I enjoyed this book. I liked how each of the three stories connected to the same family and went over different times. I also liked how each story showed how war effected each of the characters. I thought the stories were engaging and well told. I found myself wanting to know what happened next. I also liked having the opportunity to read a story by all three of these authors since I have not had the opportunity to read anything by them. It helped me know that I would enjoy other stories by them.

I received a complimentary book from publishers, publicists, and or authors.  A review was not required and all opinions and ideas expressed are my own.

I made it over halfway through. However, it just was not holding my attention and did not connect with the characters enough to know how it ends.

The Castle Keepers is a gratifying historical romance novel that will captivate the readers of the genre and of historical fiction in general. The book demonstrates a high level of research, with an engaging plot, a remarkable setting, and a charming cast of characters. The book also conveys an inspiring message of hope and resilience, as well as a moving depiction of love and family. I would strongly recommend this book to anyone who appreciates a good story with a historical twist and a romantic heart.

There really is an Alnick Castle in Northumberland! You can visit for about 20 pounds, and you may have seen it already on the screen. From their website: Alnwick Castle most recently featured in Transformers: The Last Knight, and as the magnificent Brancaster Castle in Downton Abbey's 2015 and 2016 Christmas specials. Having already featured as Hogwarts in the first two Harry Potter films, as well as appearing in Elizabeth and Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, among others, the castle is no stranger to film crews!

Alnickcastle

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Netgalley and opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. The formatting was a mess though and it was a slough to read it. I'm sure that's colored my review. I didn't understand the different writers featured because it all read as if one person wrote it. I can't imagine a "dollar princess" in Victorian times spoke the same way as a German student after WWII. The style of dialogue was the same throughout.

I loved the history bits and research--especially of the mask maker--and it reminded me of the character in Boardwalk Empire.

tinnoses"/

As for the romance part, well, it was pretty predictable from the first page for the second and third stories what would happen. Ditto for the poison garden!

poisongarden
1 like

I enjoyed this family and house saga from three of my favorite historical authors. I loved how you got three stories in one.

so here we follow three stories, three timelines, written by three authors. (witch by the way is pretty cool)!
and everything's happening in this seemingly cursed castle, basically a poison garden named leedswick.
the timelines are as follows:
1870: Beatrice is an American Dollar Princess ,married to Charles, a British Marquess whit actually the worst family ever! this is a struggle for them to despite everything have a loving relationship, specially when they're surrounded by hatred.

1917: Tobias's face suffers horrible scars, curtesy of WWI. Elena, a talented artist, is hired to paint him a mask. and every bit of their story happens inside those cursed castle walls.

1945: Alec a WWII survivor is so mentally damaged that he seeks help from a famous Austrian psychoanalyst and his niece, Brigitta. He opens a convalescent center in the castle, and hires Brigitta as a therapist. now could she help them-most importantly Alec- find peace and could she herself find the happy ending for the love she's feeling in her chest?

a very fast read for me, amazing stories, amazing characters. and it came to me just in the right time. enjoyed it so so so much.
Thanks to NetGally for providing my copy of this book.

I struggled to get into this book. I think the format just wasn't for me. Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for the review copy.

I have loved books by all three of these authors separately. So to put them together is a trifecta of amazing writing! Loved these stories and I really hope these authors will collaborate again in the future!

..

The Castle Keepers
by Aimie K. Runyan, J’nell Ciesielski, Rachel McMillan

Release Date: May 2, 2023

Rating ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I truly enjoyed this book!

Each author had their own writing style and brought depth and interesting characters to the book.

I am interested in finding more books by each of these authors. 



The Truth Keepers ~ 1870

by Aimie K. Runyun

• Bea & Charles 



The Memory Keepers ~ 1917

by J’nell Ciesielski 

•Elena & Tobias 



The Dream Keepers ~ 1945 

by Rachel McMillan

• Brigitta & Alec

I received a complimentary ARC of this book from NetGalley on behalf of the Publisher and was under no obligation to post a favorable review.

Three different generations of women in 1870, 1917 and 1945 and their connections to the Alnwick family and Leedswick castle in Northumberland. Beautifully written descriptions of the gardens and filled with intrigue and drama. The historical elements were well researched and each story keep me enthralled.

THE CASTLE KEEPERS

First Story - The Truth Keepers
I don’t know if I like this book being broken up into three parts. I don’t feel like the characterization is going deep enough. In Truth Keepers, I felt like I got to know the protagonist Beatrice really well! But alllll the other characters were extremely shallow. Like… no spoilers here… but Jane? We don’t get to know Jane not nearly enough to understand her character. And considering the twists in this chunk of the book, she's kind of an important character!

Second Story - The Memory Keepers
These characters are so much more likeable, and the main reason for this is that the author dedicates more book time to developing their personalities and backgrounds than she did in the first chunk.

Third Story
The beginning of this chunk starts out very dry and dull. It was hard to get into and feel motivated to keep reading.

Overall Thoughts
I loved the idea of this book. Three separate timelines but connected through the setting! Very fun. But I do feel like the book should have been a little longer in order to fully do all the characters justice. In addition, the third story could've built a lot more connections between the three stories. The ending lacks a metaphorical bow.

I adored the Castle Keepers! Crossing 3 different generations of a family living in the same grand British estate, we meet 3 very different heroes and 3 captivating heroines in 3 very different timelines. From the dawn of the Gilded Age to WWI to post WWII, each couple has their own challenges and collectively, they have to deal with the "Curse of Alnwick Castle" while navigating very complex feelings, the aftermath of wars, and difficult family members. Each timeline was fascinating in its own way, and I loved how the backdrop of the castle was always present. I listened to the audiobook and found it to be very well done, and loved the narration by Ann Marie Gideon. I really felt as if I was right there along with Beatrice & Charles, Elena & Tobias, and Brigitta & Alec. I especially loved how these courageous women were determined to fight for their men but weren't' afraid to make their own mark on the world. Lovers of historical fiction, romance, and the English countryside will love it! I received an advance copy of the audiobook from the publisher & was under no obligation to provide a positive review.

