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sassysmutlover's review
5.0
I received a copy in exchange for my honest review
The Mad Countess by Erica Monroe
This is one of my top three in The Haunting of Castle Keyvnor anthologies! I was so engrossed in it that I read it in about an hour. I loved that they had been best friends forever because it made the story even better and everything happens at a great pace because of it. The rain in the maze scenes are my all time favorites and what some dreams are made of. I loved the detail that went into the witches and everything when breaking the curse (another favorite scene). Finding out a bit more about her mother and aunt was great especially finding out it was a curse and why the curse was put on them. My favorite lines included unicorns.
Claire's heart is in the right place at all times. She thought she wasn't strong, but she was because she visited her mother when most wouldn't and she didn't run from anything. I loved her spirit and how close she was to her maid.
Teddy is someone you fall in the love with from the start. He is not your typical hero he has many fears, loves to learn, and when he sets his mind to something he does it. I loved everything about him from the way he did things to the openness of his heart. He never lied or brushed off anything without proof and wanted to help.
The ending was amazing! I wasn't left wondering about anything.
Possessed by the Stranger by Jerrica Knight-Catania
This was a great read. The beginning with Chad will pull at your heart and you will feel for Samantha from the start. Little Toby was once again driving his sisters crazy by trying to protect them. I loved how they first saw each other and were drawn to each other so quickly. There is so much to love about this one from seeing the gypsy wedding to the ending that leaves you wanting more because it was fantastic.
Samatha is different from her sister. She always seems to say the wrong thing but doesn't shrink away from anything. I loved how she tried to be like her mother wanted, but her true self always showed. When she set her mind to something she meant it.
Chad is someone that I don't think could ever make someone mad. He is just so sweet and loveable. I loved how close he was with his father and that he didn't care about titles. He understood her when no one else did.
You will love this one.
The Sweetest Curse by Renee Bernard
The beginning will suck you thinking the curse has struck someone else. I loved seeing a bit more about the coven and the small battle between science and magic. Elethea's father and grandmother are both very different in how they want her to be, but they both want her to be happy. I loved the parts where she used her touch to heal! This was a little fast paced, but it still was a great story.
Elethea seems like a very quiet girl that does as she is told but she does have a mind. I was not expecting her to stand up for herself when she did and it made me love her even more. She was very sweet and loved to take care of people.
Blade's name draws you to him. I loved that he didn't try to explain away what he saw or was told like most men of science would. He tried to avoid the past and the curse out of fear of what his mother had said before she died and how his father raised him.
The ending was perfect.
The Mad Countess by Erica Monroe
This is one of my top three in The Haunting of Castle Keyvnor anthologies! I was so engrossed in it that I read it in about an hour. I loved that they had been best friends forever because it made the story even better and everything happens at a great pace because of it. The rain in the maze scenes are my all time favorites and what some dreams are made of. I loved the detail that went into the witches and everything when breaking the curse (another favorite scene). Finding out a bit more about her mother and aunt was great especially finding out it was a curse and why the curse was put on them. My favorite lines included unicorns.
Claire's heart is in the right place at all times. She thought she wasn't strong, but she was because she visited her mother when most wouldn't and she didn't run from anything. I loved her spirit and how close she was to her maid.
Teddy is someone you fall in the love with from the start. He is not your typical hero he has many fears, loves to learn, and when he sets his mind to something he does it. I loved everything about him from the way he did things to the openness of his heart. He never lied or brushed off anything without proof and wanted to help.
The ending was amazing! I wasn't left wondering about anything.
Possessed by the Stranger by Jerrica Knight-Catania
This was a great read. The beginning with Chad will pull at your heart and you will feel for Samantha from the start. Little Toby was once again driving his sisters crazy by trying to protect them. I loved how they first saw each other and were drawn to each other so quickly. There is so much to love about this one from seeing the gypsy wedding to the ending that leaves you wanting more because it was fantastic.
