Overall Rating: 3.85 // Action: 3.0 / Emotion: 3.0 / Romance: 3.0 / Sensuous: 1.0 / Suspense: 3.0 // Historical Flavor: 4.0 / Laughter: 1 / Tears: 1Castles In The Air: 3.85Dodd wrote an entertaining and enjoyable story that sweeps the reader back to medieval England. She failed, however, to inspire that deep sense of connection to the characters that is necessary for an outstanding read.Hero: 3.0:Geoffroi Jean Louis Raymond, Count of Avraché: Although Raymond had all the requisite factors that make him typical hero material -- tall, handsome, intelligent, confident, and a background filled with angst, the attributes Dodd featured in this story were his compassionate and kind-hearted nature as he tried to inveigle himself into Juliana's family unit. Just a bit disappointed because was more in the mood for a sword-wielding alpha knight.Heroine: 2.5:Lady Juliana of Lofts: Just could not warm up to this strong-willed, self-sufficient, compassionate heroine because of her inconsistencies. One minute she's issuing orders like a drill sergeant, the next she's cowering like a whipped puppy -- all the way through the book.Story Line: 3.0:The premise for this story was good -- Raymond goes to retrieve Juliana from her home because she refused to heed the king's command to marry him. But rather than force her to marry him, Raymond decides to woo and seduce Juliana into compliance. The biggest problem during the telling of the story, however, was that Dodd spent way too much time trying to inspire a degree of intrigue by referring to Juliana's 'big secret' for way too long.Action: 3.0:There were a few exciting action scenes, but most of the story was comprised of everyday events that moved the story along at a slow, but steady pace.Emotion: 3.0:It was difficult to connect to Raymond and Juliana on an emotional level for a couple of reasons. The first was Juliana's vacillation between strength and fear because she was unable to overcome her insecurities caused by the event that happened three years ago. The second was Raymond's fears of being unworthy because he 'broke' while being held as a captive of the Saracen's.Romance: 3.0:Enjoyed the fact that Dodd slowly built the romance between the two protagonists because Raymond decided to show Juliana that actions spoke louder than words -- that he was a man worthy of trust and love. Raymond aspired to work beside Juliana rather than demand he was lord of the realm.Sensuous: 1.0:Raymond was forced to lay next to Juliana night after night and built her to such a level of lust that she was ravenous for him. And while readers were allowed to see the attraction that built between Raymond and Juliana, Dodd did not share any of the sizzle or spice when it came to the actual lovemaking scene. (Remember the book was written in 1993 -- the days of purple-prose sensuality.)Suspense: 3.0:The story was pervaded by a lazy aura of suspense about {1} the haunting events that occurred in Raymond and Juliana's past and {2} what was Sir Joseph going to stir up next.Secondary Characters: 4.0:Dodd did a great job of including some very interestingly-developed secondary characters who added wonderful depth to the story. {1} Loved Keir, Raymond's friend and confidant. {2} Juliana's daughters, Margery and Ella, were minimally developed but really enhanced the enjoyment of the story. {3} Couldn't help but dislike {a} Sir Joseph, the villain, and {b} Raymond's cold, mercenary parents, Geoffroi and Isabel, the Count and Countess of Locheais. The last two memorable secondary characters that added to the story were: {1} Tosti, a tracker who was working on the building project and {2} Denys, the troubled squire William sent to Raymond to train.Historical Flavor: 4.0:Dodd did an outstanding job of taking the reader back in time with her descriptions of the buildings, including the political climate of the country, describing the attire and including the roles of aristocrats and serfs reminiscent of England in 1166.See Wolf Bear Does Books for a more in-depth, detailed review of *Castles In The Air*.