A Literary Vacation : Santa Montefiore

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Tuesday, September 18, 2018

Review: The Secret of the Irish Castle by Santa Montefiore

Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks
Pub. Date: August 14th, 2018
Pages: 480

Book Series:
Deverill Chronicles #3
Genre: Historical Fiction

Synopsis

International bestselling author Santa Montefiore continues the story of the Deverill family in the third book in her beautiful and moving Deverill Chronicles trilogy—perfect for fans of Kate Morton and Beatriz Williams

1939: Peace has flourished since the Great War ended, but much has changed for the Deverill family as now a new generation is waiting in the wings to make their mark.

When Martha Wallace leaves her home in America to search for her birth mother in Dublin, she never imagines that she will completely lose her heart to the impossibly charming JP Deverill. But more surprises are in store for her after she discovers that her mother comes from the same place as JP, sealing her fate.

Bridie Doyle, now Countess di Marcantonio and mistress of Castle Deverill, is determined to make the castle she used to work in her home. But just as she begins to feel things are finally going her way, her flamboyant husband Cesare has other ideas. As his eye strays away from his wife, those close to the couple wonder if he really is who he says he is.

Kitty Deverill has come to accept her life with her husband Robert, and their two children. But then Jack O’Leary, the love of her life, returns to Ballinakelly. And this time his heart belongs elsewhere.

As long-held secrets come to light, the Deverills will have to heal old wounds and come to terms with the past if they hope to ensure their legacy for the future.

What Did I Think About the Story?

I doubt anyone has noticed but I've actually not been participating in blog tours for a number of months. It absolutely has everything to do with me having too much on my plate and nothing to do with any problems I've ever had with a blog tour, but there you are. I've been trying to take my time and just read what I want to read when I want to read it...it's been glorious! That being said, when I got the email that TLC Book Tours was offering up the final book in the Castle Deverill trilogy I knew I'd have to break my own promise to myself and sign up! I really enjoyed the first two books in the series and I just had to find out how the storylines for our various characters would play out.

The Secret of the Irish Castle picks up right where The Daughters of Ireland left off. Montefiore did an excellent job of filling in the events of the previous novels for those that did not read them while also advancing the storyline into new and often unexpected and devastating places. I will give it to the author, she is not afraid of putting her characters through the wringer and really making them suffer and sacrifice!

I won't say too much about the events within the story (what would be the fun in that?) but I will say that Montefiore brings this world of violent and windswept hills and passionate people to vivid life. She has such a lyrical way of writing so you can't help but picture everything right in front of you, making you feel like you are witnessing the events unfolding more than simply reading about it. It really is beautiful. Add in the paragraphs about the original Lord Deverill and the O'Leary woman who put a curse on his descendants, as well as the lovely snippets from the Deverill ghosts still living in the castle, and you've got a fascinating story that begs you to keep turning the pages just to see what you might discover next.

The storylines of the characters do wrap up in a satisfying way, with many being at least content if not happy and a few bittersweet endings thrown in for balance. What the majority of these characters come to realize is that forgiveness and love is the only way to find everlasting happiness, which is really a beautiful concept if you think about it. While I know this is meant to be a trilogy enough is left open that it could easily continue with at least one more book, especially given the fact that the new generation of Deverill and O'Leary descendants have quite a bit more to contribute. I, for one, will definitely be first in line to read any future books the author might write in this series!

What Did I Think About the Cover?

Like all other covers in this series this one is a beauty! I love the set up - with the traveling woman (which could be any number of our characters) staring across at that gorgeous castle - and the saturated colors just scream "Ireland!" to me. Simply stunning!

My Rating: 4.5/5.0

Thank you to TLC Book Tours and HarperCollins for a free copy of The Secret of the Irish Castle in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are mine alone. Be sure to continue below for more information about the book, the author, and the rest of the blog tour!

Reviews of Other Santa Montefiore Books

The Girl in the Castle (Deverill Chronicles #1)
The Daughters of Ireland (Deverill Chronicles #2)
The Beekeeper's Daughter
Secrets of the Lighthouse
The Summer House

Buy the Book

HarperCollins | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

About the Author

Santa Montefiore was born in England. She went to Sherborne School for Girls in Dorset and studied Spanish and Italian at Exeter University. She has written sixteen bestselling novels, which have been translated into thirty different languages and have sold more than two million copies worldwide.

