For Crowe, one’s future could be changed but the past can not. With this strong belief, he undertook the task of saving a life that had to be accomplished in the next few days. By using his understanding of friendship and family relationships, he managed to achieve his desire.

For the reader who is not familiar with the Monk series, this would be a joyful ending. For some readers who are familar with the hardships of this time, the conclusion would be unsettlingly.

Thank you NetGalley and Ballantine Books for my eARC to review.

Dr. Crowe and Scuff are trying to help a young lady that they met when she was injured in a traffic accident. She is being forced to marry a vile man who mistreats her. and Crowe suspects her father is being blackmailed. There is a great deal of introspection and internal debating from Crowe and Scuff regarding what actions they should take, none of which really gives additional depth to the plot and just seems like filler in an already short story. I was also confused as to why these two people are somehow able to find out information that William Monk, a brilliant investigator, wasn't able to find. It all seemed contrived and not as involving as Ms. Perry's usual stories. A pleasant, uncomplicated, feel-good romance with some crime thrown in.

Although this was the first Anne Perry book I have read in the Monk series, reading this made me want to check out the others. Set in Victorian England, this is a heart-wrenching tale of a doctor who runs a riverfront clinic, barely able to keep afloat while treating patients who could only pay for his services with a loaf of bread or a few meager coins. Dr. Crowe is training Scuff, an orphan who was adopted by William Monk of the Thames River Police.

While caring for Ellie, the daughter of a wealthy businessman, after she was severely injured in an accident near his clinic, Crowe's feelings for her grew. After she recovered, he discovered that she was engaged to marry a brut, apparently against her will. That's when Crowe sets off to discover why she was going to marry a man she obviously detested.

The beginning of the book pulled me in, with the introduction of Mattie, a little orphan girl who needed medical attention, and then the confrontation between Crowe, Ellie and Paul. And toward the end of the book was heart-pounding excitement as the climax of this suspenseful tale comes together. Dotted throughout the book and especially at the end, the true meaning of Christmas is felt. A family is created, not by sharing a bloodline, but by sharing what is in their hearts, and caring for those who need it.

The middle of this novella dragged on a bit but the end was worth hanging in there.

Dr. Crowe is operating a clinic to serve London's poor. His assistant is Scruff, the adopted son of the Monks. When Crowe sees a former patient, a young lady, being abused by her fiance he decides to investigate. Asking questions can stir up trouble. Scruff and Mattie, a very young patient, have to help keep Crowe safe while he investigates. This is another in Anne Perry's series of Holiday stories. I always look forward to them and this one is a fine addition to the series.
This is a review of an eGalley provided by NetGalley.

https://www.shellielovesbooks.com/2022/10/a-christmas-deliverance-by-anne-perry.html

My review can be found at the above URL or go to ShellieLovesBooks.com

Thank you so much for loaning me this book!

There's nothing like an Anne Perry Christmas novella to start getting in the holiday spirit. This one is the 20th installment in her Christmas novella series. I've read all of them, either before or right after each comes out, and this one is yet another outstanding installment.

Each book is a standalone but typically includes a recurring character, at times, from one of the author's other series and that is certainly true in this one and so fans of her other series may well enjoy this one. Here, William Monk and his wife, Hester, are either talked about or involved.

Wonderful, feel good kind of book. Once again, I thoroughly enjoyed Anne Perry's annual Christmas novella.

I received a free copy of, A Christmas Deliverance, by Anne Perry, from the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Scuff life has changed from a poor orphan to working for a doctor. Amateur sleuth Scuff has to watch himself, the police are growing suspicious, about him. Dr. Crowe, who Scuff works for, has his own problems, with Ellie, who is engaged to another man. This is not your typical cozy Christmas story. It was good though, different but good.

Who doesn't love a Christmas related story? Plus the story is written by Anne Perry. Well you get these two things when you read A Christmas Deliverance.
The story of Dr. Crowe who helps heal the poor and sick of London. With him his trusted assistant Scuff who happens to be the adopted son of William Monk our police inspector. and his wife Hester. Scuff was a child of the streets who was once a mudlark. Crowe took him under his wing and Scuff is now studying to be a doctor. With the help of both Dr. Crowe and Scuff the poor of London have a place to go to get help and in turn they give to the doctor whatever they have as payment.

Then one day Dr. Crowe finds himself taking care of a young girl who was in a terrible accident. The girl is Ellie Hollister and her father is the wealthy owner of several warehouses along the river.. Once Ellis has received the proper treatment from the doctor her father is truly happy that Crowe saved Ellie, that once she is well enough to go home Mr. Hollister donates to the clinic. Money that is sorely needed. Time passes and Crowe tries to check in on Ellie but is told not to come back. Then Crowe see's why when he sees Ellie and Paul Dolan the son of Silas Dolan arguing on the street. He then sees Paul strike Ellie. Well you know once Crowe interferes he is a marked man. You see Ellie is engaged to Paul.

