In this Christian Regency Romance, Richard Brockwell is returning home from London to the country for the first time in years to celebrate Christmas with his family. Of course, he is not making the trip out of a sense of nostalgia... his mother has threatened to cut him off financially if he does not come home for Christmas. As the second son in his wealthy family, he has not inherited the family estate - or the responsibilities that go along with it. He is perfectly happy living his bachelor life in London where he has been writing. He brings his friend/publisher with him, as well as his newly adopted dog, planning to spend the requisite time at home before heading back to London. However, his experiences on the trip home and all he encounters once he arrives - including Susanna, who he disappointed years ago and who is now widowed, and Arabella, (the lady Richard’s mother is hoping he will become attached to) who is more beguiling than Richard remembers, but who also is determined not to form any attachment with him - begins to work on him and, perhaps, starts to change his perspective of things. ⁣
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Reminiscent of Jane Austen, particularly the first dance scene, this story gives all the fascinating details of what Christmas was like in small-town England during the Regency Era. It also provides a hint of mystery as to what happened within the Brockwell family to make Richard wish to live away from them, and what transpired between Richard and Susanna all those years ago. ⁣ ( )

Prachtig liefdevol kerstverhaal. Het einde is voorspelbaar maar dit past perfect bij het verhaal. ( )

Coerced home from London during the Christmas season by his mother, Richard Brockwell is focused on staying away from any marriageable young ladies and returning to London as soon as he can. But his time at home brings up a lot of regrets and bad memories from his past, places a needy orphan in his path, and taunts him with a young woman who wants to be paired with him even less than he wants to be paired with her. That woman is Arabella Awdry, who is determined to forgo romance for a life of helping the less fortunate. Besides that, she knows all too well what sort of man Richard Brockwell is, and it isn't the sort of man she wants anything to do with.

I saw this book here and there over the last month or so, passing it by for various reasons. Then I read another book by Julie Klassen recently and loved it, so as soon as I realized this was by the same author, I immediately added it to my Christmas-season reading list. I'm so glad I did! Though I haven't read any of the other Ivy Hill books, and I could see that some characters were part of a larger story, I didn't have any issues reading this. And it hit so many sweet spots for me. I loved the characters, that the romance was just one part of the story, that some common tropes of the genre were avoided.

I really liked Arabella early in the story; she endeared herself to me as soon as she put Richard in his place for his rudeness regarding her family. Richard was flawed in such a real way, and I think the author did a great job with his backstory. I'll admit that Arabella's stubbornness wore on me a bit by the end, but not as a flaw in the book, because it didn't feel forced or unrealistic.

A Christmas romance is even more likely to feel contrived than any other romance story, at least in my experience, but I loved the fact that it wasn't the only purpose of the story at all. There was a lot going on, especially for Richard, and the ending didn't feel too easy or frivolous. Everything had to really be worked for. Though when I reached the end of the book with only the epilogue left, my heart almost stopped. I am not sure that was the best pacing idea. But it's a minor complaint, really (not saying more to avoid spoilers).

Overall, I found this short novel to be refreshing and liked how, though some of the same types of silly parlor games were played as I've started to get used to in other novels of the same genre, they weren't so groan-inducing in this story as I've come to expect. I loved it, and if you've seen many of my reviews, you might know that I don't give 5 stars very often, so let that tell you something. I definitely recommend this book for any fans of Christian historical romance, especially if you're looking for a warm Christmas read. I'm definitely adding the Tales from Ivy Hill books to my reading list now!

Thank you to Netgalley and Bethany House for providing me a copy of this book to review. ( )

Sale alert! $5.00 Paperback on Christianbook!

https://www.christianbook.com/hill-christmas-tales-from-novella-softcover/julie-...

This is one of THE BEST novellas I've ever read. Novella implies a short story to familiarize yourself with the series. This was great all on its own but I will read more. The characters, though there were many, had depth and feeling. It starts slow but quickly the London fog clears and you will love what you read. 💖 ( )