Samatha is different from her sister. She always seems to say the wrong thing but doesn't shrink away from anything. I loved how she tried to be like her mother wanted, but her true self always showed. When she set her mind to something she meant it.
Chad is someone that I don't think could ever make someone mad. He is just so sweet and loveable. I loved how close he was with his father and that he didn't care about titles. He understood her when no one else did.
You will love this one.
The Sweetest Curse by Renee Bernard
The beginning will suck you thinking the curse has struck someone else. I loved seeing a bit more about the coven and the small battle between science and magic. Elethea's father and grandmother are both very different in how they want her to be, but they both want her to be happy. I loved the parts where she used her touch to heal! This was a little fast paced, but it still was a great story.
Elethea seems like a very quiet girl that does as she is told but she does have a mind. I was not expecting her to stand up for herself when she did and it made me love her even more. She was very sweet and loved to take care of people.
Blade's name draws you to him. I loved that he didn't try to explain away what he saw or was told like most men of science would. He tried to avoid the past and the curse out of fear of what his mother had said before she died and how his father raised him.
The ending was perfect.
jandmterry's review
4.0
I have only read the first story and plan to read the other two soon.
Claire and Teddy have been friends since childhood. They have feeling for each other but neither have expressed those feelings. Claire believes herself to be cursed to go mad like her aunt and mother. She could never burden Teddy like that. He doesn't think she is cursed and is out to prove it to her. This is a great novella and worth a read.
I received a copy from Erica Monroe in exchange for a honest review.
Claire and Teddy have been friends since childhood. They have feeling for each other but neither have expressed those feelings. Claire believes herself to be cursed to go mad like her aunt and mother. She could never burden Teddy like that. He doesn't think she is cursed and is out to prove it to her. This is a great novella and worth a read.
I received a copy from Erica Monroe in exchange for a honest review.
missyterry73's review
4.0
I have only read the first story and plan to read the other two soon.
Claire and Teddy have been friends since childhood. They have feeling for each other but neither have expressed those feelings. Claire believes herself to be cursed to go mad like her aunt and mother. She could never burden Teddy like that. He doesn't think she is cursed and is out to prove it to her. This is a great novella and worth a read.
I received a copy from Erica Monroe in exchange for a honest review.
Claire and Teddy have been friends since childhood. They have feeling for each other but neither have expressed those feelings. Claire believes herself to be cursed to go mad like her aunt and mother. She could never burden Teddy like that. He doesn't think she is cursed and is out to prove it to her. This is a great novella and worth a read.
I received a copy from Erica Monroe in exchange for a honest review.
dianed's review
4.0
This is the third book in the collection of stories about The Haunting of Castle Keyvnor. The first story in the book is by Erica Monroe. Lady Claire Deering and Theodore (Teddy) Lockwood, Earl of Ashbrooke have been lifelong friends – both of whom are in love with the other but afraid to say so for fear of ruining the friendship. Claire won’t allow anything between them because she is afraid she has inherited the madness of her mother and aunt. Teddy was born a spare and didn’t feel he had much to offer until he suddenly became the earl. Teddy is a bit of a nerd. He’s bookish and always looking for answers in books. When Claire and Teddy find out that her family isn’t mad but cursed, they must both put aside their preconceived notions of the rational and believable and accept the possibility of other forces of nature. One of the most beautiful scenes in this story is when Teddy and Claire make love for the first time, 2 virgins who had saved themselves for the other.
