What Happens At Christmas (Millworth Manor, #1)

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What Happens At Christmas (Millworth Manor #1)

3.59 of 5 stars 3.59 · rating details · 312 ratings · 94 reviews

A blazing fire, an English country house…and the ultimate game of charades. In this charming holiday novel from #1 New York Times bestselling author Victoria Alexander, a beautiful widow finds her plan for a Christmas proposal going perfectly awry…

Camille, Lady Lydingham, knows precisely what she wants for Christmas—an official engagement to a handsome, dashing prince. Her...more

Hardcover, 352 pages

Published October 16th 2012 by Kensington (first published January 1st 2012)

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Historical Christmas/Winter Romance

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A Rogue by Any Other Name by Sarah MacLean

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2012 Historical Romance Novels

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Oct 28, 2012 SOS Aloha rated it 5 of 5 stars

Maybe Christmas, the Grinch thought, doesn't come from a store. – Dr. Seuss

For Camille, Lady Lydingham, Christmas comes from a troupe of second rate thespians, hired to deliver a “Dickens” holiday for a Prince. A prince looking for a princess. A prince who might judge her unconventional family. A family who are conveniently away for the holidays.

Victoria, Lady Alexander, delivers a holiday treat with all the trimmings. William, Lord Shakespeare, would appreciate her witty dialogue as a simple p...more

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Nov 23, 2012 Laura the Highland Hussy rated it 3 of 5 stars

Review posted on Demon Lover's Books & More

I have come to look forward to Victoria Alexander’s Christmas novels. This year’s was just as fun and yet, I felt that it wasn’t quite as good as His Mistress by Christmas or My Wicked Little Lies (books 1 & 2 in Sinful Family Secrets series).

This one starts out with twin sisters Beryl and Camille talking about Camille’s ridiculous plot to ensure the man (a foreign prince) who’s courting her both has the perfect English Christmas and proposes to...more

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Jan 23, 2013 Karen rated it 2 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Dec 12, 2012 Susan rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012-books-read, historical-fiction-romance, romance

Very fun book, with a theme of second chances. Camille is well known in her family for her impulsiveness and the fact that it usually gets her in trouble. This one has the potential to do the same. Camille is very stubborn once she makes up her mind and nothing is going to stop her. She has the chance to land a prince as her next husband. The catch is that he wants to experience an old fashioned English Christmas. Most of her family is away, and they're rather unconventional anyway, so she hires...more Very fun book, with a theme of second chances. Camille is well known in her family for her impulsiveness and the fact that it usually gets her in trouble. This one has the potential to do the same. Camille is very stubborn once she makes up her mind and nothing is going to stop her. She has the chance to land a prince as her next husband. The catch is that he wants to experience an old fashioned English Christmas. Most of her family is away, and they're rather unconventional anyway, so she hires a troupe of actors to fill in. What can go wrong? Well, the actors are not the best and seem to have some trouble remembering their parts. Then Camille's old friend Grayson shows up. They had been close friends as children, then the day before she married someone else he told her he loved her. She was stunned as she had loved him for a long time. But she thought it was too late and they said some things to each other and Grayson took off for America. After eleven years he is back. He walks in on the production and decides to "help" by sticking around as her cousin. Camille now has to cope with his reappearance which stirs up old feelings. She also begins to feel that maybe being a princess to a man she doesn't love isn't what she wants after all. I loved seeing her try to manage her actors who weren't doing quite what she asked them to do, and trying to adjust to all the changes that happen. It gets even more interesting when her real family shows up. Grayson has finally come home after making his fortune. When he sees Camille again, he realizes that he still loves her and is not about to lose her again. I loved the way he was there for Camille even though his "help" at times purposely stirred things up. I also liked the way that he was trying to protect her from herself. Both he and Camille had to finally talk about the events of their past in order to move on with their future. I liked the fact that Grayson admitted his mistakes but also wasn't going to give up. Some of the situations that cropped up were so funny that I could hardly read because I was laughing so hard. I loved the secondary characters - Grayson's cousin Win who is the one who got Grayson home, Camille's twin Beryl who is snarky and sarcastic, but supportive, the troupe of actors who just can't seem to keep in character, and Camille's mother and sister who show up and have to be fitted into the play in some manner. (less)

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Nov 30, 2012 Patti rated it 4 of 5 stars

“What Happens At Christmas” was one of two holiday choices for me this Christmas season. You know, the sit by a cozy fire, surrounded by Christmas warmth and wonder while the rain and wind howl outside…snow would have been preferable but I’m in CA.

