Where the Monarchs Dance by Beverly Allie

I enjoyed this Christian contemporary romance. It has a fun plot built around a family feud. Maura inherits a family castle in the Blue Ridge Mountains she thinks has been abandoned for decades. She finds it had been taken over by squatters and will become their possession in only a few weeks, according to state law. There was a serious feud between her ancestors and those of the current squatter. But can she evict him when she is falling in love with him?

I liked the characters in this romance. Maura is puzzled as she has a boyfriend but is not so sure she actually loves him. Patrick, the squatter, has been hurt so deeply by a woman before he is greatly troubled by his growing affection for Maura. I like the innkeeper where Maura stays and her helper. The same for Patrick's chauffeur and gardener. While secondary characters, they have good personal stories that add to the overall enjoyment of the book.

I learned a great deal about plants and buildings in this book. Mura works for an architectural firm and is herself a budding landscape architect. Reading this book makes me want to create my own butterfly garden.

I do recommend this novel as a fun and informative contemporary romance. It contains a good example of forgiveness and relationship restoration too.

My rating: 4/5 stars.

Beverly Allie. There was no biographical information included in the digital copy I read.

Level 603 LLC, 278 pages.

I received a complimentary digital copy of this nook from the author. My comments are an independent and honest review.

(My star ratings: 5-I love it, 4-I like it, 3-It's OK, 2-I don't like it, 1-I hate it.)