Book Review for Christmas in the Castle Library—A Contemporary Tale with a Historical Flair

Within the last few years, my interest in contemporary novels has waned so much that it’s a struggle to muddle through even a chapter or two. In fact, if the back cover copy mentions anything within my lifetime, I’ll probably never crack the spine of the story. Well, this story came with such high praise from several well-trusted friends who also love historical fiction that I decided to look deeper than just the back cover, and I’m so glad I did. In this book review for Christmas in the Castle Library (affiliate link), see if you can deduce just what hooked me and if it might hook you too.

Story Overview for Christmas in the Castle Library

Ellie Sawyer desperately needs a semester at the restricted Royal Castle Library of the small European kingdom of Lethersby if she has any hope of finishing her dissertation and graduating on time. Unfortunately, the coveted position is awarded to someone else, and she’s only offered a three week term over Christmas. Even though this is an unheard of offer, she almost passes it up because she feels like she’s failed before she started. With the help of a few friends, Ellie agrees to spend her holiday across the pond, away from her family, and deep in books. The library turns out to be a spectacular multi-story labyrnth of history, and it’s the perfect place for her (and me too). She’s given unprecedented access to the tomes within, even receiving the key to the private library.

So she’s shocked when she enters the library and finds a young man comfortably snug in a wingback chair reading through one of the library’s books. (Yes, cue the romance.) Mark, who appears to work at the castle, seems to have an equally deep desire to understand what happened in the past, and Ellie is both shocked and thrilled to meet someone more interested in the real people of the past than simply solving one famous mystery. Together, they delve into old journals written by former kings and queens of the country, analyzing handwriting, teardrops, and every other mark made by someone physically handling the journals of old—a historian’s dream. In fact, every aspect of Lethersby’s history impacts Ellie’s life, because she genuinely cares about the people.

Throughout the whole story, Ellie confronts her inattentiveness to her relationship with the Lord. She realizes that she’s been ignoring time with Him, always with excuses for why she doesn’t have time, and that’s spilled over into “not having time” for her family and friends too. She makes intentional changes and enjoys a much more vibrant life, even before she reaches the climax of the novel, and her submission to the Lord actually leads better answers than she could have found otherwise.

Learn more about the author of Christmas in the Castle Library

This is Ann Swindell’s first “in the Library” novel, but book two comes out in January 2026. She also has some non-fiction books available. Learn more at her website.