A Christmas Engagement #1
Summary:
In 1805, Charles Denham’s comfortable life in Regency London with his long-term partner Avery Mallory is disrupted by the sudden death of his father. As the heir to a modest country estate in Gloucestershire, Charles returns home to care for his bereaved family and take up his new responsibilities.
Overwhelmed with grief, rather than leaning on Avery, Charles becomes fixed on the idea of taking a wife for reasons of family duty alone. With this plan in mind, he travels the short distance to Bath only to find that Avery and his family have already arrived at the resort.
Will Charles follow through with his ill-conceived plan for a hasty betrothal by Christmas? Or will he come to his senses and resume his relationship with the nicest man in England?
A Lasting Vow #2
Summary:Sequel to A Christmas Engagement
By the spring of 1806 in rural England, Charles Denham's happiness should be complete. He has reconciled with his best friend and long-term lover Avery after a breach caused by Charles’ grief at the sudden death of his father, which left Charles shouldering family responsibilities.
Avery has made allowances for Charles’ misguided actions, and their relationship is back on an even keel. But Charles can’t forgive himself for his past behaviour towards the man he loves so dearly. He feels that some grand gesture is required to assure Avery he will never take him for granted again. Yet the more Charles considers this, his good intentions become increasingly confused.
Might Avery find a way to secure their future together?
Original Review January 2024:
I discovered Ellie Thomas' writing in the second half of 2023, I'm so glad I did. There is a lot of stories I have yet to read, many of which have already found a home on my Kindle but when I was looking for holiday stories and found A Christmas Engagement, how could I not jump in? Christmas ✅
Historical ✅
Second Chances ✅
Subtle(or not so subtle) Helpful Family ✅
Regency Era ✅
Friendship ✅
Heart ✅
Charles steps up to do what he thinks he has to when his father dies but is it really what is best for him? I think you can guess the answer to that but as I'm all about the spoiler-free zone I'll just reiterate my go-to line: you have to read for yourself to find out. There's always a fine line between duty and self, many can stand on the outside and not understand choosing duty over self but unless you lived that choice you can't completely get it. I can't imagine the heartache Charles faces when that line is before him and I can't say I would have Avery's willingness to accept that choice with such support but I do understand and commend it.
Ellie Thomas has once again painted a picture with words so deliciously that you can see it play out in front of you. If I wasn't already a fan, A Christmas Engagement would make me one. There's just the right amount of humor mixed into this heartbreaking yet oddly heartwarming tale of friendship, romance, and deciding if doing what society deems right is really what is best.
So many wonderful boxes ticked. My reading wants tend to favor the longer full-length novels but when a novella is well written it can pack quite a punch, A Christmas Engagement packs just that punch. I have already pre-ordered(2/10/24 release day) the follow-up novella, A Lasting Vow to see where the next leg of their journey finds Charles and Avery.
A Lasting Vow #2
I'll admit, when I decided to read Lasting Vow now I had forgotten that it wasn't set at Christmas as the first one, Christmas Engagement was but as soon as I realized my "mistake" it was already too late to set it aside until Xmas in July was over, I was invested.
Charles and Avery are just as lovely and in love now or even more so as they were a few months prior. Charles however is dealing with a heavy layer of guilt and grief, both from his father passing and how he treated Avery after said loss. Avery tries to soften the guilt but Charles' inner thoughts won't be tamed. On one hand I loved seeing the author "complete" Charles' grief and the choices it led him to make but on the other hand my heart aches for him and wishes he would truly listen to Avery. I guess it's just one of those journeys a character must follow through in his own time. It's a journey the author does beautifully.
Charles' younger brother taking his own journey in the "social scene" adds a wonderful layer of fun for the reader as well as Avery and a bit of a headache for Charles. I'm an only child but despite the historical, social standing, and foreign country setting, I could see many of my friends & their siblings chemistry in this little side story. Who says a story where one of the MCs is dealing with a heavy weight of emotion can't be fun and humorous?😉
Riding along on the men's journey is a true delight, heart-hurting at times but very much heartwarming. If this is where their story ends it is an amazing uplifting experience and if they decide to let the author in on more of their adventure I'll be first in line to read.
A Christmas Engagement #2
Charles paused before saying clearly and deliberately. “With Papa’s passing, it seemed expedient to start to look out for a wife.”
He heard Avery’s sharp intake of breath as Aunt Clarissa looked at him shrewdly. Her bright, old eyes, darker and sharper than Avery’s, seemed to pierce his soul. “You have come to the right place,” she remarked. “Far better to make your selection at your convenience in Bath than to be bothered with the fancy folderols of the London Season. I might be biased as I have fond memories of the place. The town will never be the same as in the heyday of Beau Nash, but it still passes muster, although I say it myself. And you should find a wide array of suitable ladies now you are resolved on matrimony.”
Charles had the sneaking suspicion that Aunt Clarissa was laughing at him and was spared further embarrassment by the timely approach of Mr. King.
“Ladies,” Mr. King uttered, addressing the group. “Might I interest you in a game of Cribbage at the Card Room tonight? The tables are filling up quickly, and I’d be glad to put your names down. From experience, these events prove very popular and can be over-subscribed.”
That popularity was confirmed by eager fluttering from the group of ladies, mercifully distracting Aunt Clarissa’s attention away from Charles.
Charles’ dearest hope was for Avery to have melted away into the surrounding throng during the conversation. Having only begun to establish himself in the confines of Bath’s society, Charles could not afford to cause gossip or general disgust by delivering a cut direct. And in truth, he flinched from being unnecessarily and publicly cruel. None of this was Avery’s doing. He must simply accept that Charles’ priorities had altered with his father’s death.
