A Secret Christmas

A perfect jewel of a read, set in an oft-neglected but intriguing time period when Christmas was illegal in England, this novella is full of rich history, family tradition, and ambitious determination in the face of the daunting and oppressive strong arm of the law. Only a spirited and scheming heroine can save Christmas and matchmake herself in three days to the man of her dreams, all the while keeping the reader giggling and sighing over her machinations. And only Lauren Royal can place such a whimsical gem into a warm holiday setting with such delightful precision and care.

I enjoyed reading this period piece on England’s rule by Cromwell. He banished Christmas, alcohol, certain types of clothing, music and singing. It must have been a terrifying time to live in not knowing who was friend or foe. Spying was not beneath anyone. Trust was a hard commodity to come by. Lady Chrystabel Trevor lived with her older brother Matthew, The Earl of Gosmont and her younger sister Arabel at their home Grosmont Grange. They were given twenty-four hours to vacate their home because of money due Cromwell. They packed as much as they could and head off to Wales to Grosmont Castle. Waylaid by a snow storm, they arrived at the first residence they could see. They prayed the family of the house would take them in till the storm was over. At Tremayne Castle, they were greeted by Lord Joseph Ashcroft, Viscount Tremayne and his parents, Lord and Lady Trentingham, Earl of Trentingham. Lady Chrystabel is an unusual lady. When someone tells her she cannot have or do something, her attitude is “Watch me”. While she and her family were staying at Tremayne Castle she decided to take things into her own hands when it came to celebrating Christmas. The other thing she has her eye on was Lord Joseph. From the moment she laid eyes on him she knew he was her soulmate and would be married to him. Little did she know he was betrothed to a guest who was hiding in their home named Lady Creath Moore daughter of a Baron. She is an orphan and her guardian, who is twice her age, wants to marry her for the land and money she possesses not for love. That is how she ended up in Joseph’s home. She was running away. Creath had to wait ten days before she was emancipated. Joseph thought the only way to keep her safe was to wed her. But then Chrystabel had her own ideas of matchmaking and merry making. A very enjoyable book.

This book was entertaining and easy to read.

Fast easy read. Sweet story.

A good,easy read. Pure fiction but rather entertaining. A good imagination wrote it about a period of England’s history that some may not be aware of.

The characters all fall in love a little too fast but I did love the historical aspect dealing with life under Cromwell. They are all funny characters too – especially Crystabelle. I thought Joseph was a little him drum, but then that is precisely why he needs Crystabelle in his life.

Fun family tradition and treasure.

My favorite character is Chrystabel of course. She is so forward and yet innocent. Her dreams are her goals and nothing will stop her from getting what she wants. Love Lauren Royal. She is one of my favorite authors.

This book had so unexpected twist. A page turner

Excellent! Most enjoyable and engaging read. Gave me a look at times I had not contemplated. Fascinating and definitely food for thought. Wonderful characters!