Cover Image: The Painted Castle

The Painted Castle

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Member Reviews

The Painted Castle is the third and final book of The Lost Castle series. As the two previous books, The Painted Castle is also set in three different timelines that centers around the lives of three different women where a painting is the pivotal connection between these women - 1840s, Elizabeth Meade; 1944, Amelia Woods or Viscountess Huxley; present day, Keira Foley.

As always, Cambron's writing is lush and atmospheric with spectacular descriptions of the each era. I really liked the prose and how each era was meticulously written with careful details. I enjoyed Amelia Woods' era the most. Characters are well developed. Although the back and forth narration of each timeline was really confusing and it did take some time getting used to it, overall. the storytelling was great and still feel connected.

If you like historical fiction and romance, this may be the book for you. It is a splendid final book to this series, and if you like prose as much as I do, this book will not disappoint!

***I received a complimentary digital copy of this book from Thomas Nelson - FICTION through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All views expressed in this review are my own and was not influenced by the author, publisher or any third party.***

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The first book by this author that I am reading and also my first time slip novel with no regrets of picking it up. The story pulled me on from the start. The history, the characters, I loved every bit of it.
Each character with their story to tell, I couldn't pick a favourite because I loved them all. Their search for truth, their struggles and their desire for better resonated throughout this story.
A perfect blend of mystery, romance and suspense. Will definitely be picking up the other two in this series but this was an absolute delight.
I received a complimentary copy of this book via Netgalley and the publisher. All opinions expressed are solely mine.

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While I didn’t know that this was the third book in the series, it engaged me from the start, without feeling like I was left in the dark having not read the other two. I loved the different eras and the common thread that ran between them. Each character felt different, and their behaviours felt true to their particular time periods. I stayed o way too late to finish it, as each period held me fast until I could learn the answers to each of the mysteries. Each couple had experienced the pain of their own, that somehow brought them together where they could find healing in the other.

I think the only thing I really struggled with was Elizabeth’s story.

I loved the sweetness of the romance between Amelia and Wyatt, as well as Elizabeth and Keaton. Keira and Emory are nice in their own regard but were my least favourite of the three. I guess I’m more of a sucker for historical romance. I enjoyed the book immensely, and it definitely works well as a stand-alone. But given my enjoyment, I’ll probably be checking out the other two books in the series!

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Kristy Cambron has taken an idea and stretched it as far as it would go. In The Painted Castle, she has taken three women from totally separate generations all tied to one painting. The problem with this is that when moving from one time era to another, the writing was rather disjointed. I think this book would have worked best as three novellas in one anthology. That is my criticism of the book.

Beginning in the 1840s, Elizabeth Meade is commissioned to do a portrait of Queen Victoria. She is being tutored by Franz Winterhalter, a well-known artist of the time.

In the 1940s, Amanda Woods is living in the same Castle, but has hidden all of the paintings that were in the house for safety's sake because of the German airplanes bombing the area.

In the present day, Keira Foley has been commissioned to authenticate a painting of Queen Victoria, supposedly by Franz Winterhalter.

Each of these stories would be easy to follow, IF they were cohesively put together, and all of them are enjoyable reads. This is certainly a recommendable book with four stars. ⭐⭐⭐⭐

I would like to thank Thomas Nelson and NetGalley.com for providing the galley for me to read.

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This is probably one of my favorite novels of the year. I loved the way the author was able to wind the three stories together- but still separately by the end. I look forward to reading the other novels in this series, as this one was powerfully written and engaging at every turn.

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I have read and enjoyed this entire Lost Castle series as well as Ms Cambron's other books. I love dual-time period and WWII stories, so this checks both boxes. The Painted Castle is a lovely, moving read and a three-stories-in-one book! I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own

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This was one of the most moving stories I have read in a long time--specifically, the WWII story that forms one third of this complicated novel. Interestingly, the Victorian-era and present-day narratives both present mysteries to solve, while the WWII narrative's suspense lies in whether the characters will survive the bombings, so it makes the whole novel really gripping. The chapters are all clearly labeled as to time and place, so it's not confusing. The novel is published by a Christian publisher, but it's not too over-the-top with the inspirational stuff. If anything, it just feels like a little bit of a non sequitur when the broody love interest suddenly praises God for the sunset.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for a digital ARC!

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Thank you to the publisher and author for providing me with a digital ARC of this title via Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.
I have been fortunate to read all of the titles by Kristy Cambron in her Lost Castle series. While the first still remains my favorite, each following title has been enjoyable and well written with a nicely blended mix of history and fiction. The Painted Castle was my second favorite in the series. I have enjoyed following the characters and learning more about different periods of European history. I love the way different narratives are used to tell the story in each of the three time periods. Each had it's own interesting story around strong, likable characters. I love how the stories weave together as the novel progresses. Painted Castle was a great mix of romance, mystery, history, and emotion. A thoroughly enjoyable read.

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I received a complimentary copy of this book via Netgalley and the publisher.
All opinions are my own .

I thought this book was fun to read and beautifully written. I didn’t realize it was a series but I’ll be going back and reading the others soon. The author forms a good plot and characters to follow throughout.

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This is the third and final book in the Lost Castle series, and it is beneficial to read them in order.

As is common with Cambron's books, the characters are likeable and relatable, and the descriptions are picturesque. There's a nice mix of mystery and even humor in the story. As with others in the series, the story line blends three time periods (present day, 1944, and 1843) and follows three strong lead women. (Amelia was my favorite.) The author makes it look easy and seamless to create such a complex story. Fans of historical romances will enjoy this lovely story, complete with a beautiful cover.

