Welcome to the Bookstagram and Review Tour for Storm at Nottingham Castle by Ann Elizabeth Fryer, hosted by JustRead Tours!
I am doing a review-only post for this wonderful book.
About the Book
Title: Storm at Nottingham Castle
Series: Sisters of Sherwood, #1
Author: Ann Elizabeth Fryer
Publisher: Indie publisher
Released: April 30, 2026
Genre: Inspirational Gothic Romantic Mystery
Three sisters are thrust into an uncertain future when their wealthy stepfather dies, leaving them with a small annuity to live upon. They find refuge with an aged uncle who convinces them to live in the apartments at Nottingham Castle, whose halls are shrouded in history and secrets, and whose residents watch the sisters with unsettling interest. Chief among them is the handsome property manager, Charles Rushforth, whose quiet authority conceals more than estate affairs and a brooding lodgekeeper who seems to know every hidden passage and whispered rumor…
Charlotte Fieldstone received a parting gift from her late stepfather—a set of valuable pilgrimage badges meant to safeguard them from want. But hidden hands seek the relics, and in the caves beneath the castle, a restless hunger stirs among those who trade in sacred things. At the center stands her uncle, whose charm deceives, and a Duchess, whose influence can tip scales on a whim.
As Charlotte’s uncle is swept into a dangerous quest, tensions rise. Charlotte must depend upon a stranger to shield her from a society whose motives aren’t as they appear. Will Charlotte be able to keep her sisters together as the tempest threatens to tear them apart?
Surrounded by deceit and danger, Charlotte must cling to faith and to one whose protection feels perilously like love…
Purchase Link:
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My Impressions
“Death ought not come on a fine day.”
Have you heard the name of Ann Elizabeth Fryer? If you are a fan of inspirational Gothic Romantic mysteries, you will definitely want to add Ms. Fryer’s name to your list of authors on your must-read TBR! Her writing style reminds me of Michelle Griep’s, but with even more twisty mystery!
The first line quoted above from Storm at Nottingham Castle sets the dark, Gothic stage. I immediately was drawn into the story of three young adult half-sisters who, upon the death of their beloved step-father, Josiah Fleming, are forced to vacate the one secure home they have known.
While we meet all three sisters, Faith, Moriah, and Charlotte, this is definitely Charlotte’s story. (First book in a series, Yay!) These main characters are so well drawn and so relatable. We get enough glimpses of the secondary characters to begin to work the puzzle pieces slowly in the jigsaw that this mystery is. But Fryer puts so many twists and turns into it, it’s hard to know if you as the reader are piecing the parts together right. But that’s ok. Because honestly, as Charlotte and Charles (steward of the Palace), work together to uncover the secrets of Uncle Calvin and the caverns and denizens below, they are just as confused! Who has the pure vs. self-serving motives? Uncle Calvin? The Duchess? The Baron? Edmund? The neighbors in the Palace? This novel was as twisty as the caverns beneath the palace, and the outcome nearly as uncertain as descent into those caverns.
Relics, Secrets, Control, Sisterhood, Family, Mastermind, Gaol, Pawns, Social Status; are all key words that sum up many of the themes of this amazing book! I can’t wait for book two, Tempest at Rufford Abbey!
I received a copy of the book from JustRead Tours. I also bought my own ebook and a d ordered a pb copy for the keeper shelf!! No positive review was required, and all opinions are my own.
Notable Quotables:
“He didn’t intend to just guard her person; he’d do everything to guard her heart.” ( Charles)
“They were all puppets in a performance. This much was true, but with real ramifications.” ( Charlotte)
“Sentiment was a currency of the heart.” ( Charlotte)
“Best know that the people of the underneath aren’t better or worse as those on the topside.” – Heathcliff
“…real friendship, even acquaintances, only lasted when their motives were pure in the first place.” ( Charlotte)
*And, because I am an avid reader-
“A home without a library, well, was it a home at all?” ( Charlotte)
My Rating
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Superior! This novel strikes a bulls-eye target on my reading sweet spot and challenges my puzzle-solving abilities! Standing ovation!!
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Babbling Becky L’s Book Impressions 