The Witch Of Rathborne Castle by Virginia Barlow #BookReview #Fantasy #Suspense #Witches #ParanormalRomance #Historical — Rain’n’books

My Rating

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Ever since this title popped up in my Twitter feed, I was waiting to grab a copy of this book. Gothic-themed psychic romance novels have always been a favorite genre of mine so expectations were sky high going into The Witch Of Rathborne Castle by Virginia Barlow.

Rathborne Castle is Lady Jane’s refuge. Even though it is crumbling and in no good shape, for lady Jane Lenwood it is more than just a home. Branded as a witch by the villagers, her world has reduced inside its four walls and even though she wants nothing to do with witchy things, there is a voice in her head that warns her of the future and she is also capable of knowing the past incidents by touching objects related to that past.

The author’s writing is fluent, the story so easy to glide into, the relationship between Jane and Max blossoming into friendship and love gradually. I simply loved how the author highlights the different emotions when Max refurbishes the mansion for Jane to its former glory whilst Lady Jane feels unwanted upon realizing her diminished role as the lady of the house. The mystery and intrigue that surrounds Max and Rathborne Castle were wonderfully done though once the drama shifts to the King’s palace, I did feel a lack of wholesomeness to the story. For one, it is the King’s palace but feels like an open garden where anyone and everyone can walk in and commit acts of violence, there seem to be no guards at all in the palace which felt a bit far-fetched when it happens repeatedly and another minor quibble is the inconsistency of Lady Jane’s character. She was drawn as a strong and sensible young woman capable of handling whatever life throws at her in the beginning but then around the middle, she becomes someone naïve and immature.

There is a multitude of problems to be borne by Max and Jane before their HEA can be achieved and it was exciting to read how all the different threads are interwoven together and everything becomes clearer in the climax scene.

Fans of this genre would love The Witch of Rathborne Castle, it is the coziest book to curl up with a blanket and cup of coffee in hand.

Lady Jane Lenwood is abandoned and left penniless and alone at Rathborne Castle in the middle of a dark, twisted forest. She yearns to live a normal life and blames her misfortunes on the current duke. But Lady Jane has a secret, a voice in her head warning her of the future, which brings unwanted visitors to her gates. Wounded, Max Radley is found inside the gates of Rathborne. He is intrigued and drawn to the beautiful red-haired woman the locals call a witch. After spending the winter snowed in, Max must resume his search for a traitor but finds he cannot forget Lady Jane.Treason, enemies, lies and deception surround them. Jane must give everything to save them both, as well as Rathborne.

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Originally published at https://rainnbooks.com on April 27, 2022.