Welcome to my stop on the Great Escapes Virtual Book Tour for Captive Heart at Brantmar Castle: Mysteries of a Heart Series by Celeste Fenton. Stop by each blog on the tour for interviews, guest posts, spotlights, reviews and more!
Captive Heart at Brantmar Castle: Mysteries of a Heart Series
by Celeste Fenton
Captive Heart at Brantmar Castle: Mysteries of a Heart Series
Cozy Mystery – Romantic Suspense
2nd in Series
Setting – Dost Island (off the coast of Massachusetts) and the Scottish Highlands
Publisher : Independently Published
Publication date : September 22, 2025
Hardcover
Print length : 305 pages
Gabby Heart travels to a remote Scottish castle with her best friend, Abe—a bestselling children’s author—expecting misty views, historic charm, and quiet time to plan their next book series. But Brantmar Castle holds more than ghosts of the past. When the women are taken hostage, Gabby must rely on her instincts, her resilience, and the help of men who may not deserve her trust to survive.
Meanwhile, on Dost Island, young residents are vanishing without a trace. As those left behind scramble for answers, unsettling clues emerge—leading to a dark motive no one could have predicted.
From the storm-swept highlands of Scotland to the rocky shores of New England, Captive Heart at Brantmar Castle blends mystery, emotional grit, simmering romance, and humor, in a story where secrets run deep… and time is running out.
Two mysteries. One fight for survival. And danger closing in from both sides of the sea.
A slow-burn romantic suspense with an edgy cozy mystery twist peppered with humor, Captive Heart at Brantmar Castle is perfect for fans of strong women over 40, amateur sleuths, brooding men with buried secrets, and adventure in small seaside towns and exotic locales hiding deadly truths.
Character Post: Jay Laird on Patience, Persistence, and Falling for a Woman Who Makes You Earn It
By Celeste Fenton
Love came to me unexpectedly.
I don’t do unexpected.
A flyer she dropped at a faculty meeting. A desk she wanted back. Words exchanged like we’d both been waiting for a worthy opponent. Chemistry—immediate, undeniable, and profoundly inconvenient.
Naturally, I resolved not to get involved.
I had rules then. Don’t complicate your life. Don’t let attraction be a distraction. Don’t fall for a woman who challenges you in public and dismantles you in private. And absolutely do not fall for someone with copper hair, green eyes, and a habit of walking straight toward trouble while insisting she’s fine.
Gabby Heart broke my rules in under ten minutes. Possibly less. I wasn’t timing it.
I told myself I admired her spirit.
I told myself I respected her intelligence.
I told myself this wasn’t love—it was curiosity with excellent posture.
Later, we ended up in a tunnel chasing evil.
Darkness has a way of stripping away pretense. We kissed there—right before what could have been our final moments. The universe leaned in. The chemistry escalated. Then danger reminded us it was still very much running the meeting, and neither of us commented on the kiss afterward. Very mature of us.
Later, she dismissed it. Fear. Adrenaline. Circumstance.
I accepted that explanation like a gentleman.
Didn’t believe it for a microsecond.
I went to Scotland with Rick to rescue Miss Marple, aka Gabby, and Abe. I attempted to one-up him. Failed spectacularly. Hurt Gabby in the process. I don’t do regrets, but if I did, that one would be framed, labeled, and displayed under harsh lighting.
Gail fixed that.
She cornered me one afternoon, arms crossed, eyes sharp, and delivered a lecture that could have stripped paint. It boiled down to this: If you’re going to go after her, do it right. If you’re not, get out of the way.
Fair.
Gail and I understand each other. She doesn’t tolerate grandstanding. She believes in showing up. In consistency. In actions that don’t require applause. She is also one of the very few people who can terrify me with a raised brow.
I listened.
So, when a certain charity came up—one Gabby had once mentioned mattered to her—I made a call. No announcement. No credit. I didn’t tell her. I didn’t tell anyone.
Lola, of course, found out.
Lola, of course, told Gabby.