Well now we see that Crowe has to find out why Ellie would marry such a terrible man. His father is a rich tyrant that has everyone shaking when her enters a room. Then Crowe hears about a warehouse fire and how the nightwatchman was killed in that fire. Some say it was arson so they can receive the insurance money. Police cannot pin any wrong doing on either Silas Dolan or Hollister. Even the mighty William Monk can prove arson and he wishes he could. Enter Dr. Crowe who puts himself in the middle of a war with Silas Dolan. His clinic is visited by policeman threatening Scuff. Little Mattie the little girl and her cat who wanders into the clinic is worried now too. Dr. Crowe will not stop until he finds out the truth about the fire and hopefully persuade Ellie not to marry Paul Dolan. Could it be that the doctor has feelings for Ellie? Will he survive the ambush he gets into in one of the warehouses along with William Monk and his men?

I've read some of Anne Perry's books so I was very happy when NetGalley granted my wish for this book. Always love a Christmas Book, but this one has a story of hope and and finding out the truth even if you put yourself at risk. I enjoyed how Scuff evolved in this story. From assistant, student then to actual doctor when the time came. He is a loving person who knows what it is to grow up fast and then find a loving home with a mother who encouraged him to become a doctor. How he took charge when Crowe was hurt and how lovingly he handles Mattie.

I so enjoyed this book.A book I would re read at some point in time. I also look forward to read more from Anne Perry. Maybe even check out her William Monk series. Thank you Net Galley for granting my wish.

A Christmas Deliverance by Anne Perry is a great historical fiction novella that is festive, fun, and entertaining.

I have read several novellas from this series, and have enjoyed each one. The reader does not need to have read any of her other series to easily enjoy, and follow along with these stand-alone books.

I liked the pacing, especially after it began to pick up…the mystery, obstacles, action, and resolution kept my interest. I enjoyed the character of Scuff the most. It was most fascinating to me to see things from his perspective and to his progression while training. He is definitely learning the trade.

I look forward to more from Ms. Perry.

4/5 stars

Thank you NG and Random House for this wonderful arc and in return I am submitting my unbiased and voluntary review and opinion.

I am posting this review to my GR and Bookbub accounts immediately and will post it to my Amazon, Instagram, and B&N accounts upon publication on 11/8/22.

I have only read a few of these Christmas short stories, but the ones I've read are all about very caring people who make the lives of others more liveable.

In this story, Crowe is a doctor in a poor section of London near the docks. He works with Scuff, who used to be a mudlark, has been adopted by Monk and Hester, and is now training to be a doctor with Crowe. A small girl, Mattie, about 4 or 5 comes in with a bleeding finger, and Crowe stitches her up. She is still there when a man comes in with a boil which Crowe fixes with the girl handing him his tools.

Crowe had taken care of a wealthy woman, Ellie, not too long before who had been in an accident with her carriage. The woman stayed with Crowe and Scuff for a few days because she needed more care than she could get at home. Now, Crowe sees her with a young man who seems angry and slaps her in the face. Crowe knocks the man into the gutter and walks her home. He finds out that Ellie is engaged to this man, Paul Dolan, the son of a man who appears to have a hold over Ellie's father Hollister, possibly because of a warehouse fire where they both got a large insurance settlement and a watchman died. Crowe is determined to find out what this hold is; soon, Scuff is helping him; and then Inspector Monk joins in. Meanwhile, Mattie has come back with a young kitten which she wants to give to Scuff to catch mice. Realizing that Mattie has no family, Scuff invites her to stay so that she can help take care of the kitten.

There is a good bit of excitement near the end as Inspector Monk and Crowe try to discover where the goods from the warehouse that burned have been stored. And then there is a very happy ending. This is a Christmas story of love and kindness!

I really enjoy these Christmas stories every year. This one starts out at the free clinic run by Dr. Crowe and his assistant Scuff. Dr. Crowe becomes distracted when he falls in love with one of his patients, and finds her father and fiance are involved in criminal behavior, leaving Scuff alone to deal with the clinic. A quick, but really good read, I think you'll enjoy it, too!

I'm not entirely sure what I thought the book would be like when I started reading. So many holiday titles are focused more on romance, so having one that was a mystery was a change I looked forward to experiencing.

The overall plot line was fine, but I sometimes felt like Dr. Crowe spent way more time bouncing around with introspection on things than was truly needed. His hemming and hawing the same few concerns soon became tedious for me to read. That made the scenes where the story was written from Scuff's point of view a welcome breath of fresh air.

Somehow I managed to finish the book, but ended up feeling like I'd just spent 2 hours on the phone with my sister who does like to hammer the same few points to death in a conversation.

Anne Perry's newest Christmas novella returns to the Victorian England of William Monk. It's been a few years since she wrote a mystery with Monk in the lead, and he only plays a bit part in this book. The focus is on Crowe, a bit player in the Monk series, and Monk's adoptive son, Scuff, who is now a young adult studying to become a doctor.

