Mistletoe Mischief - Sandra Heath

A Christmas Match

A lovely orphan who was unfairly dismissed from her last place of employment, Megan Mortimer can't believe her luck when the notoriously eccentric Lady Evangeline Radcliffe hires her as a companion. Evangeline is well aware of the unjust accusations that ruined the unfortunate girl's reputation-but she fully intends to make this Christmas one Megan will remember forever. ...

Arriving at her home in Brighton with Megan in tow, Evangeline is surprised but delighted to find her distant cousin, Sir Greville Seton, already in residence. As the date of her annual holiday theater extravaganza draws near, Evangeline grows ever more determined to bring Megan and Greville together-despite the fact that Greville despises women who work as companions. But when this bitter bachelor embraces the spirit of the holiday season, his old grudges quickly give way to a joyful and precious new love. ...

Another Christmas read and traditional regency by Sandra Heath, an author I keep reading even if not all her books work for me. This one was a so so, nice enough but not memorable.

Miss Megan Mortimer is a Lady's companion. She is dismissed from her last job after being blamed for the advances the Lady's son and is then employed by Lady Evangeline. Lady Evangeline was actually a really nice character, an older woman decided to right a past wrong and to marry her two nephews happily, who is in love with a family friend and speaks with ghosts. Yes, this story has a ghost, Heath seems to be fond of adding these magical elements to her stories and I keep reading them even if they don't work for me.

One of Lady Evangeline's nephews is Sir Greville, who hates companions because his father run off with one. From the rest of the story one gathers that Sir Greville's mother wasn't happy even before the father run away so may the companion did her a favour but he doesn’t' t seem to see it that way. In the blurb much is made of his attitude but I felt her overcame his dislike for Megan really quickly and from then on the happy ending in sight.

The story revolves around Megan and Sir Greville, how he at first believes what is being said in polite society about how she was dismissed but then believes her and stands by her but also about Lady Evangeline's other nephew Lord Rupert Radcliffe and his problems after realising he may have let slip the woman he loves through his fingers as she is now being courted by another man (and a nasty piece at that). And around the ghost who we realise is a Shakespearean actor waiting to be reunited in death with his lover and that Megan can also see. His actions will give her a help in a much needed situation.

The book has some funny moments but I think it never really stands out; it's entertaining but not memorable. I wish more time would have been devoted to Lady Evangeline's romance with her neighbour and maybe if there weren't so many stories and main characters things would have felt more solid.

Grade: 3.5/5