Castles and Murder: Holding Court

Review: Holding Court by K.C. Held


Title: Holding Court
Author: K.C. Held
Pages: 352
Publisher: Entangled Teen
Publish Date: March 1, 2016
Genre: Young Adult, Mystery, Romance, Contemporary

Synopsis: Sixteen-year-old Jules Verity knows exactly what's in store at her new job at castle-turned-dinner-theater Tudor Times. Some extra cash, wearing a fancy-pants dress, and plenty of time to secretly drool over the ever-so-tasty--and completely unavailable--Grayson Chandler. Except that it's not quite what she imagined.
For one, the costume Jules has to wear is awful. Then there's the dead body she finds that just kind of...well, disappears. Oh, and there's the small issue of Jules and her episodes of what her best friend calls "Psychic Tourette's Syndrome"--spontaneous and uncontrollable outbursts of seemingly absurd prophecies.
The only bright side? This whole dead body thing seems to have gotten Grayson's attention. Except that the more Jules investigates, the more she discovers that Grayson's interest might not be as courtly as she thought. In fact, it's starting to look suspicious...

I received a free copy of this book via the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This will not affect my decision in any way. 

Cover: The cover makes for an interesting mystery. I feel as if it does sort of draw the reader in. I really enjoy the drawing of the castle in the background. The fonts are aesthetically pleasing and the color scheme is just amazing. Everything pops.

Characters: Juliet Verity had her flaws, which is probably what I liked most about her. Her PTS was absolutely hilarious, and I loved how she just managed to get herself in embarrassing situations.

Grayson wasn't the swoony man-candy that I expected, but I still did like him. He was perfect for Juliet. And when they were quoting the Princess movie (I forget which one it is. I think it's the Princess Bride but idk) I couldn't help the feels. It was adorkable.

Bree, can I just say that I knew it?

Plot: The plot was cute and original. I don't read a lot of YA mysteries, so this was nice. I really liked the romance added to the mystery. I thought that it was very well written. I guessed some things, but didn't see others.

Ending: I had no idea that it would be this certain person as the murderer. I was totally wrong in my guesswork. I'd say it's a good thing that I am not a detective. I would probably get fired or killed myself if I was in Holding Court.

Overall: Holding Court was a nice read. It was really quick as well. I liked the mystery, but it wasn't my favorite. If you're looking for something light than Holding Court is perfect for you!


About the Author

K.C. HELD was born and raised in California with stopovers in Honduras, Mexico, and France. Married to her high school sweetheart, and mom to two avid bookworms, she holds an MFA in costume design and has worked as a freelance costumer in opera, theater, film and television. Although she once spent a summer working in a castle, there were no dead bodies involved.

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