Most of the anthologies of novellas are generally light in substance and depth. That is not the case with The Castle Keepers. Three different generations of the Alnwick family are desperately trying to hold on to their castle that has been part of their family lineage for generations. In each of the stories there is a bit of intrigue in each of the stories, and a whole lot of PTSD in them. Each of the stories includes a wounded warrior who has a hard time putting what he saw in the war behind him. Each has a woman who is strong in her own right, but a little foreign to the aristocratic world. The women in these novellas seek to love the men in a way that goes beyond appearances and surface characteristics.
I found that each novella showed ways that the protagonists were trying to overcome negative connotations with the castle in the minds of the villagers surrounding it, how they were working to redeem the castle's poor reputation, how they were working to overcome their own hardships, and even how their faith, not only in God, but even in themselves was restored.
These authors have done such a great job in pulling these narratives together to make a cohesive whole, even though generations separate them. This is so very much a five star book. It's hard to put down while you are reading the stories, but after you finish one, you have to let it digest before jumping into the next one. The issues tackled are very real and common almost to every soldier or military man who has seen battle. Read it, that's all I can say.
Harper Muse provided the copy I read for this review. All opinions expressed are solely my own.
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