Review: His Mistress by Christmas by Victoria Alexander

Veronica, Lady Smithson, has been the respectable widow society expects her to be but, now she's realized how much she misses having a man around.

Veronica values her independence and isn't ready to give it up. And her late husband has provided for her generously so she doesn't need any financial support. And the idea of being married again isn't really all that appealing to her --

And so has decided to become a man's mistress. (Effectively shocking her dear friend, Phoebe.)

And she has also decided which man she wants: Sir Sebastian Hadley-Atwater. Explorer, adventurer, writer, etc. (He also happens to be Phoebe's cousin.)

From their first meeting, sparks fly. Sebastian and Veronica are pleasantly surprised at how well they understand each other and have declared the other to be perfect for them --

But while Veronica is expecting an affair with an expiration date, Sebastian is planning for something a bit more permanent. And when they reveal their intentions to one another, more than sparks fly.

But being equal-minded individuals, our hero and heroine have found a compromise: spend a quiet Christmas together in Sebastian's new home in the country and see where it takes their relationship.

Everything is working out nicely for Sebastian and Veronica -- but when Sebastian's sisters arrive (followed by their mother and some other surprise guests), expecting to meet Sebastian's new wife, our hero and heroine have to improvise and must now pretend to be married for the sake of a happy Christmas.

As days pass, both Veronica and Sebastian realize that what they are doing doesn't feel like "pretend" anymore -- but like the real thing. But is Veronica ready to give up everything she has to be with Sebastian? And what's the real story behind Sebastian's sudden desire for respectability and worthiness?

I'm a long-time reader of Victoria Alexander and I think she's excellent at writing dialogue and presenting family dynamics. Her Effington series still have a large place in my heart and now she has given us the Hadley-Atwaters.

The conversation between her characters is fast-paced and intelligent -- but it is very natural, as well. I think it's because she knows her characters very well.

He stared down into her brown eyes. "What are you saying?"

"I'm saying there's no need to tell them we aren't married until after Christmas. Your family is delighted to have you again in their midst. Perhaps the best gift you can give them is a practically perfect Christmas. In your new house. With your" -- she rolled her gaze at the ceiling -- "new wife."

Surprise widened his eyes. "You?"

"Unless you have another fraudulent new wife on the premises."

He tried and failed to hide a smile, "No, just the one."

...

"This is not what I expected."

"Good." She smiled up at him. "I do so hate to be expected."
- p. 211

I love Veronica and her family. They are a very unique and opinionated bunch. (I would love to read more about her Aunt Charlotte.) And Sebastian's family is just as much fun to get to know (Very curious about Bianca) --

I mentioned in my review of Alexander's My Wicked Little Lies how she has a wonderful talent for writing humor -- and she does not disappoint in this story. There are laugh out loud moments -- but also the quiet sort of funny moments.

As it is the Christmas season (I am writing this the day before Christmas eve) -- it made me reflect on what kind of books I like to read during the holidays and I seem to gravitate towards light, warm-hearted reads like this one -- (I haven't yet tried reading a more angst-y book this month.)

I do have one small niggle: when I read the love scene was that it felt a bit off -- the whole novel has a very light, humorous tone -- but when the door closed behind them and Veronica finally said yes, the tone changed quickly and became quite ... intense. Am not sure if this is a good thing or a bad thing --

When I picked up this book, my first thought was that Victoria Alexander really loves Christmas-themed stories -- to my knowledge, this is the third novel she has written that is set at Christmas (A Visit From Sir Nicholas, What Happens at Christmas and, this book, His Mistress by Christmas) and she has also contributed to two Christmas anthologies.

As she has written other Christmas stories, a reader can't help but make comparisons and, for me, her best one (and one of my favorite books) is still A Visit from Sir Nicholas. (This one is a close second.)

His Mistress by Christmas is the first book in Victoria Alexander's Hadley-Atwater family series and was previously released in hardcover version.

Adrian and Evelyn's story is told in My Wicked Little Lies (Book 1 of Sinful Family Secrets).

To find out more about Victoria Alexander and her books, visit her website. She's also on Facebook.

Review: What Happens at Christmas by Victoria Alexander (ARC)

Camille, Lady Lydingham has a plan, a brilliant one (in her opinion) which involves staging the perfect Christmas for a visiting prince and accepting his marriage proposal (she's very confident about this) on Christmas eve.

And she means "staging" literally.

Camille and her twin sister Beryl have an eccentric family who are, fortunately for Camille, away for the Christmas season. Camille's clever plan is to hire actors to play (the normal version of) her family and to create a Christmas scene reminiscent of Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol.

Nothing is going according to plan, and, to make matters worse, an unexpected guest arrives and knocks everything off kilter.

The last time Grayson Elliott spoke to Camille was to declare his love for her on the night before her wedding eleven years ago. Youthful pride and surprise over the stunning revelation led to his heart being broken (and hers as well). He left England soon after that and had planned never to come back ... until now.

Both of them believed that eleven years would be enough time to forget but, now, standing face to face, Grayson and Camille remember everything they thought they've forgotten. And both of them are determined not to make the same mistake again: Grayson wants Camille and now he has the means to win her heart. Camille doesn't want to have her heart broken again and is resolved not to trust Grayson with it ever.

Christmas is coming; a troupe of actors is running a household; a prince is pretending to be a count, and lots of surprise guests show up -- this might just be a Christmas no one will ever forget.

