A Holiday By Gaslight: A Victorian Christmas Novella by Mimi Matthews @MimiMatthewsEsq #bookreview #romance #historical #holiday

Title: A Holiday By Gaslight

Author: Mimi Matthews

Publisher: Perfectly Proper Press

Publication Date: November 13, 2018

Page Count: 147

My rating: 4 stars

About the book:

A Dutiful Daughter

Sophie Appersett is quite willing to marry outside of her class to ensure the survival of her family. But the darkly handsome Mr. Edward Sharpe is no run of the mill London merchant. He’s grim and silent. A man of little emotion–or perhaps no emotion at all. After two months of courtship, she’s ready to put an end to things. After all, even a dutiful daughter has her limits.

A Taciturn Tradesman

Ned has come a long way since his days working as a draper’s assistant. He’s wealthy, ambitious, and eager to take a wife. But the courtship advice issued in The Gentlemen’s Book of Etiquetteisn’t all it’s cracked up to be. Though he’s followed it to the letter, Miss Appersett still doesn’t wish to see him again. Frustrated and hurt, he’s more than happy to oblige her.

A Christmas Courtship

Severing ties with her former beau isn’t as straightforward as Sophie envisioned. Her parents are outraged. And then there’s Charles Darwin, Prince Albert, and that dratted gaslight. What’s a girl to do except invite Mr. Sharpe to the annual Christmas party at Appersett House and give him one more chance to win her? But this time there’ll be no false formality. This time they’ll get to know each other for who they really are.

Can anyone guess what made me pick up this lovely little historical Christmas romance? If you guessed the stunning cover then you would be very much correct. And I know they say don’t judge a book by it’s cover but I always hope when I catch one like this that it does live up to it’s beauty.

Sophie Appersett comes from an upper class family however Sophie’s father has overspent the family fortune upgrading with the inventions of the times. Who could resist gas lines to your own homes or running water in a time it was barely imaginable? Well, the progress made cost quite the sum so Sophie knows she needs to marry into wealth.

Mr. Edward Sharpe is not of Sophie’s family’s class but a tradesman who came from poorer background. Ned however could be the answer to Sophie’s dilemma however the two don’t suite during their two month courtship but just as Sophie is calling it off she begins to wonder if she shouldn’t give him another chance to win her heart.

A Holiday By Gaslight was a sweet romance that really incorporated the progress of the late 19th century into the story setting the stage. The couple was very likable once they began to really show their own personalities to one another with Sophie being quite a strong minded woman for her time. This being a novella it was a pretty short story but the author did pack a lovely romance onto it’s pages that I do think historical readers will enjoy.

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

Find this book online: 

Goodreads  /   Amazon

About the author:

Mimi Matthews (A Victorian Lady’s Guide to Fashion and Beauty, The Lost Letter) writes both historical non-fiction and traditional historical romances set in Victorian England. Her articles on nineteenth century history have been published on various academic and history sites, including the Victorian Web and the Journal of Victorian Culture, and are also syndicated weekly at BUST Magazine. In her other life, Mimi is an attorney. She resides in California with her family, which includes an Andalusian dressage horse, two Shelties, and two Siamese cats.

To learn more, please visit http://www.MimiMatthews.com