New York City, 1870

The Castle Keepers is a loosely connected three stories of Alnick’s Leedswick Castle in Northumberland, England.

It begins with an American socialite looking for a husband after a disastrous beginning in New York City. Beatrice must catch the attention of the titled bachelor and she does in Charles Alwick of Leedswick Castle.

Leedswick Castle, 1917

Tobias, Lord Alwick hides behind his mask to shield his mangled face from the destruction that was part of WW I. He hides his hideous face but Elena Hamilton has come at the invitation of his parents who despite the cost, want their son to come out of hiding and hopefully find healing.

Elena Hamilton is a strong woman with a lot of spunk who believes that with what she is doing with her talent of painting she can help Tobias and those like him, but she also has secrets of her own that she isn’t so quick to share until she has to.

Leedswick Castle, 1945

Alec can’t sleep because of his nightmares due to the War. He has been in correspondence with Brigitta Mayr, who specializes in the interpretation of dreams and the subconscious. Alec has also been speaking with Brigitta’s uncle, Dr. Henrik Mayr who is also corresponding with Alec. He invites both Brigitta and her uncle to his castle to help his friends but it is Brigitta who ultimately comes to help Alec and his friends.

Though this is obviously a nod to the strong women who marry into the Alnick family, it also shows the pain that was suffered by the men during the combat of the two World Wars and they are expected to return to normalcy, and each man, Charles, Tobias, and Alec all had trauma that had to be dealt with.

There is also an underlying thread of a curse that has affected the Alnick family, and this continues to Alec’s story.

The Castle Keepers was wonderful and kept my interest throughout. Elena and Tobias was my favorite story.

My gratitude to Harper Muse. All opinions expressed are mine and honest.

Three of the best historical fiction authors combined their talents to create this compelling book. Each of the authors has written a novella in their own distinct voice to bring this multigenerational family saga to life. I was transported to an estate in the English countryside beginning in 1870, through the horrors and aftermath of two World Wars. Each story is one of bravery and love, of healing and redemption, and a mystery that permeates each generation.

Three authors, three stories, three different time-lines set years apart, three different sets of couples, but all connected by location (a castle in Northern England) and a persived curse. I enjoyed how each story stood on its own, with the couples dealing with their own issues, their own tribulations, persived faults, and good characteristics. There was some degree of conclusion and resolution in each story while one underlying issue (a curse on the family line & house) that wove its way through each story, revealing itself in different ways in each story. All a good read with an interesting premise.
I received an ARC copy from NetGalley and the publisher. All opinions are my own.

three love stories written with three different timelines. Really interesting read, holds your attention all the way through.

This great work of historical fiction was like a lot that feature different timelines - although unlike most, each timeline was written by a different author.

While the stories did blend well, I felt like things partially derailed a bit in the third timeline. The first two were fantastic, building well on the characters and story line. And then we get to the third and suddenly, a huge part of it is revolving around an only mentioned in passing character, the brother of the "main focus" of the 2nd timeline. Without giving too much away, that third timeline just felt like it was out of place and it bothered me that absolutely none of the war service of this brother was mentioned, when the war (and the wounds it caused) was such a huge part of the second timeline.

Despite the downside of the 3rd timeline, the first two were so great that even those who are fans of historical fiction but aren't really fans of short novellas will absolutely enjoy this story.

I thoroughly enjoyed this collection of stories. I was happy to see that each story had to do with the same family, even though some were generations apart. I enjoyed the mystery in each story and the sweet romance. The family dynamic was also very interesting. I would recommend this book.

