Publication Date: October 16, 2012
Publisher: Kensington
A blazing fire, an English country house … and the ultimate game of charades. In this charming holiday novel from #1 New York Times bestselling author Victoria Alexander, a beautiful widow finds her plan for a Christmas proposal going perfectly awry …
Camille, Lady Lydingham, knows precisely what she wants for Christmas—an official engagement to a handsome, dashing prince. Her very proper suitor expects a proper English family and the perfect Dickensian Christmas, which leaves the lovely widow with a slight problem. The last thing Camille wants is for the prince to meet her unconventional relatives. But with the aid of a troupe of actors, Camille intends to pull off a Christmas deception of massive proportions.
At least until Grayson Elliot shows up. A dozen years ago, he declared his love on the day before her marriage to another man, then vanished from her life. Now he’s back, gate-crashing Camille’s already chaotic house party, playing absolute havoc with her scheme—and with her heart. Because for Grayson, losing Camille once was quite bad enough. Losing her twice? Unthinkable. And he’ll find a way to show her they belong together—for this season, and every Christmas yet to come…
On a day like today, when it feels like Jack Frost is creeping back into
town, this is the perfect book to pick up. I love the snow that cascades over
the front cover and the enormous, but painstakingly beautiful, house in the
background. This book just put me right in the mood for Christmas! This was a
first time read for me as far as the author goes and I was pleasantly
surprised, but you will find out why when you scroll down!
How I laughed out loud with this book! I honestly do not
think I have laughed so hard while reading a book in such a long time. I was so
invested in this entire setting, as well as the lives of the characters, that I
could not stop reading until I had finished. At first I got such a cozy feel
right off the first page and then I started to realize the wit and spark that
all of Victoria Alexander’s characters carried; I was blown away with my first
time reading this author, and it will most certainly not be the last.
Camille, Lady Lydingham, is recently widowed and has her
sights set on a new man, a prince to beat all! At the start of Camille’s story
we are placed right in the middle of a scheme that she has devised in order to
have Prince Nikolai fall right into her arms. Are you ready for her scheme?
This is the best part. Lady Lydingham has hired a stage of actors to fill in
for her family this holiday season. Yes, you heard right. The entire Christmas
season will be carried out with people who are not her real family. Except for
her twin sister, Beryl, who claims that she would not miss this event for
anything in the world. So this is where our fun begins. Prince Nikolai is very
fond of Charles Dickens and has requested a Christmas that rivals the ones in
Dickens’ beloved novels. And this, my lovely readers, is exactly what Camille
seeks to give him.
What Camille doesn’t expect is a visit from someone from her
past. Enter Grayson Elliot. Oh, the romance and tension that was filling the air
when these two shared any room or conversation. I loved Alexander’s writing
when it came to romance, what passion and intrigue! I fell in love with their back
story and each of them. When we first meet Grayson we learn that he has not
seen Camille in eleven years, but still you can feel his love for her has never
faltered. You have to be dang good at what you do for this to have an effect on
your readers!
***Thank you to the publishers at Netgalley for providing me
with a e-copy of this book in exchange for my honest review***
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