By Kelly Bridgewater
Leedswick Castle has housed the Alnwick family
in the English countryside for generations, despite a family curse determined
to destroy their legacy and erase them from history.
1870. After a disastrous dinner at the Astor
mansion forces her to flee New York in disgrace, socialite Beatrice Holbrook
knows her performance in London must be a triumph. When she catches the eye of
Charles Alnwick, one of the town’s most enviably-titled bachelors, she prepares
to attempt a social coup and become the future Marchioness of Northridge. When
tragedy and scandal strike the Alnwick family, Beatrice must assume the role of
a lifetime: that of her true, brave self.
1917. Artist Elena Hamilton arrives in
Northumberland determined to transform a soldier’s wounds into something
beautiful. Tobias Alnwick’s parents have commissioned a lifelike mask to help
their son return to his former self after battle wounds partially destroyed his
face. But Elena doesn’t see a man who needs fixing—she sees a man who needn’t
hide. Yet secrets from their past threaten to chase away the peace they’ve
found in each other and destroy the future they’re creating.
1945. Alec Alnwick returns home from the war
haunted but determined to leave death and destruction behind. With the help of
Brigitta Mayr, the brilliant young psychoanalyst whose correspondence was a
lifeline during his time on the Western Front, he reconstructs his family’s
large estate into a rehabilitation center for similarly wounded soldiers. Now
Alec’s efforts may be the only chance to redeem his family legacy—and break the
curse on the Alnwick name—once and for all.
My Thoughts:
The 1870 era novella by Aimie K. Runyan starts
after some of the curse has already been placed on the house. With a hasty
wedding and a family that does not really like Beatrice, the plot has is
guaranteed to be a conflict of interest from the first meeting. Charles and
Beatrice knows the wedding is the perfect recipe for a loving marriage, but
they learn to trust each other no matter what Charles’ family believes. The
characters are nicely handled and crafted. Readers will root for Beatrice as
she tries to make her way as the Marchioness of Northridge. Runyan’s
description of the forgotten castle does spark my imagination and will make
readers want to wander the hallways of the castle. A nicely handled story, but
the ending came as a rush to the current curse.
The 1917 era novella by J’nell Ciesieskli features a wounded hero who wanders how to make a place in the world with his physical deformities. Enter Elena Hamilton, an artist, who wants to make her mark on this beautiful world. This novella is a kind of like a Beauty and the Beast type story. Again, readers are wandering the halls of the Leedswick Castle as the events unfold. Ciesieskli crafts a nicely handled plot with the limited amount of space that novellas allow. Readers will enjoy the connection to Leedswick Castle and the 1870’s characters.
The 1945 novella by Rachel McMillan uses
psychology to contact the hero and the heroine. Again, readers are taken to
Leedswick Castle to help recover and learn more about the curse on the house.
The characters were a little different this time. A little more freedom as the
clock is ticked away. Readers will see the change in women’s freedom through
the course of this book. McMillan characters come together after World War II,
which is one of my favorite eras to read. The plot features dreams and how to
make sense of the nightmares that plague the soldiers.
Overall, some of the novellas seemed rush to
the ending that help cure the curse for each generation. The novellas started
out with an exciting incident, then moved forward to the development of the
characters while introducing the climactic moment. But then the novella
progresses, and it is time to wrap up, so the authors rush to the conclusion.
While I believe each story could be made into a complete novel instead of just
a novella, maybe then the ending would not feel so rushed.
I received a complimentary copy of The
Castle Keepers by Aimie K. Runyan, J’nell Ciesieskli, and Rachel McMillan from
Harper Muse Publishing, but the opinions stated are all my own.
My Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars
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