This historical fiction novel was quite interesting. Three stories by three different authors spanning three generations of one family. Each story includes secrets, heartache, romance, struggles, a deadly garden, and a family living in a castle… what more could you ask for??
Story number one takes place during the Gilded Age, a time period I am fascinated by (and have been ever since I was a child when first visiting the Newport mansions). I loved Beatrice’s character. She is built up as a strong woman from a family of “new money”. While her mother dreams of marrying her off into a family that will increase the status of her own family, Beatrice is determined not to just marry any man. I really adored her and Charles, the man she comes to marry and live with at his family’s castle, though they continued to struggle with a judgemental society. The author does a great job with description, both of the time period and the introduction to the family who becomes the thread that weaves the three stories together.
Story number 2: My favorite of the 3. A young woman, Elena, uses her talent in art for the greater good as she becomes a “mask maker” for disfigured WWI soldiers. Tobias, the grandson of Beatrice and Charles, was badly wounded in the war. His parents invite Elena to come to the castle to “fix” their son by making a mask to hide his disfigurement. I love the relationship between Elena and Tobias… it is very sweet. I had never heard of these mask makers before and loved hearing about it. It prompted me to look it up after reading this story. What a great thing to give new life to these men, many who likely would have likely been depressed and hid from the world. Thank you for bringing this story of these mask makers to my attention!
Story number 3: The son of Tobias and Elena, Alec, has his own demons after fighting in WWII. He and his soldier friends return home, struggling from PTSD. During the war he wrote to a doctor in Austria who spoke of the nightmares and demons soldiers had to confront and battle after war. He decided to turn the castle into a place soldiers could go to in order to bridge the gap between war and home. In the end, the doctor’s niece, Brigitta, who has worked with her uncle, goes to the English castle to experiment on dreams and nightmares of soldiers to try to help these men through their troubles and live more “normal lives”. I never quite felt the connection between Alec and Brigitta. I wish more time had been given to really build on that piece. I know PTSD is all too real of a disorder and I didn’t feel as horrified for these soldiers as I should have for what they faced. The mention of the “family curse” or the “castle’s curse” was also mentioned too many times- I felt it was overkill. I do appreciate the idea of the story, but felt it needed more emotion overall.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Enjoyable novella trio. The three novellas comprising this work are sited in different time periods and written by different authors, but sited at the Alnwick family castle in Northumberland in England. I loved the first story, which promptly drew me in, held my attention, established a strong sense of place and left me wanting more of the tale of Charles and Beatrice and their “pile.” I was not surprised to learn it was written by Aimie K. Runyan, a versatile historical fiction writer whose entire back list I’ve read and enjoyed. For my personal taste, the remaining two novellas were not my cuppa, however, though each was relatively well written. The psychoanalysis theme of the third was particularly uninteresting to me, and that tale would have benefited from being shorter and less rambling.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Harper Muse for a complimentary ARC. Opinions are my own.

It's not often three wonderful historical romance authors come together to write three stories that connect
by tracing a castle's history through generations of a family. All three were war related and the heroes had the issues whereas the heroines had the needed answers for them.
There was the curse, the poison garden and the broken down castle that became the threads weaving all the stories together.
I enjoyed all three. The similarities made me feel they had a little too much in common. But I would recommend this to those who love historical fiction and castles.
Thank you to Net Galley for allowing me to read this book. The opinions are entirely my own.

Three short stories about those who lived in a castle at different times and what they made of their lives in the castle.

I enjoyed the first of these stories, and the second to an extent, but the third not much at all. I did like the way the stories were connected by being about several generations of the same family.

I received this book from the publisher via net galley in exchange for an honest review. 3-1/2 stars.

3 wonderful stories. I enjoyed having the stories told from an outsider’s point of view. While written by three different people, the stories work well together. The romance portion was very predictable, but the rest of the plot was very intriguing.

The Castle Keepers is a slightly different collaboration that I've seen but fabulous not the less. This is not multiple interwoven timelines, but three consecutive novellas written about three generations that live in Leeswick Castle in Northumberton, England. Each author took one of the generations to write about. The first generation in the story, but not the first to live in the old castle, was the Marquess Charles Alnwick in the 1870s. He found a beautiful debutante, Beatrice, from New York City to marry and bring a dowry to help support the castle Then their descendant, Tobias, returned from WW1 with a facial disfigurement and he was hiding from everyone and everything. Elena, an artist, was hired to create a detailed mask to hid the scars. They eventually fell in love and married. Finally, the son of Tobias and Elena, Alec Alnwick returned from WW2 in 1945 with Brigitta. She was a psychology doctorial candidate. Together they were creating a safe space for other soldiers returning from the war with non-physical wounds. Each section of the book tells its own tale of that time frame, but there are threads that connect them to create a cohesive story. Family, love, mystery, and forgiveness are themes that bind the stories. There are characters to love and characters you may want to yell at as you read. If you love historical fiction, castles, English peerage, a little mystery and romance thrown in for good measure, then I highly recommend this book!