Find out more about Santa at her website, and follow her on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.

TLC Book Tours Instagram and Review Schedule

Instagram Stops

Monday, August 20th: Instagram: @happiestwhenreading
Wednesday, August 22nd: Instagram: @candaceclark22
Friday, August 24th: Instagram: @readforevermore
Monday, August 27th: Instagram: @thesunnylibrarian
Tuesday, August 28th: Instagram: @shereadswithcats
Thursday, August 30th: Instagram: @my_book_journey_

Book Review Stops

Monday, September 3rd: 100 Pages a Day…Stephanie’s Book Reviews
Wednesday, September 5th: Confessions of a Book Addict
Monday, September 10th: A Chick Who Reads
Monday, September 10th: Girl Who Reads
Tuesday, September 11th: BookNAround
Wednesday, September 12th: Literary Quicksand
Monday, September 17th: Laura’s Reviews
Monday, September 17th: Books and Cats and Coffee
Tuesday, September 18th: A Literary Vacation
Friday, September 21st: Diary of a Stay at Home Mom

Wednesday, August 30, 2017

TLC Book Review: The Daughters of Ireland by Santa Montefiore

Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks
Pub. Date: August 15th, 2017
Pages: 576

Genre: Historical Fiction

Synopsis

Ireland. 1925. The war is over. But life will never be the same…

In the green hills of West Cork, Ireland, Castle Deverill has burned to the ground. But young Celia Deverill is determined to see her ruined ancestral home restored to its former glory — to the years when Celia ran through its vast halls with her cousin Kitty and their childhood friend Bridie Doyle.

Kitty herself is raising a young family, but she longs for Jack O’Leary — the long-ago sweetheart she cannot have. And soon Kitty must make a heartbreaking decision, one that could destroy everything she holds dear.

Bridie, once a cook’s daugher in Castle Deverill, is now a well-heeled New York City socialite. Yet her celebrity can’t erase a past act that haunts her still. Nor can it keep her from seeking revenge upon the woman who wronged her all those years ago.

As these three daughters of Ireland seek to make their way in a world once again beset by dark forces, Santa Montefiore shows us once more why she is one of the best-loved storytellers at work today.

What Did I Think About the Story?

When I read and reviewed the first book in Santa Montefiore's Deverill Chronicles Trilogy, The Girl in the Castle, I knew this was a series I was going to love! Grand historic details and settings and dramatic situations made this a family saga that I couldn't get enough of. When the second book in the series, The Daughters of Ireland, came up for review I jumped at the chance to read it. What had happened to Kitty and Celia Deverill, Bridie Doyle, and Jack O'Leary since we left them? Had Jack and Kitty found a way to be together? Had Bridie found happiness? Jumping into this world was once again a delicious experience as so many secrets came to light and our beloved characters' search for personal vengeance and/or happiness lead them down some unexpected paths.

The Daughters of Ireland picks up shortly after The Girl in the Castle ended and thrusts us right back into the hearts and minds of the Deverills and the people of Ballinakelly, the small village in Ireland where so much of this story takes place. While I will of course recommend anyone new to the series read the first book first - why not, it's wonderful! - it isn't required as Montefiore does an excellent job of summarizing what happened in the previous installment for those new to the series (or, like me, who might have forgotten some of what happened). Once again I was amazed to see how much detail and attention was given to the various storylines going on with our characters and how epic this story felt even though it only spanned about 13 years. When I was through I was amazed so much had happened within such a small amount of time!

I don't want to say too much about the plot as I might accidentally give something away, however I will say that none of these characters seem to quite get what they want, or what they believe they want anyways. There are so many emotions being battered around between them and so much anger or jealousy or pride that they end up hurting each other in some horrible ways, which doesn't end up giving them the satisfaction they thought they would have. Being the middle book of a trilogy there really isn't a huge amount of resolution of these larger issues and some of these characters come off quite badly at times, but what I enjoyed most of all were the new voices that got mixed into the already well-liked players and the promise of further development of their storylines in the third book, The Last Secret of the Deverills, which recently released in the UK and which I hope comes out in the US very soon.

