Christmas at Rakehell Manor

For a romantic escape from the holiday rush, Elizabeth Hanbury’s most recent release will do the job admirably. [Elizabeth told Armitage Authors about her experience discovering Richard Armitage when North & South first aired here.]

Christmas at Rakehell Manor

I had been meaning to read a book by Elizabeth Hanbury for some time and had a couple of titles on my kindle. The blurb for this one really appealed to me. I love Regency stories and this hit all the right buttons.

Hugo, Marquess of Rakehell Manor (Raikhill Manor), named for its reputation of orgies and strange goings on, is hoping to spend time at his home so he can pretend the Christmas season is not happening. Along comes a neighbour who insists he take in his niece and friend as there is fever in his household. Hugo is railroaded into accepting, but it determined to ignore his guests as much as possible during their stay.

Enter Pru, a gentleman’s daughter, but due to being more or less alone in the world and determined to make her own way ( as a cook, companion, nurse etc) has come to visit her Uncle Nicholas, only to find she has to stay at Rakehell. She and her elderly friend Hermione accept the situation and slowly find that things are not always as they seem and to certainly not trust gossip.

There is an instant attraction between Pru and Hugo as each makes a mark on each other’s lives and begin to heal each other with a few mishaps and misunderstandings along the way. The story is romantic, tender and heartwarming, all the right boxes ticked for a Regency holiday romance. I have started reading another of her books immediately, wondering why I hadn’t before!

— Guest review by Angela Smith, a long-time Armitage admirer.

Angela gave Christmas at Rakehell Manor a five-star rating at Goodreads. For a look at what other novels Elizabeth Hanbury has written, check out her Amazon author page. Here.