The Mistletoe Countess is sweet, suspenseful, a tad bit spicy, and downright hilarious. A red-headed and very innocent heroine, a dashing hero with a past, and a whole library full of books. You’ll want to read this full-length novel again even when Christmas is past. Due to the newlywed “spice,” I’d recommend this book to married or mature readers only. (The Mistletoe Countess reminds me a bit of The Princess by Lori Wick, and is sure to become another classic in Christian fiction.)

This was such an enjoyable story. Sometimes I did wonder if Grace was real with her total innocence and naivety, but her personality was so bubbly and overwhelming, you can't help to love her. The way she interacted with everyone around her was just full of joy and a passion for Life.

Freddie was a great swoon worthy hero and I enjoyed how he wooed Grace during their relationship.

I loved the mystery thread which was also quite an important thread in this story.

Readers who enjoy romance stories, would love this story - it is full of romance, and kissing and talk of marriage. However, if you prefer your romance on the lighter side, all these discussions might not be something you will enjoy.

Like a lot of other readers, I would love a sequel, or third and fourth. I can see just a lot of adventures in store for Grace, Freddie and Blake.

Definitions of Grace- a disposition to be generous or helpful, goodwill. A favor rendered by one who need not do so. And so is one of the main themes of Mistletoe Countess. Initial impression of this novel was that it was a very simple read with characters too good to be true. But sometimes grace is also often hard to accept. Pepper Basham brilliantly personified grace into one of her main characters named Grace. And it became apparent that Mistletoe Countess was not only an enjoyable read but also contained some amazing truths,
Grace was a 17 year old girl who chose to sacrifice her dreams for the love of family. She made a decision that demanded she move far from home and marry someone she barely knew. In some ways, she was mature beyond her years. In other ways, she was naïve, innocent girl. Mistletoe Countess includes romance and a little bit of mystery. I would recommend it to anyone who likes Anne of Green Gables style of book.
Mistletoe Countess extends beyond Christmas and can be enjoyed all year round. It is a quick read. I received a copy of this novel from Net Galley with no obligations.

it will be posted in Goodreads, Amazon and other websites

This story was just... ::sigh:: lovely. Grace is one of those characters you couldn’t possibly forget for her quirky and endearing spirit, her courage and refreshing way she loved people so big and so well. Frederick - my goodness, what a great guy! Roguish and charming, honorable and kind. This was my first book by Pepper Basham, but it will not be my last.

The Mistletoe Countess had so many elements that I enjoy in a good story--- all rolled into one. A strong willed, book loving heroine that you cannot help but to fall in love with? Check! A fantastic romance with swoon worthy kisses? Check. Holiday tradition and charm? Check, check. A marriage of convenience? Check. A little dose of mystery? Yes, even that too. This story truly does have so much going for it, and I enjoyed every minute. If you are looking for the ideal holiday read to add to your TBR, this is it!

**Complimentary copy received for consideration. All thoughts are my own.

Darling, adorable, and so fun to read. I took my time with this book because I was enjoying it so much. Grace is an enthusiastic, lovable character and I loved how much books were a part of her every waking minute whether she had a book in her hand or not. And Frederick, what a hero for her! It’s 5 stars for me, because I know I will reread this one. Ms Basham, I hope Blake has a story brewing!

The Mistletoe Countess was a book that I just couldn’t read fast enough. Seriously, I just wanted to keep reading. There was just enough intrigue and mystery to keep me hooked without feeling overwhelmed by a sense of dread and foreboding. Pepper Basham is a new to me author that I’ve started reading within the past few months and I’ve enjoyed everything that I’ve read so far. The other books that I read were contemporary romances (which I tend to read more of) but this historical novel held up against those just as well. It is also a marriage of convenience story as Frederick is marrying to save his estate and that is one of my favorite romance tropes. Grace enters the marriage in her sister’s place, who was intended to be the original Christmas bride.

I adore marriage of convenience stories because I really enjoy watching the couple fall in love slowly but surely, even though they’re already married. I love when the romance books I read end in marriage so in marriage of convenience stories, that part is already taken care of and they just have to fall in love. Grace comes across as such a naive and innocent girl (technically a woman but she is quite young), but she certainly does hold her own in regards to independence. She has a lot to overcome as she travels to another continent and country to be a lady of an estate. Her sister had been trained for this but she had not and she certainly has a lot to learn. Frederick is a very serious aristocrat who has a lot of responsibilities to see to, including some mysterious and potentially deadly incidents happening around him. He is very unsure of Grace’s ability to make it in his world, but her optimistic and imaginative spirit may be just what he needs. I highly recommend this book and Pepper Basham’s others as well.

I received a complimentary copy of this book and I am leaving an honest and voluntary review.

