I've read through my pile of Christmas books and finally arrived at the one I was saving for last: Ivy & Intrigue: A Very Selwick Christmas (#138) by Lauren Willig.
In this novella, the Pink Carnation's series modern day heroine, Eloise, is at loose ends before she flies home to New York for Christmas. She decides to spend her time visiting the English country house Uppington Hall. In its day it was the home of Richard Selwick, the Purple Genetian, one of the Napoleonic era spies Eloise is researching. Coincidentally, she also is dating one of the Selwick family descendants, so she's checking out his family background at the same time.
When she arrives at Uppington Hall, Eloise finds the place infested with Regency re-enactors for the Christmas season. They set the stage for the 1803 story of Lord Richard Selwick's first Christmas at the house with his new bride, Amy Balcourt. Amy and Richard are both missing the adventures they shared as a spy team in France, but different emotions are set in motion when Richard's first love who jilted him arrives on the scene with her obnoxious mother. It's enough to make Amy re-think her choices in marriage and career. What would Christmas be at the Selwick's without a bit of holly and ivy intrigue?
I thoroughly enjoyed this Christmas romp with its humorous dialogue. It was well worth the wait, but made my sorry I didn't plan on including mince pies in my own Christmas dinner!
No comments:
Post a Comment