Carols and Chaos by Cindy Anstey

Summary from Goodreads:

A lady's maid and a valet become entangled in a yuletide counterfeiting scheme in this romantic Christmas YA adventure.

1817. The happy chaos of the Yuletide season has descended upon the country estate of Shackleford Park in full force, but lady's maid Kate Darby barely has the time to notice. Between her household duties, caring for her ailing mother, and saving up money to someday own a dress shop, her hands are quite full. Matt Harlow is also rather busy. He's performing double-duty, acting as valet for both of the Steeple brothers, two of the estate's holiday guests.

Falling in love would be a disaster for either of them. But staving off their feelings for each other becomes the least of their problems when a devious counterfeiting scheme reaches the gates of Shackleford Park, and Kate and Matt are unwittingly swept up in the intrigue. Full of sweetness, charm, and holiday shenanigans, Carols and Chaos is perfect for fans of Jane Austen and Downton Abbey.

Review:;

This is the second fluffy book I read in a row, where I was hoping for just a little bit more. I enjoyed this. Again, it was a great, easy book to read while traveling. And it’s certainly the right time of year to read this cute, Christmas romance. I just don’t think it’s as good as other books by this author.

I weirdly did not know that this was a sequel to a book I read a long time ago, until after I finished it. So, I guess that answers the question of whether or not you need to read book 1 to like this one. The answer is no. Book 1 is not needed. I didn’t even realize there was a book 1. I guess it’s about another character in the same time/story, so it’s more of a side novel.

I loved the definite Downton Abbey feel to it all. The Christmas celebrations really gave me a hunger to re-watch the show, particularly a certain Christmas episode. I loved all the characters in the house (both upstairs and downstairs). And I also rather enjoyed the romance. It was nice to actually have a romance start between characters who clearly were into each other from the beginning. Their flirting was charming.

The main character, Kate, though was kind of boring. She was almost too good. She put up with a crazy mother, a demanding job, and still had time to genuinely care for every soul around her. I wanted a little more sass from her. I did find elements to the story to be quite hilarious. I love how things ended up with the missing friend. I laughed out loud reading the reunion scene toward the end.

All in all, this was a Christmas mystery/romance that was very fluffy (Hallmark worthy). There was not a lot of substance to the story, but maybe this time of year, that’s what people want to read. It did have good humor and characters. Though, the main character was a tad boring. And it did make me want to re-watch Downton Abbey. Maybe I will soon. I give it a 7/10.