What Happens at Christmas

Camille, the widowed Lady Lydingham, has set her sights on marry

Camille, the widowed Lady Lydingham, has set her sights on marrying the handsome and charming foreign Prince Nikolai and obtaining her fairy tale happy ever after.

She sets to win the prince's heart and a marriage proposal by giving him the perfect Dickens Christmas. Camille feels the only way to ensure the proper Dicken's family is to hire a troupe of actors to play her eccentric family and sets about to pull off the perfect scheme.
After a long absense Grayson Elliot returns to England and his family's country estate. On a goodwill errand for his cousin, Grayson stumbles upon Camille's crazy charade. Having declared his love to Camille eleven years earlier on the eve of her marriage to another man, Grayson vows not to lose Camille a second time. After situating himself within Camille's Christmas production, Grayson offers her his help, while working to regain her trust and ultimatley winning her heart.

I truly enjoyed this book and many times found myself smiling while reading it. I found the cast of characters to be fun and engaging as well as the the perfect compliment to Camille and Grayson sweet romance. Some of the things I enjoyed most were the light hearted, sentimental and often fun interaction between characters. I just adored the Christmas Carrolls. I found myself caught up in the books twists and turns and it left me laughing. What Happens at

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

What Happens at Christmas will tickle your funny-bone ¿n- warm y

What Happens at Christmas will tickle your funny-bone –n- warm your heart!

What’s a woman to do when fate fortuitously lends a hand and virtually throws you into the arms of a handsome and practically perfect royal prince? Well, Camille, Lady Lydingham, knows exactly what she's going to do; seize the opportunity and marry him ASAP. Because being swept away by a wealthy, handsome prince to a foreign land—to live happily-ever-after—was the stuff fairytales were made of, and didn’t every woman want that?

And "Princess Camille" really did have such a lovely sound to it………..

Fortunately, her intended, Prince Nicolai, of the Kingdom of Greater Avalonia, was just as infatuated with the beautiful Lady Camille and he was -thisclose- to proposing to her. So Camille came up with a practically perfect plan, one that was sure to help bring her prince charming to the point of popping the question before the New Year began. She would gift him with one of his heart's desires... a chance to spend a proper English Christmas, in a proper English country house with a proper English family as portrayed in the popular Dickens' novels……………

It seemed simple enough to do, but regrettably, that was not exactly how she would describe her own family. As a group their personalities were much too eccentric, or perhaps a bit too uninhibited, to be considered "proper" in the strictest sense of the word. Therefore, Camille decided it would be best to create the illusion of a perfectly proper English family celebrating the Christmas holidays at home… by hiring a troupe of professional actors to play them. Of course, there would be some minor details to work out, but—all in all—she thought it was a brilliant plan! What could possibly go wrong???

*****STAR*****

Victoria Alexander packages up her latest book with a virtual cascade of dazzling ribbons and bows, and delivers this festive treat to the romance reading world in the form of a heartwarming, humorous and thoroughly delightful Christmas story. WHAT HAPPENS AT CHRISTMAS is a clever and creative tale that's filled to the brim with equal parts of holiday cheer, ardent romance, and sparkling good humor, that together brings to life all the traditions, magic, and joy of the Holiday Season……………

Victoria Alexander is a tremendously talented writer and gifted storyteller and I have been a fan of her delightful romances for many years now, but I have to say this is my new favorite of all her books. I just loved everything about this story from beginning to end—the Christmas with family storyline, the second chance at love theme, all the quirky yet endearing characters, the clever rhetoric, sharp dialogue, crisp banter and playful wordplay used to great effect throughout the story, and the very funny, farcical nature of the comedy. I think it represents top-notch romantic comedy, though I hope readers don't get so lost in enjoying the humor of the book that they fail to appreciate the many dramatic, emotional, and sentimental elements that were so delicately woven throughout the story as well……………..
What Happens At Christmas will surely tickle your funny-bone and at the same time warm your heart. It's a great story to read anytime, but also the perfect book to start off your holiday season on a high note!

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

3.75* I very much enjoyed this Christmas tail. This was my first

3.75*
I very much enjoyed this Christmas tail. This was my first book by Victoria Alexander and it won't be my last. It was a fun and funny book with a cast of characters real and actors that will have you in stitches. Camille and Elliot have good chemistry and it was interesting to watch Camille at first try to get her prince and then to avoid him and Elliot trying to get Camille to forgive him for his past failings. A must read.

Highly entertaining! Young widow Camille, Lady Lydingham, had g

Highly entertaining!
Young widow Camille, Lady Lydingham, had grown up thinking that there wasn’t much use for true love in a practical world. Grayson Elliott, her first and only genuine love, had come forward with an ill-timed declaration, right on the eve of her arranged marriage to an older and much wealthier man. After revealing his feelings, Grayson had vanished, disappointing Camille’s hope to be rescued at the altar from a loveless marriage. He had fled to America bringing his broken heart and wounded pride with him, spurred by the sheer determination to prove himself to Camille by making his way into the world and building a fortune. Eleven years later, Grayson is back in England and ready to fight for the woman who never abandoned his thoughts: for too long they had been like “a play without a last act”, and the now outrageously wealthy Grayson is ready to pull the final curtain on his unrequited love for Camille. His timing seems to be wrong once again, though: the young widow has recently met Nicolai Pruzinsky, prince of as small as unheard-of kingdom of Avalonia. The charming royalty, who’s traveling incognito across Europe in the hope of fully and freely enjoying foreign Christmas traditions, represents everything Camille has ever wanted, handsome and perfect as if he had just popped out of one of those fairy tales she devoured as a young girl. Maybe too perfect to be real.
Animated by her childish dreams more than true feelings of love, she sets her heart on Pruzinsky. So, when she learns that he is a fan of Mr. Dickens and that he is quite eager to experience the winter holidays the way they are portrayed in the novelist’s books, she decides to provide him with that proper English Christmas experience as well as a proper English family to go along with it. Afraid that her extravagant relatives will embarrass her in front of a royalty, and taking advantage of a temporary permanence abroad of her flamboyant mother, in fact, Camille hires a troupe of actors to fill her country house and pose as her family. To add complications to her preposterous plan, her long-lost love shows up at her manor, but when it seems that the farce can only end up in disaster and escalate in a huge scandal, the sweet memories of a distant past and her unquenched love for Grayson will remind Camille that, far from being shallow and mercenary, her heart is capable of true love.

