Once Upon a Christmas: a Regency Matchmaker Series Christmas Story (The Regency Matchmaker Series)

A lighthearted Christmas tale set during the time of Jane Austen, about a widowed viscount with two mischievous little girls, one runaway heiress in disguise, an adorable baby elephant, and one outrageous old matchmaker who knows everyone's business better than they do. It's Regency romance at its best.

ONE CULTIVATES SCANDAL, WHILE THE OTHER AVOIDS IT ...

When Miss Emily Winthrop, impulsive heiress and aspiring spinster, flees London and the glittering Society engagement her parents have planned for her, she is soon hungry and penniless. But when the servants at Stendmore Park take pity on her, she suddenly finds herself pressed into service as a makeshift governess. A scandalous masquerade under an assumed name and gainful employment are just the thing to assure that no tonnish man will ever want to wed her. 

The notorious rakehell David Winter is up to his cravat in trouble. After his elder brother's death, he's returned to the family's ancestral estate as the new Viscount, but everything is in a shambles. No staff, no supplies, and no money. For the sake of his two young daughters, he needs a hefty loan. And for that, he must convince Society that he had become responsible, predictable, and respectable. A formal house party is just the thing to show them all that he has reformed--if he can avoid the kissing boughs and his children's maddeningly attractive temporary governess.  

Unfortunately, the adorable baby elephant Emily liberated from the cruelty of a traveling menagerie two nights ago is about to complicate matters for both of them. If Emily can't keep the playful, syllabub-slurping, flower-waving menace hidden, the Viscount will sack her, and she'll be forced to return to London-- and Lord Winter's guests will have absolute proof that he hasn't changed one bit.

REVIEWS

“Fun and delightful...Melynda Beth Andrews' Once Upon a Christmas turns a chaotic house party into a warm romance. A keeper!”
— Robin Taylor, RT Book Club

"Delightful stuff."
— Elizabeth Bennefeld, Patchwork Prose

A NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR:

Dear Reader,

ONCE UPON A CHRISTMAS is a Regency set historical romance. It's novella-length, about 41,000 words, or about half of the length of one of my usual novels.

It is part of my REGENCY MATCHMAKER SERIES, but it is a stand-alone novel and can be read and enjoyed without reading the other books in the series.

My newsletter, THE FURTHER ADVENTURES, contains short stories featuring reader-favorite characters from my past novels. They're my gift to you! All you have to do is tell me where to send them. Just go to my website at:

www.MelyndaAndrews.com

Wishing you a very merry Christmas!

--Melynda