Boost my rating to 4 1/2 stars because I thoroughly enjoyed this book! Funny – oh yes! The whole premise of the story was fascinating! Took me a couple chapters before I felt oriented, then it plunked me right in the middle of a English Victorian Chris...more

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Nov 30, 2012 Mason rated it 5 of 5 stars

Author Victoria Alexander beautifully blends romance, loyalty, humor, historical England, and mystery with a dash or two of Christmas magic for an engaging read. You always know her book is going to be filled with passion and lots of fun.

Narrator Elizabeth Wiley does a wonderful job bringing all the characters to life. She gives each their own distinct voice keeping the story flowing smoothly. Her accent transports listeners to an English country home for an unforgettable Christmas.

Camille, Lady...more Author Victoria Alexander beautifully blends romance, loyalty, humor, historical England, and mystery with a dash or two of Christmas magic for an engaging read. You always know her book is going to be filled with passion and lots of fun.

Narrator Elizabeth Wiley does a wonderful job bringing all the characters to life. She gives each their own distinct voice keeping the story flowing smoothly. Her accent transports listeners to an English country home for an unforgettable Christmas.

Camille, Lady Lydingham, thought she’d found her perfect prince. All she has to do is give Prince Nikolai Pruzinsky a perfect Dickensian Christmas like he wants and he will surely propose. There is just one problem - her family. There are out of town on holiday and are a bit unconventional to begin with.

Camille, a wealth widow, hires a troupe of down-and-out actors to play her family and staff. With the reluctant support of her twin sister, Beryl, and her husband Lionel, Lord Dunwell, Camille believes she can pull it off. She’ll explain everything to the Prince once they’re married and they’ll have a good laugh.

Camille never dreamed her plan would go up in smoke, but then she never planned on seeing Grayson Elliott again either. She had loved Grayson for years. He had declared his love for her 11 years ago on her wedding day and then disappeared.

Grayson returns to find Camille in the midst of a masquerade. He can’t help but say he’ll help her win her prince despite buried feelings that are beginning to surface and a distrust for the prince.

As Camille’s play continues, sparks begin to fly between her and Grayson. Just as she realizes she may have her prince, she’s not sure she wants him anymore.

The characters are well-developed and realistic. The author’s detail to the era and setting add another layer to the story. The eccentric characters and the perplexing plots will keep you in stitches. Filled with twists, surprises, romance, and loads of humor, WHAT HAPPENS AT CHRISTMAS is a delightful story that reminds us to be careful of what we wish for.

FTC Full Disclosure - This audio book was sent to me by the publisher in hopes I would review it. However, receiving the complimentary copy did not influence my review.
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Nov 24, 2012 Jessi rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012, 2012-challenge, appealing-characteristic-story, historical, romance

