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.
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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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