Generally I am not a fan of holiday-themed books, but Anne Perry's A Christmas Legacy is an "authentic" period piece that has great character development and a Downton Abbey feel to it that pulled me in. It makes me want to discover the earlier stories alluded to in the novella (the Thomas and Charlotte mysteries where the lead character Gracie Tellman was first introduced). A quick and satisfying read for historical fiction fans, perfect for a rainy afternoon curled up into your favorite chair.

I received a complimentary copy of A Christmas Legacy from NetGalley.  Opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

This was a sort of “feel good” book, reminding the reader that kindnesses do not go unnoticed. Everyone has feelings. It was a short read that I enjoyed.

Of all Anne Perry’s Christmas stories, this was the first that I feared may not have a happy ending. Who could or would be able to effect a change in Millie’s employer’s unsettling household. Would Grace be able to find a solution? All my questions were answered in a wonderful Christmas ending.

Thank you Netgalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for this eArc to review.

I really enjoyed reading this holiday novel! The story involves Gracie, who used to be a house maid but left to get married and have a family. She is visited by an old friend's daughter, Millie, who is currently a maid at a large estate and she is very worried about sweets missing from the kitchen. She is worried about being thrown out of the house, especially at Christmas time. Gracie decides to find out what is going on by taking Millie's place as a maid, but promises her husband to be home for Christmas. Can Gracie solve the mystery of the missing sweets by Christmas? A heartwarming holiday story! The book is set to be released on Nov. 2, 2021 so grab some hot cocoa or tea and your favorite sweet treat and enjoy this historical, holiday mystery!

I received an ARC from NetGalley for an honest review!

Yet another brilliant addition to Perry’s list of memorable Christmas novellas. This one is centered on Gracie who is encouraged to go back into service to unearth the mystery of disappearing sweets from the kitchen of the home. At its heart is the slow murder by neglect and starvation of an old woman holding the purse strings of a couple living beyond their means in hopeful expectation of her demise and their inheritance. Yet all comes right by the time the will is read. By Christmas morning all is well. It is a story that should warm your heart this holiday and be reread in years to come.

Anne Perry's Christmas novels are a delight to read and The Christmas Legacy is a very good addition. Each novel in this series features one “break out” character from her many books, the Christmas books being written almost as a novella. Short in length but richly character driven. The Christmas Legacy features Gracie, once a maid to Charlotte Pitt and now a wife, mother and matron of her own home. The story while not terribly complex but has the usual feel good ending we all want to read over the holidays.

I have read many of Anne Perry's books and enjoyed many of them. A Christmas Legacy is a fable, which doesn't make the book any less enjoyable. This book is really a novella. There isn't much of a mystery, but there are quite a few sweet and enjoyable characters to embrace. The end is lovely and fun. I would definitely recommend this book.
A thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for providing this advance copy for me to read and review.

I've enjoyed the Charlotte and Thomas' mysteries, so happily picked up this one. This is the story of their former maid Gracie, who is now married to a policeman herself, with three children. When a former case person shows up needing help she steps in to do just that. Entering a household that has an undercurrent of fear and tension is not a fun way to lead up to Christmas. Finding the mother of the owner basically held prisoner in her own house adds a touch of drama and swirls around the servants. A good story and has a nice happy ending just in time for Christmas. Would recommend this book and author. Sweet story.

This is a spin off from the Thomas and Charlotte mysteries and a sweet little tale for Christmas. Perfect reading for a winter evening. Gracie is a warm and loving mother with a heart of gold. Perry weaves her story with care and the ending is satisfying.

This a lovely holiday story!!! Anne Perry never disappoints!!! Something is wrong in the household where Millie is house maid. Millie turns to Gracie for help. Gracie fills in for Millie as house maid so Millie can try to help the situation.. As Gracie fills in., she becomes friends with some of the staff and soon can tell that there is certainly something amiss. Just love Gracie and the kids d person that she is. Great read!!!!

A girl from one of the Pitts' previous cases, Millie, comes to Gracie for help. There's something wrong going on in the household she's working for and she asks Gracie to take her place for a while to see if there's something that can be done. Gracie agrees and takes Millie's place as a housemaid, She gets to know and like the staff she works with and begins to see there really is something not right with the household. Gracie is a gutsy and clever heroine who soon gets to the bottom of what's going on. But how to solve the problem without injuring innocent people? This is a charming holiday story that will keep the reader involved in the action and vested in the
characters..

