Title: ONCE UPON A CHRISTMAS CASTLE
Author: Virginia Barlow
Publisher: The Wild Rose Press
Pages: 276
Genre: Holiday Romance
BOOK BLURB:
Lady Rosalind Chatham journeys with her family to Weston Castle to wed an ancient earl on Christmas day. Yearning for true love, she falls for the duke, her stepfather’s cousin, while preparing her nuptials. Lady Rosalind entrances the Duke of Weston. Concerned for her future with the tempestuous earl, he can’t afford to get involved. The fines and scandal will be too great for a man of his wealth and power. When the truth comes to light, and he almost loses her forever, he finds he cannot afford to give less than his whole heart.
What Critics Are Saying:
“Loved this holiday romance between Lady Rosalind (Ruby) and the charismatic Duke of Weston. Facing a forced marriage to a loathsome noble, Rosalind uncovers lies and betrayal which almost cost her the life of the man she loves.
With plot twists, devious characters, attempted abduction, and touches of humor– thanks to a little boy and his unpredictable pet frog– this Christmas novel is a delightful holiday read!”
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FAVORITE QUOTE FROM FIRST CHAPTER:
Allowing
her gaze to roam the enchanting scene before her, she wondered how the
gate to her private hell could resemble the entrance to heaven.
BOOK COVER:
Strikingly beautiful. Love the graphic. Love the shading.
FIRST CHAPTER REVIEW:
Boy do I wish I had more time so I could have finished the book but the whole review will come soon. Meanwhile, this first chapter was delightful!
It's November 1813 and Lady Rosalind Chatham is getting her very first peek at Weston Castle. In all its splendor, even the castle couldn't persuade Rosalind to change her mood. For this is where she would marry the Earl of Gloucester, not her choice by no means...the next day. On Christmas Day at that. The author writes, "Feeling as though she received a lump of coal in her stocking, a shiver of revulsion skated down her spine when his wrinkled face and snowy white hair popped into her head." For those not following along, I gather that if this was the last person on earth, she still wouldn't marry the fellow if circumstances were different. I'm picturing her quite repulsed and I'm taking it that Lady Rosalind Chatham must have gotten the short stick with the men in her life and that he was just going to have to be the one.
Now, to be fair, after reading more into the chapter, one realizes that it's the mother who is hell-bent on finding a suitor for her daughter but not just anyone - one of nobility so the Earl was it. Only a certain frog that the Lady's brother brought along ended up causing a commotion at first meeting with the Earl. Of course, Mother is all aghast thinking the Earl certainly wouldn't want to have people with frogs into their social circle and everything gets screwed up. All the plans for her daughter to marry into nobility gets washed away so Mother thinks. But the Earl takes it better than you would think. Maybe he is smitten by what he sees (Lady Rosalind Chatham) and frogs don't deter him from his quest to make Lady Rosalind his betrothed.
KEEP READING?
Ok, you know when you start reading a book, it takes some time before you get involved with the characters, the plot, etc.? I was involved from the getgo. The author's way with words helps to mesmerize you and it was reading like a fairy tale.
I'm not sure how it's going to go - will she marry the Earl? Will her life get better than she pictured? Will Mother become a raging inferno when it comes to doing the right thing and what will happen to the frog? Stay tuned to find out!
Virginia Barlow has always loved reading romance novels. She used to sneak into her mom’s room as a young girl and read them while her mother was gone. As she grew older, her reading tastes expanded to sci-fi, dystopian, paranormal, and fantasy.
She considered becoming an author in her late twenties but as a busy mother with toddlers, she didn’t have the time or the energy. Later, in her fifties, she decided to give it a try and has enjoyed every moment of it since. She recently signed her fourteenth contract and is over the moon with excitement. Writing is truly her happy place.
Her husband of forty-one years is her greatest support as are all her children. Most of them are grown and carving out lives for themselves. But they are the beat of her heart and with every grandchild, the rhythm gets stronger. She enjoys every moment of her life and plans to live them to the fullest.
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