What Happens at Christmas by Victoria Alexander
I love a good Christmas romance so the title of What Happens at Christmas immediately caught my attention. I had so many questions running through my head, like what will happen at Christmas? Will it be good or bad? So today in my What Happens at Christmas book review, stay tuned and I’ll fill you in on this adorable Christmas time romance.
This book was such a pleasant surprise. I went into it expecting a historical Christmas romance, but I had no idea it would be so funny. What Happens At Christmas by Victoria Alexander made me laugh out loud quite a few times. This is my first time reading this author author but I’m going to have to check out some of her other books, that’s for sure! This is book 1 of The Millworth Manor series. Keep reading until the end for a link to where you can find out more information about the series.
If you enjoyed today’s blog post, you can read more of my Christmas book reviews here.
What is What Happens at Christmas About?
You are cordially invited to Christmas at Millworth Manor. . .
Camille, Lady Lydingham, requests the pleasure of your company at a festive house party, as she endeavors to coax a marriage proposal from Prince Nikolai Pruzinsky of Greater Avalonia.
The hostess’s relatives will be in attendance–in this case, a troupe of actors hired to impersonate a proper English family in order to fool the Prince.
Gate-crashing, distractingly handsome first loves like Grayson Elliott are most unwelcome.
Games will be played.
Motives will be revealed.
Mayhem may ensue.
And hearts will be won–and lost–in the most romantic, magical season of all.
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My Initial Thoughts
What Happens At Christmas is just the delightful Christmas romp I was looking for this Christmas season. The setting of Milford Manor was lovely and the characters (and their actions) were laugh out loud funny. I kept flipping the page thinking that things couldn’t get crazier, but they did.
Oh, they most certainly did. And in the best way.
The Main Character
The main character in this story is Camille, a young widow who is thinking about settling down again. Her husband left her with enough money to take care of her for the rest of her life. And that’s good. That means she doesn’t have to worry about finding someone who she loves. Or someone who can take care of her.
She’s aiming much higher. She’s aiming for royalty.
Nobody in her life thinks this is a good idea, not even her twin sister Beryl. But that’s ok because Camille has the perfect plan. She will bring the Prince of Avalonia home for Christmas. She will teach him what a traditional English Christmas is like. There will be activities and festivities galore. And even better, she’ll have the perfect family. Her own family will be traveling to Paris, so she’ll hire a troupe of actors to play the parts.
Camille’s Plan has some Flaws
Camilly (or Lady Lydingham) really things she has a genius plan. But little by little, her “genius” plan unravels. An unexpected visitor from her past comes to visit and things do not exactly go as planned. Will she be able to impress the Prince enough by Christmastime, so that he’ll get down on one knee and propose?
This Story was a Lot of Fun
I’m not sure what I expected going into this book. I haven’t read many historical romances. But author Victoria Alexander has a great writing style that pulled me right in. I’m always worried that I won’t be able to remember titles in a historical novel, but that wasn’t an issue here. I was able to get right into the holiday spirit with this Christmas story.
I found the banter between Camille and her sister so funny. Camille and Beryl may be identical but they certainly have different ideas about what makes for a good relationship. I loved Beryl’s sarcasm and the fact that even though she thought her sister was crazy, she still agreed to help her with her wild plan.
Grayson, the unexpected visitor from Camille’s past, was a real hoot. Although he claimed to want to help Camille with her devious plan, his actions said otherwise. There were so many scenes that had me laughing out loud. Every time Grayson tried (or succeeded) to throw a wrench in Camille’s plans, I sat on the edge of my seat, waiting to see how she would react.
Camille vs. Grayson
A great love story should never come easy, right? Well, Grayson really has to work hard and fight for his and Camille’s happy ending.
The Love/Hate relationship between Camille and Grayson was so funny and well written. I loved how biting Camille could be and I loved how since we got to see Grayson’s point of view sometimes, it was very apparent how he really would do simply anything to make her happy. It was very sweet and made some of his sillier antics seem much more charming. And while Camilly and Grayson are love interests, they get up to a lot of antics with each other.
In Conclusion
I hope you enjoyed today’s What Happens at Christmas book review. I thought this book was so much fun for the festive season. Christmas novels make me happy and this book definitely fit the bill. It’s a quick read that will make you laugh and swoon this holiday season. Camille could be a lot but watching her relationship with Grayson grow warmed my heart and filled me with Christmas spirit.
But wait, there’s more:
If you enjoyed today’s What Happens At Christmas book review, you’re in luck. This is actually the first book in the Millworth Manor series. While book 1 focuses on Lady Lydingham and Grayson Elliott, there are a few more books in the series that feature other characters. There is more information available on goodreads.
Thank You
Thanks to Netgalley for an advanced readers copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. It’s a great read if you enjoy romance, historical fiction, and Christmas cheer.
