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3.6 AVERAGE
3.6 AVERAGE
I've given this a B- at AAR, so that's 3.5 stars.
I’m normally somewhat wary of novellas, as many of those I’ve picked up in the past have turned out to be lacking in substance, or have been put out simply as a taster for an upcoming series and don’t stand alone very well. But Susanna Fraser’s name on the cover of A Christmas Reunion was enough to make me take a second look, as I’ve enjoyed a number of her books and know her to be an author who can create memorable characters and stories with a strong sense of time and place.
A Christmas Reunion is one such – a simple and tender seasonal story with a message of love and acceptance at its heart.
Gabriel Shepherd was abandoned as a baby at Christmastide, left in the stables on the Earl of Edenwell’s country estate, with no clue to indicate who he was or where he came from. Taken in by the kindly Countess, Gabe begins, after a couple of years, to display a marked resemblance to the Earl’s eldest son, Richard. It’s obvious he must be a blood relation, most likely the illegitimate son of the Earl’s younger brother, and he is brought up as part of the family.
Lady Catherine Trevilian is the Earl’s ward, and having been orphaned shortly before her sixteenth birthday, joins the Edenwell household with a view to making a match with the younger son, Harry. Cat and Harry never develop more than a cousinly affection, and it’s Gabe who fascinates her – but when the young couple is caught in a passionate embrace one Christmas by the old earl, he is furious and immediately sends Gabe off to join the army.
Five years later, Cat is on the verge of marrying Sir Anthony Colville, an up-and-coming young politician, yet she has never stopped anxiously scanning the casualty lists, desperately hoping not to see one particular name there. She feels responsible for Gabe’s having been sent away and into danger, telling herself that her anxiety on his behalf is due to guilt and their long-standing friendship. Her wedding to Sir Anthony is just over a week away, and while they are not in love with each other, there is affection between them and Cat is looking forward to a future as a prominent political hostess.
Now a captain in the army, Gabriel is back in England on leave, bringing with him an eighteen month-old girl whose mother had died on the voyage from Portugal. Given his own history, he is unwilling to consign the child to a foundling home and instead has the idea of placing her with a family living on the Edenwell estate. To this end, he travels to a nearby village and puts up at the inn there, feeling it inappropriate to go to the only home he has ever known, given he was all but thrown out by the previous earl.
But the old earl is now dead, and Richard will not hear of his cousin putting up at an inn, insisting he spend Christmas with the family at Edenwell. Gabe is surprised and touched at the warmth of the invitation and the welcome afforded him, and both he and the little girl – whom he has named Ellen – are very quickly made to feel completely at home.
Cat and Gabe are disturbed to discover that the attraction that existed between them before continues to burn as bright as ever it did; they are unable to keep their eyes from each other, something that doesn’t go unnoticed by the quick-witted and observant Sir Anthony. Cat assures him that it’s just familial affection – but he’s not fooled. After a late night talk, and passionate kiss, Gabe and Cat resolve to stay away from each other, but it’s easier said than done – and the situation is made all the more complicated when Sir Anthony informs Cat that he witnessed the kiss.
This story of two young lovers cruelly separated who are offered a second chance is written with a great deal of warmth and charm. Gabe and Cat are nicely rounded characters, and while the solution to everyone’s problems comes a little out of left field (and is revealed in a rather odd manner), by that time, the reader is rooting so hard for them that it’s a minor irritation rather than a dealbreaker. Ms. Fraser’s attention to historical detail surfaces in the interesting snippets of military history that pepper the story, and I found the familial interactions especially satisfying; here is a family who love and care for each other and that shines through in both word and deed.
A Christmas Reunion is a truly charming seasonal novella, and one I’d certainly recommend if you’re feeling the need for some warm fuzzies this holiday season!
I’m normally somewhat wary of novellas, as many of those I’ve picked up in the past have turned out to be lacking in substance, or have been put out simply as a taster for an upcoming series and don’t stand alone very well. But Susanna Fraser’s name on the cover of A Christmas Reunion was enough to make me take a second look, as I’ve enjoyed a number of her books and know her to be an author who can create memorable characters and stories with a strong sense of time and place.
A Christmas Reunion is one such – a simple and tender seasonal story with a message of love and acceptance at its heart.
Gabriel Shepherd was abandoned as a baby at Christmastide, left in the stables on the Earl of Edenwell’s country estate, with no clue to indicate who he was or where he came from. Taken in by the kindly Countess, Gabe begins, after a couple of years, to display a marked resemblance to the Earl’s eldest son, Richard. It’s obvious he must be a blood relation, most likely the illegitimate son of the Earl’s younger brother, and he is brought up as part of the family.
Lady Catherine Trevilian is the Earl’s ward, and having been orphaned shortly before her sixteenth birthday, joins the Edenwell household with a view to making a match with the younger son, Harry. Cat and Harry never develop more than a cousinly affection, and it’s Gabe who fascinates her – but when the young couple is caught in a passionate embrace one Christmas by the old earl, he is furious and immediately sends Gabe off to join the army.