Perry's Christmas books are not as dark as her full-length mysteries, and because they are short, they do not have time to dig very deep beneath the surface. The mystery in this book is fairly simple: Crowe intervenes in an altercation involving a young woman, Ellie, who is engaged to a nefarious man she doesn't love. While Crowe is busy sleuthing and trying to rescue Ellie, Scuff is left alone to manage the clinic. Having once been a child of the streets, he takes in a young ward.

I've been reading Anne Perry for years, and it's always nice to have a reunion with her Monk series characters, who have been sidelined for her new series starring Elena Standish. Hopefully we'll get to visit some of the characters of the Thomas Pitt series next.

This is a novella timed for Christmas it also works as a standalone. Associated with the Monk series the reader doesn't have to have the past knowledge of the characters. Dr. Crowe saves the life and cares for a wealthy young lady in his waterfront clinic, and becomes smitten with her but knows he has nothing to offer her. As happens one evening he comes across her with her betrothed, who is verbally threatening her and then physically becomes abusive saying just wait until we're married. Crowe can't understand why she would be with this man, and in his attempt to learn why, he uncovers a possible murder, arson, and insurance fraud involving her father and her betrothed and his father. Thus the adventure of the truth begins, along with Scuff, his assistant's medical abilities and warm tenderness with children from these poor lonely situations. Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for a lovely feel good mystery.

I am an Anne Perry fan and have read many of her novels. A Christmas Deliverance is the first William Monk book that I have read. I was not at all familiar with the William Monk series and so did not know what to expect or how this particular novel might resolve. Like other Anne Perry Christmas themed novels that I have read, A Christmas Deliverance is really a novella, since it is short, with a reading speed of 3 hours.

As is true of many of Perry's novels, A Christmas Deliverance is a stand-alone book. The setting is Christmas and the events align with Will Monk's studies toward becoming a doctor. To achieve his goal, he studies at the side of Dr Crowe, who serves as mentor and friend. The crime is arson, which is the focus on this novella, with a nice bit of love thrown into the mix.

The plot of A Christmas Deliverance flows well and is easy reading. The characters are interesting and are generally stock characters, with the exception of the central characters, who are better developed. I enjoyed this brief read, which provided a break between the more complex novels that I have been reading. I want to thank the author and publisher for providing this ARC, in exchange for my review. Thank you also to NetGalley for including so many Perry novels.

Scuff is studying medicine at a free clinic run by Dr. Crowe, but Crowe has been distracted, having witnessed an altercation between a wealthy former patient he treated and had feelings for named Ellie and her controlling fiancé. Crowe sets out to uncover the troubling connection between Ellie, her father, and her betrothed.

With Crowe engrossed in the investigation, Scuff is left to run the clinic on his own. In the holiday spirit,  he offers Mattie, a young girl in need, a warm place to stay. Together, Scuff and Mattie must also fend off the police, who are suspicious of Crowe’s amateur sleuthing.

I’m a huge fan of Perry’s Monk series, and since another one of those doesn’t seem to be forthcoming, I jumped at the chance to read about their grown up adopted mudlark Scuff.

This was more Crowe’s story, and I found his investigation a little slow to get going. I like the doctor as a side character in the Monk mysteries, but he never captured me here. Scuff’s storyline showed us his thoughts on his past and on Monk and Hester, and that was rewarding for me. I missed seeing an interaction between them, though.

This has all the observations on peoples’ hopes and frailties you’d expect from a Perry novel, and we even got to hear a few words from Monk. A lot of the story was Crowe’s internal thoughts rather than plot or dialogue, but the ending was satisfying.

I'm new to Anne Perry's William Monk series, so I don't know how closely this ties in to the rest of the books, but this one focuses primarily on William Monk's adopted son and his son's mentor, Dr. Crowe. So, William Monk is a secondary character here, making it very easy to understand, even without having read earlier books in the series.

There is a theme throughout the story about how precious family is, and how friends who become family are just as precious, which I truly enjoyed.

After nursing an injured woman, Dr. Crowe becomes enamored of her. He knows he can't ask a high-born lady to live in the tenements and slums with him, so opts not to pursue her. But when he learns of her impending marriage to an abusive man, he obsesses over what would possess her to marry the knave.

With the help of Scuff, Dr. Crowe sets out to uncover the mystery behind the blackmail that's forcing the unwanted wedding. But time is running out!

Thanks to Anne Perry, Random House and NetGalley for an advance review copy.

This book was sent to me by Netgalley for review. Thanks to the publisher for the electronic copy. Thanks to the author for this story...Perry is a famous author, and most of us enjoy her books...her topics...her subjects...her characters...her settings...this one is a good choice...enjoy...curl up in a comfy chair with a warm throw...a hot of steaming herbal tea...lose yourself in this book.