A Holiday by Gaslight by Mimi Matthews

I've tried to read this two different times in two different years, and I just can't click with it so I will be setting it aside and not reviewing it further. I do love the cover! Thank you so much for the opportunity!

I received an e-ARC from the Publisher via Netgalley though all thoughts are my own.

This was a fairly quick read of a book with three short stories included. I enjoyed each of them and I loved the romance as they were all unique while being set around Christmas time.

I'm so glad that I read this collection of short stories and would love to read more by this author.

Beautifully written Victorian holiday romance. The cover is gorgeous as well as the writing. A last change for love at the holidays leaves you will a warm holiday feeling.

A sweet romance novella set in Victorian times, this is the story of Sophie and Edward, and how they found love and partnership.

I fell in love right along with Sophie. That's truly astounding for a reader. A love that grows and is so gentle that your heart soars for the main characters.

When Sophie's parents arrange for a wealthy gentleman to court her, she tries to make it work at first. However, Edward seems distant and uninterested in her personally. Fearing that it's just a business arrangement, Sophie breaks the courtship. When she sees that she has hurt Edward, Sophie agrees to try again, as long as they are candid with each other. Soon they are enjoying their time together, but Sophie's father is determined keep spending money on the estate and her sister Emily is flirting with Edward's friend Warren. It will be a Christmas to remember at Appersett House!

I enjoyed this Christmas story set in Victorian England very much. The romance was sweet and the Christmas setting was perfectly delightful. There were some great quotes about life and relationships that I highlighted as I read, and the realistic story and characters came to life from the pages. Edward and Sophie were my favorite characters, and their perseverance in spite of the odds was inspiring. This is a great, clean read for the holiday season, and I wholeheartedly recommend it.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley and purchased a copy through Amazon. A positive review was not required, and all opinions expressed are entirely my own.

I loved the regency time period and all of the characters. It was a fabulous book and I will read more from this author in the future.

I love everything this author has published. A lovely short novel set in Victorian England, with all the Victorian Christmas traditions, with a charming romance. I really warmed to both the protagonists.

A beautiful story centered around my favourite time of year. A bit of enemies to lovers with a bit of angst. Enough to leave you with all the feels for this beautiful romance. Read it!

Blurb:

Sophie Appersett is quite willing to marry outside of her class to ensure the survival of her family. But the darkly handsome Mr. Edward Sharpe is no run-of-the-mill London merchant. He’s grim and silent. A man of little emotion—or perhaps no emotion at all. After two months of courtship, she’s ready to put an end to things.

But severing ties with her taciturn suitor isn’t as straightforward as Sophie envisioned. Her parents are outraged. And then there’s Charles Darwin, Prince Albert, and that dratted gaslight. What’s a girl to do except invite Mr. Sharpe to Appersett House for Christmas and give him one last chance to win her? Only this time there’ll be no false formality. This time they’ll get to know each other for who they really are.

No one does victorian romance like Mimi! It was a cozy and romantic world that begged for a cup of cocoa and a hot fire. Her unparalleled research and her ability to create sparks with a glance or a brush of a hand is what keeps readers absolutely addicted.


I immediately purchased a copy.

I received a reviewer copy of A Holiday by Gaslight by Mimi Matthews from the publisher Perfectly Proper Press from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

What It’s About: Ned has been enchanted with Sophia since he saw her at a party. Knowing her family is financially bankrupt, he asks to court Sophia knowing he is only being considered because of his wealth. He is from a lower class and desperate to impress Sophia buys an etiquette book, but all Sophia wants is to know him. Convinced he's cold, she ends things but Sophia gives him one more chance to charm her over Christmas.

What I Loved: This cute little book was exactly what I needed. The writing was spot-on, the characters were super likeable, and the romance was a great speed.. I loved the fact that it was sent in Victorian England and I really felt like I was in Victorian England. I really loved the 'love match' between Ned and Sophia. It is wonderful to see a man encouraging a woman's brain and independence. Sophia was a wonderful lead thoughtful, cared about her family but also her happiness, it was great! Also not too cheesy.

What I Didn't Like So Much: I wish it wasn't a novella. I wish we had more time with the characters and to develop the storyline. I wish we'd gotten a bit more banter. This was just to say that I was upset it was a novella but there's nothing to be done about that other than to read more of the author's work.

Who Should Read This: People who love historical romance. People who loved Bringing Down the Duke and To Have and to Hoax but wanted a more PG less steamy version. People who love Christmas romance.

Quick Summary: A short and sweet historical romance!

what an amazing book!! The author is a master of creating stories and characters. I will definitively be reading books of this author!! Great job.

I really enjoyed this novella. I must admit I went into this knowing nothing but it was a Christmas novella and the cover was gorgeous! Look at it. So lovely! I fell in love with the story and with Ned and Sophie. The only complaint was that I wanted more of them and the beginning was a little slow.