Five years later, Cat is on the verge of marrying Sir Anthony Colville, an up-and-coming young politician, yet she has never stopped anxiously scanning the casualty lists, desperately hoping not to see one particular name there. She feels responsible for Gabe’s having been sent away and into danger, telling herself that her anxiety on his behalf is due to guilt and their long-standing friendship. Her wedding to Sir Anthony is just over a week away, and while they are not in love with each other, there is affection between them and Cat is looking forward to a future as a prominent political hostess.
Now a captain in the army, Gabriel is back in England on leave, bringing with him an eighteen month-old girl whose mother had died on the voyage from Portugal. Given his own history, he is unwilling to consign the child to a foundling home and instead has the idea of placing her with a family living on the Edenwell estate. To this end, he travels to a nearby village and puts up at the inn there, feeling it inappropriate to go to the only home he has ever known, given he was all but thrown out by the previous earl.
But the old earl is now dead, and Richard will not hear of his cousin putting up at an inn, insisting he spend Christmas with the family at Edenwell. Gabe is surprised and touched at the warmth of the invitation and the welcome afforded him, and both he and the little girl – whom he has named Ellen – are very quickly made to feel completely at home.
Cat and Gabe are disturbed to discover that the attraction that existed between them before continues to burn as bright as ever it did; they are unable to keep their eyes from each other, something that doesn’t go unnoticed by the quick-witted and observant Sir Anthony. Cat assures him that it’s just familial affection – but he’s not fooled. After a late night talk, and passionate kiss, Gabe and Cat resolve to stay away from each other, but it’s easier said than done – and the situation is made all the more complicated when Sir Anthony informs Cat that he witnessed the kiss.
This story of two young lovers cruelly separated who are offered a second chance is written with a great deal of warmth and charm. Gabe and Cat are nicely rounded characters, and while the solution to everyone’s problems comes a little out of left field (and is revealed in a rather odd manner), by that time, the reader is rooting so hard for them that it’s a minor irritation rather than a dealbreaker. Ms. Fraser’s attention to historical detail surfaces in the interesting snippets of military history that pepper the story, and I found the familial interactions especially satisfying; here is a family who love and care for each other and that shines through in both word and deed.
A Christmas Reunion is a truly charming seasonal novella, and one I’d certainly recommend if you’re feeling the need for some warm fuzzies this holiday season!
In general Fraser is a fairly reliable writer of regency romance, a little heavier on the historical detail than wallpaper historicals. This novella is short but sweet; I feel like really it was a little too short, and maybe a little too sweet (I'm not a big fan of The Hero Adopts A Plot Moppet, What Now?), but over all it was a fun read. That said, it did do one thing which I kind of hate, although I feel like over all Fraser handled it as well as she could (although was it necessary, really?):
Spoiler
The reason the heroine's fiance wants to marry her? He's gay, and conducting a secret affair with the heroine's cousin. He needs an heir. He's presented very sympathetically, over all, but in a way it feels almost too sympathetic, given that the heroine then gets into a long argument with him and her cousin that both of them need to tell their future wives BEFORE they marry them. On the one hand, historically, okay, it would be a dangerous confession to make; on the other hand, this isn't history anyway - they are literally having a conversation with an unmarried female relative/fiancee about how they prefer to have sex with each other, which makes the whole assertion that "I should be able to trick some other woman into marrying me without having to tell her she's marrying a gay man who will at best tolerate sex with her" pretty repugnant. Ditto her cousin's cheerful explanation that he assumed that since the heroine had had her heart broken once already, he figured she'd be happy to end up married to some guy who didn't make sexual demands on her person once she produced a couple of heirs for him. Like, this kind of "I will make decisions for the womenfolk" thinking is historically appropriate but gross, and if we're going down the road of historically appropriate thinking, what about the dangers of childbirth? The heroine's an heiress, it's not like she needed to get married for ANY reason. Similarly, nobody mentions that all that money would sure come in handy for the fiance, but I couldn't help thinking it. There is a vaguely happy ending at the end - the fiance is married and has just had twins, and it is implied that his wife may be a lesbian - but I feel like, again, this is rushed and not very thoughtful. The shortness of the novella means that I wasn't particularly attached to either the fiance or the cousin, and their behavior on the whole wasn't actually that great when you look at it, so it ends up feeling like, well, a cheap plot device designed to ensure that we're able to end the story with no hurt feelings all around.
I think this little historical novella might be my favorite holiday read so far this season. While I'm not much for romance novels, and this is deemed a historical romance, it was not over the top with the romance. In fact, I found the historical accuracy and the storytelling to be much like straight historical fiction.
Gabe is such an admirable character. Who couldn't help but fall in love with him? And I admired Cat's independence and being of her own mind. The characters and the story likened to a Jane Austen novel which is a very good thing in my eyes. Add to the mix a bit of traditional wassailing and the reader is treated to a nostalgically entertaining holiday novella. Highly recommended!
Gabe is such an admirable character. Who couldn't help but fall in love with him? And I admired Cat's independence and being of her own mind. The characters and the story likened to a Jane Austen novel which is a very good thing in my eyes. Add to the mix a bit of traditional wassailing and the reader is treated to a nostalgically entertaining holiday novella. Highly recommended!