've been an avid reader of myths and I've been fortunate to have traveled in the Greek islands, including visiting Knossos eons ago so reading this book was pure joy for me.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for giving me the opportunity to read the ARC. I'll be buying a copy once it's released!

The synopsis sounded incredible and right up my alley but sadly the execution was poor. First of all, publishers need to stop marketing dual timeline novels as time slips!! There is no time travel in this book so I was disappointed in that respect. And the writing was not something I enjoyed-it’s too descriptive dragging the plot and there’s too many characters being thrown into the story. I was gripped in the first chapter but then it slowed down so pacing was all over the place.

I,loved this book it was dual time-line and was so interesting and intriguing from start to finish. The characters were great and I was rooting for the present day character to find happiness in the end. Another winner from Alexandra. My thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book in return for an honest review.

„Three women divided by time but connected by the long-hidden secrets of the past. As their stories join in a golden thread, a terrible injustice might finally be undone…“
Allein das hörte sich schon mal sehr vielversprechend an, und zusammen mit dem wunderschönen Cover verspricht das Buch eine spannende Geschichte mit Abstechern in die Antike. Und gleich vorab: alle meine Erwartungen wurden erfüllt 😉.
Hierum geht es auf Deutsch: Wir sind in zwei Zeitebenen unterwegs. Im Jahre 1900 sind wir in England bei Alice Webster. Der englischen Oberschicht entstammend, hat Alice gerade einen amourösen Skandal verursacht und leidet an gebrochenem Herzen. Ihre Familie schickt sie gemeinsam mit ihrer Tante Agatha und deren 2 Söhnen auf eine Europareise – einerseits als Ablenkung und Heilung gedacht, andererseits eine gute Möglichkeit, in der Heimat Gras über die Sache zu wachsen. Und so findet sich Alice einige Wochen später auf Kreta und darf bei Ausgrabungen des mystischen Palasts von Knossos assistieren…und nebenbei sich selbst und eine neue Liebe finden.
Im hier und jetzt sind wir bei Eloise, die gerade ihren Ehemann verloren hat. Auch Eloise braucht Heilung, und nimmt sich eine Auszeit. Ihr Schwiegervater Quinn, Hobby-Archäologe und Wissenschaftler, hat ihr sein Häuschen auf Kreta vermacht, und unter der griechischen Sonne findet langsam auch Eloise wieder zu sich selbst. Als Eloise Quinns Nachlass durchforstet, stößt sie auf Tagebücher, die eine andere junge Frau 100 Jahre vor ihr im selben Haus geschrieben hat: es ist natürlich Alice, und über die Tagebücher entsteht eine Verbindung zwischen den beiden…..
Nun spricht der Klappentext aber von 3 Frauen, und die dritte im Bunde ist die mythologische kretische Prinzessin Ariadne, der sowohl Alice als auch Eloise in ihren Träumen nahe stehen…..“stories from the past begin to echo through Alice’s life.“ heißt es, und genauso ergeht es auch Eloise…
Mein Leseeindruck: First things first – die ersten paar Seiten fand ich anstrengend und habe nicht ganz gepeilt, was los ist. Wir sind auf der Beerdigung von Eloises Gatten, und ich hatte den Eindruck, ich werde totgeschlagen von -zig Leuten und Namen, und habe keine Ahnung, wer mit wem wie in Verbindung steht und wieso die Hälfte der Leute sich anscheinend nicht leiden kann. Das hat mich gestresst, ich war erschlagen, und ich habe kurzfristig überlegt, wenn das so weitergeht, ist das nix für mich. Glücklicherweise wurde es besser, und zwar Klassen besser. Nachdem ich mich sozusagen eingelesen habe, hatte mich die Story gepackt. Ich fand beide Heldinnen. Eloise und Alice, super sympathisch, in ihren Dramen so nachvollziehbar und war gefesselt. Die Verbindung zwischen den beiden Erzählsträngen war spannend, das verbindende Element die griechische Mythologie und die kretischen archäologischen Ausgrabungen, dafür habe ich ja eh ein Faible.
Für mich hatte der Roman alles: Liebe, Freundschaft, Familie, Mystery, ein interessantes Setting, bzw. mehrere faszinierende Settings, und tolle glaubwürdige Charaktere. Ich habe das Buch in ein paar wenigen Tagen durchgelesen gehabt, irgendwann hatte es Sogwirkung 😊, und ich musste hinter die Geheimnisse kommen 😊.
Vom Schreibstil her flüssig und auch als Nicht-Muttersprachler gut lesbar, aber doch mit ein bisschen mehr sprachlicher Eleganz. Hat mir sehr gut gefallen.
Ich fand auch, dass alles sehr gut recherchiert war: sowohl das ausgehende viktorianische Zeitalter als auch die griechische Mythologie waren sehr gut dargestellt. Vieles um Ariadne und die Minoer war mir unbekannt, aber dank Ms Walsh habe ich ganz nebenbei einige Wissenslücken aufgefüllt.
Ja, war sehr schön, hat mich emotional abgeholt! Ich gebe 4,5 von 5 Sternen und bedanke mich bei Boldwood Books und Netgalley für das Rezensionsexemplar!

