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Castles (1996)

Castles (1996)

Book Info

Author
Genre
Series
Rating
4.09 of 5 Votes: 5
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ISBN
0671744208 (ISBN13: 9780671744205)
Language
English
Publisher
simon & schuster

About book Castles (1996)

I have read this book in the past. Now, I have listened to the audio, narrated by Heather Wilds. She did a fine job most of the time, giving the princess a Germanic accent, which seemed suitable. Her voice is easy on the ears, not grating. Her portrayal of Colin was also good. She didn't try to force her voice to sound deep and gruff, like a man's, which always grates on my ears. However, she showed little or no emotion when portraying the love scenes. (I'd go about 4 stars for the narration)The story itself is not my favorite historical by Garwood, but it's okay. The pacing is a bit slow and the plot a bit weak. (Only 3 stars for the story). Some parts are great, though. I liked Colin's devoted butler, Flannaghan, who fell over himself for "his" princess, Alesandra. I liked Alesandra's cleverness, surreptitiously handling Colin's ledgers and finding a way to ease his wounded leg. Colin is often grouchy, but I liked him, too. He made me laugh a little (but I didn't laugh during this book as much as during some of Garwood's other historicals).I could not buy the reasons given for Alesandra to move in with a bachelor. Nope. Would never happen, lady's maid or no maid. The abduction plot thread with the general who wanted to marry the throne was predictable and somewhat inconsistent. Plus, some threads were left unfinished.I did not care for the scenes with the psychotic lady-killer, but this is typical of Garwood, to include grisly murder along with the seething thoughts of the sociopath. Apparently, she likes to write psychos into her stories, or maybe she depends on this trope to allow the hero to rescue, and to build tension.It was good to see characters from the prequels. The scenes with Colin's brother Caine were entertaing -- the scenes when he called the princess "the plague" and when he watched Colin find something wrong with every potential husband.My favorites in this Crown Spies series are The Lion's Lady and The Gift. Other favorite historicals by Garwood involve alpha Scottish lairds or their English counterparts:Honor's Splendour Saving GraceThe Bride The Secret

April 2013: Screw you, Colin, and the horse you road in on! I gave up. After writing the review below I never did pick the book back up again. Neurotic or not about finishing books I just couldn't do it. I am counting this book as 'read' as I did read the whole thing when I was younger (and what shitty taste in books I must have had back then!).Earlier in 2013: I originally read this book back in college and I don't remember thinking it was good or bad. I recently got it for super cheap from a used book store and thank gawd for that. What a bunch of crap. Somehow in my younger days I completely missed how creepy this book is in it's "read between the lines" way. I'm about halfway through and I want to kick Colin in the balls for being such an ass. He's arrogant, which is suppose to be cute and make one feel confident that he knows what he's doing, but instead he comes off as a complete bully to Alesandra. Yes this is suppose to be historical fiction at a time when 'the husband knows best' but the author tries to make the female leads strong, intelligent, etc despite those circumstances. Unfortunately Alesandra is a complete Door.Mat. And I've wanted to throw the book every time Colin treats her like a child (too numerous to count). I just read a part where shocking news is being divulged from a third party and Alesandra says something like, "But how did he...." and Colin, the ass, condescendingly says, "Let him have his say, Alesandra; don't interrupt him." YES DADDY DICK HEAD! It's gross and creepy that these two hook up as Colin treats her more like a child than a partner; which makes him a mental pedophile (kinda? sorta? you know what I mean) since he obviously thinks of her as an overgrown seven year old.Alright, enough bitching. I just had to vent this. I just finished a PBS special on feminism that was really inspiring and positive and then I read this book on 'How to Bully One's Wife.' I feel better now. And yeah, I'm going to finish it - because I'm neurotic like that.

Do You like book Castles (1996)?

This book. Castles by Julie Garwood is one of my favorite historical romances. I've read it a zillion times, and I'll probably read it another zillion times during my lifetime. I never, ever get sick of it. But I decided to switch things up and listen to this via Audio, and it was super fun, although I prefer reading the print version the best.Castles features a princess, you guys. A princess! Did I ever tell you that I was obsessed with princesses as a kid (okay I still am). So anyway, Alesandra, the heroine, is a princess. Alesandra is very intelligent, especially when it comes to numbers and money and investing. But, of course, that isn't acceptable for women during this time period. So Alesandra finds a way around this because she is freaking awesome. Alesandra is just one of my favorite heroines in romance. She's a list maker, she's nice and thoughtful, but not against a little deceit when need be.Colin, the hero, is totally swoony. He's my kind of guy. He's trying to build his shipping business with her partner. He's works hard and doesn't really accept help all that well. He's stubborn, especially when it comes to his severely injured leg. He has a plan, and marriage and children don't come into the picture for at least 5 years. But the best laid plans never work out like you expect them too.From the very beginning, I was rooting for Colin and Alesandra to get together. There is absolutely no doubt that they belong together. Although there has to be conflict that prevents them from getting together immediately, it was never the back and forth stuff that I get frustrated with. And then when they do get together, it's just so darn amazing.There's a suspense angle to Castles, that also brings some tension into the story. As usual with romance, the suspense angle isn't all that mysterious, but seriously I just don't care. Because Colin and Alesandra are just amazing and I can never get enough of their story. I can say for sure that I will be reading Castles again sometime relatively soon.This review was originally posted on Quinn's Book Nook
—Quinn's Book Nook

Castles was such an endearing story. It wasn't my favorite in the Crown's Spies series (those would be The Gift, then Guardian Angel), but I did like it quite a lot. I tend to enjoy a good marriage-of-convenience story, particularly when the circumstances aren't contrived. Colin was a grumpy but honorable man, and I'm glad he got his happy ending. Alesandra was a lot tamer than the other ladies in the series, and I loved that she had a great head for business (and a bod for sin - sorry, couldn't help myself). They were a charming couple. Having said that. Despite my enjoyment, I can't help but note that pieces of their story seemed to rely on more tell than show. I felt that, yes, I was being told that they really loved each other,but I never felt the spark that the previous couples had. I also have to say that the mystery was very creepy, a bit rushed at the end, but compelling. Despite my hangups, I did truly enjoy Castles. It was a nice way to round out the Crown's Spies series, and I do recommend them all.
—Andrea

Castles by Julie Garwood is a story about innocent, orphaned Princess Alessandra who has grown up in a convent. She receives a letter from the Evil General Ivan who wants to marry her for political reasons and to get his hands on her very well endowed inheritance. To save herself from the horrible fate of marrying the evil general, she travels to England in search of a husband. She only has three weeks to find him. She meets Collin, the hardworking, independent second son of her guardian, the Duke of Williamshire. Alessandra and Collin misunderstand each other from their first meeting and reject each other. However, after they are thrown together in marriage, they share passion and discover love. Meanwhile, a serial killer is on the prowl in London and women are missing. One of these women is Alessandra’s good friend and Alessandra is determined to find her.This is my first Julie Garwood novel. Her writing style is entertaining, humorous,and fun. The story itself is fast paced. I do generally prefer more historical detail in my fiction and more depth in the characters, however this genre is often less detailed, and I accept that as a reader. I found the naïve virgin versus the experienced emotionless male to be a bit overdone, but overall I was entertained. If you are looking for a quick, entertaining, slightly breathless romance, then pick up this novel.
—Susie Brooks

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