5+ stars for Once Upon a Christmas Castle by Virginia Barlow #historicalromance #holidayromance
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  • N. N. Light
    • Nov 28, 2023
    • 2 min read

5+ stars for Once Upon a Christmas Castle by Virginia Barlow #historicalromance #holidayromance



Title: Once Upon a Christmas Castle

Author: Virginia Barlow

Genre: Historical Romance, Holiday Romance

 

Book Blurb: 

 

Lady Rosalind Chatham journeys with her family to Weston Castle to wed an ancient earl on Christmas day. Yearning for true love, she falls for the duke, her stepfather’s cousin, while preparing for her nuptials.

 

Lady Rosalind entrances the Duke of Weston. Concerned for her future with the tempestuous earl, he can’t afford to get involved. The fines and scandal will be too great for a man of his wealth and power.

 

When the truth comes to light, and he almost loses her forever, he finds he cannot afford to give less than his whole heart.

 

My Review: 

 

While preparing to marry an old earl on Christmas Day, Lady Rosalind gives her love to Lucius, Duke of Weston. What’s a lady to do? Virginia Barlow has written the quintessential historical holiday romance. A virtuous lady set to marry an old man with a title falls for the handsome duke instead. This romance is so wonderfully written, I didn’t want it to end. The romance is sweeping with a bit of scandal. The setting is Christmas in a castle. The world-building and narration work together to create a historically accurate romance worth reading.

 

Let’s start with the characters. Lady Rosalind is a heroine I empathized with. She craves the fairytale ending with true love (don’t we all) yet it doesn’t appear to be in the cards for her. Then she meets Lucius. Her conflict is so well-presented, my heart went out to her. Many readers will connect with her. Lucius is a hero of his time, and I swooned over him. Even though his actions are honorable, it would cause a scandal. What’s a duke to do? He’s also conflicted but must make a choice. The chemistry between these two is electric.

 

Virginia Barlow is a prolific writer who writes both contemporary and historical romance. I’ve read all her books and I personally feel her historical ones are stronger. She writes characters you’ll cling to and settings that’ll have you transporting into her books.

 

Once Upon a Christmas Castle is an original historical romance and one I highly recommend.

 

My Rating: 5+ stars

 

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Author Biography:

 

I have always loved reading romance novels. I used to sneak into my mom’s room as a young girl and read them while she was gone. As I grew older, my reading and tastes expanded to sci-fi, dystopian, paranormal, and fantasy.


I considered becoming an author in my late twenties but as a busy mother with toddlers, I didn’t have the time nor the energy.


Later, in my fifties, I decided to give it a try and have enjoyed every moment of it since. I recently signed my fourteenth contract and am doing my happy dance as I type this. My husband of forty-one years is my greatest support as are all my kids. Most of them are grown and carving out lives for themselves. They are the beat of my heart and with every grandchild, the rhythm gets stronger. I enjoy every moment of my life.

 

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Reviewed by: Nancy

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