Review

You Had Me At Château

How Castle Impossible on HGTV stole my heart with the help of a Victoria Holt gothic mystery

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I’ve always had a thing for France and its châteaux. I think my obsession probably began when I started binge reading Victoria Holt’s gothic romance mysteries in the 70’s and discovered her novel, The King in the Castle.

Set in French wine country, it tells the tale of a young woman who comes to restore art in a haunted château full of hidden secrets and finds both love and danger.

Not only is there a mysterious, brooding Comté (of course), but also a medieval château with amazing towers and buttresses complete with a drawbridge and moat. Oh, and there’s a treasure trove of priceless emeralds lost during the French revolution to be found. Be still my heart.

Photo by Colin Watts on Unsplash

So it’s no surprise that when HGTV aired Season 1 of Castle Impossible, I was thrilled and tuned in. It features a combination of history, restoration work and the will of a young couple, Daphne and Ian, to restore the château back to its glorious self.

Daphne inherited the château from her grandfather along with the huge inheritance taxes, but the couple are making it work for them as a wedding venue and also hosting photo shoots to pay the bills.

It’s really not like anything I’ve seen before on HGTV and it’s enchanting. Of course you also get to see all the hard work and worries and pitfalls that always accompany renovations of older buildings.

But it’s also inspiring to see the transformations and the beautiful design choices they make to bring the château back alive again.

Now, with Season 2 of Castle Impossible underway in June 2026, it’s become my favorite show. I know I will re-watch it over many times, because it has all the twists and turns, beauty and mystery of a Victoria Holt novel.

If you want to experience some romance, suspense and a taste of the château life, give it a watch.

Here’s a video tour of the 130-acre Château de Lésigny, built in the 16th century to whet your appetite.

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Do you also love châteaux? Let us know in the comments.

© Linda Locke

Linda Locke is a writer, and life/writing coach. She is the **Publisher/Lead Editor for the Midform Publication** and the author of ***Medium Momentum, Launch Your Blogging Journey in Just 7 Days*.

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