I reviewed this book on my blog www.bookworm2bookworm.wordpress.com

STORY: Miss Marian Wynswich is a rather unconventional young lady. She plays chess, reads Greek, and is as educated as any young man. And she’s certain falling in love is a ridiculous endeavor and vows never to do such a thing. But everything changes when she receives a Christmas visit from someone unexpected— a young and handsome English lord.

REVIEW: First and foremost, this is only my second time reading Ms. Kelly. After I was introduced to her through a review of BEAU CRUSOE, I fell in love with Ms. Kelly’s prose.

Upon finishing MARIAN’S CHRISTMAS WISH, I truly felt blessed in ‘discovering’ this author and she has firmly established herself on my ‘keeper’ shelf and ‘auto buy’ list.

The above blurb does not do this story justice. This story is so, so much more than a Christmas story of a sixteen year old. This is an ensemble of memorable characters and Marian Wynswich is a part of that ensemble.

The story opens with two sisters, Ariadne and Marian, discussing eminent holidays and the visit of their eldest brother Percy as well as the youngest Alistair. The former will be bringing a fellow friend who just might be Ariadne’s potential husband, while the latter is expected shortly on holiday from school.

Slowly, through their conversation, and Marian’s thoughts, we find out that this just might be Wynswich’s last Christmas in their beloved home. Last year’s Christmas was spent in mourning their father’s death. This year’s Christmas finds the family on a brink of ruin, and Lady Wynswich has a plan to find a suitable and rich husband for her eldest daughter. She pays no mind that Ariadne has affection for the local vicar Sam Beddoe who is not only quiet but poor and therefore unsuitable.

Enter Alistair, who’s been expelled and sent home early from Eton, creating yet another dilemma for our young heroine, who already frets over her sisters ‘unrequited love’ for the Vicar, and now has to protect her youngest brother from the wrath of the eldest. We just can’t help but feel the love this young woman has for her siblings.

Soon after, we get to meet Percy who arrives home later than expected, bringing with him not one but two of his friends. Sir William, the ‘suitable suitor’ gets assigned a bedchamber in which Marian’s ‘hiding’ Alastair and one very pregnant cat, and soon the household becomes aware of that fact.

Gilbert Collinwood, Earl of Ingraham, Percy’s fellow diplomat, has reasons to avoid a home visit, and is ever so slowly taken in by this eccentric family in general and ‘singular’ Marian in particular. Gil is a man fully grown, with a past that will touch this family profoundly, and his secrets will put Marian in danger, but he will also come to care deeply for this young woman who with her intelligence and forward nature will show him what love truly means.

I found him to be charming and tender; tolerant and understanding; sharp and witty. The age difference (his eight and twenty to her ten and almost seven) did not bother me at all. We are in Regency World, and it was a ‘norm’ for those times. I actually give the author a lot of credit in the way she portrayed the gap in their ages. Gil understood her innocence, but his heart could not help but be given to this girl who was mature and innocent at the same time.

As for the Wynswich family, Ms. Kelly has done an outstanding job in having them all come to life with such vivid and true to life characterization. Every page she wrote, every word I read permeated with warmth and by the end of it, I wanted to be a part of that family. Their love for each other is unmistakable and to be admired.

There are many scenes that I’m fond of but the ‘Christmas’ pudding scene in which Marian’s character shines when she unselfishly wishes for Gil to have the best Christmas ever, is one that will stay with me forever.

If you are in a mood for a very old-fashioned, traditional Christmas story that will have you laugh and cry, and then laugh some more, you just cannot miss this one!

I should point out that “MARIAN’S CHRISTMAS WISH” was first published in 1989, and is reissued this year in print and as an eBook by Cedar Fort, Inc.


* I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*

Melanie

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Marian is a wonderful, and quite young, heroine: smart, outspoken, and brave, with a marvelously offbeat family. Gil, our hero, is older, a diplomat, and an earl. Their story takes many unexpected twists and turns; there's really a lot of plot here.

I love my smexy romances, but Carla Kelly writes them totally clean and that's okay; she's a wonderful writer. I expect to be working my way through her backlist as more becomes available on Kindle. ( )

Absolutely loved, loved, loved this one! It's so much better than the blurb makes it sound--not that there is anything at all wrong with the blurb, mind you--but there is so much more to the story than the blurb lets on. This book has it all. There's family drama, tragedy, and humor. There's an odious suitor to give Mr. Collins a run for his money. There's diplomats and peace treaties and a not-so-diplomatic chess game. There's French spies and English spies and the threat of a posting in--horrors!--the Americas. Throw in a despicable brother-in-law, a vicar who imbibed a wee bit too much in the name of courage, and a younger brother who nearly poisoned the hero, and you've got one book that is nearly impossible to put down! I read Carla Kelly's Channel Fleet books last year and enjoyed them very much, but have to say this one was even better. It really had the flavor of both Heyer and Austen, but with a dash more, well, dash added that is definitely all Kelly's creation. I've totally neglected things I was supposed to get done this weekend in order to finish reading this book--and plan on doing the same again in the future, because this one is definitely going on the "keeper" shelf! ( )

