Secrets of Clearwater Castle - Emma Davies - ★★★★
GENRE: Contemporary Drama
RATING: 4 stars.
In a Nutshell: A well-written women’s fiction, staying true to the genre. As a series starter, this lays the right foundation for possible sequels without leaving anything major incomplete. Somewhat slow at the start, but overall, a nice read. The main focus isn’t romance: hooray!
Story Synopsis:
Wales. Lowri, a young widow, has been struggling to get things together for herself and her six year old daughter Wren, after her husband Alun died in an accident two years ago. While finally sorting through his belongings, Lowri discovers that Alun has an inheritance she knew nothing about – a place named Clearwater House.
When Lowri arrives in Clearwater village, she can’t believe her eyes when she realises that Clearwater House is a castle, and comes with huge grounds and several establishments. Though it is somewhat derelict, she begins picturing a future for herself and Wren in the empty gatekeeper’s cottage. For her plans for Clearwater, she needs the support of the local stonemason Huw, who seems to be a prickly drunkard, and of Elin – one of the workers in the textile mill on Clearwater grounds. However, there are a couple of nefarious people around, who have their own secret agenda for Clearwater.
Will Lowri be able to set Clearwater back on track, and also discover why her husband never told her about the inheritance?
The story comes to us mostly from the limited third person perspective of Lowri and Huw.
Bookish Yays:
😍 Lowri is a (mostly) wonderful character to lead this story. While she is still not out of her loss, her track doesn’t focus only on moving on or on handling Wren as a single mother or on finding new love. On the contrary, the book shows her as a capable and intelligent woman who know business and despite not being aware of the running of an estate, quite willing to take on the challenge. It was a treat to find a woman character (especially considering the genre) who is aware of the corporate world and the running of a business.
😍 Despite Lowri’s skills, she doesn’t shy away from asking help when she needs it, again a trait not commonly found in fictional characters who seem to want to do everything alone. Lowri doesn’t feel guilty about leaving Wren with friendly neighbours while she does her work, nor does resist getting assistance from locals and friends. I appreciate the realistic depiction of her character in this regard.
😍 There are some amazing secondary characters in this book. Huw, Seren and Elin each have a distinct personality and their individual arcs are woven around their character traits. I must also mention little Wren. What a delight to see a child character written as per her age! Jess, Lowri’s friend, also showed promise, and I hope we get to see more of her in the subsequent books.
😍 I loved the camaraderie across Lowri, Elin, and Seren. Their bond grows almost instantly but it never feels exaggerated. There are some touching scenes involving these three characters and Huw.
😍 A special shoutout for including scenes where Huw also cries without anyone remarking on it in any way. When a male character cries in such fiction, the scene is usually written either as being something odd or pointing to something vulnerable. In this book, neither was applicable. Huw’s emotional response was written as a natural outcome of the moment, and no extra spotlight was shone upon him. Loved this approach!
😍 I’ve read many fictional books that talk of castles and estates, but this is the first time ever I actually read what goes into the running of an estate. I enjoyed the characters’ sentiments about Clearwater and why they all were united in seeing it being restored to its former glory. Through their efforts, I also learnt about how much support is offered by the government in Wales to restore traditional estates and industries.
😍 Of course, even without the above info, Clearwater as a setting is magnificent, what with a castle, a textile mill with a water wheel, a river alongside,… I loved the visuals created in my mind by the author’s beautiful words about the Welsh location.
😍 Though primarily a women’s fiction, there is a little thread of mystery also woven into the plot. Though minor, it is still interesting.
😍 When the blurb mentioned Lowri and “the ruggedly handsome but prickly local stonemason Huw”, I was worried the book would go into romance territory under the guise of women’s fiction. To my most pleasant surprise, the romance is barely there. Most of the book focusses more on Lowri’s plans for Clearwater, her determination to set things right, and her relationship with the locals, Huw included.
(Of course, if you are the kind of reader who wants romance in stories, you might not like this point. But I prefer novels where romance isn’t made the lynchpin of the plot in a non-romance work.)
Bookish Nays:
😐 The title did warn me that there would be secrets, but I certainly wasn’t prepare for how many secrets there would be. Many of these could have been resolved if Lowri communicated better. Either Lowri knows something and doesn't reveal it on time or she has doubts and she doesn't clarify them on time or she has questions and she doesn't ask them on time. The curious cat in me simply couldn't handle so much delayed gratification.
😐 The going is a bit slow and repetitive, especially at the start when Lowri is somewhat uncertain about what was going on.
😐 The negative characters are mostly stereotypical and behave in a predictable manner. In this sense, their portrayal felt a bit flat.
Overall, I enjoyed this book quite a lot, despite losing my patience with Lowri’s inability to ask the right questions at the right time. The overall vibe is faithful to the genre, and the characters interesting enough to make me want to know them better. Seeing a woman take charge of an estate and its business was an unusual experience, so consider me booked for the next installment of this series. I’d love to see what shape Lowri and Huw give to Clearwater.
Definitely recommended to women’s fiction readers looking for a heart-warming story with a greater focus on inter-personal relationships and social improvement than romance.
My thanks to Bookouture Books-On-Tour for a complimentary copy of “Secrets of Clearwater Castle” through NetGalley and for allowing me to be a part of this blog tour. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.
The book is also available for free to Kindle Unlimited subscribers.
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Author Emma Davies:
Emma once worked for a design studio where she was asked to provide a fun, humorous, and not necessarily true anecdote about herself for their website. She wrote the following: ‘I am a bestselling novelist currently masquerading as a thirty-something mother of three.’ Well the job didn’t work out, but she’s now a forty-something mother of three, and happy to report the rest of her dream came true.
She now lives in rural Shropshire with her three children, and two guinea pigs where she writes full time from a shed in the garden.
Connect with her on:
Her website: https://www.emmadaviesauthor.com/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/authoremmadavies/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/EmDaviesAuthor
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Check out this book:
Buy Link: https://geni.us/B0BWFWCPSQsocial
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This has been a pitstop on the #SecretsofClearwaterCastle blog tour conducted by Bookouture Books-On-Tour and organised by Sarah Hardy. Thanks for stopping by!
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