This story was highly entertaining! I don't know the last time I got so many giggles from a book. Grace is an American heiress whose father has made an agreement with Lord Frederick’s Percy -- his daughter's dowry for the Lord's title and position. The problem is Grace's older sister was to be the bride but she backed out at the last minute. Grace, always up for an adventure, volunteered to take her place. What ensued was all sorts of shenanigans and attempts to murder them both. Grace and Lord Frederick are both up for the task! I loved the characters in the story and the devotion of the two main characters to God and to each other. Such a fun book!

I have voluntarily reviewed a copy of this book that I received from NetGalley. All views expressed are only my honest opinion.

Many thanks to NetGalley for providing me with this ARC in return for my honest review.

I really enjoyed the first third of this book. Yes, it was fluffy and a bit silly but the budding love story was good. However, the author started to lose me when the reader was supposed to accept that it was OK for the hero to be injured when his saddle was tampered with because the person who did it was jealous of him. Really???

Anyway, the story kept getting sillier and sillier and I ended up skimming the last two chapters. When I finished reading this book, I though that this was the author's first attempt based on the choppy writing. However, when I read "About the Author", I realized that she has already written several other books. Hope springs eternal as Jenny Colgan didn't come into her own until she had written numerous books. Basham certainly has potential which she demonstrated with the early part of the love story so I wish her well in the future.

I received a copy of this from NetGalley for preview and this is my freely given review.

When I first started reading this, after a couple of pages I put it away, thinking it was going to be a super sappy, sugary bit of romantic fluff. However, after a couple of weeks, I decided to pick it up again and give it another go.

Grace initially seemed an overly indulged, dreamy, child-like young woman who liked to live in the pages of her beloved books, and Lillias, the older sister and the selected bride for the Earl of Astley, a much colder, refined, calculated woman set to do her duty and marry for a title, in exchange for her dowry.

Also, I did not realize that it was Christian fiction, which is not usually to my liking, not being Christian myself, or a fan of any kind of organized dogma/religion, and I find I usually don't like it mixed into my fiction and desire for escapism in my reading. I have found that in the past, it sometimes detracted from the story line, but in this case, it was well written within the story line, and was one way that Frederick found hope and joy again, both in his hope for a real relationship with Grace and for his growing hope in himself and the future.

I found that I was charmed by the protagonists as the story went on. Yes, Grace is rather child-like in her curiosity and enthusiasms. But she is generous, loving, with an open heart, and desire to help others. She reminds me greatly of another red-head character I loved, who was also a dreamy, curious book-lover - Anne Shirley of L. M. Montgomery's Anne of Green Gables. So many of Grace's quirks bring to mind Anne and how she responded to new thoughts, ideas, and experiences. Rather than living in the pages of her books and ignoring the world around her, Grace is very much so engaged in the world and people around her, and uses her love of reading to apply to and engage in the world around her. She seems to love strongly her friends and family, and is strongly loyal, but also very sincere and honest.

Frederick, the Earl of Astley, was arranged to marry Grace's older sister, Lillias to gain her large dowry to save his failing estate, but other circumstances prevented that from occurring. Grace offered herself as an alternative, to fulfill the terms of the contract between her father and the Earl. This worked out well, as they appeared to be enjoy each other's company also, and while he was ready to enter a marriage of convenience and make the best of it, he seems quite charmed by Grace and her openness, willingness to learn and please, and her authenticity. It seems like he is a rather sad and lonely man, who has been disappointed in his prior relationships, including a lack of care and acceptance from his parents, brother, and a destructive love-affair. Grace chips away at his barriers and he develops the hope that she could be a new beginning to a happier life for him. They marry and travel back to England to start their life together at his estate.

This was so much more than a Christian romance with Christmas overtones. I thoroughly enjoyed it because it had so much more depth and humour than I expected. It was a romance, with engaging characters. Grace was charming and lovely, and reminded me of Anne of Green Gables, Nancy Drew, and this was a romance, but also a gothic novel and murder mystery - complete with ghosts, a castle, ruins, and a villainess or two. I enjoyed reading about her developing relationship with Frederick, her enthusiasm, but also her self doubt, and all her literary references. I am so very glad that I chose to give this a second chance, because it really was a a gem of a read and I give it a hearty 4.5 stars out of 5!

With no choice but to marry a man she barely knows to avoid a scandal in her family Grace leave America with Frederick for England and become the Countess of Havensbrooke.Hall..

But this place keeps its own secrets and Frederick and Grace must put the pieces together to uncover who want to harm them. The story combines romance and mystery.

Grace has a great imagination and love books, she is funny and seems to be the sunshine Frederick needed in his life. I found her a little naive at the beginning, but as the story evolves we can see that she is very thoughtful and really care about others.

