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Friday, February 6, 2015

Miramont's Ghost by Elizabeth Hall + a Giveaway

Good morning, everyone! Today I'm a stop on the TLC book tour for Elizabeth Hall's Miramont's Castle, a gothic tale that draws inspiration from a real place here in my neck of the woods!

Like her grandmother before her, Adrienne has always had the gift of sight. But this gift is no gift at all. Instead, it's more like a curse. 

After the death of her beloved grand-pére, the Compte de Challemelles, Adrienne struggles to keep her visions to herself. But her efforts are in vain. Her aunt Marie, a woman who has always worried about the village gossip especially as it pertains to Adrienne's odd behavior, arranges to take the teen to America. There the two women will take up residence at Marie's son's newly completed castle in Manitou Springs, Colorado. But as soon as Adrienne arrives, she realizes she is to be a prisoner rather than a guest. As she searches for a way to escape, her days at Miramont Castle become more and more bleak. 

Soooo, yes. Miramont Castle exists. You can tour it, you can book it for a wedding, you can even enjoy lunch or high tea in the Queen's Parlor Tea Room. And though I've worked with authors who have written about Miramont before, the rumored sordid past was new to me. Hall very kindly includes afterword outlining some of the parallels between the real Miramont history and her tale (of course pointing out that the book is fiction).

And oh, poor Adrienne! Readers, this is a bleak story indeed. I supposed I should have known that - or at least had my suspicions about that - but I went into the book a little blind. I knew it was a gothic tale and I knew it was set at Miramont Castle and that was it. The rest was a surprise. Perhaps most surprising, though, was the fact that Adrienne doesn't arrive at Miramont Castle until halfway through the book. Instead, the first half is set in France and is set up for both her visions and her family situation.

I did love the historical setting! I'd thought that maybe Hall had set the story at Miramont simply for the sake of setting it at a castle. Not so, fellow readers! In addition to the above mentioned parallels between the real Miramont/Fr. Francolon history and the fictional Miramont/Fr. Julien, Hall also spends a little time setting the scene with other interesting tidbits including the Denver & Rio Grande Railway, cameos by General William Jackson Palmer, and bits about historic Manitou Springs and Colorado Springs.

So although the tale is admittedly pretty bleak, I have to say that I rather liked it. In the way that you can like a story steeped in dread and foreboding.

Rating: 4/5

Thanks to the publisher I'm able to offer up a copy of Miramont's Castle to one of you lucky readers. (Open US/Canada only.) To enter simply fill out the Rafflecopter below before Monday, February 23.

a Rafflecopter giveaway


To see more stops on the tour be sure to check out the official TLC tour page here.


9 comments:

Kay said...

I saw a review of this on another blog and was so interested when I discovered the setting. We vacationed in Colorado Springs this last summer and spent part of a day in Manitou Springs. So lovely. I have not been to Miramont Castle but have toured some other places. Isn't there one that is called the Bishop's Palace? We've been there. Had lunch at the Cliff House. I'm looking forward to reading this book.

Marjorie/cenya2 said...

I like the storyline of this novel and the setting.

cenya2 at Hotmail dot com

traveler said...

This novel sounds enthralling and captivating for the locale and the plot which interests me greatly. Thanks for this great giveaway and feature. saubleb(at)gmail(dot)com

Heather J @ TLC Book Tours said...

"In the way that you can like a story steeped in dread and foreboding." Exactly this! It isn't exactly the kind of book you say you loved without giving this kind of warning. I cannot WAIT to sink into all the creepy details!

Thanks for being a part of the tour.

Terry said...

Looks like a story I could really get into. I have added it to my TBR list.

cyn209 said...

sounds like my kind of story!!
thank you for the giveaway!!

Anonymous said...

Sounds creepy and wonderful. : )

SuzyQ4PR(at)aol(dot)com

Anita Yancey said...

I love gothic tales and castle's, so I think this is a story I would enjoy reading. Thanks for having the giveaway.

Carol L. said...

It's on my TRL. I love that it's based on a true story as well. Thanks for your review.
Carol L
Lucky4750 (at) aol (dot) com