The Christmas Wish

by M.A. Nichols

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She wished for love, and it came true. But what if it’s all a lie?

Evelyn Finch has given up on love. Finding a man to dance with her was difficult enough; finding one to spend his life with her was impossible. Better to embrace spinsterhood and rid herself of that false hope. No man will see her in a romantic light. But when a dashing gentleman sweeps into her life, reigniting her dreams, Evelyn can’t help but wonder if her greatest wish will finally come true.

But he’s not all he appears to be…

Desperation can make a person do foolish things. Though Gideon Payne hadn’t thought himself so ridiculous as to agree to a fake courtship, when Evelyn’s father comes begging for that very thing, Gideon finds himself agreeing. He has the wherewithal to help her find her footing in society, and she has the sterling reputation that will help to repair his ruined one. A mutually beneficial arrangement. That is all.

But the plain wallflower is not at all what Gideon expected. And this simple Christmas courtship soon becomes something far more complicated.

Can a romance started with a lie become something real? Or will good intentions lead to broken hearts?

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Book Details

Genre

Historical Romance

Subgenre

General Historical, Holiday (Christmas, Valentine’s, etc.), Inspirational, Small Town, Victorian (1830

Series

The Finches • Book 3

Audience

Adult

Bell Peppers

🫑

Profanity

1 None

Violence

1 None

Drugs, Alcohol, Tobacco

1 None

Publication Date

April 6, 2024

Language Versions

English

Narration Type

Human

Fiction Form

Novel

wounded healers

This is neither a fast burn or a slow one, rather a stuttering one where the scars of the past, and present, disrupt the course of true love. It is as much about a father-son relationship as it’s about a romantic one. It is about love binding the wounds of the soul, even when the lover is wounded themselves. Nichols always writes well, and her setting of the 12 days of Christmas is evocatively drawn. The dialogue is great and our couleare appealing people.

Supposed to be set in Britain, but...

Theres so much snow in this book. It just doesn't snow this much in southern England in December. Even if the nineteenth century was colder, snow was still rare and disruptive.The characters spend their time sledging merrily around, but families didn't keep sledges for everyday transport. They had coaches which couldnt be driven safely on snowy roads. People stayed at home when it snowed. Business halted. (To this day, most Brits don't use winter tyres or snow chains on their cars, and a snowy day will hurt the economy.)This is a really basic inaccuracy at the heart of the book, which the author could have discovered at the planning stage in two minutes of googling.Besides, men and women who weren't related, married or engaged didn't drive around together unchaperoned.Oh, and we don't say 'gotten'.Anyway, is the love story any good? Not really. It's very wordy, each little glance is over-interpreted for paragraphs on end. Not much happens for chapter after chapter. The hero is meh. And the whole book has a very sweet, American, sentimental tone, where British writers of historical romance tend to be sharper, more ruthless, and funnier.Not my cup of tea.

Another gem

“Aunt Evelyn, why aren’t you married?” with those opening words, I knew I'd like this book. It took me back to my Italian grandmother's dining room table, "why you no married?" Why indeed Grandma? I feel like no one is writing this style of book in the historical romance genre. M.A. Nichols just has this understanding of what utter idiots we make of ourselves in the process of finding love, sometimes it really is incredibly awkward and almost painful. Evelyn and her deer in the headlights reaction to a potential relationship is just so spot on! Not all of us knew how to react when asked out, some of us reacted in fear. And Gideon, I believe he's what the kids would call a cinnamon roll. I really appreciated that difficult relationship with his father playing out. Not all relationships have happy endings, that's just the reality of things. I just have to say, that first kiss. Brilliant. That is indeed the reality of a first kiss where one party has never actually done it before. Another gem, Bravo 👏