This dual time time book transported me to a different world.From the intriguing funeral at the beginning, and the big sin that Alice committed in 1900, the stories unfold in fascinating ways. I enjoyed this exploration of love in its various forms, from manipulation to genuine and compassionate love. Domestic violence and deception is also handled sensitively. The power of friendship and the support of family and friends comes through nicely. The historical background of archaeology was well done and I was pleased to read about the women involved at the turn of the century. I enjoyed my time with this cast of characters, and learned a bit along the way. Thanks to NetGalley for an advance copy of this book. I hope to read more from this author.

Two story from different time, connected by same place The Sfragida House in Greek and surprising discover happend. Eloise from present time just lost her husband, not sadness she feel but relieve. No one know who really her husband is, how manipulatif and abusive he is. Alice from 1900 time suffer heart broken for loving the unavailable men and shake her family. She following her aunt jouney through europe and involve with ancient dig.

I really enjoy this reading, Eloise deserve Claud and her happiness, her freedom. I happy Alice eyes open and can she through rose colour glasses, i glad she meet george who share the same heart broke. The theme in this book is about mythologhy and reincarnation, i believe in them and fun following their journey from three (yes!) different timelines.

#TheForgottenPalace #AlexandraWalsh #BoldwoodBooks #NetGalley #ARC

This book started with a gripping and memorable funeral scene which intrigued me and made me want to read on. It wasn’t clear for a while how the two timelines were connected, but each was enjoyable and I liked the main female characters, who were both spirited and interesting.
The book occasionally wore its research a little heavily, and I felt that there was a little too much information about Theosophy and the excavations at times, slowing the pace more than I would have liked. There was a mystical element which didn’t entirely convince me but I very much liked the author’s new take on the Minotaur myth. I found the writing skilful and there were deeper themes which added to the enjoyment of the story, which had an emotional punch in places.
I received a free advance copy in exchange for an honest review and am grateful for the opportunity to read this book, which I’m sure anyone with an interest in historical fiction, especially fiction set in Greece, would enjoy. Thank you to Netgalley and Boldwood Books for the opportunity to read it.

The Forgotten Palace by Alexandra Walsh is a marvellous dual timeline novel that delighted my senses as the past explodes to life.
The story links events in 1900 with present day and the dawn of time, as the reader accompanies the characters to an archeological dig in Crete. In both time periods the characters stay in the same house and visit the dig of Arthur Evans who was a real life person. Fact and fiction collide to weave a terrific tale.
In both time periods the leading ladies are escaping lives in Britain to heal from trauma. Both have been either physically and/or mentally abused and duped by men. In modern day we see the leading lady believing that the abuse is somehow her fault and that he will not do it again. There are some hard to read scenes as the reader realizes the state of the relationship before the character.
Both leading ladies are linked by dreams as voices from the past call to them.
We see the importance of closing the circle that has remained open for a hundred years. We applaud the returning home.
Family is important. We see that love helps to heal broken lives.
Alexandra Walsh has woven a beautiful tale, capturing the exotic locations of the dig. The heat, light and dazzling beauty of the landscape all spring to life as we ‘experience’ the dig in 1900 and revisit the site in present day.
The Forgotten Palace is a read that awakens the senses and emotions in the reader as we lose ourselves for a few hours between the pages.
I received a free copy from Rachel’s Random Resources for a blog tour. A favourable review was not required. All opinions are my own.

From the intriguing prologue to the very last page I was captivated by this novel. Two women, a century apart, betrayed by lovers escape to the sunny island of Crete. A wonderful dual timeline novel. I loved it. I've holidayed in Crete before and was transported back there. Wonderful descriptions of the food, the scenery topped of by a great storyline.

I have enjoyed all of the Alexandra walsh books. This one was particularly good as I have been to Crete and I could smell the heat and the olives! It tackles difficult subjects very well and very sympathetically.
I would recommend it to readers of Rachel Hore and Katherine Webb.

I’ve read several books by this author and all have been really good. They’re well written and involve some aspect of history. This book has dual timelines and each deal with an emotional upheaval. I do think the present day story was a bit more intense.
Thanks to Rachel’s Random Resources for the early copy

What can I say about this book. It has dual timelines. I found the book to.be a little bit too descriptive, and I somewhat lost interest because of it. It was overall a good book. Thank you to netgalley for letting me read this e arc in exchange for an honest opinion

This is a story that follows two timelines, but the stories are interwoven. While an interesting read, I found myself skimming sections that were very descriptive. Overall, a good book, though!

Thanks to NetGalley for an ARC copy of this book!
The Forgotten Palace is a dual timeline narrative- between present day and the early 20th century. It's two main women characters are both in search of new beginnings after some pretty awful men in their lives take advantage of them.

Things that I enjoyed: great character development- I especially liked both of the women and how they grew into their own during the story. With that being said, the character development didn't slow down the plot line of the book- it moved at a pretty fast pace. I also liked that this was loosely based on historical events, and while it could have, it didn't get too far into the world of magical realism.

Things I didn't like: I think the ending missed some loose ends (and not in a good way); the end came together too quickly and didn't feel like it was fully thought out. There's no really any big plot twist, I was just expecting the ending to be different and I was disappointed in how it ended so fast and incomplete. Overall though the first 90% of the book is excellent.