You know that wonderful surprise you get when a book comes out early? This was a great surprise to me, because having read the majority of Elizabeth Hanbury's works, I felt confident I would enjoy this tale every bit as much as the others.
The story centres around Prue (Prudence Eylesbarrow) and Hugo - the Lord of Warwick, and also the notorious 'Rake of Rakehell Manor'. It's actually Raikhall, but such is the low regard many in the area have for this man, the irony of the nickname of the residence is not wasted on him.
Prue is a decent young woman of 27 years of age, so as she says so accurately 'we're not in the first flush of youth", but she has an uneasy attraction to Hugo. Why? Well, haven't we all fallen for that someone who is say a bit 'bad', and been very attracted to it?
Having said, that, I'd like to think I err on the side of caution and ultimately pick the good girl over the bad one. Prue is good, we learn that early on. But from the reader's point of view I was wondering if I should want Prue to end up with Hugo.
The story twists and turns beautifully, and the thread that is strongest throughout the book - why Hugo is so dark and broody (not an untypical trait of us males) all the time but especially at Christmas is so well done, that when the reveal happens, it's so good that I simply cannot tell you what it is!
There's also some scenes in the book that really surprised me. Let's just say that if you have read one of Miss Hanbury's books, that does not mean you've read them all. Christmas at Rakehell Manor is a wonderfully crafted romance that has her trademark witty humour running throughout the entire book.
Some of the lines I loved (truncated):
Miss Smee-Bevel: "You, sir, are a scoundrel! Who are you? What is your name? I'm sending Parsloe to fetch the footman!"
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"Christmas comes once a year but the right person comes once in a lifetime."
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"She...wished that they could have kept talking forever without bitter reality intruding."
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Other characters, like Miss Bean, give the story an interesting perspective as she seems the one most harshest on Hugo.
Hugo is a multi-layered character whose demons are played out with great subtlety. Prue is an engaging heroine, and not so dainty and delicate as some heroines are portrayed in these kind of stories.
Like most of my reviews, I like to give readers a taste of what to expect rather than giving away full blown spoilers. Let me summarise by saying that Christmas at Rakehell Manor is a superlative work from Miss Hanbury. My only thought is just how she follows this up!
Do not wait for Christmas - buy this wonderful tale so that you can enjoy it now :)
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