Review: Kingscastle

Kingscastle by Sophia Holloway
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I love Regency romance, so I thought I’d give Kingscastle a go.

Captain William Hawksmoor unexpectedly becomes Marquis of Athelney, and inherits Kingscastle, with the clause that he must marry to be in full control.

I really enjoyed the first half of this book. It took me a little bit to get into it, as it’s not fast moving. However, it soon resolved into a gentle story of William learning his new place in the world, and there were a number of fun moments with Eleanor. I really enjoyed the sense of connection between them. There’s also a gentle touch of humour.

I found the second half really frustrating, as William and Eleanor believed various things about each other, but didn’t bother to actually communicate to resolve things. Admittedly, they had virtually no opportunity to do so, but I found it irritating.

I loved the subplot between Harry Bitton and Anne Greenham, in fact I think I liked them more than the two main characters! I found William’s attitude towards women occasionally grating (his comment about price, rather than pride, in particular) - though he’s obviously an admirable character in general. I also didn’t feel like I spent enough time with Eleanor to get to know her, and that the two of them didn’t have enough page time together. Charlotte’s character development was excellent though, and I thoroughly enjoyed seeing her get the better of her mother!

The last fifth or so of the story was excellent, all the confusions get untangled. This results in happy endings being sprinkled liberally, and with humour.

Overall, this was a gentle regency, with a couple of romances to enjoy.

I was given a free copy of this book, my opinions are my own.

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