Holiday by Gaslight is a perfectly romantic, historical epic. I loved every single page and getting lose in the world that the story built. Five stars!

This was just such a sweet little romance! Ned is a delightful hero, so respectful of Sophie that he almost loses her. It made him feel relatable and more real, that he is super successful and yet becomes tongue-tied when around the girl he’s courting because he’s so worried of saying the wrong thing.

Sophie, on the other hand, is looking for a man who sees her as something more than an object to be obtained—someone who actually sees and likes her for herself. After several months of her suitor barely speaking two words to her, she feels like he isn’t even interested in her and resolves to break it off.

The second chance comes when he goes to their country estate for a Christmas party and Sophie makes him promise to be honest with her. As they begin to learn how to communicate with each other, it gets so sweet.

Further, I enjoyed the little tidbits on gaslight production. Having been in a home still plumbed for gas from the 1880s a few months back and seen the original fixtures in action, I was slightly surprised to hear that propane doesn’t burn hot enough and that “coal oil” would have been brighter. I’d never heard of coal oil before, and no one really knew how it was produced, though the old-timers also on the tour said it somehow came from coal. This book gave a few more hints of how that would have been achieved, and having seen dimmer propane in action gave a great relevance to this mention of gaslight. It’s a nice warm light, quite enough to read and see by, but without the glare of modern lights.

Thanks to the publisher for a free reading copy. A favorable review was not required. The review is based off a finished copy I own in paperback.

A Holiday By Gaslight was an absolute joy to read. I loved the premise for the story beginning with a refusal of a suitor followed by a change of heart by the heroine who decides to start again and take a bit more time and effort to learn whether she and her former suitor are, in fact, suited for each other or not. I tore through this story and loved the fuzzy feelings I felt reading it as our main love interests came to know each other better and opened their minds and hearts to each other. As I finished this story I found myself putting on North & South in the background to support my mood, only to learn after completing the book that the author points out the North & South similarity’s that fans may have noted. I hadn’t stopped to think about the similarities, but I certainly felt them in the characters and the story. Richard Armitage’s John Thornton was certainly brought to mind as I read A Holiday By Gaslight. This was a completely enjoyable read and I look forward to reading more from Mimi Matthews!

I loved this novella! It's sweet and perfect for the Christmas season. I loved the main characters. It's been a while since I read something written about the Regency period, and I really enjoyed it.

I would like to thank netgalley and Perfectly Proper Press for a free copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

I liked that the MC's came from two different classes of people, but would have liked to get to know the two MC's better.

The first thing that caught my eye was the cover. How could I ignore it, when it's so pretty? The next thing that made me want to read this book was the fact that it was not only a Christmas story, but a historical romance one. So basically you have the two best things in the world put together. I've never read Mimi Matthews before, but I absolutely loved this introduction into her world and I believe I shall dive into her backlist in the upcoming year.
The book opens with Sophie breaking up with Edward, and then realizing she has to invite him to spend Christmas at her family's house. Sophie wants to marry for love, but at the same time she knows that because of her father's very eccentric life style she needs to marry someone rich to maybe give her sister the chance to marry with whomever she chooses. I really liked Sophie. She was a very smart young lady, and very daring. She was also very loving, and she really wanted what was best for her sister. I was mad on her behalf, because she really got the worst father possible. Her dad was much more interested in making people believe he was rich, cultured, and deserving of his title, and he would do anything to make that happen, even spending his daughters' dowries, with no thought as to what that would mean for their futures. He wanted to have the most modern house, the most modern appliances, and if that meant making a very bad impression to his potential soon-to-be son in law the so be it. I honestly hated the guy and felt sorry for his wife, as well as his daughters.

Edward was exactly what I pictured he would be. He was quiet, a little bit distant, very guarded about his feelings, especially with people he didn't know. But once I got to meet him, I realized there was a charm to him that was almost irresistible. I really enjoyed his relationship with Sophie, I liked seeing them get to know each other properly. And I liked their courtship, I thought it was very sweet.

This book reminded me in some ways of Pride and Prejudice. I was actually flooding Haley's DMs (The Caffeinated Reader) while I was reading this book, and at one point I told her that for some reason Sophie's younger sister reminded me a bit of Lydia Bennet, but without the idiot money-hungry future husband of hers. No, Edward's friend was quite nice and a gentleman. I quite liked him. The book also had a Dickensian feel to it, which I also loved. Basically I loved everything about this story. I did have a big issue with Sophie's father, like I said.

The book was rather short, with only 175 pages (or 4 hrs and 4 mins for those of you wanting to listen to this book in audio version). I actually took advantage of my Audible Escape membership and listened to this book while working one afternoon and I absolutely adored the the narration. The narrator, Alex Wyndham, did a fantastic job at bringing the characters to life.

All in all, the perfect story to get you in the holiday spirit.

A highly enjoyable, fast paced book. I read it in one night. Recommend!
I received an ARC of this book from Netgalley. Thank you, Netgalley!
All opinions are my own.