Girl in the Castle: Henriette’s Highland Hideaway by Lizzie Lamb
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Girl In The Castle is a romance set in Scotland. Doctor Henriette Bruar (Henri) has run away from a scandal at her university to spend a few months cataloguing the contents of the library at Castle Tèarmannair. She is employed by Laird Malcolm MacKenzie, and hopes to find enough valuable books to help pay off some of the castle’s many debts.
Henri faces a frosty reception from the lecherous laird’s employees and his son, as they all believe she is one more in a long line of useless, money draining floozies. But she isn’t in the mood for romance, and intends to do the work she was employed to do and write her university paper in her free time.
There are few books in the library worth saving, but Henri does find old household accounts which might be of some value, and she shares her find with the Laird’s son, Keir. They agree to keep the find secret from Malcolm until they can get them valued in case he rushes to sell them off. However Henri is convinced that she’s missing something important in her search.
The author paints a great picture of the Scottish landscape and the castle setting adding details about Scottish traditions, legends, tartan and whisky. The dialogue is interlaced with lots of Gaelic and lowland Scottish dialect which, at times, slowed down the book, but this is my own preference in reading; others will find it a great addition.
As always one of the great strengths in this author’s work is her secondary characters, such as outspoken Aunt Alice, chatelaine of the castle, and controversial Lachlan, the Laird’s man. Together they add humour and ground the story when it threatens to take flight, and rumours about Henri and Keir abound.
This book will appeal to readers who love a traditional romance and who enjoy historic Scottish settings.
View all my reviews on Goodreads
Book Description
Her academic career in tatters, Dr Henriette Bruar needs somewhere to lay low, plan her comeback and restore her tarnished reputation. Fate takes her to a remote Scottish castle to auction the contents of an ancient library to pay the laird’s mounting debts. The family are in deep mourning over a tragedy which happened years before, resulting in a toxic relationship between the laird and his son, Keir MacKenzie. Cue a phantom piper, a lost Jacobite treasure, and a cast of characters who – with Henri’s help, encourage the MacKenzies to confront the past and move on. However – will the Girl in the Castle be able to return to university once her task is completed, and leave gorgeous, sexy Keir MacKenzie behind?
About the author
With Scottish, Irish, and Brazilian blood in her veins, it’s hardly surprising that Lizzie Lamb is a writer. She even wrote extra scenes for the films she watched as a child and acted out in the playground with her friends. She is ashamed to admit that she kept all the good lines for herself. Luckily, she saves them for her readers these days.
Lizzie’s love of writing went on hold while she pursued a successful teaching career, finishing up as a Deputy Head teacher of a large primary school. Since deciding to leave the profession to realise her dream of becoming a published novelist, Lizzie hasn’t looked back. She wrote Tall, Dark and Kilted – which echoes her love of her homeland in every page, not to mention heroes in kilts – and published it. Lizzie loves the quick fire interchange between the hero and heroine – like in old black and white Hollywood movies – and hope this comes over in her writing.
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Thank you.
I’ve read nothing but good reviews on this book. I really must get around to reading it.,
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Thank you, Judith. I really enjoyed writing it and when I typed THE END, I really missed the characters.
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Ah, always a good sign, Lizzie. Bumped up the TBR pile.
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Hi Rosie,Just voted for you for Best Book Blog. I hope you win.Cheers,Harry.
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Thank you.
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After reading your review I have put this one on my to read list. Thank you.
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That’s lovely to hear.
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Thank you so much ‘Cookies and Moo’. I hope that you read it one day soon. Do let me know what you thought of it.
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Many thanks for your kind review Rosie, and for putting out in such an attractive form. I’m just getting over the launch of Girl in the Castle and wondering whether I’ll be able to drag myself away from Scotland for #5 or will find myself in the highlands before the end of the summer.
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I loved this book so much, Rosie I couldn’t recommend it enough! Glad to see that you agree 🙂 It was a pleasure reading your review, as usual. 🙂
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Thanks Isabella- i’m so glad you enjoyed Girl in the Castle. I think Rosiie caught the spirit of it in her review.
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I read this book over 3 days because I couldn’t put it down. It’s a fab read 🙂
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Thanks for joining in with the conversation Judy. It’s lovely when regions actually enjoy something which is taken 18 months to write!!
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regions = readers. (blasted auto correct).
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I so enjoyed reading Lizzie’s latest romance. Girl in the castle has everything. Love, intrigue and adventure all work together to produce a right good read!
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Thanks Joan, I’m so glad you enjoyed it.,I might quote you – right good read 👍🏻
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Great review Rosie, I love all of Lizzie’s books and really feel this one shows her clever, multi-layered style to great effect. Wonderful characters, intriguing mystery and beautifully handled romance. Definitely one of my faves of 2017 so far! X
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Thanks Adrienne. Looking fwd to discussing ‘where I go next,’ over a glass of wine one day soon.
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This sounds like a fantastic book. I truly have to get on board here and set aside some time to read some of Lizzie Lamb’s books (I do have a few on my iPad that I haven’t managed to work down to).
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I know the feeling – so many books; so little time. I hope that my books wriggle to the top of the pile one day soon.
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Lovely review, Rosie. Once started, Lizzie’s latest is hard to put down. Magical setting, great characters, lots of humour. A really great read!
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Thanks June, my mind’s full of the NEXT ONE. Looking fwd to discussing it with you soon over a cup of strong coffee. Thanks for commenting.
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Cracking review, Rosie. I’m currently reading this book and thoroughly enjoying it 🙂 X
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Thanks, Jan, we’re all waiting with bated breath for the sequel to As Weekends Go. Thanks for leaving a comment.
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Reblogged this on Don Massenzio's Blog and commented:
Check out the book, Girl in the Castle, by Lizzie Lamb, as featured on the Rosie Amber blog
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Another stonkingly good review, I’m looking forward to immersing myself in the romance and intrigue of Castle Tearmannair and it’s characters soon, very soon.
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What an excellent review, and so well deserved. I’ve loved all of Lizzie Lamb’s previous novels but for me this is her best yet. Such vivid descriptions of Scotland and its traditions, absolutely fascinating. And a deeply romantic read.
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