Abby's Reviews > Keeping the Castle

2023 Review
I was rereading middle school, and then, because I'm afraid of books I haven't read yet (I have a perfectly good reason: 90% of them have failed me), I was looking through my read books here on Goodreads when I spotted this one. I though, "I remember really liking that one!" So, 6 years later and renting it again from my library (I made myself rent instead of buying it and being disappointed by my past self - it's happened before), here we are today.

My thoughts:
The beginning of the book is still a little slow, and I think it can be hard to get into because, while you're expecting a historical and Austen-esque novel, the vocabulary still kind of throws you for a loop. (Especially if the last book you read was about a girl's spy school being infiltrated by the boy's school.) YET... I was able to smile to myself and chuckle in my head from the first page. It's funny -one just has to understand the context and give the author time and pages to do some world building.
This time around, I don't think I liked Althea as much, but that was mostly because she's a little too focused on money, but luckily she redeems herself in a nice character arc from start to finish.
HOWEVER, (view spoiler)[ I did NOT remember the Castle falling to pieces. It's hinted, but it still threw me for a loop. It made me a little sad, but it also made room for Althea to let the Castle not define her. She was always on the hunt for a wealthy guy just to save the Castle and her family's inheritance and reputation, but once it was gone, it was clear that the Castle was something actually holding her back and confining herself to certain ideas about marriage (the kind without love) that aren't really healthy. (hide spoiler)]
This one made me intrigued enough to reread the second book because I could have sworn (view spoiler)[Lord Boring and Althea's cousin (hide spoiler)] didn't actually stay together at the end, but I guess I was wrong, maybe?
Anyway, I think I'll order from my library A School for Brides next.

2017 Review
4.5 stars
My thoughts:
(view spoiler)[I thought that this book was really good. In the first couple chapters, I felt like it was boring until... (drum roll) Lord Boring and his friend Mr. Fredericks came into the picture! Right away I liked Lord Boring but then felt sorry for Fredericks because it seemed like he liked Althea. I knew that he had sent all the people to fix her family's home and the puppy. I mean who didn't see how Fredericks was the one to send the puppy?! HE WAS THE ONE THAT COMMENTED ON THE PAINTING OF THE PUPPY!!! OF COURSE, he was the one who sent it.
While I had my doubts that Althea was right about him being poor, I believed her. I was blown away by how rich he was. And then I thought about how different the proposals in the beginning and the end were. She wanted Godalming's money in the beginning, but when asked by Mr. Fredericks, she didn't care. She obviously loved him, especially when she was freaking out about him when he was late to come for her and Miss Vincy.
I agree with how they think of Boring now: weak of character and unworthy of a beautiful woman who is lovely, on the inside and out, and smart. And how he tried to tell her he wanted her instead of her stepsister! The nerve of that guy! I would have slapped him if I were Althea.
I also liked that the end pulled all the loose ends together that were laid out for us to see in the story. (hide spoiler)]
I believe that Patrice Kindl did a very good job on this one. It is the first I have read of hers, and I am excited to read the next of this series and her other books.