Tuesday 6 January 2015

Review: The Chateau by Karen Aldous

**** 4 Stars

Such a beautiful cover, such a beautiful story. One that left me looking at heading to Switzerland on holiday with my family this year. 

The Blurb

Can young hearts ease a restless spirit?

On the shores of stunning Lake Geneva, Gina Remy is celebrating her brother’s wedding – when the figure of a woman appears hovering above the water, beckoning to her. Ghostly visitations do not happen to Gina - a self-confessed control freak with her own successful property business, she prides herself on being level-headed. But as she is tormented by dreams and visions, her perfect life begins to unravel, and she knows she needs to help this ghost find peace if she’s to get any of her own!

Enter Ollie Martin, an Anglo-Swiss property developer who’s sexy as hell and knows it. His arrogance annoys Gina, but he’s the only one who will take her seriously… and the closer they come to understanding the quest the ghost has set for them, the closer they get to one another…

My Thoughts

We are immediately thrown into Gina's tricky relationship right from the opening line that leaves you needing to know more.
'Max, you're not obliged to come to the wedding, in fact, I'd rather you didn't. You're just full of bloody excuses all the time so fuck you.' Georgina Remy slammed the bedroom door hard.

Gina has been in a relationship with Max for quite a while, she dotes on his two girls but what she really wants to complete her seemingly perfect life is a baby of her own. She has a successful property business and professionally she is on the up however Max is not willing to commit to having a baby with her. He finds excuse after excuse to postpone Gina getting pregnant. Gina heads out to her brother's wedding in Switzerland on her own and catches the eye of the the extremely good looking but incredibly arrogant, Ollie Martin. 

This isn't any ordinary boy meets girl romance as Karen Aldous throws in the surprise element of a ghost. A ghost of a woman who only makes herself visible to Gina and causes Gina to have extreme nightmares and feel that she is going totally mad. What is the connection to Gina and the woman who was tried as a witch hundreds of years ago?

I loved so many things about this book - the characters, the locations especially Switzerland. Aldous had a way of making the houses on the lake & the scenery so real & reading The Chateau really left me needing to go to Switzerland on holiday. I loved Gina, she was so strong willed & knew exactly what she wanted from life & eventually seemed to take all the life's obstacles in her stride. Then there was sweet & charming Ollie, at first you loved to hate him as he was just so arrogant but then his sensitivity shone through & you couldn't help but fall a little in love with him. Gina's mum was fantastic & I loved how her character develops with the story.

I adored the added twist of the ghost bringing that element of the supernatural to the story & couldn't wait to see how the ghost appearing to Gina fitted into the plot.

This is a perfect holiday read whether it's curled up in front of a fire on cold, grey day or laying on a beach somewhere soaking up the sun. I can't wait to read Kate Aldous's first novel The Vineyard.

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About The Author 

Karen Aldous enjoys village life on the edge of the north-downs in Kent with easy access to the buzz of London. Not only does she love the passive pleasures of reading and writing, she also craves the more active pursuits with her family and friends such as walking, cycling and skiing especially when they involve food and wine!

Karen gets much of her inspiration from her travels and if she had to choose, France, Greece, Switzerland and Italy would be her favourite. However, wherever she goes, she discovers a new character emerges in 'Karen's World'. She likes to write about strong independent women who can direct their own lives - but struggle to control them! And, of course there's always a gorgeous hunk or two!

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