02 March 2019

Castle on the Rise | Book Review, Guest Post + Giveaway

ABOUT THE BOOK


A storied castle. A band of rebels. A nation chasing a centuries-old dream of freedom. And three women who rise above it all . . .

When Laine Forrester travels overseas to attend her best friend’s vineyard wedding, she expects to find the bride on the brink of a fairy tale life. But after a series of unforeseen setbacks, it seems the storybook lives they’d imagined are suddenly ripping apart.

With hopes of resurrecting a happy ending, Laine agrees to accompany the newlyweds to the groom’s home in Ireland—never expecting she’d be the one drawn in by its wide-open moors, backroads bordering the Irish Sea, and a mysterious castle that dares to keep its secrets hidden.

From the storied streets of Dublin to the shores of the Emerald Isle, Laine is drawn in to the land and its rich history. The castle ruins whisper stories of Issy—a photojournalist battling through the 1916 Easter Rising, and Maeve—the castle’s lady of legend, fighting for survival through the 1798 rebellion that started it all.

Spanning more than two centuries, Castle on the Rise unites the legacy of three women who must risk mending the broken places within—for life, love, and the belief that even through the depths of our pain, a masterpiece of a story can emerge.

Publisher: Thomas Nelson
Release Date: February 5, 2019


OTHER BOOKS IN THE SERIES


MY REVIEW

Kristy Cambron does it again. Castle on the Rise is an exquisite trip through history and ruins, worth every page.

“But there’s something about dreams that don’t need castle ruins or fairy-tale endings to make life beautiful. We  can still have the happy while we stand up to the sad.”

Laine travels with her daughter to France to attend the wedding of friend Ellie (of The Lost Castle) in the midst of life-changing challenges for them both. As a result, she ends up then traveling to Ireland as a favor to Ellie and embarks on a journey that, though riddled with violence, prejudice, and loss, unites three women across centuries, all learning what it means to be free.

“Maybe she didn’t need to have everything figured out to say yes to something newbravery could be as simple as a yes when she was at her most afraid.”

Castle on the Rise is a beautiful, bittersweet story, and I loved venturing into each of the three storylines, seeing the connections between them. I appreciated, too, that though Ellie gets her “happily ever after,” so to speak, it’s not perfect or easy—the whole story is filled with tough circumstances, and still, Cambron does not leave the reader without hope through it all. So, if you love historical fiction and multiple storylines, I recommend reading this book.

★★★★.5

Thanks to Celebrate Lit, I received a complimentary copy of Castle on the Rise and the opportunity to provide an honest review. I was not required to write a positive review, and all the opinions I have expressed are my own.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Kristy Cambron is an award-winning author of Christian fiction, including her bestselling debut The Butterfly and the Violin, and an author of Bible studies, including the Verse Mapping series. She is a passionate storyteller who travels to speak at ministry events across the country, encouraging women to experience a deeper life in the Word through verse mapping. Her work has been named to Publishers Weekly Religion & Spirituality TOP 10, Library Journal’s Best Books, RT Reviewers’ Choice Awards, and received 2015 & 2017 INSPY Award nominations.

Kristy holds a degree in Art History/Research Writing, and lives in Indiana with her husband and three sons, and can probably be bribed with a coconut mocha latte and a good read.


KRISTY'S RESEARCH TRIP TO IRELAND


GIVEAWAY


To celebrate her tour, Kristy is giving away a grand prize of one finished copy each of The Lost Castle (book 1) and Castle on the Rise (book 2). Enter below, and be sure to comment on the blog stops for nine extra entries into the giveaway.

TOUR SCHEDULE



2 comments:

  1. I'm so excited to read these books.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I'm curious to know if you read Book 1 in this series. Is Book 2 a standalone, or will I be lost if I don't read book 1?

    ReplyDelete