It used to be that new releases by Victoria Alexander were a must buy for me. The later Effingtons weren't as interesting as the first and the Last Man Standing didn't really capture my imagination. Oh, don't get me wrong, they were still good, but not the storytelling I had fallen in love with.
I wouldn't say that this book is a return to those early Alexander books because, really, I enjoyed it so much more. Even with having to read it as a teeny-tiny pdf from NetGalley, I tore through this boo...more It used to be that new releases by Victoria Alexander were a must buy for me. The later Effingtons weren't as interesting as the first and the Last Man Standing didn't really capture my imagination. Oh, don't get me wrong, they were still good, but not the storytelling I had fallen in love with.
I wouldn't say that this book is a return to those early Alexander books because, really, I enjoyed it so much more. Even with having to read it as a teeny-tiny pdf from NetGalley, I tore through this book. "Lord Stillwell's Excellent Engagements" is now on my list to buy and I can't wait even a few days.
The story is sort of simple, Boy loves Girl. Girl loves Boy, but he waits until the day before she weds someone else to make her aware of his feelings. She, understandably, is more than a little upset about the wait and says some rather harsh things. Then he says harsh things and runs away to America. Neither of them is truly to blame for the mess but they certainly don't do anything to help themselves.
Well, it's eleven years later and Grayson Elliot is back to visit his cousin at Christmas. It turns out that Camille, (the now widowed) Lady Lydingham is going to be at her childhood home as well.
But from there (is this still the first 30 or so pages?), it gets a bit more complicated. Camille has been raised (as most women were in those days, Alexander, through Elliot's character very fairly notes) to marry for money and status. She's always dreamed about a prince and now she's found a displaced one. One who is interested in experiencing a real English Christmas. Except that her family is out of the country. No problem, she'll hire some actors. Of course, Grayson knows that these people aren't her family. He uses the chance to wriggle his way into the "play" and win himself a chance to work his way back into Camille's heart.
Why not five stars? Well, at the end, there kept being more misunderstandings. Normally, this would have immediately knocked the book down to a three-star for me, but Alexander did have the characters wrap it up fairly quickly. (less)

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Nov 15, 2012 Annette rated it 4 of 5 stars

This is a book which gives a warm feeling about the holiday, and life, and love, and farce and family. It is sentimental, but that is what you expect of a Christmas romance.

Camille and Grayson were friends when they were young, and at one point, the day before her wedding to another man, he tells her he loves her. It does not go well. And they go their separate ways for 11 years.

Now, the widow Camille has the opportunity to become the wife of a prince. But, in order to secure this dream, Camille...more

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Oct 30, 2012 Chelsey rated it 5 of 5 stars

How I laughed out loud with this book! I honestly do not think I have laughed so hard while reading a book in such a long time. I was so invested in this entire setting, as well as the lives of the characters, that I could not stop reading until I had finished. At first I got such a cozy feel right off the first page and then I started to realize the wit and spark that all of Victoria Alexander’s characters carried; I was blown away with my first time reading this author, and it will most certai...more How I laughed out loud with this book! I honestly do not think I have laughed so hard while reading a book in such a long time. I was so invested in this entire setting, as well as the lives of the characters, that I could not stop reading until I had finished. At first I got such a cozy feel right off the first page and then I started to realize the wit and spark that all of Victoria Alexander’s characters carried; I was blown away with my first time reading this author, and it will most certainly not be the last.

Camille, Lady Lydingham, is recently widowed and has her sights set on a new man, a prince to beat all! At the start of Camille’s story we are placed right in the middle of a scheme that she has devised in order to have Prince Nikolai fall right into her arms. Are you ready for her scheme? This is the best part. Lady Lydingham has hired a stage of actors to fill in for her family this holiday season. Yes, you heard right. The entire Christmas season will be carried out with people who are not her real family. Except for her twin sister, Beryl, who claims that she would not miss this event for anything in the world. So this is where our fun begins. Prince Nikolai is very fond of Charles Dickens and has requested a Christmas that rivals the ones in Dickens’ beloved novels. And this, my lovely readers, is exactly what Camille seeks to give him.

What Camille doesn’t expect is a visit from someone from her past. Enter Grayson Elliot. Oh, the romance and tension that was filling the air when these two shared any room or conversation. I loved Alexander’s writing when it came to romance, what passion and intrigue! I fell in love with their back story and each of them. When we first meet Grayson we learn that he has not seen Camille in eleven years, but still you can feel his love for her has never faltered. You have to be dang good at what you do for this to have an effect on your readers!

***Thank you to the publishers at Netgalley for providing me with a e-copy of this book in exchange for my honest review***(less)

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Oct 19, 2012 The Window Seat rated it 4 of 5 stars

I have been very fortunate this month to sample the gamut of Holiday stories from different Historical authors. I’ve read stories of character self-discovery, stories of family reunions and stories made to keep me biting my nails for a happy resolution. Each book was great in its own right, yet I had the most fun while reading Victoria Alexander’s holiday entry What Happens at Christmas. Ms. Alexander’s story is enjoyable for its quick pace, its wonderful characterizations and just the right tou...more

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Oct 22, 2012 Susie rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012, romance

