Earlier this year I read Suitors & Sabotage by this author and I was pleasantly surprised. When I read she was releasing Carols & Chaos and that it was set around Christmas, I was sold. I signed up for the blog tour as soon as I saw it. So first of all, Thanks to the author and Xpresso Book Tours for making it possible for me to read an ARC.
Now let’s take a look at what I thought of Carols & Chaos. There is also a giveaway during this blog tour, so take a look!
Carols and Chaos
Cindy Anstey
Published by: Swoon Reads
Publication date: October 9th 2018
Genres: Historical, Romance, Young Adult
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.
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Review
From the start it’s clear that Carols & Chaos was written by Cindy Anstey. She definitely has an unique writing style. I have read in certain reviews that this is kind of a spin-off of Suitors & Sabotage, but to be honest I think I kind of missed that. It definitely didn’t change my opinion of this story.
Carols & Chaos is a light-hearted Christmas read, but doesn’t put too much attention on Christmas itsself. As the sypnopsis says, this is full of sweet, charm and holiday shenanigans. While this book has all of those elements, I found it lacking a bit compared to Suitors & Sabotage. There was a lot of moments where there was really only mention of how a scene was taking place. Not much actually happened actionwise or even really a lot of dialogue.
It’s clear from the start that Kate and Matt are interested in each other, but I felt that the connection wasn’t as used as it could’ve been. Of course, they spent some moments together trying to figure out where Matt’s friend had gone. I think those moments could’ve been used a lot more. I also found the climax of the book a bit disappointing and the action afterwards seemed a bit out of place. I can’t say too much without giving the plot away.
That being said, I did enjoy this book. I would love to visit the house they’re at around Christmas time and sit near the fireplace with a book. The humor and rules of society in the 1800s are quite entertaining. On top of that Matt and Kate are enjoyable characters. They both work hard to try and make their dreams come true. Even though they know they are feeling something, avoiding it is something that seems wise to do, but they also learn being wise isn’t always the best choice.
If you’re looking for a sweet and light holiday read, with a tad bit of mystery, Carols & Chaos is the book for you!
Author Bio:
Whenever she is not sitting at the computer, throwing a ball in the backyard, gardening or reading, Cindy can be found–actually, not found–adventuring around the world with her hubby.
She has lived on three continents, had a monkey in her yard and a scorpion under her sink, dwelt among castles and canals, enjoyed the jazz of Beale St and attempted to speak French.
Cindy loves history, mystery and… a chocolate Labrador called Chester.
GIVEAWAY!
During this tour you have a chance at winning a signed copy of Carols & Chaos. This giveaway is open internationally and ends on November 18th.
Of course I’m not the only blog participating in this tour, if you want to check out which blogs are participating as well, click here. This list is updated daily with the tour posts!
Carols & Chaos was a cute read that helped me already start to get in the Christmas spirit. What books would you recommend to continue with holiday reads?
Great review, Candyce! This sounds entertaining and a fun holiday read! Glad you liked it! 🙂