Thank you Harper Muse and Net Galley for an ARC of The Castle Keepers. I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own."


A beautiful story of three generations. I loved the variations that each story had from the other. A short and sweet read

The Castle Keeps follows one family, through three different generations. It's three stories, back to back, that follow the line (skipping here and there). I really enjoyed the format, and the way it allowed you to see the different interconnecting stories, how the one before affected the one after, and how actions can cause ripple effects for generations to come.

My favorite story was probably the second one, my favorite writing of the story was the first. I really loved the settings, the mysteries, and the poison garden too! The use of history through the timelines was wonderful, and the characters were portrayed well.

Overall, 4 star read, and a great book!

(Book review to be lengthened later!)

Three wonderful authors, three novellas set in the same castle during 3 different generations of the same family. Each family member struggles with the curse on the castle and family as they try to overcome personal tragedies and move on with their lives.

I don't usually like novellas, but The Castle Keepers, by Amine Runyon, J'nelle Clesielski, and Rachel McMillan, has three that are worth reading. All three are based around a castle in Northumberland. Three men in different generations of same family served in different wars, at different times, and were changed by those experiences. It also includes the women they grow to love and shows how those women helped these men overcome the horrors of war. While their stories are different, the family castle is the thread that binds them to each other.

I highly recommend this book. I was allowed to read an ARC on #NetGalley.

I loved the first 2 stories, but hated the third. The third was confusing, boring, and way too full of psych talk and terminology. It dragged the story down.

As a whole, this collection of stories was lovely, and I loved the way each selection connected to the others!


The Truth Keepers: Aimie K. Runyan

3.5⭐️

This was a cute marriage-of-convenience story—Charles needs Beatrice’s money & she needs his title. American “Dollar Princesses” are a fairly new topic of interest for me, so it was lovely to learn more.

My heart ached for Beatrice because of her overbearing mother, but I did love her father!

This story sets the stage for the others, plus it features a castle! Charles & Beatrice were sweet, but they didn’t get a ton of time together, which I missed. The mystery & family curse angle was interesting, though the ending felt a bit rushed to me.

Content: mild language (1x each of God’s name irreverently, b*stard, and d*mn)
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The Memory Keepers: J’nell Ciesielski

4.5⭐️

Since this was a WW1 story, I was fairly certain I would love it—and I did! It was my favourite of the three. 😍

Elena & Tobias were very sweet together. And I had never heard of creating masks and such for burn victims. So fascinating!!

Content: 1x b*stard
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The Dream Keepers: Rachel McMillan

3⭐️

This story dealt with post-WW2 and its aftermath, particularly the mental health of soldiers.

There’s quite a bit of psychology & Freudian theory covered in the story. And while I can’t say I agree with all of the theories, they are accurate for the era.

I liked Alec & Brigitta together, and their partnership in creating a safe space for recovering soldiers was beautiful.


*Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the complimentary copy of this book. I was not required to write a positive review. These are my honest thoughts and opinions.

A unique set of novellas featuring several generations who inherit an estate in northern England. Fans of clean historical fiction with mystery and romance should enjoy this one.

"...life is indeed worth living no matter the pain."
I enjoyed reading each part of the story and wondered how each one would blend into the next. The authors did a good job bringing it all together, tying the family tree with a line of strong, brave women who grow to care deeply for their wounded warriors. The PTSD theme plays a large part in their struggles, as the men bear scars on the inside as well as the outside.
"She made him want to believe again."
I was drawn to each of them, especially the WW1 veteran and the artist. The mysteries added intrigue and suspenseful moments, with some action. The romances that developed were all different, tender and sincere, with some sighworthy moments in each one.
A satisfying read overall! 4.5 stars