The walls crumbled but the love still remained.

The Painted Castle is a thought provoking and engaging adventure that left me riveted to my chair, longing to know what was around the corner. As I finished the final line of the book, I found a happy peace knowing that the author wrapped up this series in the most beautiful bow. The thing that has intrigued me the most about the Lost Castle series is the how the people from three different time periods can be intertwined and reflect similar struggles but in a setting of differing circumstances.

In The Painted Castle, we first have a present day woman who is tainted and jilted. The events that lead to her view leave her resigned to her life in Dublin. Even though it isn’t what she wants.
Next, we see a WWII war widow who gives and gives but still struggles with the pain of all that has been robbed from her. Her only light is the group of children she takes in and mothers through constant air raids.
Lastly, we have a young woman trapped in the memory of her past and struggling with the confinement of her station in Victorian England society. Her desire for truth drives her to recklessness and a bit of rebellion (though I cheered her on.)

All three of these women had one thing in common, besides hunky men vying for their attention and ultimately, their love. It was their need to trust the people around them. To trust the person standing infront of them, longing to love them. Not for title or money or knowledge, but for who these women were. (Okay, just let that dreamy sigh out. What more could a person ask for?)

When I read time hop books, I leave all expectations on the side table so that I may enjoy each moment of the story without trying to guess what is coming. The Painted Castle is the perfect example as to why I do this. I love to be surprised – it did just that. I enjoy a bit of education when I read fiction – I learned a few things about the times and places and events in each era. And, of course, like any romance reader, I want love – each romance is patient, sacrificing, and consuming. (“Girl, you can’t run from him.”)

Needless to say, I throughly enjoyed The Painted Castle and the entire Lost Castle series. Romance, adventure, and history all rolled into a perfect bundle.

**I was given a copy of this book by the publisher through CelebrateLit Publicities. The views expressed were not required but freely given. (Good books must be talked about)

“I still defy anyone who says that life is without troubles or that all stories will end in walking a road to a fairy-tale castle. Along the way there’s bound to be brokenness.”
but
“It’s about living and loving in the journey we take to get to where we are. Right now. Right to this very moment.”
– from The Painted Castle by Kristy Cambron

About the Book

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.

About the Author

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 10, Library Journal Reviews’ Best Books, RT 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.

More from Kristy

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.