Thoroughly enjoyed this one! It's an adventure through three generations of an English family born into nobility, but marginalized by the first father's experiences in battle. The hauntings of each generation of the Alnwick family is delightfully wrapped up by the introduction of a young psychoanalyst's interest in healing the emotional wounds of the youngest Alnwick and his battle brothers. If only combat PTSD was that easy to resolve...
Thank you to Netgalley, Aimie K. Runyan, J'Nell Ciesielski, Rachel McMillan, and Harper Muse Books for my egalley!

The Castle Keepers by Aimie K. Runyan-Vetter J'nell Ciesielsky and Rachel McMillan is full of mystery and taunt with suspense! The story flows effortlessly through the generations! Absolutely a great story and I had the delightful pleasure of listening to the audio! #fivestars

I loved this captivating story of three different women and three timelines, all connected by-a castle. I got lost in it.
Many thanks to Harper Muse and to Netgalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

As someone who spent last summer traipsing around England and visiting castles and manor homes galore, I absolutely adored this book!

I loved all three storylines and how they focused on unique aspects of history, from the “dollar princesses” of the Gilded Age to the masks made for disfigured WWI soldiers to the PTSD suffered by WWII soldiers. All three love stories were romantic and sweet, proving that love conquers all.

If you’ve missed the world of Downton Abbey, this is the book for you!!

3 Novellas, written by different authors, focusing on the same family, across generations, and the same Castle. Love this concept!

I also enjoyed that all 3 stories centered around the Castle Gardens, even the Poison Garden, in the stories. It was a nice continuous thread through each story.

Unfortunately for me, I wasn’t really drawn into any of the stories and didn’t really enjoy the characters from any of the stories. They were just ok for me. I found myself skipping through every now and then.

But it was an enjoyable way to be introduced to 3 new Historical Fiction writers.

The Castle Keepers is a series of three interconnected novellas written by different authors. Each story focuses on an heir to the Alnwick family and Leedswick castle, and the woman who becomes his wife. The first story features Beatrice, an American socialite disgraced in New York who goes to England to find a husband. She meets Charles Alnwick, who is seen as disgraced by the local village for an event while he was a soldier. This disgrace becomes ‘the family curse’. In the second story we meet artist Elena who is hired by the Alnwicks to create a lifelike face mask to cover the injuries sustained by their heir Tobias during WWI. The third story sees psychoanalyst Brigitta invited to Leedswick to help counsel Alec Alnwick and other men after WWII.

In each story the Alnwick men face a challenge and desire to overcome, and the women who enter their lives help them along that path with love and understanding.

I enjoyed this book but didn’t realize at first that it is actually three connected novellas. I would have preferred to read it as one continuous and more fleshed out novel. I wished the third novella could have been longer as there was so.much more that could have been covered in that story. I did enjoy the insight into people’s perceptions and society’s perspectives through the timelines of the book. Overall I would rate this book as a 3.5 if that were an option.

Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for the chance to review this book.

Leedswick Castle in Northumberland has been in the Alnwick family for hundreds of years with a curse that seems to follow each generation. This trio of novellas follows the fate of those who keep the castle at Leedswick.

1870: Miss Beatrice Holbrook, a “dollar princess” heads to England to find a titled husband after an ill-fated dinner at the Astor’s shuts New York society’s doors. In London, Beatrice meets the very eligible Charles Alnwick, whom most considered an impossible catch, and attempts to become the next Marchioness of Northridge.

1917: Elena Hamilton is a talented bohemian artist, who wants nothing but to aide the men disfigured by the Great War. When Tobias Alnwick’s parents commission her to paint a mask created for him, she jumps at the chance to help Tobias find the confidence to “face” the world again. Elena finds a man whose battle wounds go far deeper than the surface, and she does what she can to remind him of what he was fighting for—to see the good again.

1945: Brigitta Mayr is working on her doctorate in psychoanalysis in Vienna when she is asked to join a group of men recently home from battle suffering with their reentrance to society. Alec Alnwick believes his estate could be used to help veterans who are suffering from what we now know as PTSD. Brigitta and Alec are determined to change the Alnwick family legacy of suffering, and end a curse forever.

Each generation of Alnwick men in these novellas has seen war that has greatly affected them, and each finds a bride that brings helps them find peace afterwards. The mysterious and in some areas deadly castle gardens are a prominent feature in each tale. All three storylines were interesting and a bit predictable, though the third seems much more focused on Alec than Brigitta breaking the format of the female character feeling like the lead.

Thank you to NetGalley, Harper Muse, and of course the authors: Aimee K. Runyan, J’nell Ciesielski, and Rachel McMillan for the advanced copy of the audiobook. The Castle Keepers is out now. All opinions are my own.

Thank you to goodreads and harper muse for a copy of this book for my rreview

I honestly totally enjoyed this book. It is three different stories. In 1870, The first deals with a murder at an English castle. The family trying to be the top of the family to run the castle, Leedswick in the 1870s invo.ves Lord Charles Alnwick and Beatrice.

The next in 1917, deals with the same castle and deals with the also a struggle of a family to run the castle. But this time, some family is coming back from war badly injured. This stories involves Tobias Alnwick and Elna Hamilton.

The third in 1945, deals with soldiers back from war and trying to live a life now with now rules with some psychologist helping the cause also in Leedswick castle.

Each of the stories have villains that wants to destroy and yet they is a love story to block destruction.

Totally enjoyed this give it a read!