Castle Hill

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Synopsis

Braden Carmichael and Jocelyn Butler are ready to solidify their relationship. Braden has convinced Jocelyn to give in and let their love lead, and Jocelyn thinks she's finally put the worst of her fear of loss to rest. Braden has planned the perfect wedding and honeymoon, and he's even starting to plan for their future family. But when the unexpected occurs and things start moving more quickly than Jocelyn is ready for, she panics and all the old fears resurface. After all they've been through, will their love win out once again or has she finally pushed Braden too far this time?

Review

Castle Hill is a novella in Samantha Young's On Dublin Street series, featuring more story for Braden and Jocelyn who started it all in the first book, On Dublin Street. Parts of this novella take place concurrently with Down London Road and Before Jamaica Lane, so it falls after the latter in the series order. The story takes readers back in time, showing Braden's romantic proposal to Joss. Then it continues with the wedding planning, which Braden took over from Ellie, when Joss became unhappy with the direction Ellie was taking things. We get to see their wedding ceremony and then follow along on their romantic and sexy honeymoon in Hawaii. Following their return from the trip, something very unexpected happens that stirs up Joss's old fear of loss that she thought she'd previously gotten a handle on, and this time, her reaction sends Braden into a funk that threatens their future together.

I always appreciate updates on favorite characters in books series, so it was great to get detailed scenes of Braden and Jocelyn's proposal, wedding planning, wedding ceremony, and honeymoon, rather than just briefly hearing about them in the other characters' books. Everything that happens after the honeymoon ratchets up the stakes with plenty of angst on both Braden and Jocelyn's parts. Although it was difficult seeing them in conflict again, both of their reactions made sense for their characters. When they finally work it out and get on the same page, it was a moment of relief, accompanied by excitement for what the future holds for them. Castle Hill was a fantastic read that I loved and a great addition to the series.

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Samantha Young

Themes

Tortured Heroines