This review can be found on my blog: https://susreviews.blogspot.com

I was so excited when I received my ARC of What Happens At Christmas from Kensington Books via NetGalley. Victoria Alexander has long been one of my favorite romance authors. Her book, Her Highness, My Wife is my #1 favorite romance. Alexander writes about princes and princesses, far off places and wealthy artistocratic families with a penchant for twins and trouble. I love them. So you can imagine the fan-girl screaming that oc...more This review can be found on my blog: https://susreviews.blogspot.com

I was so excited when I received my ARC of What Happens At Christmas from Kensington Books via NetGalley. Victoria Alexander has long been one of my favorite romance authors. Her book, Her Highness, My Wife is my #1 favorite romance. Alexander writes about princes and princesses, far off places and wealthy artistocratic families with a penchant for twins and trouble. I love them. So you can imagine the fan-girl screaming that occurred when I got the ARC. This newest book did not disappoint.

Carmille, Lady Lyndingham, widow of two years, has her sights set on a new man: Prince Nikolai Pruzinsky of the Kingdom of Greater Avalonia. She invites him to a traditional English Christmas with her family at her mother's house, but the problem is her family is not traditional and, aside from her twin sister and her husband, her family will not be there. But that doesn't stop Camille - she simply hires a troupe of actors to act as her mother, younger sister and uncle.

She is convinced that she can get Prince Nikolai to propose and that she will fall in love with him - he's perfect, so how could she not? But her plans to show him a traditional Christmas get a wrench thrown in them when Grayson Elliot, Camille's neighbor and former best friend, walks back into her life. He's been gone for 11 years, after professing his love for her on the eve of her wedding and then running away to America when he didn't get the answer he wanted, but he's back and he knows what he wants and he's ready and willing to fight for it.

Camille must figure out how to juggle an increasingly bad acting troupe, family members who keep showing up, a sarcastic twin and her long-lost love. And she must decide if Prince Charming is really who she wants, or if she wants the one who got away.

Victoria Alexander writes in such a way that you are instantly sucked into her characters' world. You can feel the tension between Camille and Grayson. Grayson is contrite yet strong and Camille is headstrong and stubborn, but she's funny and insecure too. I loved their romance. There were many times which I wanted to put my hand to my heart and swoon in full Southern Belle style.

The secondary characters were a hoot: the overly scornful and sarcastic twin, all the actors, with their inabilities to keep their characters straight, Grayson's cousin and Camille's mother and younger sister. They all added levity to the story and made it so amusing and lighthearted. Perfect for the holidays.

The only thing I was a bit unhappy with was that while Alexander has set up a love triangle with Nikolai, Camille and Grayson, there really isn't all that much time spent with Nikolai. His character actually confused me for a while because I had read, and loved, books about Avalonia and couldn't figure out what time this took place. Eventually we learned that it was 70 years after the previous Avalonian books, but I wish I'd known that sooner. And we just didn't get to know him so his side of the triangle just wasn't all that plausible. I didn't understand why, aside from stubbornness, Camille wanted him.

However, all-in-all, I really liked the book and I was so happy to read more about Avalonia, and really to read anything Victoria Alexander writes. Highly recommended to anyone who likes historical romances and to anyone who has read her previous Effington/Avalonia books.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to review this ARC.(less)

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Dec 08, 2012 Terri Lynn rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: fiction

Since I detest romance novels and don't read chick lit, it surprised even me to find myself ordering this from the library and enjoying it. The description of a 30 year old widow named Camille (Lady Lydingham) of 1886 England deciding to try to get a marriage proposal from a prince from an Eastern European country that no longer exists (unknown by Camille) but who is really an actor playing a part to try to get hold of her money left to her by her husband with the help of her twin sister Beryl...more Since I detest romance novels and don't read chick lit, it surprised even me to find myself ordering this from the library and enjoying it. The description of a 30 year old widow named Camille (Lady Lydingham) of 1886 England deciding to try to get a marriage proposal from a prince from an Eastern European country that no longer exists (unknown by Camille) but who is really an actor playing a part to try to get hold of her money left to her by her husband with the help of her twin sister Beryl (Lady Dunwell) and her husband Lord Lionel Dunwell and a troupe of lousy actors who are to play servants and impersonate her mother and other sister Delilah just sounded hysterically funny and it was.