The second story is by Jerrica Knight-Catania – a favorite of mine. This is a delightful tale of love at first sight. Chadwick Kendall is at the Castle because his father received a notice about the reading. Unfortunately, his father, Baron Dinedor, is on his death bed. He asks his son Chad to go, knowing that he might not last until his son returns. When Chad arrives and gets out of the carriage, he looks up and sees a beautiful woman with red hair. At the same time, Lady Samantha Priske, who is out walking on the turret walk looks down and sees a handsome man. All she can think is that she hopes he’s not her cousin. These two don’t need ghosts to bring them together – the attraction is immediate. There is only one problem, Sam’s parents would never allow her to marry a mere Mister and Mr. Chad Kendall did not let anyone know that he is soon to be a Baron. Even being without a title does not stop Sam from allowing Chad to make love to her. The next morning he is gone. It has nothing to do with her but he sees the ghost of his dead mother and she encourages him to go home to be with his father. Will Sam ever see him again? Will they find their Happily Ever After? You’ll have to read the story to find out the rest but it is a delightful story to read.
Renee Bernard rounds out this collection with a story of a witch and an engineer who have opposite beliefs except when it comes to falling in love. Blade Hambly is heir to the Earl of Hambly (the one who just inherited). He is on his way to the Castle for the reading of the will but something’s not right. As he gets out of the carriage in town, he collapse with Scarlet Fever. Luckily for him, Elethea Fairfax, the doctor’s daughter just happened to be at the inn and takes over his care immediately. Besides being the doctor’s daughter, she is also the daughter and grand-daughter of a witch and she understands the use of herbal remedies. She send for her father but works all night to reduce the fever. As the dawn breaks so does his fever but her father shows up to take credit for the cure. Because Blake was out of it while he was feverish he thinks he dreamed of his angel. But when she stops by to check on him (against her father’s wishes) he knows she is real. Can two people who are from such different classes really fall in love and make it work? Can Blade really accept the fact that there is magic in the world? Can anyone really believe that someone is named Blade –just kidding on this one)? This story was the perfect ending to the trio of stories. With the love between them, the curse is lifted and everyone can live and love happily ever after.
I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review
The second story is by Jerrica Knight-Catania – a favorite of mine. This is a delightful tale of love at first sight. Chadwick Kendall is at the Castle because his father received a notice about the reading. Unfortunately, his father, Baron Dinedor, is on his death bed. He asks his son Chad to go, knowing that he might not last until his son returns. When Chad arrives and gets out of the carriage, he looks up and sees a beautiful woman with red hair. At the same time, Lady Samantha Priske, who is out walking on the turret walk looks down and sees a handsome man. All she can think is that she hopes he’s not her cousin. These two don’t need ghosts to bring them together – the attraction is immediate. There is only one problem, Sam’s parents would never allow her to marry a mere Mister and Mr. Chad Kendall did not let anyone know that he is soon to be a Baron. Even being without a title does not stop Sam from allowing Chad to make love to her. The next morning he is gone. It has nothing to do with her but he sees the ghost of his dead mother and she encourages him to go home to be with his father. Will Sam ever see him again? Will they find their Happily Ever After? You’ll have to read the story to find out the rest but it is a delightful story to read.
Renee Bernard rounds out this collection with a story of a witch and an engineer who have opposite beliefs except when it comes to falling in love. Blade Hambly is heir to the Earl of Hambly (the one who just inherited). He is on his way to the Castle for the reading of the will but something’s not right. As he gets out of the carriage in town, he collapse with Scarlet Fever. Luckily for him, Elethea Fairfax, the doctor’s daughter just happened to be at the inn and takes over his care immediately. Besides being the doctor’s daughter, she is also the daughter and grand-daughter of a witch and she understands the use of herbal remedies. She send for her father but works all night to reduce the fever. As the dawn breaks so does his fever but her father shows up to take credit for the cure. Because Blake was out of it while he was feverish he thinks he dreamed of his angel. But when she stops by to check on him (against her father’s wishes) he knows she is real. Can two people who are from such different classes really fall in love and make it work? Can Blade really accept the fact that there is magic in the world? Can anyone really believe that someone is named Blade –just kidding on this one)? This story was the perfect ending to the trio of stories. With the love between them, the curse is lifted and everyone can live and love happily ever after.
I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review
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