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I have enjoyed this entire series by Kristy Cambron. She does an excellent job of creating time slip novels that pull you in to each of the three story lines and make you love the characters and become invested in their lives as if they are your friends. This latest novel has stories set in Victorian England, England during World War II, and present day England. As I read the alternating stories, I kept thinking, "I love this story better" at various times throughout the book. It was also good to check in on characters from previous books and see the story come full circle in the end.
I was provided an advanced copy of the novel by Thomas Nelson through Netgalley for my honest review.

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I'm still new to time-slip novels, and I'm not gonna lie: three protagonists in three different time periods was a bit intimidating at first.
But from the prologue, Kristy Cambron had me sucked in. It's really not fair, making me root for three different heroines. There should have been one I wasn't as fond of so that I could stop easily when I reached her section, but I liked all of them and so I was forced to keep reading well past the time I should've turned off my Kindle.
It's amazing the way Cambron was able to drop hints throughout each section, weaving threads hither, thither, and yon. I was intrigued by how they would all connect, and Cambron did not disappoint. Love and lost seemed to be a common thread, and it all came to together with a valuable lesson: we can't fear the future because of pain from the past.

(Review will be posted on the blog on Oct 4 at 5:00 PM)

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Ahhh!!! Excuse me while I fangirl gush but this book was sooo good!! Rich descriptions, characters that will steal your heart, and a plot (or three!) that will keep you turning the pages. No sagging middle here folks. I was gripped from page one and engrossed in all three storylines. I kept picking a favorite only to change my pick every time the book jumped to the next time period. They were all that good. Just goes to show that Kristy Cambron is a master of story telling. I’ve loved all three of the books in this series and they are staying on my keeper shelf!

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This is the first time I read a book from Kristy Cambron, and not the last ! The rythm of story telling is so well-paced that every situation unravels with realism. You do feel like you were there. The descriptions are so clever you are transported to locations and differents times if necessary. I was totally hooked and the suspens of the different stories held to the end of the book. I truly appreciated the setting of atmosphere, the travels through time. The characters had a sense of "déjà vu" . I mean, the characters are plausible and it seems that they are behaving as my family had done throught the trouble times of WW2. I am recomending the book to my students and to my dear closest friends. I will buy copies as gifts. Hope of the best after the worst is the best gift one can offer. Many thanks to Mrs Cambron to have written stories to convey the message.


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

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The Painted Castle by Kristy Cambron is a delightful Christian novel and the third book in the Lost Castles series but can be read as a stand-alone.
Once more Kristy Cambron has taken historical detail and facts and woven a marvellous tale. The novel is a triple timeline story being set in 1843, 1944 and present day. The focus is Framlingham in Suffolk and a private painting of Queen Victoria. Similar themes and a mystery unite the tales down the years.
There are a wonderful mix of characters. I certainly had a favourite. See if you do too.
War touches every aspect of society in 1944 as lives are both protected and torn apart. Huge hearts open homes to those in need. The desire to nurture and protect is strong.
I really enjoyed The Painted Castle. I love Kristy Cambron’s tales as they educate and entertain.
I received this book for free. A favourable review was not required and all views expressed are my own.

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

I was unaware that that this book was the concluding part in a series (consisting of three books), which worked both to its advantage and disadvantage. One of the clear disadvantages for me as a new reader was, of course, that I've missed two books in which, as far as I understood, at least some of the characters in the storyline set in present day had previously been introduced. An advantage of this "problem" was that it sparked interest to perhaps read the other two books too to understand certain characters better.

We have three different storylines in three different time periods: the 1840s, the 1940s and present day, each with its own main character. Lady Elizabeth in the 1840s, Amelia Wood in the 1940s and Keira Foley in the present day. The overall story is about a painting found in a country estate in present day which portrays a, by Victorian standards, "racy" picture of queen Victoria to be gifted to her husband, prince Albert.

This is where I found myself confused and the further into the story I got the more confused I become. I was not following the overall storyline, and had a hard time figuring out exactly why we needed both the 1840s and the 1940s storyline, especially the 1940s one (although I found this one the most interesting and cute storyline with the romance building in Amelia's chapters!) - or well, I "got" how they were relevant in terms of presenting the story of the portrait and how it happened to end up on the estate, but that doesn't mean that they were interesting as additions to the main story: they would have been nice as stories of their own and not as a series of (almost) flashbacks for the readers to enhance their understanding of Keira's story in the present day chapters. As the overall structure confused me I found myself being less and less interested in both Elizabeth's and Keira's storylines and that in turn made me putting down my phone several times out of boredom.

All in all, this wasn't for me, whether or not this is because I read book three in a series first or because I just lost interest in two of the three storylines is hard to say, but I say that, for me, this book was okay. A big thank you to the publishers - Thomas Nelson Fiction - for accepting my request.

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There were three different storylines in this one which sometimes became hard to follow.

Many thanks to Netgalley, the author, and the publisher. All opinions are my own.

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Received a copy of this book through NetGalley to give an honest and unbiased opinion.
I found this book hard going,should have read the previous books in this series then maybe I would have grasp the story better.
Found the timelines confusing to follow,as there was too much information to take in,and the time periods did not help.To fully understand this book,please read the other two first.

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This is the last book in this series and I think it was the best one yet! Three different story lines and each one just as interesting! I really enjoyed the book and took my time reading it because I didn’t want it to end. Thanks to Netgalley for the early copy

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This is another strong novel by Kristy Cambron with an inspiring message. The three story lines are woven seamlessly, although some readers may prefer one over another. I found the WWII and present-day stories to be the most engaging. There's quite a bit of back and forth and at times I felt I had to take a step back and re-orient myself. However, as the story progresses and the pace picks up, this becomes less of a concern. I like how Cambron portrays her characters, especially their desires and struggles.

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