Camille had wanted to give the prince a perfect English Christmas straight out of Dickens (actually the Dickens Christmases weren't that great) and feared her oddball family was too much. Her father had abandoned the family years ago and her mother told everyone he was dead. The mother spent years bringing in assorted lovers and deposed royalty. The youngest sister, the widowed Delilah, is stuffy and spending the holiday in London with their mother while their father's twin brother Uncle Basil is off somewhere (he is a lecher).

Enter trouble. First of all, the members of the acting troupe do the most ridiculous things. Most of them were in service before going into acting but the woman playing her mother is senile and can't remember the name she is under and keeps calling actors by their real names. The fake Uncle Basil is as much of a pervert as the real one. And the floozy playing Delilah keeps trying to get the prince into her own bed. She also spills the beans to Grayson Elliott about what is going on, mistaking him for an actor.

Grayson Elliott was Camille's friend her whole life and grew up nearby. His parents died and he was raised by his Uncle Roland and his wife. He has a cousin Win who is funny and has had a bunch of fiancees. The two boys were raised as brothers and his Uncle Roland fully intended to give him work and plenty of money but Grayson left for America to seek his fortune (his mom had been American). He has returned after 11 years fabulously wealthy and still in love with Camille. Eleven years earlier, he had startled her the day before her wedding to Harold (Lord Lydingham) by declaring he loved her. She protested that she was to be married but none of the three sisters had been in love with their husbands (just needed to better themselves through marriage as women had few options then) but she led him to think she was refusing him since he wasn't rich and he left town the next day for 11 years, not even returning 3 years ago when she was widowed.

After Grayson learns what is going on from the floozy actress when he brings a basket of baked goods from his uncle and aunt, he sees an opportunity to win Camille over and pushes his way into the crazy scenario pretending to be Camille's cousin. One thing I was annoyed with was how the two of them spent most of the book whining that the other had broken his/her heart 11 years ago. I wanted to say, "Grow up already" to Grayson. He had years to tell Camille he loved her and as she was engaged for almost a year before the wedding, there was plenty of time. Instead of leaving the country, he could have fought for her, and when she was widowed, he's had three years to return. The only reason he returned was Win sending him a message that Win's dad was dying (which wasn't true except that we all are dying).

Things get very sticky when the very real mother and sister Delilah return home and have to take on parts, Camille and Grayson smolder for each other, Grayson has Win "rent" 5 little boys, son of the butcher Mr. Carroll (Carrolls for Christmas), Beryl's husband shows up and finds the prince fondling his wife , and Camille's dad who has been away for 20 years returns.

I laughed through the whole book, the "romance" wasn't too intrusive (the humor predominated), the family and the acting troupe are full of off-the-wall characters, and the lone sex scene was hot. The women here, though hampered by the times they lived in on how to become rich and gain power over their lives, are in no way traditional. They each married rich lords and all three husbands conveniently died and left them with money and property for life that has left them free to do as they wish. Though the father tried to return home for years, the mother would not let him and had lovers though she carried on that he should have just come on home and asked why he didn't. Beryl and Lionel (her second husband) had been notorious about having adulterous affairs but had fallen in love and decided to be faithful. Obviously these gals made the system work for them. This book reminded me some of Jane Austen's writings with women trying to grab a rich lord.

All in all, this is a fun read for the holidays.

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Jan 18, 2013 Suzanne the Mighty ~Satin Seductress~ rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: friends-to-lovers, netgalley-arc, quirky, funny-funny-har-har, historical-romance

Camille, Lady Lydingham needs to impress a Prince, and she has the perfect plan. She will create a picturesque Christmas for him, just as he has read in Mr Dicken's novels, including the perfect family, some ice skating and a few carols, surely he will propose to her after that and she will finally be a Princess and have the Prince of her dreams. All she needs to do is a hire some actors to play her family...what could possibly go wrong?

