The Painted Castle

GIVEAWAY

CAMBRON, KRISTY
THE PAINTED CASTLE

A lost painting of Queen Victoria
A library bricked off from the world.
And three women, separated by time, whose lives are irrevocably changed.

When art historican Kiera Foley is hired to authenticate a painting of a centuries-old East Suffolk maor, she hopes this is just the thing to get her career and life back on t rack. But from the time she arrives at Parham Hill Estate and begins working alongside rumored art thief Emory Scott, she's left with far more questions than answers. Could this lost painting of Queen Victoria be a duplicate of the original Winterhalter masterpiece, and if so, who is the artist?

As Keira begins to unravel the mystery behind the portrait, two women emerge from the estate's forgotten past. In Victorian England, talented sketch artist Elizabeth Meade is engaged to Viscount Huxley, then owner of Parham Hill. However, Elizabeth's real motive for being at Parham Hill has nothing to do with art or marriage. She's determined to avenge her father's brutal murder -- even if it means a betrothal to the very man she believes committed the crime.

A century later, Amelia Woods -- a World War II widow who has turned Parham Hill and its beloved library into a boarding school for refugee children -- receives military orders to house a troop of American pilots. She is determined the children in her care will remain untouched by the war, but the task is proving difficult with officers taking up every square inch of their world...and one in particular vying for a space in Amelia's long-shut up heart.

Set in three time periods -- the rapid change of Victorian England, the peak of England's homefront tensions at the end of WWII, and modern day -- The Painted Castle unfolds a story of heartache and hope and unlocks secrets lost for generations just waiting to be foudn.

My Review:

Once upon a time there was an avid reader who had her brain fried by the sheer artistry of an author's storytelling. The reader's short circuited neurons left her incapable of composing a review worthy of such literary mastery which resulted in ineffectual garbled run-on sentences as well as an accumulation of exclamation marks that would send an editor into fits of the vapors. (insert deep breath here.)

Redundant phrases such as "This book is so good!!!!!"  and "Too many heroes to swoon over!!!!! (note the exuberant punctuation) monopolized the review. Also, a disproportionate number of THUDs are cause for serious concussion concerns. Which may explain my muddle-headed addlepatedness. So, in the interest of clarity I've resorted to reviewing The Painted Castle in brief spurts of euphoria as follows:

Evocative word choice!!
Spellbinding plots!!!
Triple timelines!!!! (Each story could easily read as a standalone novel)
Impeccable pacing in regards to how the author weaves in and out of each time period.
Reference of a favourite childhood picture book in a meaningful way (goosebumps on my goosebumps!!!!)
Fiesty heroines and swoonworthy heroes!!!! (x 3)
Toe-curling glimpses of my man Cormac (Castle on the Rise) bouncing between protective big brother mode and besotted daddy mode!!!!
Tears-by-the-bucketful emotional romance (x3)
Epic Epilogue!!!!!!
Hope and Redemption
There's even a wee bit o' Christmas
And Amy Rubinate's incredible narration is the icing on the cake! Rich and delicious and soul satisfying!!!

Sign me gobsmacked.

"It's never about the end of a road, is it? It's about living and loving and the journey we take to get where we are. Right now. Right to this very moment...What lasts isn't what we build on our own, but the stories He builds in and around us."

GIVEAWAY OPPORTUNITY:

If you would like a chance to win a copy of The Painted Castle, leave a comment below or email me at kavluvstoreadATyahooDOTca. If you add an email to your comment, remember to use AT and DOT instead of @ and . in order to protect yourself from spammers. If you enter the draw via email, please add the title to the subject line so it's easy to spot your entry. Draw will be held and winner announced on Saturday October 26 2019. Offer open to International Readers. Good luck!