Woman In The Lake

Written by Nicola Cornick

Narrated by Rebecca Courtney, Malk Williams, Imogen Church and Charlie Sanderson

For fans of Kate Morton and Tracy Rees comes a captivating novel about two women, separated by centuries, whose fates are bound together by one haunting secret.

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‘A fascinating tale with intriguing twists.’ Barbara Erskine
‘I was hooked from the first pages.’ Gill Paul
‘Atmospheric and compelling’ Sarah Morgan
‘You just can’t put it down. Brilliant!’ Katie Fforde

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‘I see it all again: the silver moon swimming beneath the water and the golden gown billowing out about her…’

1765: Lady Isabella Gerard asks her maid to take her new golden gown and destroy it. Its shimmering beauty has been tainted by the actions of her husband the night before.

Three months later: Lord Eustace Gerard stands beside the lake looking down at the woman in the golden gown. As the body slowly rolls over to reveal her face, it’s clear this is not his intended victim…

1996: Fenella Brightwell steals a stunning gown from a stately home. Twenty years later and reeling from the end of an abusive marriage, she wonders if it has cursed her all this time. Now she’s determined to discover the history behind the beautiful golden dress…

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Also published in ebook as The Woman in the Golden Dress.

• Language: English
• Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
• Release date: Mar 7, 2019
• ISBN: 9780263930900

Nicola Cornick

International bestselling author Nicola Cornick writes historical romance for HQN Books and time slip romance for MIRA UK. She became fascinated with history when she was a child, and spent hours poring over historical novels and watching costume drama. She studied history at university and wrote her master’s thesis on heroes. Nicola also acts as a historical advisor for television and radio. In her spare time she works as a guide in a 17th century mansion.

Reviews for Woman In The Lake

[kbranfield-837433 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Weaving between past and present, The Woman in the Lake by Nicola Cornick is a captivating mystery with slight romantic and supernatural elements.

In the present, Fenella "Fen" Brightwell  has returned to her home town to start over. She has been divorced from her abusive husband, Jake, for two years but she fears he will track her down.  When she receives a bequest from her grandmother, Fen's sense of dread increases and she reverts to an old childhood habit.  With the unexpected help of her best friend's brother Hamish Ross, Fen hopes to uncover information about the gown that the seems to have a hold over her. Before they can learn the truth, Fen finds herself in grave danger but will she escape the situation unscathed?

In the past, Lady Isabella Gerard is in an abusive marriage with her husband, Eustace. Following a severe beating after he gives her a beautiful gown, she and her lady's maid, Constance, leave London for her country home.  Although Isabella has no plans to wear the gown, Constance brings it with them after she disobeys Eustace's orders to destroy it. Upon their arrival, Isabella is consumed with painting and Constance plots a way to escape the Gerard family.  The situation takes a tragic turn that forever alters both Isabella and Constance's lives.

The Woman in the Lake  is a very atmospheric novel that is fast-paced and engaging. The two story arcs are well-written and quite fascinating.  Each of the characters are vibrantly developed but not all of them are particularly likable. The gown is what ties the two storylines together, but  Nicola Cornick does not reveal the connection until the novel's surprising conclusion. This entertaining story is quite enjoyable and I highly recommend it to readers who enjoy a dash of mystery, a hint of romance and a slight supernatural element.

[darcia_10 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

The Woman in the Lake is really two different stories, from two very different timelines, united only by the golden gown. The constant shifting from one timeline to another can make this a difficult book to settle into.I enjoyed the historical timeline, set in the mid 1700s. This setting came alive for me, and the characters and their situations drew me in. The modern-day timeline didn't intrigue me nearly as much, particularly through the first half of the book. The second half of the book pulled me out of the sleepy lull. I wanted to know what happened with all the women, and I finally started connecting with Fen in the present timeline. The content explores the issue of domestic abuse, both emotional and physical. This, I think, is the book's strength, as we see the lasting effects on a woman's life. There is a strong paranormal aspect to this book that isn't explained away with any rationality, so you have to be willing to take that leap in order to enjoy the story.*I received an advance copy from the publisher, via Amazon Vine.*

[mishker-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

In London, 1765 the philandering and abusive Lord Gerard becomes so enraged at his wife, Lady Isabella that he commissions a beautiful gold gown meant to kill her. When his plan fails, Lord Gerard enlists his Moonraker pal and Lady Isabella's maid, Constance to destroy the dress. However, both Lady Isabella and Constance become so enraptured with the dress that the task is never completed. Lady Isabella decides to escape the city and convalesce in Lydiard, away from her husband. The dress calls to her though, possessing Lady Isabella. In 2004, Fenella Brightwell takes a school trip to Lydiard. Fen has kleptomania tendencies and when she walks into a small room at Lydiard, she sees a drunken man in time period clothing staring at a golden dress. Fen is spooked, but before she goes the golden dress calls out to her- take me. Years later, Fen is out of an abusive relationship and has created a stable life for herself. Then, she gets a package in the mail. The golden dress has made its way back to her life with a strange message- danger. The Woman in the Lake is an enchanting dual-time mystery that pulled me into the story just as the dress made its way into the character's lives. From the beginning I was engrossed with the puzzle of who the woman in the lake was and the importance of the dress. The narrative switched between Isabella, Constance and Fen's point of view tying together their experiences with the pull of the golden dress. While the dress enhanced the worst traits in all of the woman, the dress also seemed to make it possible for the women to rid themselves of an even bigger problem, the men in the lives. As Fen investigated the history of the dress, the similarities between herself and Isabella became apparent with a love of art and a knack for falling for abusive men. Constance was a very interesting character to me as it was not apparent as to where her loyalties lied, however, she was definitely the most clever. The golden dress was a character in itself; as I read about the qualities of the dress, I felt possessed myself as I felt the need to continue to read in order to unravel its mystery. I would have loved to know how exactly the power was created. Overall, a captivating story mixing history, mystery and a touch of magic. This book was received for free in return for an honest review.

[bookscookslooks · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The Woman in the Lake is a dual time line tale with a gold silk dress spanning the generations. In the 18th century Lady Isabella is living with an abusive husband. One night he gives her an unexpected gift; a beautiful golden gown. Her husband rapes her while wearing it so it loses it’s beauty in her eyes so her maid feels it will be easy to follow her master’s orders to destroy the gown. But she finds that her mistress does not want it destroyed, just put away. This creates a problem for the lady’s maid – for she has been given an order.In the 21st century we meet Fenella as a young girl as she goes on a school trip. As she is walking through the estate she experiences some kind of time warp and finds walking into a room and the 18th century. There she finds and steals the beautiful golden gown. It seems to hold some kind of power over her and almost talk to her, compelling her to do things. She puts it away in a drawer and forgets about it. Until many years in the future when her grandmother dies and her sister is cleaning out the house and finds a box that is to be sent to Fenella. Inside is the beautiful golden gown.As her life starts to spiral Fenella wonders if the gown has something to do with it. As she learns more about its origins she finds that she has more in common with the original owner than she cares to admit. But she has one thing that Lady Isabella does not – a supportive man.This was a really good read. The stories in both eras were of equal interest – this is unusual for me. I tend to prefer the historical time line. The writing was moody and dark and full of characters both evil and quite normal. The plot moved along quite nicely, moving between periods smoothly and appropriately. There is a lot going on in this book – far more than I’ve gone into or the synopsis indicates. I just don’t want to give everything away. It’s a great book to curl up with for an afternoon’s reading. It’s got too many ghostly goings on to be a before bed kind of read – at least for me. But it’s a book that kept my interest until the very end.