Mistletoe Countess by Pepper Basham was a fun way to spend a reading/relaxing weekend. This marriage of convenience story made lots of sense, especially with some endearing characters and LOL moments. There are lots of kissing scenes too — something Basham is famous for. If you’ve got some time in between baking, shopping, and celebrating, I recommend this historical romance.
Will the magic of Christmas bring these two newlyweds closer together, or will the ghosts of the past lead them into a destructive discovery from which not even a Dickens’s Christmas can save them?
Mistletoe is beautiful and dangerous, much like the woman from Lord Frederick’s Percy’s past, so when he turns over a new leaf and arranges to marry for his estate, instead of his heart, he never expects the wrong bride to be the right choice. Gracelynn Ferguson never expected to take her elder sister’s place as a Christmas bride, but when she’s thrust into the choice, she will trust in her faithful novels and overactive imagination to help her not only win Frederick’s heart but also to solve the murder mystery of Havensbrook Hall before the ghosts from Frederick’s past ruin her fairytale future.
Pepper Basham is an award-winning author who writes romance “peppered” with grace and humor. Writing both historical and contemporary novels, she loves to incorporate her native Appalachian culture and/or her unabashed adoration of the UK into her stories. She currently resides in the lovely mountains of Asheville, NC where she is the wife of a fantastic pastor, mom of five great kids, a speech-language pathologist, and a lover of chocolate, jazz, hats, and Jesus. Her nineteenth novel, Authentically Izzy, debuted in November with Thomas Nelson. She loves connecting with readers and other authors through social media outlets like Facebook & Instagram.
You can learn more about Pepper and her books on her website at http://www.pepperdbasham.com.
My Impressions:
My book club always picks a Christmas-y novel for our December discussion. This year we chose the historical romance by Pepper Basham, The Mistletoe Countess. I found it perfect reading for my busy holiday schedule. It is light, humorous (often LOL funny), and balances romance, mystery, and a firm spiritual message well. The premise of the book is a marriage of convenience, one that made perfect sense given the era in which the book is set. An American heiress marrying a nobleman in need of a cash infusion to save his estate was not uncommon in the late 1880s. The book pushes the time period to the early 1900s, a time with a few more conveniences 😉 . The sizzle between the two main characters starts from the beginning, even as they were not intended happy couple. (Read the book to find out more.) I could see their romance coming from the outset, but that’s exactly what I wanted. Mysterious accidents put the two on alert, especially the Sherlock Holmes-loving Grace. I found Grace to be absolutely delightful. With her head planted in the fictional worlds of a lot of books, she, nevertheless, has common sense and intelligence. She might be youthful, but she can match wits with anyone. Frederick is the perfect brooding hero of the story, and, as Grace, proclaims his story as well. The black sheep of the family, he grows into his new responsibilities with Grace’s encouragement and belief in him. The faith of the two characters is front and center. And while they may have doubts and insecurities, their trust in God never really wavers. Lots of kissing scenes ignite the budding romance, and events of a mysterious nature speed the plot along. I love that Grace is determined to save her man!
If you like historical romance, heavy on the romance, with some mystery thrown in you will like this book. Add to it the Christmas season, and The Mistletoe Countess is a winner!
Recommended.
Audience: adults.
(I purchased this book from Amazon. All opinions expressed are mine alone.)
I enjoyed this one as well when I read it last year! Looking forward to The Cairo Curse by her in February!!