I can hear what you are all thinking...why is she reading...more

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Oct 26, 2012 Andrea rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: kindle

I would classify this as a historical romance. Lady Lydingham, Camille, has her eyes set on Prince Nikolai and she is determined to get him to propose. She is widowed and has decided to give him a traditional Christmas with a proper English family at Millworth Manor. Eleven years ago Grayson Elliott, who was Camille's friend at the time, revealed that he loved her on the eve of her wedding to another man. He then disappeared from her life and she went on to marry. So now Camille, along with help...more

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Oct 23, 2012 Connie Fischer rated it 4 of 5 stars

Victoria Alexander has penned a delightful novel that mirrors a Charles Dickens type English Christmas. Camille, who has been widowed for a number of years, has met a man calling himself Prince Nikolai Pruzinsky of the Kingdom of Greater Avalonia located somewhere in Central Europe. He is traveling incognito and has dreamed of a true English Christmas. So, Camille, who is smitten by the Prince, decides to give him that perfect English Christmas. As her mother and sister are out of town for Chris...more

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Dec 26, 2012 Ana T. rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: christmas, read-in-2012

t's been quite some time since I've read a Victoria Alexander book and I must admit I picked this one up because I thought it had a lovely cover. Shallow, I know but it seemed like a light and potentially fun read and I just couldn't resist it.

I usually enjoy books that include Christmas and house parties and when I realised that this story would be set during a huge house party where everything is supposed to be perfect because the participants are actors paid to perform I thought this would be...more

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Feb 15, 2013 Marti rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: a-books-2013, historical-romance, time-limit-library

Victoria Alexander's books usually keep me quite entertained. Her characters tend to make me chuckle if not laugh out loud and usually it has some steam in the romance department. I read Lord Stillwell's Excellent Engagements and The Importance of Being Wicked and enjoyed both books in this series. The characters were put together well and the situation was set up to be a hoot, but somehow it missed the mark.

What Happens at Christmas opens up with the prodigal cousin, Grayson Elliott returning f...more Victoria Alexander's books usually keep me quite entertained. Her characters tend to make me chuckle if not laugh out loud and usually it has some steam in the romance department. I read Lord Stillwell's Excellent Engagements and The Importance of Being Wicked and enjoyed both books in this series. The characters were put together well and the situation was set up to be a hoot, but somehow it missed the mark.

What Happens at Christmas opens up with the prodigal cousin, Grayson Elliott returning from the United States much richer than when he left. He was sent over to the nieghbors to welcome them home only to run into his best friend who he has never stopped loving but who broke his heart. Lady Camille Lydingham has opened up the family manor to help hook herself a prince. She is worried about the characters within her family so hires actors to fill the different places. The prince who is called Pruzinsky wanted an English Christmas and Camille is working all out to get that for him and to get a proposal of marriage.

The situation is fraught with dangers. First Grayson pushes his way into the family by claiming to be a distant cousin. Then the real mother and sister of Camille show up and play that they are Grayson's mother and sister... and then the plot thickens with the dead coming back to life, only everyone seemed to know he wasn't dead. If that doesn't show you how difficult is it to pull off the hoax...well that is because not everything is as it seems. There are still more skeletons to be found.
Grayson and Camille think the other has broken their hearts when they were nineteen. In reality neither of them lived up to what the other thought they should do...

The author used the technique of focusing on one day at a time with each day becoming closer to Christmas. I like the technique, but found the rehashing of the past and everyone trying to pull something over on another one, so no one would get hurt overdone.

This book is a D in my mind with a lukewarm love scene toward the end. Perhaps for others it will strike a stronger chord, but for me I am disappointed.
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Oct 17, 2012 Kimberly rated it 4 of 5 stars

Review written for www.books-n-kisses.com

4.5 Stars - If you enjoy historical romance then Victoria Alexander is probably already on your favorites list and this book will keep her right at the top of that list. No one can write historicals like Alexander can. She brings you right into the world of Lords and Ladies until you feel you are living in the wrong era.

