Member Reviews

I received this book via NetGalley and give it my honest opinion

Well this did not disappoint! Another fantastic read by Christie Barlow! I absolutely adore this series and this book was a great read! Full of love and a bit of laugh out loud, we meet characters we have met before and are introduced to new ones too! A heartwarming read you will not want to put down!!!!

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Marley's grandfather dies and leaves her Heartcross castle, as a mom of three she moves in, when andrew glossop wants to buy the caste, will she sell? lots of secrets come out. good story

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Imagine inheriting a castle? Well that is what happens to Grace, single mum of three boys. You would think it would be a dream come true and whilst this particular castle holds a lot of happy memories for Grace, it has been a long time since she has been back to what was her childhood home. Sadly on returning, she finds the castle has been sadly neglected inside.

I was torn for Grace. Inheriting the house could not have come at a better time for her and her boys but my heart dropped as well as hers with how much needed doing. Something that Grace doesn’t have much of is money, unlike Andrew, the celebrity chef.

As soon as these two characters meet you could feel the sparks flying. I wasn’t sure what to make of Andrew to start with as he is someone who has been born with a silver spoon in his mouth and very much has a taste for the finer things in life. In fact him and Grace couldn’t be anymore opposite in their personalities and I wasn’t sure if I would like Andrew or not but it didn’t take me long to realise I did.

There is so much to love about Heartcross Castle. The sense of community and lifelong friendships, the undeniable chemistry between Grace and Andrew. Romance is very much in the air! The characters are wonderful with so many stand out ones and even Delia the chicken! This book delivered so much and more and I couldn’t stop myself from devouring it within 24 hours. A wonderfully, uplifting story that gives you a great big hug!

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I absolutely loved this book. Part of a series but can be read alone. You so felt for Grace and her life with Cole. Her boys were amazing and when they saw the Heartcross Castle for the first time was lovely. I loved how the whole community rallied round to help her turn things round. . Hector was a loveable character and he helped Grace a lot. I thought Andrew Glosop was fab and he tuned out to be ok. An ace read

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Such a great story! I loved Grace and her boys from the start. I am amazed at her strength and discernment. I love how all of the pieces fell together.

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This is the first book I have read by this author and I need to start by saying this is book seven in the love heart lane series. Now it did read fine as a Standalone for myself but would probably be best read in order. With a few mentions of places from previous books and probably some familiar characters too.

Heartcross Castle is such a cosy, uplifting, romantic and heart warming read. It’s a story of a new beginning, a second chance. Coming home. I loved all the characters in this story, especially the community spirit and friendships. Parts had me laughing out loud. The ending was just perfect. I don’t have a bad word to say.

Main character Grace is such a strong, determined, brave and independent character. She won’t let anything stop her happiness or her boys happiness. I loved her. Then bring in rich Chef Andrew will they clash and collide? How will she deal with him when she’s surviving on pennies?

A beautiful story. Perfect setting, gorgeous castle and a cute town. Highly recommend. A well deserved four stars from me. Cannot wait to go back through this series and see where it takes me. Very impressed.

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Where have I been ? Another series I didn't know existed
I loved this one even though I hadn't read any of the others
After Grace's estranged grandad passes away he leaves her the castle which she ran away from when she was a teenager. Escaping from an abusive relationship she leaves with her children and not much else to go back to the castle and the village where she grew up unsure of the welcome she would receive.
Grace needn't have worried, she is welcomed back by her old friends and she starts to transform her and her children's lives a little at a time with help from friends old and new

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I am a sucker for a story that involves a castle and even more so when that story has romance that warms the heart. This story encompassed all that and then some. Christi Barlow's writing style is easy and will be appealing to a wide variety of audiences. Grace Power returns home, much in the fashion of the prodigal granddaughter to sort through many things she left unfinished in her life at Heartcross Castle. Upon her return, she discovers she will be sharing her beloved castle space with celebrity chef, Andrew Glossop. Grace learns the art of forgiveness through many areas of her life as she adapts and overcomes the new challenges that come her way. This story is just wonderful and entertaining in many capacities. It is not only worthy of your time but is sure to become a new favorite!

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If you can suspend your disbelief and buy into this very unlikely scenario, you're in for an entertaining read. The protagonist of this book has all kinds of great ideas for living frugally on no income, despite the fact that she has inherited a castle (albeit a very run down castle). The themes of homecoming, friendship and raising children were interesting and emphasised what is truly important in life.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a free advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

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Even though this was part of a series it read as a stand alone book and I found it delightful. The characters were very likeable and the setting in Scotland brought it alive with the castle, mountains and the typical Scottish weather. This was a first read for me by this author but, I am going to try and find her other books in this series. My thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book in return for an honest review.