The story begins with Camille trying to justify her elaborate scheme to her twin sister, Beryl (and also to the readers). It's an over-the-top plan designed to get a visiting prince to come up to scratch and propose marriage to Camille. The sisters go back and forth, looking at all possible scenarios and, ultimately, Camille begs her sister to trust her.

I was skeptical going into the first chapter but I decided to trust Camille, suspend my disbelief and proceed with the story.

Christmas Romances have long been part of the historical romance tradition and there are rules/tropes that are unique to this sub-genre, foremost is the idea of a Christmas miracle -- that, despite the chaos that ensues before Christmas, everything, everything will be resolved on Christmas. This one follows that line of development -- add to that, Victoria Alexander has identified this from the start as a farce.

The humor is expected, as are all the "improbable situations" (see Farce in Wikipedia) that happen as the story progresses.

This is a fun story with a most unusual cast of supporting characters. I love Mr. Fortesque and his incredible passion for his craft:

"You may rest assured, Lady Lydingham, this shall be our greatest performance ever."

Camille cast him a grateful smile. "Thank you, Mr. Fortesque."

"It is I who should thank you." He hesitated. "I should confess that we are not, as yet, a very accomplished troupe. We have only recently formed, in fact, and, indeed, some of us are as yet lacking in ... extensive experience on stage. We are most grateful for the opportunity you have provided us to hone our skills, as well as spend Christmas in as magnificent a house as Millworth Manor."

Camille stared. "How recent?"

"Specifically?" Concern flashed across the actor's face.
- loc 421

The love story of Grayson and Camille is also very sweet -- though it isn't delved into (I wish the author tackled their backstory more), it's obvious that they were very good friends before their falling out. Even after an eleven year separation, the camaraderie (and chemistry) remains.

"What is going on here, Camille?"

"Christmas?"

His brow rose.
- loc 612

* * *

"All is fair in love and war, you know."

"And what is this?" His smile remained, but his tone was abruptly sober. "Love or war?"

"Both," she said without thinking; then she realized what she had said, turned and skated off. Whatever possessed her to say that? Perhaps it had been love once, but now ... now it was ... what?
- loc 2115

I admire Grayson's steadfastness -- and his willingness to help out a friend. He arrived in England fully expecting to put his past behind him but, upon seeing Camille again, he isn't afraid to admit that he still has feelings for her.

He and Camille were a play without a last act, and it was past time to see how it would end. The moment he saw her again, he knew the final curtain hadn't fallen, not for him.
- loc 737

As Christmas stories go, this one fulfills the necessary conditions. Fans of Victoria Alexander's wit and lighthearted stories will enjoy this.

I do have one question -- What happened in Brighton? It's mentioned several times in the story but never expounded on.

What Happens at Christmas will be released in Hardcover this October 16.

Disclosure: I received the ARC through Netgalley. (Thank you to Kensington Books for accepting my request.)

My Wicked Little Lies by Victoria Alexander

The story begins with Eve's letter to Sir, in which she tenders her resignation from the Department of Domestic and International Affairs. It has been five years since Eve started working as an agent for the Department and she feels it is time for her to leave behind her life as a spy and to begin a new one --

The letter (and subsequent replies) reveal a tension between Eve and Sir as they explore their "what might have been" -- but they wisely decide to let their curiosity rest.

It is two years later and we discover that Eve is Lady Evelyn Hadley-Atwater, happily married to Lord Adrian. But the Department and its secrets are in danger of exposure -- and only Eve can be trusted to recover the missing documents. Eve is reluctant to return. It is only when she is reminded that Sir's identity and life are also in peril that she agrees to take the mission.

What begins as a spy story suddenly changes into a comedy of errors (except it wasn't satirical or humorous) when we discover that Sir is actually Lord Adrian Hadley-Atwater. And Adrian complicates matters (and convolutes the story) by deciding to test Evelyn's love and loyalty by playing Sir against himself.

The story loses its focus and Eve's mission seems to have been forgotten.

There are family dinners, balls and masquerades -- and we slowly see the unravelling of Evelyn and Adrian's marriage as distrust and untruth (and a fake kidnapping) come between them.

At this point, I wasn't certain how Victoria Alexander would resolve the story but she does manage to tie everything together.

I had such great expectations after reading the premise and loved the idea of two characters (already married) and reading about what happens to them next but I did not enjoy the changes in the storyline -- the central conflict changed completely as did the style.

What I did enjoy was the secondary story between Sir Max and Celeste. I actually felt they had a better, more planned, more developed story to tell (and felt they got better scenes than the main characters).

This is one of my favorite marriage proposals ever:

"I want you in my bed every night and every morning ... I want to introduce you to my family, my friends. I want to dance with you at grand balls and picnic with you in public parks. And I want you by my side on the day I breathe my last. ... I want you to be the mother of my children. ... And I want to be the father to your children."

- Sir Max to Celeste, p. 219

Victoria Alexander also does a good job of elaborating on the theme of secrets -- how each person, titled or not, rich or poor, has something they hide. (Not for any nefarious purposes -- but just because. ^_^)

Alexander has a wonderful gift for writing humor and light-heartedness -- and her talent shines through in this novel.

In the end, it becomes a case of all's well that ends well: Victoria Alexander is able to save the story with her witty dialogue and her memorable characters. (And she does manage to resolve all the loose ends nicely.)

My Wicked Little Lies is part of her Sinful Family Secrets (Hadley-Atwater Family) series.