Being that the historical details of historical fiction are typically my favorite parts, I'm somewhat surprised to say that my favorite part of this historical fiction novel were the supernatural elements. One of the central storylines of this series is the fact that the Deverills are living under a curse placed on the first Lord Deverill by the witch Maggie O'Leary, which dictates that no Lord Deverill will ever leave the castle until an O'Leary once again owns the land. What this means is that every single Lord Deverill that has died has been trapped within the walls of the castle. And we get to see and hear what is going on with them! We also get to see the last Lady Deverill, Kitty's grandmother Adeline, who has passed away and refuses to move on until she does what she can to influence those still alive to break the curse. I really enjoyed Adeline in the last novel (when she was very much alive for most of it) so was very happy to see her still play a part in the story development. Something else that I found fascinating were the short chapters sprinkled throughout that sent us back to the late 1600s and let us watch the events unfold that would inevitably bring about the curse on the Deverills.

Finally, as with the first novel, The Daughters of Ireland is bursting with beautiful details not only about the settings but about the customs and culture of this time period, especially when it comes to the advancements in America. Think flapper girls, speakeasies, and mobsters, which make quite the interesting foil for the more old-fashioned and traditional world the characters inhabit in Ireland.

The Daughters of Ireland is a beautifully written edition to the Deverill Chronicle series. While I didn't love it quite as much as The Girl in the Castle (it would be hard for me to love a book that more advances the story then really starts or finishes anything as much) I still did love it and enjoyed seeing how these characters moved and changed over these years. As I said above, I think I'm most excited to see where the new characters we have been introduced to will go in the final novel in the series and really can't wait to get my hands on it! Excellent historical fiction with a little bit (or a lot) for anyone to enjoy.

What Did I Think About the Cover?

It is so, so pretty! It's relatively simple - a woman in a pretty dress walking away from the viewer down a leaf-covered path - but what it does it does well. The colors are quite vibrant, which I love, and the sort of hazy atmosphere at the top really focuses the eyes on the woman in the center. I also think the placement and font of the writing is well done and appealing. All in all a cover that draws my attention.

My Rating: 4.5/5.0

Thank you to TLC Book Tours and HarperCollins for providing me with a free copy of The Daughters of Ireland in exchange for an honest review! All opinions are mine alone. Please continue on below for more information about the book, the author, and the rest of the blog tour.

Reviews of Other Santa Montefiore Novels I've Read

The Girl in the Castle

Secrets of the Lighthouse

The Beekeeper's Daughter

The Summer House

About the Author

Buy the Book

HarperCollins | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

TLC Book Tour Schedule

Tuesday, August 15th: Book by Book
Wednesday, August 16th: Reading Reality
Thursday, August 17th: Ms. Nose in a Book
Friday, August 18th: bookchickdi
Monday, August 21st: Art @ Home
Tuesday, August 22nd: Reading is My Super Power
Wednesday, August 23rd: 100 Pages a Day…Stephanie’s Book Reviews
Thursday, August 24th: BookNAround
Monday, August 28th: Diary of a Stay at Home Mom
Tuesday, August 29th: A Chick Who Reads
Wednesday, August 30th: A Literary Vacation
Thursday, August 31st: Always With a Book

Thursday, September 29, 2016

TLC Book Tours: Review of The Girl in the Castle by Santa Montefiore

Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks
Pub. Date: September 27th, 2016
Pages: 576

Synopsis

International sensation Santa Montefiore presents the first book in a trilogy that follows three Irish women through the decades of the twentieth century—perfect for fans of Kate Morton and Hazel Gaynor.

Born on the ninth day of the ninth month in the year 1900, Kitty Deverill is special as her grandmother has always told her. Built on the stunning green hills of West Cork, Ireland, Castle Deverill is Kitty’s beloved home, where many generations of Deverills have also resided. Although she’s Anglo-Irish, Kitty’s heart completely belongs to the wild countryside of the Emerald Isle, and her devotion to her Irish-Catholic friends Bridie Doyle, the daughter of the castle’s cook, and Jack O’Leary, the vet’s son, is unmatched—even if Jack is always reminding her that she isn’t fully Irish. Still, Jack and Kitty can’t help falling in love although they both know their union faces the greatest obstacles since they are from different worlds.

Bridie cherishes her friendship with Kitty, who makes her feel more like her equal than a servant. Yet she can’t help dreaming of someday having all the wealth and glamour Kitty’s station in life affords her. But when she discovers a secret that Kitty has been keeping from her, Bridie finds herself growing resentful toward the girl in the castle who seems to have it all.

