Author: Santa Montefiore
ISBN: 978-1-4711-3588-0
RRP: $29.99
Daughters of Castle Deverill is the second book in a trilogy, which I didn’t know until I got halfway through the book because I didn’t do my research. I found the book to stand alone beautifully and I don’t think I lost anything having not read Songs of Love and War; but I do want to go back and read the first book because I’m intrigued as to how the characters came to be as they were at the beginning of this volume.
Castle Deverill is a grand manor in Ireland that has been the heart of the Deverill family for almost 300 years. The land was given to Barton Deverill by King Charles II to reward his loyalty, but it was taken from the Irish to do so. We see in the beginning pages that Barton Deverill, and his descendants, are cursed to unrest and the world of the undead until the wrongs are righted.
The story unfolds in 1925, after the war has ended and the relations between the English and the Irish have calmed. The troubles have come and gone and life goes on. Castle Deverill has been burnt down and has been put on the market, the family remaining in Ballinakelly remember better times in the castle fondly and worry about what will become of it.
No-one wants to see the castle fall into the hands of strangers but none have the funds to buy it, let alone spend the time and money rebuilding.
The castle is purchased by a member of the English branch of the Deverill family; one who also shares fond memories of summers spent at the castle with the whole family getting together. It is a massive project and one that is met with mixed opinions; from within the family as well as without. Instead of being thrilled that the castle will remain in the family there is judgement and jealousy, though all are happy to converge at the end of renovations.
The Daughters of Castle Deverill is about the whole Deverill clan but there are some characters who get more of a starring role. Kitty Deverill lives in a house on the Castle Deverill property and has always done, she is the daughter of the heir to Castle Deverill who was left in the unfortunate position of putting it on the market. Her heart is broken at the thought of losing the place she loves most but as a daughter the castle would never have been her inheritance, it would have gone to her brother Harry who lives in England.
Celia Mayberry is one of the English Deverills and it is she, along with her husband, who have bought Castle Deverill and plan to restore it; though not to its former glory because Celia wants to make it even grander and more modern.
Martha is a young girl living in America who we spend a lot of time with, and it takes a while before we can fit her properly into the picture.
Bridie grew up at Castle Deverill and was close friends with both Kitty and Celia but something happened along the way and those days are long gone.
Daughters of Castle Deverill is a family saga full of drama, intrigue and suspense. It brings together beautifully drawn and complex characters that are before their time, out of time and a little bit exciting.
The narrative follows a host of different characters across England, Ireland and America to keep us in the loop of what’s happening with all our major players in the Deverill family dynasty. it also skips through time to keep us abreast of the events that brought the family curse into play. Being a saga it covers quite a few years, we begin in 1925 and go right through until 1938 as the world was beginning to prepare for another world war. We are taken through the Great Depression and the effect that had on the Deverill family fortune, as well as going back to understand a little more about how the family fortune was made.
Daughters of Castle Deverill has an epic and ambitious scope following a large family over many times and places but it completely drags you in with interesting characters, unusual situations and an awful lot of carry on outside of the marital bed.
I loved immersing myself in the Ireland of the early 20th Century and I look forward to what is to come for the Deverills in the third installment due in 2017. I will also be finding some time to go back to Songs of Love and War to find out what brought the Deverills through the war.
Santa Montiefiore can be followed on Facebook and SantaMontefiore website.
Daughters of Castle Deverill is available now from Simon & Schuster, Angus & Robertson Bookworld, Booktopia and where all good books are sold..
Thanks to Simon & Schuster 10 of our Beauty and Lace Club members will be reading Daughters of Castle Deverill so please be aware there may be spoilers in the comments. I look forward to hearing what they think.
I devour books, vampires and supernatural creatures are my genre of choice but over the past couple of years, I have broadened my horizons considerably. In a nutshell – I love to write! I love interacting with a diverse range of artists to bring you interviews. Perhaps we were perfect before – I LOVE WORDS!
thank you for that splurge michelle, I had a note from you last week that I am to receive book l, so yes I would like to put in for the next in the series book 2, no doubt the story contintues on there… look forward to both. betty threlfo of 7 Hube court Huntingdale perth 6110 w.a.
Just a couple of pages of reading the “Daughters of Castle Deverill” by Santa Montefiore and I found myself completely and utterly hooked.
This book is not your typical story. An impressive novel for someone who wants a fabulous book to read.It really made me feel like I was in Ireland with all the character’s going through the up and downs along with them.
I also found this outstanding book greatly enhances my imagination wonderfully. I was able to easily picture the of clearest images as I read through the pages. The great array of character’s are individual and entail some unexpected and distinguished personalities that took me along a great journey with them. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this exceptional novel..
Completely lose yourself with this intriguing book “Daughters of Castle Deverill” by Santa Montefiore. “A must read” that I highly recommend.
I also ‘can’t wait to see what happens next’! What a journey – I absolutely loved it. ‘Daughters of Castle Deverill’ was an easy read that was extremely easy to get lost in. The characters were introduced well and there’s even a couple of family trees at the beginning of the book to help keep who’s who straight. A few times I was sure I knew what was going to happen, but there were always surprises and none of my predictions were correct! It didn’t matter that I hadn’t read the first book in the series, but I am going to get it now so that I can have a more depth understanding of some of the characters and the storyline and I can’t wait until July 2017 to continue the story. Thank you Beauty and Lace and Simon and Schuster for another great book to review >:o)
Love Santa Montefiore’s books and was so looking forward to the second book of the Deverill chronicles. The first book ‘Songs of Love and War’ is a must read but you don’t have to read it before ‘Daughters of Castle Deverill’ although it is such a good read I would recommend it as you will be more familiar with the characters.