This is a little gem of a holiday book starring one of my favorite Anne Perry characters, Gracie from the Thomas and Charlotte Pitt series. Thanks to NetGalley for the chance to preview this story!
Gracie is married to Samuel Tellman and has her 3 children. Her daughter Charlie is so charming she could be the focus of a children’s series. Gracie takes on an investigation for a servant woman .
The story itself is bittersweet, perfect for Downton Abbey fans . As always Anne Perry brings forward themes of injustice of the times that remind us to be mindful of injustice and the consequences for individuals in our own time . A little reminder that kindness has its rewards and karma is real.
This is a quick read perfect for the week before Christmas - Publication date November 2,2021!

This is this year's Christmas book from Perry, who is most famous for her two Victorian mystery series: the later set Charlotte and Thomas Pitt stories starting with 𝑇ℎ𝑒 𝐶𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑟 𝑆𝑡𝑟𝑒𝑒𝑡 𝐻𝑎𝑛𝑔𝑚𝑎𝑛 and the earlier set William Monk/Hester Latterley novels starting with 𝑇ℎ𝑒 𝐹𝑎𝑐𝑒 𝑜𝑓 𝑎 𝑆𝑡𝑟𝑎𝑛𝑔𝑒𝑟. In each of the books she has a usually minor character from one of the two series facing some sort of problem during the Yuletide season.

𝐴 𝐶ℎ𝑟𝑖𝑠𝑡𝑚𝑎𝑠 𝐿𝑒𝑔𝑎𝑐𝑦 stars one of Perry's most beloved supporting characters, Gracie Phipps Tellman, once the teenage servant of the Pitts. Now married to Thomas Pitt's old partner on the Metropolitan Police, Samuel Tellman, with three children (Charlotte "Charlie," Thomas, and Victor), Gracie takes pity on Millie Foster, whose mother she and Tellman had helped when Millie was a child. Millie works as a maid for a wealthy family and things like food are disappearing from the kitchen. She's afraid something odd is going on and the servants will be blamed for it, and she's desperate for someone to help. If one of the servants gets dismissed without a character reference, they will likely spend the rest of their lives on the street. So Gracie concocts a story that Millie is ill, produces a character reference from Charlotte Pitt, and with her husband's blessing, takes Millie's place at the Harcourt home. She promises Tellman and little Charlie she will be home for Christmas, but is immediately swept up in the problems Millie has spoken about, and can't figure out for the life of her what's going on...but it has to do with the food, and something upstairs.

I think readers will guess pretty quickly what's going on after Gracie finds out the secret of the food and especially after a conversation between the Harcourts, but it's the humanity of Gracie's reaction once she discovers the problem and the actions of the servants that carry this book. The actual mystery is a bit cliche, but it's all heartwarming, and Charlie is a darling character. I really wish Perry would write some books about Tellman's cases and how Gracie has helped him, as they intimate she has in at least one case with Millie's mother, as I find Gracie and Tellman both more interesting than her newest character, Elena Standish.

Thanks Netgalley for allowing me to read this book. Millie turns to her families friend Grace to determine why things are going missing. Grace takes Millie's position to figure out what is going on. The more time Gracie spends working their, the more questions she has. This was a quick read.

I am not ordinarily fond of holiday-themed books, and particularly the ones that are Christmas-themed, which always seem a bit manipulative. I am not a fan of <i>It’s a Wonderful Life</i>. But I enjoyed <i>A Christmas Legacy</i> by Anne Perry a lot. It’s heart-warming without being gushy or silly. Like all of her Victorian novels, it has the authentic “feel” of the period, which is unfortunately rare in many historical novels, and it has more to chew over in it than many Christmas novels. <i>A Christmas Legacy</i> is scheduled for release on November 2, 2021, just in time for the holiday season. Curl up with a cup of tea, a slab of gingerbread and <i>A Christmas Legacy</i> if you’re a fan of historical mysteries or holiday books or give a copy to a friend who is.

I received an ARC from Netgalley for my honest review.

This was a wonderful pick me up, feel good Christmas story. A story of two different kinds of family. Although the bad people are uncovered, there is still grace.

I received an advance copy of, A Christmas Legacy. by Anne Perry. This is a great book, Gracie has a heart of gold. Though she works as a made, she does it so brilliantly. Gracie is a great help to the family, even though they do not see it that way.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for the chance to read this book by one of my all time favorite authors. This book stars Thomas and Charlottes ex-maid Grace solving a mystery on her own. Great characters, she should have her own series. This book will be published in November 2021. 5 Stars