When the Irish revolt to throw over British rule in Southern Ireland, Jack enlists to fight. Worried for her safety, Jack warns Kitty to keep her distance, but she refuses and throws herself into the cause for Irish liberty, running messages and ammunition between the rebels. But as Kitty soon discovers, her allegiance to her family and her friends will be tested—and when Castle Deverill comes under attack, the only home and life she’s ever known are threatened.

A powerful story of love, loyalty, and friendship, The Girl in the Castle is an exquisitely written novel set against the magical, captivating landscape of Ireland.

What Did I Think About the Story

The Girl in the Castle is everything I love about historical fiction! While only tackling about 15 years, it has the epic feel often found in family sagas spanning much longer periods of time and fills in an interesting time and place in history with characters who are fighting, loving, and living during it all. I've enjoyed Santa Montefiore's books in the past but this newest novel surpasses them all, in my opinion. in both character and plot development.

One of the key ways this book surpasses the author's previous books for me is the wonderful detail and depth given to so many fascinating characters. All of Santa Montefiore's books are incredible in descriptive details and completely whisk the reader away to windswept shores or green fields, but I've gone back and forth (depending on the story) with a lack of appreciation for her characters and the drama and experiences surrounding them...they just sometimes fell flat. In this novel, however, each of the characters, whether prominent or not (and there are a lot of characters throughout), are all well developed and formed and perfectly served their purpose whether that was to be a hated, loved, or somewhere in between. They are complicated and diverse and even when they made poor choices or hurt other people I appreciated each one for their role in progressing the story. Bridie, Kitty, and Kitty's grandmother, Adeline, are particular favorites and I delighted in going along on all the ups and downs (and there are some extreme downs!) they experienced.

As I mentioned above, I've enjoyed the descriptions and plot development in all of the novels I've read by this author, but I particularly enjoyed this story as it took place against a background I had not read much about before. Taking place before, during, and after the Irish War of Independence I was fascinated to learn about the circumstances of the war and the biting strategies employed by both the Irish and the English during this fight. I loved the fact that the characters actually participated in this drama as well as discussing it and that it was all brought completely to life with the beautiful descriptions of the verdant land the Irish were fighting for.

The structure of the story is wonderful as well, starting in 1925 with two boys playing in the rubble of Castle Deverill as they spy a woman coming to lay claim to the property, then going back to 1910 and progressing until we arrive back to the boys and discover who has returned. The meat in the middle is delicious as it moves from the coming-of-age story of friendship between Kitty, Bridie, and Jack through love and loss and second chances. The epilogue, which leaves this story to continue in the next installment on a shocking realization, ended it perfectly for me and really makes me anxious for the next book to come out (which looks to be coming out in the US in April 2017). I love twist or cliffhanger endings to keep me excited while I wait!

Finally, I can't end my review without mentioning my absolute favorite aspect of the novel: the ghosts! A key characteristic of both Kitty and her grandmother are their abilities to see and interact with the family ghosts inhabiting Castle Deverill as well as the curse that hangs over the family that each male in line to inherit will be forced to spend his afterlife trapped at the castle. Their interactions with these ghosts were funny, touching, and even a bit unnerving at times and I'm really hoping the next installments deal with this topic as well.

The Girl in the Castle has become my favorite of Santa Montefiore's novels. I can't really find fault in it, other than possibly that it could have been a little shorter, and I would definitely recommend this to anyone who likes historical fiction that incorporates drama, passion, and a host of characters searching for their place in a world not fully of their making.

What Did I Think About the Cover?

I absolutely love it! The woman on the cover is exactly how I picture Kitty, even having her red hair which I LOVE as so often the covers seems to miss out on the little details (like hair coloring) discussed in the book. Having her sort of loom over the castle and verdant green lawns perfectly captures the story for me. Kitty is intrinsically tied to her Irish land so it would only be fitting to show it as almost a piece of her. One of my favorite covers of the year!

My Rating: 5.0/5.0

Thank you to HarperCollins Pushlishers and TLC Book Tours for providing me with a free copy of The Girl in the Castle in exchange for an honest review! Continue below for more information about the book, the author, and the rest of the blog tour!