Book description from Book Bub:
“A storied castle. A band of rebels.
A nation chasing a centuries-old dream of freedom.
And three women who rise above it all . . .
When Laine Forrester travels overseas to attend her best friend’s vineyard wedding, she expects to find the bride on the brink of a fairy-tale life. But after a series of unforeseen setbacks, it seems the storybook lives they’d imagined are suddenly ripping apart.
With hopes of resurrecting a happy ending, Laine agrees to accompany the newlyweds to the groom’s home in Ireland–never expecting she’d be the one drawn in by its wide-open moors, backroads bordering the Irish Sea, and a mysterious castle that dares to keep its secrets hidden.
From the storied streets of Dublin to the shores of the Emerald Isle, Laine is drawn in to the land and its rich history. The castle ruins whisper stories of Issy–a photojournalist battling through the 1916 Easter Rising, and Maeve–the castle’s lady of legend, fighting for survival through the 1798 rebellion that started it all.
Spanning more than two centuries, Castle on the Rise unites the legacy of three women who must risk mending the broken places within for life, love, and the belief that even through the depths of our pain, a masterpiece of a story can emerge.”
My review:
This book is a sequel to “The Lost Castle”. Once again, this book has three storylines of courageous women that weave together to tell the complete story of lives that revolve around a castle: Issy from 1916; Eoin from 1799; and Ellie and Laine from the present day. All of these ladies bravely face adversity in their lives with hope and love. I was glad to see the characters of Ellie, Quinn, and Laine and read more of their stories. Their storyline was my favorite part of the book, and I’m looking forward to reading more about them in the next book.
Kristy Cameron is an incrediblely gifted writer. Her research for this book was detailed and added so much to the story. But I have to admit: I almost gave up on this book after the first couple of chapters. Because of a lack of my knowledge of ancient Irish history, I felt lost at first in the 1799 section of the story and was not quite getting the 1916 storyline, either. I actually put the book down and was undecided if I wanted to finish it. But I was very interested in Ellie and Laine’s story, so I decided to give it another try. I am SO glad I did. As the book progressed, I finally got everything lined out in my mind and loved the story. The ending chapters were wonderful. It was well worth the second try.
This is a clean historical romance. It just barely squeaks in under the “Christian historical” category, but there is a small thread of faith that runs through it. This is not a drawback to the book, it’s just not as heavy on the “faith” aspect as some in that category. All in all, it’s an entertaining book and I’m glad to have read it.
I received a copy of this book from the publisher. All opinions are my own.