Tuesday, October 30, 2012

Book Review: What Happens At Christmas

Author: Victoria Alexander
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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