Rating: ★★★★
Audience: Christmas Historical Romance
Length: 406 pages
Author: Celine Rachelle
Publisher: Self Published
Release Date: November 24th, 2024
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Inspired by Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, this closed-door christmas regency romance follows Lady Clara Ashford as she turns her Yuletide house party into a daring scheme to save her family from ruin. When her plans clash with the infuriating and devastatingly handsome Nicolaus Croft, a battle of wits ensues—one laced with simmering attraction, festive chaos, and unexpected alliances.

An earl’s daughter should never be caught gasping at gossip, let alone cause it. But Lady Clara Ashford has always been a rule-breaker. Whispers of Clara’s scandalous schemes swirl through the drawing rooms of London’s elite.

Infamous for her wild antics—from clandestine book clubs devouring Byron’s most daring works to her perpetually muddied hems — Clara’s escapades leave every mother in the marriage mart clutching their pearls in horror. But her reckless freedom comes to a crashing halt when she returns home to find her father gravely ill.

Suddenly, her family’s earldom is poised to slip into the grasp of a conniving cousin. Clara and her sister Evie stand on the brink of ruin right as Christmas approaches. Before their cousin Rupert can force Evie to marry him, Clara must meddle her way into a love-match for her sister during the Yuletide festivities at their estate.

However, she didn’t account for someone determined to thwart her at every turn. When the infuriating Nicolaus Croft uncovers Clara’s plans to ensnare his friend, they are caught in a battle of wits.

As Christmas balls turn into scandalous disasters and mistletoe mischief abounds, Clara must battle both her cousin’s dastardly plans and her own attraction to Nicolaus to save her family before it’s too late.

NEW AUTHOR ALERT.

Well this was utterly charming and a great debut and an author I can’t wait to read more books from. I loved the holiday setting with the house party and all the moments in between. I often think a house party plot lacks something and I did not feel that here at all. It was well balanced with moments that kept you engaged.

The writing style did take me a bit to get into and I kind of wish it was all from one POV. It constantly rotated from paragraph to paragraph and it interrupted the flow a little. And I just found the antagonist to be trying a bit too hard.

I loooved Clara and Nicolaus’ romance and how swoony it was!! The kisses were HEATED and I was given a ball scene that made me melt. All top notches for me. I loved the little dash of enemies banter and how sweet and strong both characters were. There’s solid character progression and growth throughout.

Plenty of Christmas cheer and this is your friendly reminder that historical romances are worth the read!!

Overall audience notes:

• Historical Christmas Romance
• Language: none
• Romance: kisses
• Violence: low

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