Play Book Tag discussion

Carols and Chaos – Cindy Anstey
3***

Adapted from the book jacket: England, 1817. The chaos of the Yuletide season is in full force at the country estate of Shackleford Park, but lady’s maid Kate Darby barely has time to notice. Between her household duties, caring for her demanding mother, and saving up money to someday own a dress shop, her hands are full. Matt Harlow is also busy. He’s performing double duty, acting as valet for both of the Steeple brothers, who are holiday guests at the estate. Falling in love would be a disaster for either of them. But that is the least of their problems as they get caught up in an intrigue that begins with a missing footman.

My reactions
I picked this up because I was trolling the library’s shelves looking for a particular cover image. It sounded like a quick, fun read and that’s exactly what it was.

The romance plus cozy mystery makes for some interesting twists and turns in the plot, as well as satisfying tension between the two lead characters. I liked Kate; she’s intelligent, self-reliant, dedicated and persistent. I find that she’s a little too “fluttery” around Matt, but given the genre (YA romance), I’ll cut her some slack. Matt is equally intelligent, disciplined, dedicated and protective.

This is the second book in a series, the first being Suitors and Sabotage. I don’t feel I missed anything by reading out of order. The first book apparently deals with “Upstairs” – the relationship between Kate’s and Matt’s employers; while this one is decidedly “Downstairs.”


LINK to my review