The Painted Castle Review, Guest Post and Video from Kristy Cambron!

Posted by abakersp in Contemporary, Historical / 1 Comment

Happy Release Day to the wonderful Kristy Cambron!!! I’m so excited to have her here as part of the Celebrate Lit Blog Tour talking about her release, The Painted Castle. It is so good! Plus, be sure to watch her research video 🙂

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cover Painted Castle

Book: The Painted Castle

Author: Kristy Cambron

Genre: Historical Romance

Release Date: October 15, 2019

Bestselling author Kristy Cambron concludes the Lost Castle novels with this sweeping tale of art and secrets long buried in England.

It was supposed to be a one-week job: survey an art find, collect a hefty fee, and use that to settle historian Kiera Foley’s life back into balance. But from the moment she sets foot in the East Suffolk countryside, the mysteries surrounding the old English manor and the enigmatic art thief who’s employed her stir more questions than answers. Then, Kiera finds the existence of a portrait captivating enough to upend all of her expectations. This one could be a twin-a painting so close in composition to a known masterpiece, it may be rendered priceless if it truly captured the likeness of a young Queen named Victoria.

Set in three time periods-the rapid change of Victorian England, the tumultuous skies over England’s eastern shores in WWII, and modern day-The Painted Castle unfolds a legacy of faith, family, and stories that are generations in the making.

Click here to grab your copy.

I’m not sure quite how Kristy Cambron manages to weave stories set in three different time periods, but she does so beautifully. Not once was I confused about which story I was in, which time period I was in, or which characters belong to which time period. Each story on its own was captivating, but seeing how they intertwine was amazing. First, you have to give kudos to an author who can even dream up a story such as this one. And then her writing ability just pulls you right in. Her descriptions are vivid, her dialogue is engaging, and her research speaks volumes.

My favorite character was Amelia. She was strong willed, nurturing, and determined. The very first scene where the soldiers are essentially telling her they are going to staying on her property was delightfully funny, and I found myself drawn to Amelia’s character. I can’t even imagine hosting children near such a place as she did, and add in the soldiers that were taking base there – I couldn’t tear myself away from it.

Elizabeth’s story was just mesmerizing to me – trying to find her father’s murderer, and then coming face to face with him under unlikely circumstances. But her ability to sketch, and Cambron’s ability to bring that to life on paper, makes me wonder if Cambron has some artistic ability herself. Let me just say this – thanks to Cambron’s detailed descriptions, I felt like I was looking at the eyes of the murderer, and they were ingrained in my head throughout the story.

Present day Keira was just as wonderful a character as the others. The world of art fascinates me, mostly because I know nothing about it. But how can you tell a real from a fake? How do you know what time period a painting came from? This is a perfect example of how Cambron does her homework before writing a book. I may not be an art major, but Cambron makes it seem so easy and simple. In fact, she makes you feel as if you are the character, searching for clues and bringing it all together.

I’m always nervous about multiple time periods in a story, especially three. But Kristy Cambron never disappoints. Her uniquely written stories are a joy to read, and while I am sorry to see this series go, I know it just means she has something else great in store for us! The Painted Castle has something for everyone – history, art, romance, mystery, and adventure. Highly recommend this book!

I received a complimentary copy of this book. I was not required to write a favorable review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Cambron headshot

KRISTY CAMBRON is an award-winning author of historical fiction, including her bestselling debut The Butterfly and the Violin, and an author of Bible studies, including the Verse Mapping series. She’s a Women’s Ministry Leader at Southeast Christian Church in Louisville, KY, and a passionate storyteller who travels to speak at 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 10Library Journal Reviews’ Best BooksRT Reviewers’ Choice Awards, and received 2015 & 2017 INSPY Award nominations. Kristy holds a degree in Art History/Research Writing, and has 15 years of experience in education and leadership development for a Fortune-100 Corporation, working with such companies as the Disney Institute, IBM/Kenexa, and Gallup. She lives in Indiana with her husband and three sons, and can probably be bribed with a coconut mocha latte and a good read.

About The Painted Castle

A war-torn estate holding its secrets close. A lost library bricked off from the world. And a portrait-maker’s unknown masterpiece of a Queen named Victoria… What stories do they long to tell?

It was supposed to be a one-week snatch-and-grab: survey an art find, collect a hefty fee, and use that to settle historian Kiera Foley’s life back into balance. But from the moment she sets foot in the East Suffolk countryside, the mystery of an old English manor, a crumbling beekeeper’s cottage, and a library that had long ago been sealed off brick by brick, all stir more questions than answers. What begins as a novice assignment instead peels back layers, lulling Keira into the depths of the estate’s long-forgotten history.

Despite questions swirling around the enigmatic, rumored art thief who’s employed her, Keira finds the existence of a portrait captivating enough to upend all of her expectations. This one could be a twin—a painting so close in composition to a known masterpiece, it may be rendered priceless if it truly captured the likeness of a young Queen named Victoria…

1842— In order to salvage what’s left of her family’s shaky circumstances, artist Elizabeth Meade knows her duty must be to marry well. But she hopes looks can be deceiving enough to hide her true motives behind a congenial smile and gain entry into the ballrooms of England’s noble elite. Instead of husband-hunting, Elizabeth searches for the one thing that’s seared to her memory—the eyes of her father’s killer, whom she unwittingly sketched one snowy night in Piccadilly ten years before. She never expects to find answers tucked away in the countryside at Parham Hill, in the form of a portrait-maker who could help her artist dreams come true, if only she could forget the highwayman she’s hunted for the last decade—the estate-owner who unwittingly selects her as his betrothed…

1942—When the 390th Bomb Group arrives at Amelia Woods’ Parham Hill Estate, the American flyboys bring playing cards, B-17 “flying fortresses”, and enough bravado to believe they can triumph over Hitler just by staring him down. Amelia isn’t certain, and she’s unwilling to compromise the safety and security in a carefully-crafted world she’s built for the dozens of London-evacuated children left in her charge. But with Anderson shelters buried in the gardens and an Allied airfield a stone’s throw away, Amelia may have no choice but to wait out the war under blackouts and bombs, and accept help from the captain who offers it—even if it means risking all she has left of her late husband’s memory…

From the streets of Piccadilly and the lavish halls of Buckingham Palace to the countryside surrounding Framlingham Castle, a warn-torn estate, a hidden library, and the lost portrait of a queen come together to write the final chapter in the Lost Castle series. Set in three time periods—the rapid change of Victorian England, the tumultuous skies over England’s eastern shores in WWII, and modern day—The Painted Castle unfolds a legacy of faith and the family we fight for, of risk and reward, and the artful crafting of a story that can be generations in the making… yet still change everything about a single life.

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Do you like reading novels that have different time periods in them? What are some of your favorites?

One response to “The Painted Castle Review, Guest Post and Video from Kristy Cambron!

  1. Great review! I agree that I don’t know how she manages to have 3 timelines the way she does without the reader getting confused or lost, but she does it wonderfully!