Plot:

When Declan Lorne, the last remaining knight in Ireland, dies suddenly, an ancient title passes with him. But his estate on Ireland’s rugged south-west coast is left to his three daughters. The two eldest, Ottie and Pip, inherit in line with expectations, but to everyone’s surprise – and dismay – it is the errant baby of the family, Willow, who gets the castle.

Why her? Something unknown – something terrible – made her turn her back on her family three years earlier, escaping to Dublin and vowing never to return. So when Willow quickly announces she is selling up, her revenge seems sweet and the once-close sisters are pushed to breaking point: in desperation, Pip risks everything to secure her own future, and Ottie makes a decision that will ruin lives. It’s each woman for herself.

Before moving in, Connor Shaye, the prospective new owner, negotiates throwing a lavish party at the castle just days before Christmas – his hello, their goodbye. But as their secrets begin to catch up with them, Ottie, Willow and Pip are forced to ask themselves which is harder: stepping into the future, or letting go of the past? 

Review:

This was a great novel! It wasn’t a traditional Christmas story full of fluff. This one had a deeper story and actually, Christmas was only mentioned near the very end of the novel. The story focused more on the time leading up to the holiday.

What I really enjoyed was the characters, and in particular, the relationship between the three sisters. When their father, the last remaining Knight in Ireland died suddenly, the ancient title passed with him, but everything including the castle was left to his three daughters.

What follows is a story of love and family secrets. If you are looking for classic Christmas romance, cookie baking, tree decorating and everything else festive, you will not find that here. But this novel definitely had a lot of heart, took place in a fabulous setting and had some great characters! I really enjoyed it and would recommend it as part of your holiday reading!

3/5 Stars