A Christmas Blessing

Rating:
Summary: Scrooge falls in love
Review: Back Cover plot description: Lucas Chandler, Earl of Lyons, has lived like a hermit in his Grosvenor Square mansion since his wife's death, yet it's more than grief he feels--it's betrayal. His daughter Annie is quite possibly not his at all, thanks to his wife's perfidy. But raising Annie still requires a governess, and Elinor Browning, a war widow with a small son, seems as qualified a candidate as any...until she insists on spreading her Christmas cheer through his home, that is. Elinor's sunny optimism is only the first chink in the armor Lucas has developed. The apperance of his dead father in the form of a ghost is another. Either Lucas has lost his wits or his self-imposed prison--and it's effect on Annie --requires further soul-searching. When serveral more opinionated ghosts join the fray, it's not long before he bares his soul to understanding Elinor--and realizes that her gentle love may be just the gift he's longed for this joyous Christmas.

The plot is a take off on Dicken's "A Christmas Carol". Nice easy read, likable characters and a hero who slowly realizes what he has been missing. The plot could have moved a little faster, but it was OK. If you like Christmas Regency stories, give this one a try.

Rating:
Summary: Some nice parts but rather disjointed storyline
Review: I liked that this book followed Dicken's "A Christmas Carol." I liked that Marley was replaced by Lucas Chandler's father. It's just the rest of the book and the other ghostly visitations are rather hurried. The book does not portray the Earl of Lyons (Lucas) as being pinchpenny or cruel (except in very vague references) so I did not perceive him as a Scrooge. I think it would have made the story more interesting if he had been shown that way. Then redemption would have been more of a Christmas Blessing as the title indicates.

The story revolves around Elinor Browning, a penniless and proud widow with a young son. Her distant relative Simon Nelson endeavors to find her a position with Lucas (his cousin) as a governess to his young daughter, Annabelle. Simon appears to care very much for Elinor and encourages her to marry him several times in the book - I almost wished she would! Of course Lucas accepts her as a governess on a temporary basis and she sets out to make his house a home and a rather insipid romance develops between them. I found Lucas a sympathetic fellow, burdened with a child that could not have been his own and plagued by well meaning relatives. Elinor rather bullies the servants into creating Christmas joy and his aunt even plans to hold a Christmas party at his mansion without his consent.

I felt Lucas's revelations about the ghostly visit from his father were mishandled in this novel. When he confides in Elinor that he has seen the ghost of his father, she hardly reacts at all, rather then running for the door from the madman which is what I would have done. Since she seemed so practical and down to earth, I couldn't believe this was her reaction. There were some interesting scenes including parties, illness and run-ins with Annabelle's biological father (her mother's lover) but the entire novel seemed disjointed. I couldn't empathize with any of these characters. A quick read but could have been much better --

Rating:
Summary: a Regency Christmas Carol
Review: Whether or not "A Christmas Blessing" strikes a chord with you is going to depend heavily on just how attached you are to Charles Dickens's "A Christmas Carol."

The death of his faithless wife has turned Lucas Chandler, the Earl of Lyons, into a cold and reclusive being. And even though it's been a year since her death, the earl still leads a solitary life, forsaking friends and family, and literally ignoring his young daughter, Annabelle. But things are about to change for the earl, and the catalyst for this change comes in the form of a young war widow, Elinor Browning. Feeling that Annabelle needs the guiding hand of a woman, the earl's family inveigles him to hire Elinor as Annabelle's governess. Little does the earl expect how much Elinor will shake up and change his life forever.

Left penniless by her husband's death, and with a young 4 year old son to raise, Elinor is determined to earn enough money so that she can provide for her son instead on relying on her richer relations. And the post of being governess to the earls' daughter could mean the end of all her monetary woes. But the situation at the earl's London home fills her with unease. The house is like a tomb -- cold and cheerless. And the earl seems to have no interest whatsoever for his affection starved daughter. And with Christmas just around the corner, and the staff about to mutiny unless the Christmas festivities are observed this year, Elinor realises just how much her work is cut out for her! In spite of the stubborn earl, Elinor is determined to get him to notice his daughter, to shed his gloomy ways and to take joy in life again. Who will succeed in this clash of wills? Will Elinor get the earl to see the error of his ways? Stir in a couple of ghosts and a few well meaning relatives, and perhaps a frozen and resentful heart will actually thaw thanks to the love and acceptance of a warm and understanding young woman...

Maria Greene does an excellent job of taking a familiar plot ("A Christmas Carol") and making it uniquely hers. I liked the manner in which she slowly allowed for the earl's character to gradually change and to let go of all his old grievances and hurts. It made the transformation all the more believable. I also liked the slow manner in which the romance between the earl and Elinor unfolded as well. Elinor and the earl were perfect foils for each other. True, all this took place over a few weeks, but the pacing was such that all these developments and changes were credible and made sense. And while I did find myself agreeing with the earl about the unnecessary hysteria that the Christmas season seems to engender, I will admit that "A Christmas Blessing" did make for a cheery and festive read.