She wasn’t looking for love…
When Lucie Kennington flees the bright lights of London for the quiet Derbyshire countryside, she’s shocked to discover that the heir to the Bluebell Castle estate is far from the wizened employer she expected.
In fact, Arthur Ludworth might just be the most handsome man Lucie’s ever laid eyes on – and a terrible distraction! So when she stumbles across a legendary painting feared lost for centuries, she can’t believe her luck – perhaps this is the hidden treasure to save Arthur and his family from ruin?
But it’s only a matter of time before Lucie’s past catches up with her and by then it’s too late, she’s falling for him…
Review: This is the first part of a new trilogy from Sarah Bennett. I have already read her last two trilogies, set in Lavender Bay and Butterfly Cove, both of which I really enjoyed, and I have been looking forward to release of this series. As anticipated, this book had me hooked from page one and kept me coming back right to the end. I am already looking forward to reading the next book in the series.
The story concerns Lucie Kennington, an art expert working for a prodigious auction house in London. When a shocking event casts a shadow over her and her career, she ends up answering an advert for a position valuing the contents of Bluebell Castle in Derbyshire. The current head of the family who own the castle, Sir Arthur Ludworth, is desperately looking for ways to keep it running, maintaining its heritage and safeguarding the jobs of its staff and many of the local people. Lucie arrives to find a gargantuan task ahead of her and what appears initially to be a chaotic household. Arthur is one of triplets, all of whom live in the castle, with a great aunt, an uncle, a small staff and a huge number of dogs. The difficulties associated with negotiating the corridors of the castle and the records kept by Arthur’s ancestors become complicated by her growing attraction to its handsome owner. Lucie makes an incredible discovery that can save the family from ruin, but how will they react when they find out about her past?
I can highly recommend this book. It is not just a lovely romance, but also a story full of comedy. I really enjoyed the relationships within the family living in the castle, the triplets banding together to save their home and heritage, while the older generation were living in the past and the servants were somewhere in the middle. The huge pack of dogs sharing the castle with the humans added to the overall disarray in the household. I felt a great deal of sympathy with Lucie; she has been wronged from an early age and definitely deserves a break. It was heartwarming to watch her relationship with Arthur develop. I was cheering them on, but never sure how it was all going to end, and, indeed, if the castle could be saved. Definitely an enjoyable read, and one that might appeal in particular to anyone with an interest in Arthurian legend; the castle is full of links to the legend due to an ancestor’s fascination with tales of the king and his court.
Book 1: Spring Skies Over Bluebell Castle
Book 2: Sunshine Over Bluebell Castle
Book 3: Starlight Over Bluebell Castle
No comments:
Post a Comment