Before I attempted this book, I read The Captain’s Christmas Family by Deborah Hale. That book focused a lot on the religious side of Christmas to the point where it got preachy at times. At the time I had been watching a lot of The Atheist Experience online and was feeling a bit grouchy about religion after having had quite a bit of it shoved down my throat. Really, I think that I was a bit worried that I’d get the same sort of message about God’s love and his intervention in this book too…

But this book does not push a religious message! It focuses on the idea of bringing families back together, of reuniting with loved ones rather than revering a religious deity. There are, of course, some religious elements but considering the period when it’s set, this is hardly surprising. I found that I was much more comfortable with this story than I was with The Captain’s Christmas Family.

It took me a little while to slip into the style as it is made to reflect the style of the period as much as possible. As soon as I was there, though, I was completely drawn into the story.

Marian’s family seems to be caught up in a rough spot. Bertrand Wynswich, her father, died the previous Christmas, leaving the family with a mountain of debts; her mother spends most of her time cooped up in her room; her younger brother has been expelled from school; her older sister is being used as a pawn, married off to an older rich man despite her obvious attachment to another man; and her older brother is under enormous stress trying to keep the family afloat. Marian decides that it’s time for her to fix things.

Percy, the older brother, returns from his diplomatic mission with two men: one is the older gentleman in search of a wife with no long courtship involved. He is a truly odious character but because he is potentially the family’s salvation, everyone has to be polite to him. The other gent is Lord Ingraham, a man whose many diplomatic ventures have left him scarred in such a way that he is unwilling to present himself before his mother. He takes an immediate shine to Marian, though.

The first part of the novel focuses mainly on the firm friendship which blossoms between Marian and Ingraham - Gil. I really enjoyed this part – the older man’s fascination with this energetic, out-spoken girl. May only problem with it was that often Marian would come across as younger than her 16 years and Gil tended to treat her as a child. He also takes a lot of liberties touching her, nothing intimate but often enough in books from or set in that era, there will be no contact between the hero and the heroine… certainly not frequent little touches.

As soon as Marian learns that Gil is avoiding his family because of the disfiguring scar, she is determined that he should return home to his mother. She confesses this wish to her younger brother, Alistair, and he takes the first steps to get the scheme rolling, leading to many laugh-out-loud moments.

The last part of the novel is completely at odds with the first part, though. We go from a cosy, family-oriented lot to a diplomatic threat of a thriller. These two plot halves didn’t mesh that well, unfortunately. I didn’t know quite what to make of it but it felt like I’d suddenly started reading a completely different novel. I much preferred the first part and based on that only this could easily have been a 5-star read. As it is, the diplomatic threat didn’t work for me very well, especially as it all didn’t even really make sense to me. What a shame. ( )

Marian Wynswich and her family are in a bad way. Their father recently died, leaving them with debts they cannot pay. When Marian's older brother comes with a potential suitor for her older sister, Marian takes it upon herself to keep her sister out of a marriage just for money. What Marian doesn't realize is her life is about to take a new turn in the form of a friend her older brother brought home. He's able to see past Marian's eccentricities, and Marian might be falling for him. If only she could fall for him and solve her family's many issues all at once.

I was so charmed by this book. I found myself staying up late just to see what happened next. Marian was one of those sweet, sincere characters that you just can't help but love. Marian's family was unconventional for the times, but very entertaining for me. Of course I also loved the romantic side of this story too. One thing in particular I thought was awesome was Marian's ability to be a strong young woman and just happen to fall in love at the same time. Marian was so smart, and she knew how to use her brain. She took care of things when she needed to. For Marian to find someone who could appreciate all the different aspects of her personality was great. This is the kind of romance I would want my daughters reading- a young woman who is capable, smart, and able to take care of herself while still falling for a handsome, sweet, and fun young man who completely respects her.

This book was a period book written with modern sensibility, so that we as readers can still relate to the story. It's also full of Christmas cheer, and it made me want to snuggle up under a warm blanket and just enjoy this book. There were some twists and turns I did not see coming at all, and those just added to the love I had for this book. By the end of the book I was ready to read it again. This is one of those books I can see myself reading every year around the holiday season to just bask in the joy of it all. I highly recommend this book to anyone who likes period novels, light romance, fun heroines, and a lot of holiday cheer!

Galley provided for review. ( )