This is a beautiful chrismas story.

"Kindness is your most valiant weapon. People may fight against many things, but against kindness, they fall unprepared."

This is a romance novel that you never want to end because it’s so wonderful. It brought me giggles and comfort, reminding me why I love to read so much. I absolutely loved it and not only because it was Christmas time but because it had a heartfelt romance, breathtaking chemistry and cozy mystery. I loved everything about this couple. And I enjoyed how God brought them together and how sweet their friendship was. It still makes me smile. It was a perfect match in the face of so much before them.
I can not say enough good things about this. I highly recommend it if you like a clean romance.
Lastly I want to mention the belief in God part that was hopeful, comforting and so encouraging. I just wish more Christian authors had her touch.
Thanks Barbour Fiction via Netgalley

Historical romance has a special place in my heart, but there has to be certain criteria for me: the age gap, the maturity level, development of character, a well-placed story and correct grammar. This book hit all but one. Our heroine is the younger daughter of a rich American. Their father was able to contract a marriage for his eldest daughter with an earl. His eldest daughter has been taking British etiquette and other lessons on how to direct her home and servants. The heroine, her father and older sister arrived at a house party planned around the wedding of her sisiter to an earl. The hero, the earl, has had to make a marriage with an heiress to save his estate. He hopes to have a marriage that is based on affection, but not at first, and fidelity. He hopes that his bride and him will learn to have affection for each other and bond over similar likes. But after talking to his bride-to-be,he realizes that they have nothing in common, but she would be a perfect countess. So he plans to go through with the wedding.
There may be spoilers in this next section.
The way the age gap is described is that the heroine is 19 and the hero has no age, but he has an illegitimate daughter from his youth (pre-college) with a tenant's daughter, who is 5 years old. The child's mother did not survive childbirth, but we will assume that he was 18-19, plus 6.5 years puts him at 25 years at least. He could be as old as 27. And he was sent to India 3 years before his brother's death 9 months prior to this story. Mind you, I had to read the book twice to make this conclusion. The hero is described, by his actions from an unrepentant rake, to a naive innocent, swonging back and forth, through out the book. Sometimes he comes off as very astute, and others, he is a ding bat. The heroine stays the course as a highly intelligent, effervescent loving woman during the whole book. The supporting characters make sense. The mystery part of the plot is laid out so the reader can make some assumptions, but there still are enough twists to keep the focus on the book. This was not the easy read. I had to read someone it, put it down and come back to it. I did realize, that the book is Christian based and while I appreciate the references, some may not this is a tingly romance, with only making out being described in detail. I also found that the title was not used to describe the heroine, like I thought it would have, but I had to think why was this book titled as this. It was an oblique reference to the heroine's date of birth as Christmas Eve. I like this book, but give it 4 stars. If it took me 2 reads to determine the age of hero and the fact that I wanted to finish it, I suggest reading only if you want to.

OH MY GOODNESS! I don't even have words to describe how wonderful this book is. A spunky, quirky heroine who charms from the first page and a charming, conflicted hero are only the tip of the iceberg of elements that make this book perfect. Mystery, intrigue, tension, flirty banter, a marriage of convenience, Basham's trademark swoony kisses, and Christmas magic... need I say more? I think not. Easily one of my favorite books of the year, I wholeheartedly recommend it!

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for my review copy of this book. My opinions are freely and willingly given.

I am a sucker for a marriage of convenience story, and The Mistletoe Countess did not disappoint! I’ve heard so many people raving about this story, I had to give it a try. Of course I fell in love with Grace, the feisty heroine with a penchant for fiction, and Frederick, the brooding hero with a tragic past. The sparks flew between them from the first page, and although they weren’t meant to be a match at first, they turned out to be perfect for each other.

There was a little more focus on their physical attraction and the physical aspects of their relationship than I would have liked, although there was nothing graphic and I would still call it a clean romance. Still, the spiritual themes and stories of spiritual growth were powerful and contributed to the depth of the characters. Grace’s naïveté was a little unbelievable at times, and the conclusion of the mystery a bit over the top, but it all worked together to create a page-turner of a story.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

The Mistletoe Countess by Pepper Basham is a fun Christmas story to read. It has mystery, suspense, action and romance all in one story. This story show how giving, generous and devoted Grace is. She steps into take her sister’s place in an arrangement between her father and Lord Frederick’s mother. Grace has faith and is determined to do what she needs to for others. I just adored her character. One of the things that stands out to me is the secrets the Percy family kept and and how it affects them and their relationships with each other.

I received a complimentary copy of this story from the publisher through NetGalley. This is my honest review.