I so enjoyed the characters of Camille and Grayson as well as the background players of this book.. and I do mean players. When Camille h...more

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Oct 02, 2012 Jeanne Murray rated it 4 of 5 stars

In a delightful farce, full of witty dialog and entertaining characters, Victoria Alexander explores the deeper themes of love and forgiveness. At times What Happens at Christmas if like a modern sitcom, with unexpected twists, character appearance, comedic scenes, and pithy dialog. At the heart of the story are Grayson and Camille, a couple who have let misunderstandings, anger, and disappointment color their lives and push happiness away. They are paralleled by Camille’s parents whose situatio...more

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Mar 27, 2013 Maxine rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: 50-book-pledge-2013, british, did-not-finish, ebook, historical, romance

This was a major DNF for me. Granted I only managed to get to chapter 5 before I had to put this one down, so perhaps it does improve.

As this is the first Victoria Alexander I've ever read I'm not sure if my issue was with her voice, or if they are unique to this particular book and these particular characters.

The storyline is ridiculous as are the main characters. Both come off as presumptuous and obnoxious.
This story may have been better off as a novella.

I'll still give The Importance of Being ...more

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Jan 20, 2013 Kari Anderson rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: audio-book

Camille has big dreams of marrying a man with a big bank account. She’s not the only one. Her family is known to follow the money. Her first husband was very wealthy, but older, and their marriage didn’t last too long before he died. Now, she is ready to move on, and move up the social ladder. She has her eyes set on a prince who is coming to town for Christmas. She sets up an elaborate scheme, involving several actors, to pose as her family. She wants to make the best impression possible on th...more

Camille has big dreams of marrying a man with a big bank account. She’s not the only one. Her family is known to follow the money. Her first husband was very wealthy, but older, and their marriage didn’t last too long before he died. Now, she is ready to move on, and move up the social ladder. She has her eyes set on a prince who is coming to town for Christmas. She sets up an elaborate scheme, involving several actors, to pose as her family. She wants to make the best impression possible on the prince. However, when you play with fire you are bound to get burned. There are several scenes that don’t go according to script, and Camille ends up with more actors and actresses that she bargained for… including her neighbor, who was more than a friend before she got married.

My Thoughts:
I was looking for a cute holiday audio book to take with me on my travels this season and this fit the bill. I have never read a book by Victoria Alexander, but the cover was cute and Christmas was in the title, so I was sold. I’m easy to please. I got much more than I bargained for.

This book is an absolute hoot! Camille tries to set up the best Christmas ever by hiring actors and actresses to play the roles of her family members, but they end up just going with it when neighbors, friends, family and children show up on the door step. Not at all what Camille had in mind.

When it comes to characters, I absolutely loved them all. Camille and her twin Beryl are the only two who actually belong in the home and they have a great relationship. Both are witty and funny and well beyond their time. Grayson is a dashing young man who is very in love with Camille, but left England 11 years before when she broke his heart. He has been in the US, but came back because he thought his uncle was dying. Now he’s part of the fun. And there’s a hoard of actors and actresses playing roles of family members and servants. Not to mention a group of “orphan” boys whom I ABSOLUTELY love! I can’t help but love kids in books. They are always so stinking cute and in audio books, the narrators do such a great job of sounding like them.

This book was very long. It was 10 discs and between time off for the holidays and weekends, it took me a couple of weeks to get through this audio book. I normally get through a disc or two a day on the weekdays during my commute. This one took me a couple of weeks.

I definitely think this one is a must-read for you when you need a little Christmas cheer, whether it be when you are in a rut this year, or preparing for holidays next year. I give the very entertaining What Happens at Christmas 5 out of 5 bookmarks.
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Oct 24, 2012 DanielleJ added it

What Happens at Christmas is a cute Christmas story set in 1886 England. The author took on a daunting task of creating what felt like 1000 different characters for this story, but somehow I managed to keep them all straight. (That's what happens when the lead character decides to hire actors to play the role of her family in order to impress a prince.) The overall story was adorable, but I did become annoyed by some of the scenes I didn't think were needed. For example, I thought the mother/dau...more

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Nov 30, 2012 Jennifer Crump rated it 4 of 5 stars

This story was very entertaining to read. Camille is putting on the show of a life time to impress a gentleman who she believes will make a great marriage. Everything is going to plan until Grayson Elliott shows back up into her life. He proposed to her once but she believed it to be out of honor and not love. This story has a lot of twists and turns but it was very fun to read. Camille and Grayson circle around each other not wanting to get close but they can’t seem to walk away from each other...more

