True Treasure
Series: In the Castle Library, Book 3
Written by Ann Swindell
Published by Whitecrown Publishing
Release Date: 09.22.26
Genre: Christian Mystery & Suspense Romans, Christian Historical Romance
5+ Stars!
Melanie is surrounded by people who love Jesus and love her enough to want her to know Him too. I felt that all through this story.
They never treat Melanie like a project. They simply love her, make room for her, and keep showing up. Through the way they live and care for her, she begins to see what a life with Jesus looks like.
Melanie notices how often the Lethersby royals wrote about God, Lord, and Jesus. What catches her is how personal their faith was. They wrote as though their Creator was actually interested in the details of their lives.
IYKYK. Just wait, Melanie!!!!!!! You won’t be able to NOT do the same.
That part hit me deeply! The people around Melanie live with that same belief. They pray. They trust God with real decisions. They take Scripture seriously. Their relationship with Jesus affects how they treat her and how they live when following Him costs them something. They make time for others. Truly make time for one another.
I loved that these characters were completely human. They had history, hurt, fears, personalities, and their own things to surrender. Melanie could see Jesus in the way they loved her.
I kept thinking about how much it matters that Christians actually live what we say we believe.
Let me say that again the right way: I continue to think about how much it matters that I actually live what I say I believe.
Following Jesus had cost these characters something. Some had lost people they loved. Some had to walk away from the life they thought they would have. Starting again required surrender. Day by day, the choices they made shaped who they were individually and who they were together.
So many truths from Scripture came alive for me through this story.
One of the lines I loved was, “Your value is determined by the Lord alone.” Melanie needed that truth. I need that truth. We all do. Our value is not decided by what happened to us, what someone thinks of us, what we accomplish, or what we failed to become.
I also loved the mystery around Queen Alma, the hidden tunnel, and the search for the greatest treasure. I wanted to know what they would find, and I loved seeing Melanie begin to understand what really matters.
Jesus never took His eyes off Melanie.
I loved that! Even when she did not know Him, He was not gone. People who loved Him kept loving her. She kept hearing truth. She kept seeing faith lived right in front of her, even before she understood what God was doing.
I laughed. I cried. I grinned. I sobbed. I did everything in between. I was right there emotionally with them through the story … feeling it with my whole heart.
Ann Swindell writes Christian fiction the way I want to read it. Jesus matters. Scripture matters. Prayer matters. Following Him changes people and sometimes costs them dearly.
Secrets in the Castle Library has me thinking about my own life. How am I living for Jesus in a way that shines brightly in the ordinary moments? How am I allowing His Word to change me? How am I letting His presence shape the way I speak, love, serve, wait, forgive, and show up for the people around me?
I received a digital ARC from the publisher, WhiteCrown Publishing. I was not required to write a positive review and received no compensation. All thoughts and opinions shared here are my own, offered honestly and with care, with a focus on the writing, faith content, and overall reading experience.
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