This just wasn`t for me. I did not enjoy the character, chemistry or the story.
I see that many reviews are positive, so it might be more of a it`s not you it is me kind of thing.

Cornerstone of Love is the first book that I have read by Susan Carlisle. I found the book to be very enjoyable and will read the next book in this series. I loved the premise of a modern day Earl and a working class woman finding love. The main characters were interesting. My only critique is with the timeline. I wasn't sure how long this romance took.
Thank you for the ARC. This is my honest review.

Charming. Sizzling. Easy to read. Beautiful setting, dynamic chemistry, quick-moving plot, and smart, feisty characters. Everything you could want in a paperback contemporary romance - a bit of a modern day fairytale.

Allison is an American constructional engineer who has been hired to see to the repairs at Hartley castle. She expects to see to her work and move on with her life. She has big plans of settling down in her grandparent old home and setting down roots. No more traveling for her.

Ian Chalmer’s is the current Earl of Hartley and a very busy man. He has to take car of his mother and sister, the family business and take care of the family legacy. He doesn’t have time for fun and laughter… until Allison walks into his life with her pink hardhat and frank speaking ways.

This opposites attracts brings together the classic aristocrat/ blue collar worker and also British/ American coupling. These characters had many difference, but many similarities in their stubborn and determined personalities. They are a delightful pair.

This was a fun light read. I really enjoyed the pacing of the story and the progression of the romance. A perfect little slice of modern castle life!

Cornerstone of Love by Susan Carlisle was released March 17th, 2020.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from author Susan Carlisle through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

#CornerstoneOfLove #SusanCarlisle #NetGalley #pinkcowlandreads

Ian is the head of his family's shipping company and a man on the go. His castle needs repairs and Allison's company was hired to head the project. Ian has his doubts at first when he sees that a woman is in charge, but Allison's no-nonsense approach wins him over. Allison hasn't had the opportunity to put down roots as her family moved around a lot when she was a child. Completing this project will give her the opportunity to settle down at her grandmother's house back in the USA.

The attraction between Ian and Allison is almost instantaneous. They both refrain from acting on their attraction as Ian has a busy life with work and travel and Allison knows it would only be temporary and she doesn't do "casual". As they spend more time together, they both find that they complement each other.

I liked how Allison and Ian both changed during the course of the story and they both realized what was important to them. I look forward to future stories with Allison's business partners.

One thing that detracted from the story was the lack of editing. The typos and grammar mistakes detracted a little from enjoying the story as much.

Cornerstone of Love by Susan Carlisle is the First book in the Modern Masters of Their Castles series. This is the story of Allison Moore and Ian Chalmers. Ian has been left the family title of the Earl of Harley along with the CEO of Hartley International Shipping after the passing of his older brother and father. Never really assume that he would have the title he is now doing his best to get things moving along and the best job that he can. Ian's family home which is the Harley Castle is in need of repairs which has lead him to hire someone to fix the castle. This is where Allison enters into the pictures. Allison is used to travel due to her family history but has since thought to have a home of her own. Allison is an American who is a engineer that has been hired to oversea the repairs. Sparks and tempers fly from the start between these two until they can't control their emotions any longer. I really enjoyed their story and hope to read more from this author and series.

Will you be able to walk away? Allison has a successfully career she is about to move back home and to settle down. But Lord Ian Hartley is about to change everything, she might working on his castle to restore some of it and she has no time to get involved. They come from different worlds and Ian can’t give her what she wants but for now this is enough. But what happens when the job is finished can they walk away with no regrets? Allison is trying not to fall for Ian but she realises that she is fighting a losing battle but will she be strong enough to walk away? He knows that he can’t offer her more he can’t be what she wants. Will they be doomed to be unhappy? Or will they be strong enough to fight for each other? A good read. I was lucky enough to receive a copy via netgalley & publishers in exchange for my honest review.

I won’t be posting this review as I don’t post anything below a 3 star. There were far far to many typos and grammatical errors for this to be arc copy. I would expect this level from a draft or a copy asking for editing. In addition to that, the story itself doesn’t flow at all. It bounces from one thing to the next without any real grace to it. The saving grace (why I didn’t give it 1 star) was that the story itself was good. The plot was excellent, but executed badly. Sorry

A sweet escape:
I enjoyed this unique and modern take on a Lord-of-the-castle finding his one true love. The story drew me in from the beginning and I had fun journeying with the characters. I felt a connection to both Allison and Ian and was eager for them to find a way to be together. I liked that Allison was feisty, independent and strong whilst simultaneously also having a softer, more vulnerable side. This was a sweet story with a little heat and I look forward to reading upcoming books in this series to find out how the rest of the ladies at Historical Restorations make out.
I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review. All opinions expressed are solely my own.

Allison has been hired as a contractor in the restoration of a section of a castle owned by Ian. They get off on the wrong foot, as he doesn't trust her because she is a woman. Sparks fly though, and the rest leads to both of them slowly giving in and finding a balance in their life. Takes a bit for the HEA, but does happen of course. Started a bit slow, but glad I stuck with it. Would recommend for a quick and easy romance.

I was hoping to like this book more. The premise of the story and the way it all happens in a castle seemed enchanting, but unfortunately it wasn’t as magical as I had hoped. The main characters lacked chemistry. Ian and Allison were boring, and all the other characters were two dimensional. At the beginning, their actions never matched up with the type of personality the writer kept insisting they had. The dialog felt stilted and fake. The pacing of the story was also strange, we were just told that it was another day without actually seeing anything happen. This was a pretty quick and easy read. In my opinion it got better after the halfway point.

Susan Carlisle does an amazing job with this book. She outlines the characters lives/roles in the story with just enough detail at the beginning, leaving you wanting more.

Ian Chalmers, a Lord and Head of Hartley Shipping and Allison Moore,the American construction engineer both have opinions of each other based upon first glance, that they begin to find out throughout the book are not as true as they thought.
Ians father dies suddenly years earlier making him instantly the head of the family company, as well as the new Lord Hartley. He takes on work that he believes what his father would want,not having much of a life outside work.

Allison was raised an "army brat" moving all over the world making her want to finally put some roots down at her grandparents home in Alabama. Allison is the engineer hired to fix a part of Hartley Castle.

One of my favourite things about the book is that she is in what a lot of people would consider a male dominated career,which is one of the things herself and Ian first discuss, he questions her ability because she is a woman,when he was expecting a male. I love that Susan did this, as it shows women everywhere can enter what is conceived as a male dominated career.

The attraction between them is evident from the beginning but both continue to fight their feelings. Susan does a great job at weaving their backgrounds together as both start to loosen up allowing them to be together,but threatening to tear them apart at the same time.

It's a rollercoaster of emotions for the characters and as the reader! I enjoyed every minute of reading it.

I received an advanced reader copy of this book to read in exchange for an honest review via netgally and the publishers.

Some men are turned off of a woman in a mans job. At first it seems that Ian is going to fall in to that category also. Then he shows us that this is a point in Allison's favor to him. I truly enjoyed reading, Cornerstone of Love.

I found this to be a surprisingly enjoyable read. Ian and Allison are both a tad rigid and set in their ways, and they both deserve to actually enjoy all that life has to offer. After a less than impressive first meeting, Ian has some seriously making up to do and Allison has to decide if she’ll accept his stilted apologies and attempts to make things right. They move toward friendship and so much more, but reality forces them to either bend together or break apart. Luckily, love can usually find a way to make things right without too much pain and suffering. Thanks to this book, I’m interested to see what the next story in the series brings my way.