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Mar 15, 2013 Julie rated it 2 of 5 stars

When I read the inside sleeve, the book seemed to be a delightful English farce along the lines of Wilde's The Importance of Being Earnest. That was the way the book started as well. I wanted a light and entertaining read, and that was what I got for about the first 100 pages. Then, it seemed like the conversations between characters were being repeated again and again without any furtherance of the story. Near the end, there was a graphic sex scene that did not fit the tone of the rest of the b...more

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Nov 06, 2012 Wendy rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: nov-12

What a wonderful read!
Not normally a fan of Christmas stories, however this book will have to go on my list of all-time favorites. From the first page until the very end I was pulled into the setting, the lives of the characters and the events as they were unfolding.
The story centers around Camille who decides to hire actors to play the role of her family in order to impress a foreign prince who wants to experience an English Christmas. When a man from Camille's past knocks on her door her plan...more

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Jan 20, 2013 Cherie Jensen rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: e-book

Two stars. It was OK. That it took almost five days for me to finish tells a story. I stayed with it to find out what happened. I started it to get the background for the next in the series, I'm glad I did because I'm now familiar with Winfield Elliott the hero of "The Importance of Being Wicked".

The heroine, Camille, seemed like a bit of a ditz. Her weakness is schemes that have not been thought through. Although, to be fair, few schemes can be thought through thoroughly. (Did you like those th...more

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Dec 12, 2012 My Book Addiction and More MBA rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: christmas, historical-romance, regency-england

WHAT HAPPENS AT CHRISTMAS by Victoria Alexander is an exciting Regency historical romance.Follow, Camille, Lady Lydingham and Grayson Elliott on a Christmas time adventure of passion,holiday spirit,secrets,deception,and humor. Ms. Alexander has done it again with this delightful story of love lost,and found again. If you enjoy Christmas time stories with a flare for the drama,deception and love you will enjoy "What Happens At Christmas". Received for an honest review from the publisher. Visit th...more

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Nov 24, 2012 Ronna rated it 3 of 5 stars

What happens when a young, rich Victorian widow decides she wants to marry a Prince from a small country? What happens when said Prince decides to travel incognito? What happens when this widow decides to hire actors to play her family and servants? Well, all could go as planned---or----!!

What happens when our heroine's long lost love comes back after eleven years? What happens when the actress playing the Mom continues to forget her name? And another actress decides to flirt with the prince?

Th...more

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Jan 17, 2013 Eileen rated it 5 of 5 stars

What a pleasant surprise. The WHOLE story was a hoot. Camille came up with the idea of hiring actors to pose as her family to impress a prince in proposing marriage over the Christmas holiday. What could go wrong did go wrong. Beryl her twin sister was so much fun too. I'm still smiling just thinking about the whole thing. There was a real sentimental moment when all the women were having tea and they talk of the past which was very nice.
This book was given to me for the holidays and it was an...more

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Jan 10, 2013 Kimmie rated it 3 of 5 stars

This was a nice Christmas story. Basically: wealthy but beautiful young widow wants to marry a prince. The prince wants to experience a classic English Christmas, so Camille hires actors to create one for him. Her first love appears in the midst of all this, and hijinks ensue.

This is a sweet, G-rated romance with the exception of the actual hook-up scene, which is what you'd expect from a typical romance novel; thus, I do NOT recommend this book for teens or children. Overall, this is a fun, lig...more

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About Victoria Alexander

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.

(1)romance author
Chery Griffin was born in 1965, she grew up traveling the country as an Air Force brat, but now is settled in Omaha, Nebraska, with her husband, two teenaged children, and a bearded collie named Sam. She has spent much of her life with a microphone in one...more

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Books by Victoria Alexander

A Little Bit Wicked (Last Man Standing, #1)

What A Lady Wants (Last Man Standing, #2)

Secrets of a Proper Lady (Last Man Standing, #3)

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BBCode	[url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13542677-what-happens-at-christmas?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book][img]http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1337173987l/13542677.jpg[/img][/url] [url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13542677-what-happens-at-christmas?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book]What Happens At Christmas by Victoria Alexander[/url]

What Happens At Christmas (Millworth Manor #1)

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