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It's always a bad sign for a relationship when there's an engagement at the start of a novel, and so it happens here: young Grace (we realise later she can only be 16 or so), who has run away from home after an argument with her grandfather, accepts the proposal of her boyfriend even though she has severe misgivings about his temper already, because she's poor and alone and pregnant. Fast forward eight years, she has three children, is battered and bruised and looking for any way out when she suddenly gets a letter to say she's inherited Heartcross Castle from said grandfather. Dare she go back and try to pick up the friendships she broke trust with all those years ago? Can she make a new life up in Scotland? Well, she has nothing else to save her, so off she goes.

I loved all the detail of how Grace sorted things out, and the realism around the domestic violence she'd experienced (this wasn't gratuitous at all and was well done but might be triggering). I hadn't realised it was part of a series and I've already bought a boxset of the first three novels!

Full review on my blog: https://librofulltime.wordpress.com/2021/12/17/book-review-christie-barlow-heartcross-castle/

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Thanks Netgalley and the Publisher. I have enjoyed all this authors books and this was no exception, great storyline, great characters and as always with her books a great location.

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Thanks to netgalley and One More Chapter for the chance to read this book early. I've been loving the Love Heart Lane series and getting back to Heartcross and seeing the familiar characters, we all know and love, back again, honestly was the best thing I could have wanted.

This 7th instalment in the companion series is all about Grace and her 3 boys, needing to flee from a very abusive relationship and when she receives a letter from a solicitor in Heartcross, telling her about her inheritance of Heartcross Castle from her estranged grandfather, there's only one thing she can do to save her life and the life of her 3 children.

There are some wonderful characters, I challenge you not to fall in love with Billy, and you will be entertained from start to finish. A fabulous read and one that I highly recommend.

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I absolutely love all the Love Heart Lane series and I think this one has to be my new favourite. Can also be read as a stand alone too. This book follows Grace who left Heartcross as a troubled teenager following the death of her Mother. Her life since has been far from easy, escaping an abusive relationship she gets a chance to move back to her childhood home. The castle is far from the luxury she remembered but it’s a safe place for Grace and her boys and that’s all that matters. Its not going to be easy, Grace must face the friends she deserted and ask their forgiveness, and she finds she has a celebrity chef in situ in the grounds of the castle. Whilst the story starts in a darker place than previous books in the series it’s written so well to set the back story before becoming a heartwarming, funny and cosy read, that you can easily devour in a sitting, I couldn’t put it down.
Christie Barlow at her best.

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Even though I enjoyed reading this book, when finishing I felt a bit disappointed about the events in this book. Somehow things went a bit too smooth with Grace once she left her abusive partner. When she got back to her old village no one felt the least bit angry for her leaving like that. The characters of the kids were cute, but not one scene were they were upset or torn or worrying about something.

And it rankles that, as often with romance novels, the knight in shining armor is a rich man. Very convenient.

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Hadn't read all the books in this series, however i enjoyed it and it felt like a book of its own. Lovely story, I felt like it could of had more mentioning of the castle and exploring it as I found it hard to picture. On the first night I'd be in the same room as the kids espeically with it being run down and her not being there for years, secret passages from the castle to the servant quarters being assessable from both sides but her not fully knowing the guy staying in the servnats quarters and happy to leave her kids alone whilst she slept in the kitchen!? However, that's just my opinion. The kids seemed a little grown up with their behavior and speaking but that didn't really matter. The story flowed lovely and really pulled me in. Thankyou for giving me the chance to read it!

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Grace and her three boys need to escape from her abusive husband, then out of the blue she finds out that she has inherited a castle in Scotland from her estranged grandfather. She returns to Heartcross after running away years before after an argument with her grandfather and wonders how she will be received by her of friends. She finds the castle run down and with a tenant in the old servant quarters.
I've been struggling reading recently, with the previous book a very worthy, but deep story. I read this one in just a couple of sessions and found it very uplifting. I do have a weakness for stories with damsels in distress, they bring out the "white night" in me, although certainly in this case Grace is certainly not a shrinking violet. Andrew, the tenant, is a celebrity chef who initially comes across as very gruff and certainly doesn't understand struggling for money. Despite their differences they do find a spark of attraction.
Overall this story is about friendships and family and is ideal for chewing you up on a Winter's evening.
I received an advance copy of this book from the publisher through Netgalley, however this did not influence my review of the book.

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Grace inherits a castle from her grandfather just as she needs somewhere to escape to with her three children.

She meets Andrew on her first day there, and they are opposites and don't get off to the best of starts.

Will the castle work its magic for them all?

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Thanks to netgalley for the chance to read this book.

Another great book in the Love heart Lane series from Christie.

Grace Power has 3 boys and is in a violent relationship that she seems to be stuck in. She is contacted by her grandfather’s solicitor who lets her know that he has unfortunately died and has left Heartcross Castle to Grace.

Grace decides to up sticks, escape her violent relationship and move to Heartcross Castle. She hasn’t visited since she ran away 10 years ago, will her friends welcome her back with open arms, will the castle be as she remembers it or will it all end in disaster.

A book about friends, love and family.

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Thanks Netgalley for allowing me to read this book. Grace is excited to own her grandfathers estate. She and her kids are looking for a fresh start in this quaint town. This book was an enjoyable and entertaining read.

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