I didn’t deny it. I didn’t explain it either. Some things don’t need commentary. They just need doing. (Gail’s voice tends to linger. Loudly.)
I showed up with food. With conversation. With presence.
Because love, it turns out, isn’t about grand gestures. It’s about doing the right thing quietly—especially when no one’s watching. Also, occasionally, when Lola and Anna are watching.
What I didn’t anticipate was how quickly life would turn brutal. How chaos doesn’t knock before entering. How tragedy doesn’t ask whether you’re ready.
After that—after the sirens, the hospitals, the long, quiet days that followed—Gabby retreated. Wouldn’t step outside her house. Darcy was her only constant companion. The world had proven itself unreliable, so she shrank it down to something she could manage.
I pushed. Then I backed off.
You don’t chase someone who’s trying to breathe.
So I waited. And, yes, I wooed—quietly, imperfectly, and without a single mariachi band.
When we finally made love, I briefly entertained the thought that life was perfect. Naturally, life laughed. Gabby misread something small and assumed the worst—because fear does that. Because trust after trauma isn’t linear. It’s fragile. Easily shaken.
She pulled back again.
I did not give up.
Somewhere in all that waiting, we found our way back to each other.
Here’s what I know now: I’m madly in love with Gabby because she challenges me to be better. Because she’s smart, funny, stubborn, and braver than she ever admits. Because she shows up for others even when she’s hurting.
It also doesn’t hurt that she’s a copper-headed, green-eyed, fiery beauty who has taken up permanent residence in my head. I never want her to move out.
I want her. I want her fully. And I want her on her terms.
And if I win her?
That feels like the right ending.
Celeste Fenton—if you’re listening—I’m still here. And I’m not going anywhere.
About Celeste Fenton
My writing is fueled by a lifelong love of mystery and a fascination with the complexities of the human heart. As a widow, mother of adult twin sons, proud grandmother, dog lover, and semi-retired educator, I believe I have enough real-world experience to weave imagination with insight to create stories rich with emotion and suspense.
When I’m not writing, reading, or plotting another plot twist, I like to explore small towns across America—setting out solo for month-long adventures much to the awe (and occasional alarm) of family and friends. My latest obsessions include escape rooms, mastering the perfect miter cut for a DIY bathroom remodel, training my cavalier spaniel to do a high five, and making the impossible decision of where to travel next.
Author Links
Website https://celestefenton.com
Amazon Author Page https://www.amazon.com/stores/CELESTE-FENTON/author/B0F5HTW7RK
YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@CelesteFentonWrites
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61575815274859
Instagram https://www.instagram.com/celestefentonwrites
TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@celestefenton?lang=en
LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/celeste-fenton-33811a357/
Pinterest https://www.pinterest.com/celeste_fenton/
BookBub https://www.bookbub.com/profile/1923908781
Enter the giveaway
Captive Heart at Brantmar Castle TOUR PARTICIPANTS
January 14 – Jody’s Bookish Haven – SPOTLIGHT
January 14 – fundinmental – SPOTLIGHT
January 15 – Books, Ramblings, and Tea – SPOTLIGHT
January 16 – Sarandipity’s – CHARACTER INTERVIEW
January 16 – Books1987 – SPOTLIGHT
January 17 – MJB Reviewers – SPOTLIGHT
January 17 – Sapphyria’s Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
January 18 – Boys’ Mom Reads! – AUTHOR GUEST POST
January 18 – StoreyBook Reviews – CHARACTER GUEST POST
January 19 – FUONLYKNEW – SPOTLIGHT
January 20 – Christy’s Cozy Corners – CHARACTER GUEST POST
January 21 – Salty Inspirations – AUTHOR GUEST POST
January 22 – Maureen’s Musings – SPOTLIGHT
January 23 – View from the Birdhouse – REVIEW
January 24 – Guatemala Paula Loves to Read – SPOTLIGHT
January 25 – Cozy Up With Kathy – REVIEW, CHARACTER GUEST POST
January 26 – Sarah Can’t Stop Reading Books – SPOTLIGHT
January 27 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – REVIEW
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