Customer Reviews

Castles in the Air (My First)

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Although Castles in the Air has its share of intrigue, deception, and angst, it's definitely not a depressing book. That's because Raymond and Julianna are, from the get-go, basically two good-hearted people, who are destined to love each other. There are some different angles to the book - Julianna is a widow with two girls, her first husband wasn't evil (although just about every other man in her past was), and although she's plenty strong-willed, she's not totally goat-headed like a lot of heroines are. Yes, Raymond is the classic hansom hero, but he's got an endearing personality too. (Plus, he doesn't get along with his parents - don't heroes usually admire their father and worship their sainted mothers?) Another interesting side to the book is Dodd's attempt to portray medieval England at least somewhat accurately - the lady of the castle still sleeps in the great hall (enough of these castles with all these private rooms!), walls take years to build, 11-year-old girls aren't considered far from marriageable (or worse), pagan rituals are still observed, even by pious Christians. Some of the side characters are interesting and well-drawn (Kier just cries for his own book), others (Sir Hugh) aren't fleshed out enough to really understand. Love (the emotion) is very strong in this book, "love" (the physical act) is not as "fleshed out" (pun intended) as it is in other Dodd books. Overall, a great read because of the wonderful love story.

This story will make fans of Christina Dodd. Raymond and Julianna were real people facing real issues. This book even had an exciting finale that will keep readers transfixed until the end of the book. Raymond was a true knight, to quote a couple of lines from a poem by Stephen Hawes on true knighthood: "And no quarrel a knight ought to take But for a truth, or for a woman's sake." It was especially refreshing to see that Raymond behaved like a man, and not simply a caveman by conquering what is rightfully his, but by being a sensitive human who is aware of the needs of other people. I strongly recommend this book to anyone, it is a sweet and complex story that won't disappoint readers.

This was such a good story with so many conspiracies it will keep you on the edge of your seat and turning pages with a passion! Raymond, Count of Avrache, confidant to the King and cousin to the Queen of England - was commanded by the King to wed lady Juliana of Lofts - only the bride doesn't show! This not only causes Raymond embarrasment - but it also made him quite angry. Who was this Lady Juliana to defy a King!
She should have known that sooner or later Raymond would come for her, but she mistakenly thinks he is the King's master castle builder come to build her another wall. Posing as a castle builder - Raymond who really has no idea at all about building anything (you will find some humour here) decides that it is a good way to find out what motivates this Lady Juliana and why she has such a distrust of men!
This is an amazing story with so many plots, twists and turns, yet it still keeps itself very much a medieval romance. The personalities and characters are all complex and it is such a page turner trying to find out all the secrets that are the so central to the telling of this story. So many times, I found myself holding my breath.

I truly enjoyed Raymond and Juliana - both with so much emotional turmoil scarring both of them that it was so gratifying to see them tear down one another's emotional walls and begin to heal each other's souls. Truly a wonderful story.

I bought this book after reading quite a few reviews on it and although it wasn't quite what I expected (I thought his charade as the "master castle-builder" would have been carried out a bit longer) - it was a pretty good story. There were several scenes that made me laugh and one or two that brought tears to my eyes. It made for a very believeable story and I really liked how well the secondary characters were portrayed. I wouldn't say the story was boring in the least and it would make a good read for many a romance lover.

I am an occasional romance reader. One day I was bored and picked up this book to flip through. I was very pleasantly surprised. The book had all the necessary elements to create a good book. It was funny, romantic, thrilling and overall had a lit bit of everything to engross the reader. I also found the descriptions of the era very interesting. I highly recommend this book to anyone even partly interested in romance novels.

The characters came to life, seemed like real people. They were proud and brave, and they had flaws. There was sadness and there was fun (chuckles). And, there was love. Raymond and Juliana are to be remembered. Raymond's tender respect for Juliana was moving. There should be men like Raymond now days. I found this story/the Hero and Heroine to be touching, they touched my heart. My only criticism is I would have liked the intimacy to have been more detailed. This was my first Dodd book, I will read another.

This is how a historical hero should be. Raymond was a man who was very sensitive to the feelings of the heroine. I am so sick of hearing the hero say that he is a warrior and he does not feel love for another woman because it will make him weak. And the heroine was just as great. She was strong, compassionate, considerate, logical but she had flaws just like everyone else. The love story was wonderful. You get to see this couple change and mature together and become stronger with each others support. Read this book! You will not be dissapointed!

Let me start this review by stipulating that I have read and enjoyed Christina Dodd's work before, that this is a historical romance novel (with the emphasis on romance), and that if you are looking for something literary and not sensual then you will be disappointed or confused-- as it seems many of the other reviewers here were. I'm glad we have that out of the way.

This book is by far the densest I've read from Dodd, but that seemed to correspond with the medieval (rather than standard Georgian or later) setting. This may be due in part to my own lack of familiarity with the period. The details Dodd gives regarding the setting and surrounding politics and conflict (and there are many) appear meticulously researched and are overall convincing. This book is also fascinating in the respect it pays to the religiosity that would have been very real at the time; Dodd balances just perfectly between taking the characters' beliefs in things like demonic possession seriously and keeping the story itself strictly realist, without any cheap reliance on the paranormal to move the story along. The characters were likable, which is rarer than one might hope in romances like this; the depiction of Juliana's relationship with her daughters was especially endearing.

My biggest reservation about this book was that it tried too hard to be mysterious. There were several instances in which there was a huge build-up and literally dozens of pages of hints were dropped, only for the big "reveal" to be little more than a restating of what the reader already knew. The final romantic conflict, once the plot itself has basically come to an end, seemed forced as well. They both loved each other, both knew it, and yet the hero kept insisting that he would leave his wife because it "was best." This was never really explained to my satisfaction and seemed like a half-hearted ploy to prolong the tension. If the book had ended after the natural climax of the plot, it would have been a lot more satisfying.

I'd recommend this book, particularly if you are interested in romances in the medieval period, but with the suggestion that you focus on the characters rather than the mystery subplot. Their development will keep you more interested in the points where the plot drags.

This was an exceptional book! The charectors came alive and were believable. The dialog was witty and realistic. The hero, Raymond was strong and opinionated but also kind and gentle. The heroine Juliana, was not the typical snotty rich girl or sniveling idiot, she has depth and layers. Both charectors evolved and changed into better people for having met eachother. This was my first Christina Dodd book, I am a very picky romance reader. I cant just pick up any romance and enjoy reading it. It has to have depth and mystery and most of all the people need to pop into life and this book has that. I am on line now to order some more

Castles in the Air was a nice read, a sweet character driven love story that was very humble. I give it 3 stars because if I had another book here to read I could have easily set down Dodd's story and not given it another thought for a few weeks. It was slow and a little boring. The only thing that kept me reading was the whimsy of the main and secondary characters. The castle description used in England during the 12th century was pretty good and there were a few things I don't remember learning from any other historical romance set in that time period.

Overall it was ok, definitely a little cheesier then I enjoy but it was a nice easy read after reading Diana Gabaldon's Voyager.