Without giving too much away the family saga of the Deverill’s is continued following the war where everything has changed and there has been many losses including the destruction of the castle. There are lots of surprises and unexpected twists in the story and just when I thought I knew what was going to happen there is a twist and the story adds another level to the family saga.
It is compelling story of family and history and I can’t wait for the third instalment in this beautifully written work. Thanks Beauty and Lace for the opportunity to review such a wonderful book. 5 stars!!
I came into The Daughters of Castle Deverill, the second book in a series written by established British author Santa Montefiore, having just read its predecessor, Songs of Love and War. Although it is not essential to have read the first book, Songs of Love and War, to enjoy The Daughters of Castle Deverill, I believe it enhanced my reading experience. It gave me a good handle on the characters and the scene that had been set. However, Montefiore does devote time in the Daughters of Castle Deverill in keeping her readers up to speed on her characters and their lives, which enables the book to also be read as a standalone novel.
As The Daughters of Castle Deverill opens, Montefiore is quick to transport her readers to the current comings and goings of her characters. There are three main characters to follow in this book – Bridie, Kitty and Celia. Each has their own compelling story and they are all quite different in their own way. This adds to the enjoyment of this novel, as it feels like you are getting three stories in the one novel. The beautiful Castle Deverill, which is connected each of these characters, now stands ruined after a fire. As Celia vows to return the castle to its former glory, Kitty and Bridie both experience their own triumphs and tragedies. The book moves seamlessly between the natural beauty of south west Ireland, through to the bright lights of New York city. Montefiore also adds another locale, by basing an additional story thread in South Africa, allowing her to contrast all three settings. As the lingering effects of the Great War is felt, followed by the financial crash of 1929, the book focuses on how this impacts on our three main players. It is a novel that is grand in scale, as it also traces the heritage of the Deverill Castle and its inhabitants, back to the time of the reign of King Charles II. Here, an ancient curse is revealed, impacting on the present occupants of Castle Deverill.
The Daughters of Castle Deverill is the perfect weekend read, it truly is pure escapism. The sweeping nature of the novel and the grandness in scale makes it a wonderful romantic saga to get lost in. I have read a number of Santa Montefiore books in the past and I have enjoyed each and every one of them. I do like the direction Montefiore has taken with her Deverill series. She has seeped her series deep in rich Irish history, she delivers a strong sense of place and presents the reader with a rich cast of main, as well as supporting characters. I was sorry to reach the end of The Daughters of Castle Deverill, as I now have to wait for the third and final chapter in the series. I am hoping the open ending and unanswered questions that I had after closing the second book will be resolved by Montefiore in the next book.
* I wish to thank Beauty and Lace for a copy of this book for review purposes.
Thank you for the copy of The Daughters of Deverill Castle to review. I enjoyed the storyline, and how it intertwined generations of the family throughout the story, The descriptions of places in the book made it easy to create a mental image, but sometimes I felt the story line was not developed enough, and in places the characters kept repeatinģ their thoughts over and over.
this has been a wonderful book to read, and the individual people who are combined together make it rich, in thoughts and in deeds, of a family that evidently was once Great. I was losing track of kittythen up she pops again, plus celia, bridie and others…. I shall see if I can get hold of the first book, which will probably then lead into this one, but this one, stands alone with all that is involved, through the roman catholic change of grace, to others that become part of the lead.. I do not want to write a lot more because that literally gives part of the plot away, but sufficient to say, that the lady who wrote it, has spent a lot of time in finding out all the facts… thanks for the chance to read and write up about……
Daughters of Castle Deverill is the second book in a trilogy by Santa Montefiore. I have not read any books by this author or the first book Songs of Love and War. Even though this book is the second in the trilogy it was good that I could easily get into the story and read it as a standalone book to the first book but now I really need to find time to read the first one.
The story begins in 1925 after the war has ended. Castle Deverill is in the West of Ireland and has burned to the ground. The castle has been home to the Deverill family for hundreds of years. None of the family wants to see the Castle sold off to a non family member, so Celia Deverill a member from the English side of the Deverill’s decides that she will rebuild the castle. Celia has married into wealth and can well afford to restore the castle to its former glory. Not all family members were happy with this but were happy to all come together when the restoration was completed. Again things go into turmoil and life will never be the same again.
Daughters of Deverill is a story with many family members, and events that happen to them. Not all family members are who you may think they are with situations that they get themselves into. There are many highs and lows for all the Deverill family in love, finance and everyday life, and as I read the book I really felt like of could be there in amongst what was happening.
A great read and I would highly recommend the author and the book Daughters of Castle Deverill. .
Thank you to Simon & Schuster and Beauty and Lace for the opportunity to read and review Daughters of Castle Deverill.
Reading through comments I am excited to read the first book when I can as this novel was a wonderful fullfilling read.
I also see it is recommended by Jojo Moyes…. now thats a recommendation there!!! I also have fallen in love with her books and the Me Before You movie, so Daughters Of Castle Deverill is a must read.
If you want to be taken away on an epic journey then this is a book to immerse yourself in as I found it very captivating.
I dont know how Beauty and Lace does it but I find their choices sensational yet so different to other books which makes it that more better to read each time.
Santa Montefiore is a fantastic writer and no wonder she has a number one bestseller,now I have added her other titles to my list of favourites.
Thanks for the opportunity to read this book. Having never read any of Santa Montiefiore’s books before it was great to get the chance to check out a new author. Her writing is a little bit of a change from what I usually read but I still enjoyed the book. It was interesting to read about the 20th century and compare how different it is today through the eyes of a range of different characters. It wasn’t a stay up all night type of read for me but I still enjoyed seeing where the story would go.
This is the second book in a trilogy but works fine as a standalone story although I would like to go and read the other books now too. This is a great book for anyone who likes a historic drama type of read