Castles [Large Print] [Hardcover]

Julie Garwood (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 10, 2004

A New York Times Bestselling Author

Orphaned and besieged, Princess Alesandra knew that only a hasty marriage to an Englishman could protect her from the turmoil in her own land. To the amusement of her makeshift guardian, Colin, the bold, raven-haired beauty instantly captivated London society. But when Alesandra was nearly abducted by her unscrupulous countrymen, the fighting instincts that won Colin a knighthood for valor were rekindled.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Princess Alesandra (of some unspecified country) has been happily tucked away in a convent, but in 1820 the wicked General Ivan indicates that he has designs on the princess: if he marries her, he can take over the kingdom. Alesandra's guardian, the Duke of Williamshire, brings her to England to assure her safety. Unfortunately, the duke and his wife become afflicted with a "mysterious ailment"; the only solution is for the princess to live with Colin, the duke's eligible bachelor son, in his London townhouse. The duke and duchess think Colin should marry Alesandra. Colin, however, wants no part of marriage; and Alesandra, who alternates between moments of intelligence and sheer vacancy, will marry anyone who won't hand her over to that awful Ivan fellow. When Alesandra is almost abducted by men from her homeland, Colin's protective instincts shift into high gear. Can love be far behind? Also lurking in the background is a serial killer, who threatens Alesandra but serves no immediate purpose in furthering the silly plot. Garwood ( The Secret ) has done better work than this.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Mass Market Paperback edition.

Review

"Charming, sweet, funny . . . a story that flies."
-- Romantic Times (Romantic Times )

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 628 pages
• Publisher: Thorndike Press; 1 edition (June 10, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0786262494
• ISBN-13: 978-0786262496
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.4 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (96 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,078,402 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Julie Garwood is the author of numerous New York Times bestsellers, including Fire and Ice, Shadow Music, Shadow Dance, Murder List, Killjoy, Mercy, Heartbreaker, Ransom, and Come the Spring. There are more than thirty-six million copies of her books in print.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

24 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Read in order for more effect...., September 22, 2000

By 

Abbys (Moreno Valley, CA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Castles (Mass Market Paperback)

Before reading Castles, I suggest to start with the Lion's Lady, then The Guardian Angel, The Gift and lastly, read Castles. The characters in all 4 books are friends/related to each other. It is more fitting if you know each character before reading the next book. If you read it in this order, I think it will bring more excitement as some questions are answered on the later book. Some secrets are also revealed beforehence.

Castle is a story of Colin, who is the younger brother of Caine (in The Guardian Angel) and a troubled Princess Alesandra, who is the ward of the Duke of Williamshire, Colin and Caine's father. Alesandra was searching for a good husband in three weeks time, to save her from marrying a ruthless General, who wanted to marry her only for the throne. I find the search very enjoyable. The list of every noble and available earls and Dukes names... and of course, the dipping of ink to cross each one off, as Colin finds each name in the list horrobly inappropriate. This is my favorite part. I find the herione funny yet unselfsih, charming and regal. Even in her frustrations and anger, mostly of Colin, she manage to remind herself "Dignity & Decorum". She is afterall a princess. Her obsession of LISTING everything in a notecard is also quite amusing. Colin is a proud yet somewhat a sensitive man. The best way to describe him is to compare him to a wild horse that needed to be tamed. Alesandra did just that with love and patience. Flannagan, the butler, is also one of my favorite character in this book. The Romance between the two is perfectly match. There are just so many interesting and funny scenes. I don't want to give it all away so you have to pick up the book to find out yourself. It is worth your time. The whole family helping each other to solve a mystery crime is also thrilling and heart warming. Although, i wished Nathan and Jade (in the Gift), Lyon and Christina (in The Lion's Lady) are mentioned more in this book, I still love it and will keep it in my collection. I have reread it more than once and still have the same reactions.

30 of 34 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars My favorite romance novel - ever!, May 3, 2000

By 

Laurie Gold "bookie" (Dallas, TX USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Castles (Mass Market Paperback)

Julie Garwood's Castles is my favorite romance novel. It's also the first Garwood romance I ever read (several years ago). What makes it shine so bright? Incredible humor, fabulous love scenes, and characters so very easy to love. All that, and a princess too!

Some readers find Garwood's heroines too stupid to live, but I never have. I do, however, find each's quirks to be lovable, and when I interviewed the author back in 1997 and she revealed their flaws are based on her own, I marveled at how she could turn personal weaknesses into delightful quirks of character.

The heroine is not only wonderful in this book, though - the hero is to-die-for. As I wrote in my Desert Isle Keeper Review at All About Romance, "While he doesn't want to marry her himself, he finds something wrong with every single bachelor he, his father, his brother, and Alesandra discuss. One has bow-legs, another gambles, and still another has a case of 'bad humours'."

This is truly a delightful and charming romance and I encourage one and all to read it. If you are like me, you'll end up with two copies - one to keep and one to lend out to friends.

TTFN, Laurie Likes Books

Publisher, All About Romance

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I fell in love with this book!, December 14, 1999

By 

Claudia (Los Angeles, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Castles (Mass Market Paperback)

I found this book in the trash and it looked somewhat intriguing so I decided to see what it was all about. I started reading it and could not put it down until I finished it. The character were cleverly written and Julie's incredible gift for writing shined throughout the entire novel. I fell in love with her from that moment on and did not rest until I owned every single Julie Garwood title that was available! Sure enough I also loved every single other book that shes written and I can never seem to wait until she writes another. I reread everyone of her books at least once a month and her books have enriched my life ten-fold. Julie you are surely a treasure that needs to be better appreciated!

Thank you for everything that you have inadverantly done for me!