The Christmas Countess

Others have summed up the plot so here are a few comments about this story. I've never encountered the author before but somehow came across this title and ordered it to read during the holidays. It had a wonderful atmosphere and the setting at a Christmas house party in early Victorian England was well done. I liked all of the characters and actually enjoyed the secondary romance between Charlotte and Daniel more than the main one. However, Rebecca and Cameron's story was well drawn and moved at exactly the right pace. The fact that Rebecca had anticipated her wedding vows with her first fiance was believeable and I had a real sense of sympathy for her in her sad loss on his death. Cameron, as a widower, has made nearly a full recovery from his loss and now needs to go forward into a new relationship. Here is what kept this from being a 5 star read: I really did not like Lily - partly her behaviour resulted from her upbringing but I could not warm to her at all. And, secondly, although the sexual scenes between Rebecca and Cameron were well done, I was jerked out of the flow by the use of extremely generic anatomical terms that seemed out of kilter with the sense of love and passion between the main characters and the general tone of the story. I thought this could have been handled better. Overall, I would recommend this as a very engrossing and rewarding read. I don't rate it as a keeper but I am intrigued to read more by the author.

This book was excellent - almost didn't read it because of the cover and title. Rebecca finds out her stillborn daughter is actually alive and living with the Earl of Hampton. She asks her brother to contact the Earl of Hampton and in the end they both get invited for the Christmas holiday. Two romance bloom and wonderful mature story develops, Enjoy! If you enjoy this genre I would also suggest; The Rogue and the Rival, The Bride Price (Avon Romance) and Compromised (Berkley Sensation).

Rebecca Tremaine has felt too much loss in her young life. When she met and fell in love with Phillip, Rebecca believed she had found her happily ever after. Even after finding out she was pregnant with Phillip's child during their engagement, Rebecca still believed all would be well. But that's when tragedy struck. Twice. Phillip was killed in an accident, and their beloved baby was still born. Now six years later her father, the town vicar, has passed away. While packing up her father's office and preparing to move out of the vicarage, Rebecca comes across a stack of love letters from her mother and her father. Warmed by the thoughts of her parents young and in love, Rebecca carefully hugs the letters to her chest. But the stack of letters slips out of her hands and lands in a scattered mess on the floor. As she is gathering the letters, Rebecca finds one envelope that is not in her mother's handwriting. Filled with intrigue as to why her father would keep another woman's letter, Rebecca opens the letter and reads it. Only to have her world crumbled into pieces yet again. The letter is written by her great aunt and reassures Rebecca's parents that it was for the best for the entire family that Rebecca's precious baby was given to the Earl and Countess of Hampton to raise as their own. Though hurt and heartbroken by her parents' betrayal, Rebecca is ecstatic to know that her little girl is alive and well. Rebecca enlists the help of her brother Daniel in located the Earl and Countess of Hampton in the hopes of seeing and talking with her darling little girl. Cameron Sinclair, the Earl of Hampton, is no stranger to loss. He too has felt the biting sting of death. His beloved Countess, Christina, has been gone for three years. Three very long years. Watching the disease take his vibrant wife was difficult for Cameron to bear. The one saving grace he could hold on to was their beautiful little daughter Lily. Cameron and Christina had tried having a child of their own, but Christina's body would not carry a child to full term. So when they received a letter from a distance family member describing a woman in need of giving away her child, Cameron and Christina gladly accepted the babe as their own. Lily brought such joy to their lives. But now that joy is at jeopardy. After being cornered by Daniel Tremaine in a London club, Cameron learns that Daniel's sister Rebecca is Lily's biological mother and that she hopes for the chance to see and talk with her daughter. After much thought and deliberation, Cameron decides to invite Daniel and Rebecca to Windmere, his country estate in Kent, for the Christmas celebrations. Cameron figures this way Rebecca can be introduced to Lily in a confined area with limited spectators. Definitely a better place to keep his eye on her and his lovely daughter. But once encased in the beautiful setting of Windmere, Cameron realizes Rebecca is more than Lily's biological mother

Instead of grieving her father's death, Rebecca Tremaine is irate to discover the lie he perpetrated on her even if logically she knows he did it for her own good and that of her child. She thought her daughter died, but instead learns that the Earl of Hampton and his wife adopted her six years ago. Widower Cameron Sinclair has loved his little Lily from the moment he first held her. He wants to tell Rebecca she can't see her daughter because Lily comes first and he fears the harm the biological mother could do to his beloved spoiled daughter. However, he end up reluctantly agreeing.. To his shock, Rebecca brings an upbeat positive light to the household although she is concerned about Lily's impish behavior; the child is a handful as she has her daddy wrapped around her tiny fingers. As she and Cameron fall in love, each believes this may prove the greatest Christmas of them all; but both understand Lily comes first. This is an engaging historical holiday romance with an upbeat tone to the plot. The three prime players come across as genuine with the adults needing to move beyond their respective ghosts of Christmas past if they are to share the joys of Christmas future with the rascally matchmaking Lily. Harriet Klausner

While sorting her father's papers to settle his estate, Rebecca Tremaine learns that the baby she delivered stillborn is actually alive. Her family lied to her about the birth of her baby to spare the family the scandal of her unwed pregnancy. Her Aunt Mildred arranged for her baby to be raised by the Earl of Hampton who had recently lost a baby to miscarraige. After learning of their parents' duplicity, Daniel Tremaine (Rebecca's brother) arranges to speak with Cameron Sinclair, the Earl of Hampton to discuss a meeting between Rebecca and the Earl's adopted daughter Lily. Shortly after adopting Rebecca's baby, Cameron's beloved wife died from a long illness. He was forced to raise Lily by himself the past three years. Even though he is angry at Rebecca's intrusion into his life, Cameron decides to invite them to his country home for the Christmas holidays. There are usually thirty guests in his home, and this will give Rebecca time to observe Lily under Cameron's close supervision. As Rebecca joins the Christmas celebrations, she is able to get to know her daughter. To her dismay, she learns that her daughter is terribly spoiled by her father. Rebecca and Cameron continually disagree about his methods of raising Lily, but their arguments only serve to spark the romance growing between them. Their passionate exchanges lead to a burgeoning love affair surrounded by the joy and celebration of the Christmas season. Adrienne Basso's THE CHRISTMAS COUNTESS is wonderful! It is passionate and funny while showcasing the best of the Christmas holiday's goodwill. The sprit of the Christmas season comes alive with Cameron and Rebecca's romance in this delightful novel. I read it one sitting, and plan to run out and get the rest of Basso's novels! This is a must for all readers!