4 Stars from me.
This is book one in the series Bluebell Castle.
Lucie Kennington is down in the dumps after being accused of fraud at the art auction house where she works. Her mother finds an advertisement for a job to apprise and log the contents of a castle in Derbyshire. Lucie saw this as an opportunity to redeem her reputation and maybe make a once-in-a-lifetime discovery. She did not count on falling in love with the lord of the castle, Arthur Ludworth. Lucie and Arthur spend a lot of time together combing through an ancestor’s journals and searching for that elusive treasure.
Arthur is struggling to keep the castle going with very little funds, but he is determined to make it work. He has a supportive family and Lucie quickly falls in love with all of them. Lucie is hiding a huge secret from Arthur, and this creates some friction between them.
I really enjoyed reading this book. Arthur makes for a great leading man and I liked him and Lucie together. Arthur’s family are also interesting and fills out the cast of characters nicely. Lucie has a lot of conflicting emotions to deal with and she doesn’t always make the wisest choices.
The author gave the castle and Ludworth family a rich and interesting history and the search for the lost painting was intriguing. The writing is well done, and it was fun to read.
I can definitely recommend it and would love to read the next book.
I received an advanced copy of the book from Netgalley to review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Was I hooked by this book? Yes, it was sweet and romantic.
Genre: Contemporary Romance