This historical romance novel by #1 New York Times best-selling author Victoria Alexander was quite a delightful read, reminiscent of a farcical comedy a la Shakespeare, twins, mistaken identity and all. I particularly appreciated Alexander's use of the classical unities (events unfold along one unique plot line, in one location and in a limited span of time), and her ability to get her well-paced narration flowing almost entirely with the use of dialogues. I found Camille’s character to be an original and unconventional female lead, a more practical sort of woman than your usual Victorian romance novel heroine.
Fraught with witty dialogues and lively lines delivered by Alexander with the elegance and the perfection of a string of pearls, What Happens At Christmas features an entertaining holiday pageant brightened by the breezy tones of a light-hearted comedy.

A fun read

A fun read

Good Christmas Story!

Good Christmas Story!
I truly enjoyed this story although it sounded familiar. I knew what was going to happen before it. Somewhere a long time ago I must have read a story similar to this except I didn't remember the children. Regardless I enjoyed it. This story had me laughing.

WHAT HAPPENS AT CHRISTMAS by Victoria Alexander is an exciting R

WHAT HAPPENS AT CHRISTMAS by Victoria Alexander is an exciting Regency historical romance.Follow, Camille, Lady Lydingham and Grayson Elliott on a Christmas time adventure of passion,holiday spirit,secrets,deception,and humor. Ms. Alexander has done it again with this delightful story of love lost,and found again. If you enjoy Christmas time stories with a flare for the drama,deception and love you will enjoy "What Happens At Christmas". Received for an honest review from the publisher. Visit the author's website,Kensington Books, or My Book Addiction and More for more details.

RATING: 4.5

HEAT RATING: MILD

REVIEWED BY: AprilR, My Book Addiction and More/My Book Addiction Reviews

This story was very entertaining to read. Camille is putting on

This story was very entertaining to read. Camille is putting on the show of a life time to impress a gentleman who she believes will make a great marriage. Everything is going to plan until Grayson Elliott shows back up into her life. He proposed to her once but she believed it to be out of honor and not love. This story has a lot of twists and turns but it was very fun to read. Camille and Grayson circle around each other not wanting to get close but they can’t seem to walk away from each other. Camille falls in love again with Grayson during the Christmas charade and they finally can be together after years of being separated. Camille learns that family isn’t something you should be embarrassed about but to embrace them, faults and all.

Delightful Christmas Story

Author Victoria Alexander beautifully blends romance, loyalty, humor, historical England, and mystery with a dash or two of Christmas magic for an engaging read. You always know her book is going to be filled with passion and lots of fun. Narrator Elizabeth Wiley does a wonderful job bringing all the characters to life. She gives each their own distinct voice keeping the story flowing smoothly. Her accent transports listeners to an English country home for an unforgettable Christmas. Camille, Lady Lydingham, thought she’d found her perfect prince. All she has to do is give Prince Nikolai Pruzinsky a perfect Dickensian Christmas like he wants and he will surely propose. There is just one problem - her family. There are out of town on holiday and are a bit unconventional to begin with. Camille, a wealth widow, hires a troupe of down-and-out actors to play her family and staff. With the reluctant support of her twin sister, Beryl, and her husband Lionel, Lord Dunwell, Camille believes she can pull it off. She’ll explain everything to the Prince once they’re married and they’ll have a good laugh. Camille never dreamed her plan would go up in smoke, but then she never planned on seeing Grayson Elliott again either. She had loved Grayson for years. He had declared his love for her 11 years ago on her wedding day and then disappeared. Grayson returns to find Camille in the midst of a masquerade. He can’t help but say he’ll help her win her prince despite buried feelings that are beginning to surface and a distrust for the prince. As Camille’s play continues, sparks begin to fly between her and Grayson. Just as she realizes she may have her prince, she’s not sure she wants him anymore. The characters are well-developed and realistic. The author’s detail to the era and setting add another layer to the story. The eccentric characters and the perplexing plots will keep you in stitches. Filled with twists, surprises, romance, and loads of humor, WHAT HAPPENS AT CHRISTMAS is a delightful story that reminds us to be careful of what we wish for. FTC Full Disclosure - This audio book was sent to me by the publisher in hopes I would review it. However, receiving the complimentary copy did not influence my review.

What happens when a young, rich Victorian widow decides she want

What happens when a young, rich Victorian widow decides she wants to marry a Prince from a small country? What happens when said Prince decides to travel incognito? What happens when this widow decides to hire actors to play her family and servants? Well, all could go as planned---or----!!

What happens when our heroine's long lost love comes back after eleven years? What happens when the actress playing the Mom continues to forget her name? And another actress decides to flirt with the prince?

There is a lot of humor in this farce. There is also a lot of emphasis on communication and forgiveness. Of course, the obligatory sex scene changes everything for our characters. For all those who enjoy Victorian romances, this book will win over your hearts!

This was one of the best romances I've read in a long time...

This was one of the best romances I've read in a long time...

No text was provided for this review.

No text was provided for this review.