This one reads like a real life fairy tale. A marriage of convenience tale that was almost a bit much for this single lady when it came to the character's chemistry and all the implied things married people do. If you love England and regency, and tons of kissing you'll love this one. Grace is a very likable character, though immature and probably annoying in real life she's written as endearing and naive. There's some humor and serious stuff like mystery. Lots of danger and lots of hidden history in this dark British estate. Some Downton vibes and ghosts Secret Garden-like style. It was a really fun one and I stayed up late trying to finish it. I just wish I could live Grace's easy life where marriage just fell into her lap. There are also some beautiful quote worthy lines throughout the novel.
This is my third book by Pepper Basham this year and she's definitely added to my list of favorites.
Thank you netgalley for the privilege to read this one!

A most appealing story, The Mistletoe Countess, by Pepper Basham, is beautifully written, thoughtful, and engaging! This captivating book is genuinely stunning and not to be missed! With a hearty blend of history, mystery, romance, and humor, Ms. Basham brings to life a memorable story that is remarkably enjoyable.

Within the pages of this book, Ms. Basham reveals characters who are unique, tenacious, authentic, brave, and wholly unforgettable. Their motivations, their needs, their interests, and their goals are truly fascinating. The opportunities, the choices, and the difficulties the characters face are thoroughly developed, and from them flows a story that is utterly riveting. 

The Mistletoe Countess is a moving novel that offers a vivid and compelling marriage-of-convenience story full of secrets, regret, obligation, danger, and intrigue counterbalanced with love, faith, friendship, and redemption. Hope, perseverance, courage, and grace are also significant themes that strengthen this novel and make it especially meaningful and uplifting. Furthermore, the English countryside setting in the early 20th century with its small village, a grand estate, shadowy ruins, and wooded hillsides, enriches the novel and provides ample opportunities for the story to unfold. Abounding with Edwardian sensibilities, this British setting, rich in history and whispered secrets, is notably significant in a story that lingers long after the last page has been turned.

The Mistletoe Countess is a thoughtful story of grace, second chances, and truth. Offering new possibilities and fresh perspectives, it is a touching story of perseverance and the power of encouragement. This novel is a story of two hearts in search of being known, accepted, appreciated, and loved. I can easily recommend this book to readers of historical fiction who also enjoy elements of mystery and plenty of sweet romance. In The Mistletoe Countess, Ms. Basham has once again crafted a worthy novel that is honest, tender, emotionally-stirring, and ultimately uplifting. With every new book she publishes, my appreciation grows for how remarkably talented Ms. Basham is as a writer and storyteller. The Mistletoe Countess is a very special novel, and I eagerly recommend it to all readers.

*I was given a copy of this book by the publisher through NetGalley and JustRead Tours. A review was not required. The review I have written is voluntary and contains opinions that are entirely my own.

"Oh my! Grace was such a fun heroine!! A delightful blend of naiveté and knowledge, filled with sunshine and made almost everyone around her feel lighter merely being in her presence.

Frederick was a wonderful broken hero. I loved the way he learned to see himself differently through Grace's eyes. Having turned his back on his past and setting his eyes on who God could make him freed him from the guilt and shame he had lived with for years.

A handful of ""accidents"" following the deaths of Frederick's father and brother began to look more and more menacing and intentional. I had to laugh at Grace's confidence in her sleuthing abilities simply because the techniques worked in the stories she had read. The mystery was very well executed. The adventures and danger Grace and Frederick faced while trying to solve it were fascinating. This part of the story was kept lighthearted, and I found myself laughing out loud in numerous pages throughout the climax!

It was clear that this sweet couple loved each other and found each other attractive; however, it was equally clear the basis of their love was their character not their bodies. The author described Grace and Frederick's intimate relationship in a very tasteful and appropriate manner. I would not hesitate to allow a teenager to read it.

Most importantly, a firm faith element runs throughout the story. Grace's intimate relationship with God and her trust in Him was inspiring. She had quite a struggle to return blessing for insult and yet chose to do right and what was pleasing to God.

I recommend The Mistletoe Countess to everyone who loves to read. It feels like it is a story anyone would enjoy. Having read this far in my review, you are probably the perfect audience for it!


I was given a copy of this book. I was not required to give a favorable review nor was any money received for this review. All comments and opinions are my own."

The Mistletoe Countess is one of the most adorable, endearing, fun stories I've ever read! Grace is an absolute joy. She's quick-witted, loveable, charming, and readers will quickly fall in love with her. Frederick will work his way right into your heart as well. His non stuffy, ability to see joy around him is a delight. And the way he falls for Grace is just perfection. They are the perfect literary couple. Everything about this book will get you excited and leave you turning pages as you figure out the mystery and smile at Grace's antics. The Mistletoe Countess is definitely a must-read!

I received a complimentary copy of this book through NetGalley. All opinions expressed are my own.