By Kelly Bridgewater

About the Book

Book: Love in the Castle Library (In the Castle Library Book 2)

Author: Ann Swindell

Genre: Contemporary Christian Romance

Release Date: October 15, 2025

Predictability and efficiency have marked Delphine DuVert’s orderly life as Castle Stewardess in the small European country of Lethersby—until she is tasked by the monarchy to hire a British researcher. Lethersby needs help solving the 100-year-old mystery of their Lost Queen, a young royal who disappeared into the night during World War I.

Delphine’s split-second decision to hire Jack Worthington, a doctoral student at the University of Oxford, has long-lasting consequences when he steps in to protect her from an angry colleague determined to ruin her life. The only catch? That protection looks like Jack posing as her beau.

Jack Worthington believes that his instinct to protect Delphine was the right one, but he’s determined to stay focused on his research for Lethersby—and keep his emotional distance after reeling from a broken heart. Yet as the clues to discovering the Lost Queen’s story unravel and the Delphine’s future hangs in the balance, both Jack and Delphine must step out in faith, choosing to trust that what God has ahead for them is worth any risk.

My Thoughts:

Love in Castle Library by Ann Swindell is a captivating romantic story filled with historical research and delight. I love the cover of the two books in this series. They capture my book-loving attention with the castle background and the idea of a story that has to do with uncovering a mystery of a missing queen. I have heard a lot of good things about the first book, so I was excited when I could read the second book. Now, I have not read the first book, so there might be some plot items that I am missing. However, as much as I wanted to follow a story with tons of research and work toward uncovering the historical aspects. The story does focus a lot on the romance between the stewardess and one of the added historical researchers. I was disappointed that the historical research was there, but it kind of played around on the edges of the story. The romance took the front seat of the plot, and the historical aspect took a back seat. Unfortunately, I enjoy a story where romance happens because of all the time they spend together researching and realizing how excited the hunt makes them, and the two characters grow close over this. While Swindell does understand a good story, I believe that fans of contemporary romance will probably adore the heavy romance aspect. On the other hand, I, personally, felt that the story dragged on and on. Overall, Love in the Castle Library by Ann Swindell is a delightful contemporary romance, but for me, it was a little over the top. I wished the historical research took precedent over the romance thread.

I received a complimentary copy of Love in the Castle Library by Ann Swindell, but the opinions stated are all my own.

My Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

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About the Author

ANN SWINDELL writes stories that point to Christ’s presence in our day-to-day lives and the hope He brings to our hearts. She is the award-winning author of multiple books and the owner of Writing with Grace, where she teaches Christ-centered writing classes for women. Ann lives in West Michigan, and she enjoys adventuring with her family…usually with a cup of Earl Grey tea in hand.

More from Ann

Love in the Castle Library is set in two of my favorite places—one imaginary, and one real. When I started the In the Castle Library series, the main character’s journey in book one (Christmas in the Castle Library) takes her to Lethersby, a small, fictional European country full of tradition, beauty, and charm. I tried to put much of what I love about Europe into this fictional country that I wish existed. From what readers have told me, they wish it was real, too!

Book two, Love in the Castle Library, is also set in the castle in Lethersby, but I decided to make my hero and heroine take a jaunt to Oxford, England—my favorite real country outside of the USA.

I spent a summer in college studying abroad in England, and Oxford was the city that captured my heart. The “city of dreaming spires” is ancient, beautiful, and academic—a heady mix for a nineteen-year-old girl who traveled there for the first time. I even gave a nod to one of Oxford’s most well-known professors through the hero’s name, Jack.*

I had the gift of getting to go back to Oxford with my family over a decade ago, and while I’m aching to go again, including some of my favorite places in Love in the Castle Library helped me to enjoy the city vicariously through my characters. Look for some of my favorite places to eat—including Ben’s Cookies and the King’s Arms—when the characters visit. And if you ever have the opportunity to make it to Oxford, make the effort to buy one of those cookies (they’re sold by weight!) and enjoy some ice cream at G&D’s…the hero recommends chocolate of any kind (and so do I!).

I hope you love this story as much as I do, and that these tastes of beautiful places, both real and imagined, point your heart to the beauty of Christ that is at the heart of every story I write.

*Jack was C.S. Lewis’s nickname, and he taught at Magdalen College in Oxford from 1925-1954.