Christmas In The Castle Library by Ann Swindell // Review

I'm going to get flak from my family for reading a Christmas-themed book before Thanksgiving but that's when it was being released! What was I supposed to do? See, I try to keep my Christmas celebrating to after Thanksgiving but I was so intrigued by this story that I HAD to make an exception. And it was totally worth it!

 About the Book

Ellie Sawyer has always felt more comfortable with books than people, which explains why she’s now a PhD history student, neck-deep in research, and trying to complete her doctoral dissertation in time to graduate. But the final books she needs are half a world away, in the tiny European country of Lethersby—and the only time she can access the highly secretive Royal Castle Library is over the Christmas holidays.

Ellie is determined to get to the bottom of the mystery that has eluded Lethersby scholars for over one hundred years by figuring out what happened to their long-lost queen, a young royal who disappeared into the night shortly after the outbreak of WWI. And with the help of Mark, the handsome castle staff member who shares her love of history, she just might be able to unravel the queen’s story. But Mark is keeping his own secret from her, and what they discover together could change everything for Ellie—and the entire kingdom.

 

MY REVIEW

Lovely. Just lovely. I'm a sucker for fictional kingdoms set in modern Europe. Add in a 100-year old mystery in said country and sign me up!!

I never realized how few books have female MCs like Ellie until reading this book and I'm reading this thinking, "wow, I really like this!" I so appreciate Ann making her MC in this way because I think she will be more relatable to more women.

While several aspects of this story are rather obvious, there were also a few big surprises that I really
enjoyed! Don't be fooled into thinking that this is a Hallmark-esque story. Yes, it's a journey of discovery set at Christmas, but it's WAY deeper than any Hallmark movie. I also liked the flow of the story. The "climax" is earlier than I expected, which meant that we got more story "after". It's kind of hard to explain without giving things away, but it made me happy.

I alluded to this above but this story has a great balance of sweet, light Christmas joy and deep lessons. I mean, WOW! I did a study on 1 John this summer and John 15 has been a theme for this year for me. Those are just two examples of how this book hit close to home.

I enjoyed this book immensely and I'm excited that it's a series so there will be more adventures to enjoy!


I am on the Launch Team for this book and received an ARC. All opinions are my own and a favorable review was not required.

 

 

 

 

Purchase Links

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About the Author

ANN SWINDELL writes stories that point to Christ’s presence in our day-to-day lives and the hope
He brings to our hearts. She is the author of multiple books and the owner of Writing with Grace, where she teaches Christ-centered writing classes for women. Ann lives in West Michigan, and she enjoys adventuring with her family…usually with a cup of Earl Grey tea in hand.

 

 

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