But when Charles glanced around, Avery was still standing there. He looked a trifle pale at Charles’ announcement but managed a smile as he said conversationally, “You must wonder why we are here. I’m sure you remember all those letters from my aunts pressing Aunt Clarissa for suggestions for her seventieth birthday celebrations?”
Charles nodded as he remembered their shared London rooms in Rupert Street, Avery’s face alight with laughter as he passed Aunt Clarissa’s typically scathing letter over the breakfast table for Charles’ amusement, in a gesture of everyday intimacy.
“Well, Aunt Clarissa refused to be contained by any sedate or convenient notions and decided to drag us all to Bath for the occasion, complete with a hired house on The Circus. According to her, since she’s in her dotage, she won’t get another opportunity to relive her past successes or criticise the current fashions and assembled company at the top of her voice. As you can imagine, both my aunts are thrilled.” Avery’s mobile mouth quirked with humour, and Charles was almost tempted to smile with him until Avery asked, “What does your mother think of your resolution to marry?”
Avery was still smiling, but his eyes seemed almost as shrewd and watchful as Great Aunt Clarissa’s. Charles was only glad that the necessarily loud interchange between the Master of Ceremonies and a lady of the party who was hard of hearing masked the personal turn of the conversation.
“She is delighted I’m assuming my obligations in seeking to establish our family connections.”
“Is she?” Avery sounded mildly surprised. “I’d have thought she would be far more concerned about your happiness and state of mind.”
“I am happy,” Charles retorted.
“If you say so,” Avery smiled agreeably before asking casually, “and since when have you been attracted to women?”
Charles bristled, “What’s that got to do with anything?”
“Everything, I’d say if you seek marital accord.” Avery had the gall to look faintly amused as Charles cast around for a suitable retort, stumbling over half-remembered phrases he had recited to his mama. As Charles reeled off homilies on duty and family responsibility, Avery’s smile faded. But rather than displaying the outrage or bitterness of a repulsed lover, Avery’s expression was full of compassion, tinged with sadness.
Charles completed his speech, sounding pompous and prematurely middle-aged even to his own ears. Avery opened his mouth to impart an urgent observation before hesitating. Instead, he patted Charles on the arm, saying, “I’m sure you know best, Charles,” in a manner that implied no confidence whatsoever in his former lover’s judgement.
A Lasting Vow #2
Charles spent the next ten days reacquainting himself with London and their circle of regular companions. These friends dated from their university days, consisting of permanent city dwellers and visiting country gentlemen like themselves.
The resumption of long-term connections required no intensive maintenance. A few more thoughtful fellows sympathetically asked after Charles’ mother or clapped him on the shoulder saying, “It’s good to see you back in town.”
Charles accepted invitations to dine out or other kinds of organised entertainment as though the climactic events of the past several months fell outside his London existence. Reality could only be kept at bay for so long, but it was still a soothing cocoon.
At home in Rupert Street, Charles fell into similar settled habits with Avery, both intimately and domestically. It’s like I’ve never been away, he mused. He became re-accustomed to waking to see Avery’s head on the pillow, or his smiling face across the breakfast table. On both occasions, he did not hesitate to offer a kiss. Although, if they were both still abed, kisses led to a rousing start to the day.
Occasionally, Charles remembered they hadn’t yet embarked on the discussion that he had judged so all-important when in Gloucestershire. That reminder pricked his conscience occasionally, but there never seemed to be a suitable time. When Charles readied himself to speak, they were expected elsewhere, or a friend dropped by on the off chance they were at home.
As always, Charles was lulled into contentment in Avery’s proximity. Whether they rose early to be on horseback with hired steeds on Rotten Row to blow off the cobwebs long before the fashionable hour or lingered over a sociable glass of wine at a tavern, having Avery at his side propped up Charles’ battered self-belief.
The longer he hesitated, the more he questioned whether discretion might be the better course. Charles didn’t want to misstep and raise the issue of their past disharmony and disrupt their newfound happiness. It’ll happen when it happens, he reassured himself.
His mother wrote frequently to assure Charles that the farm had not gone to rack and ruin. Her letters were full of news of Charles’ siblings together with a few trifling requests found in London shops as if that justified Charles’ leave of absence.
She enlarged upon the odd point of concern in household organisation that Charles could easily solve by letter. That his mother was at pains to emphasise his usefulness caused Charles some heart-searching. He resolved to be of better cheer when he returned home, or at least give the appearance of equilibrium. These bouts of self-doubt were all the more difficult to come to terms with as they were a recent occurrence. Charles had never recognised he was prone to melancholy while his father was alive.
At breakfast one morning, he even received a scrawl from Albie, as caretaker of the estate business in Charles’ absence. Unlike Mrs. Denham’s careful reassurance, Albie was far more interested in listing his expectations for his upcoming stay in London. The breadth of his scope made Charles’ eyebrows rise. He passed the letter over to Avery, who exclaimed, “Good grief! Does he want to pack this into less than a week? Or is he expecting to stay for an entire year?”
Ellie Thomas lives by the sea. She comes from a teaching background and goes for long seaside walks where she daydreams about history. She is a voracious reader especially about anything historical. She mainly writes historical romance.
Ellie also writes historical erotic romance under the pen name L. E. Thomas.
SMASHWORDS / JMS BOOKS / B&N
A Christmas Engagement
A Lasting Vow
