Bestselling author Kristy Cambron concludes the Lost Castle novels with this sweeping tale of art and secrets long buried in England.

It was supposed to be a one-week job: survey an art find, collect a hefty fee, and use that to settle historian Kiera Foley’s life back into balance. But from the moment she sets foot in the East Suffolk countryside, the mysteries surrounding the old English manor and the enigmatic art thief who’s employed her stir more questions than answers. Then, Kiera finds the existence of a portrait captivating enough to upend all of her expectations. This one could be a twin—a painting so close in composition to a known masterpiece, it may be rendered priceless if it truly captured the likeness of a young Queen named Victoria.

Set in three time periods—the rapid change of Victorian England, the tumultuous skies over England’s eastern shores in WWII, and modern day—The Painted Castle unfolds a legacy of faith, family, and stories that are generations in the making.

I’ve heard a lot of good things about this book so I decided to pick it up. After I did, I realized it was a time slip/dual timeline book — I wasn’t sure if I should keep reading it because I haven’t had good luck with time slip novels in the past and I wasn’t sure if it was just the books or the genre.

I’m pretty sure it’s the genre.

The book actually had three timelines, which made it hard for me to engage with the characters and their stories. Because there were three stories, I had to wait two chapters before I could get back to a plot, and that was just too much time for me to wait. I made it about halfway through the book, but it dragged for me because I couldn’t get into it so I skimmed to the end to make sure it was happy.

If you enjoy historical fiction and time slip novels, I’m sure you’ll enjoy this book. I think I’m going to avoid time slips in the future though.

Rated PG for thematic elements. Get your copy here!