I received a reviewer copy of A Holiday by Gaslight by Mimi Matthews from the publisher Perfectly Proper Press from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

What It’s About: Ned has been enchanted with Sophia since he saw her at a party. Knowing her family is financially bankrupt, he asks to court Sophia knowing he is only being considered because of his wealth. He is from a lower class and desperate to impress Sophia buys an etiquette book, but all Sophia wants is to know him. Convinced he's cold, she ends things but Sophia gives him one more chance to charm her over Christmas. 

What I Loved: This cute little book was exactly what I needed. The writing was spot-on, the characters were super likeable, and the romance was a great speed.. I loved the fact that it was sent in Victorian England and I really felt like I was in Victorian England. I really loved the 'love match'  between Ned and Sophia. It is wonderful to see a man encouraging a woman's brain and independence. Sophia was a wonderful lead thoughtful, cared about her family but also her happiness, it was great! Also not too cheesy.

What I Didn't Like So Much: I wish it wasn't a novella. I wish we had more time with the characters and to develop the storyline. I wish we'd gotten a bit more banter. This was just to say that I was upset it was a novella but there's nothing to be done about that other than to read more of the author's work. 

Who Should Read This: People who love historical romance. People who loved Bringing Down the Duke and To Have and to Hoax but wanted a more PG less steamy version. People who love Christmas romance. 

Quick Summary: A short and sweet historical romance!

what an amazing book!! The author is a master of creating stories and characters. I will definitively be reading books of this author!! Great job.

I really enjoyed this novella. I must admit I went into this knowing nothing but it was a Christmas novella and the cover was gorgeous! Look at it. So lovely! I fell in love with the story and with Ned and Sophie. The only complaint was that I wanted more of them and the beginning was a little slow.

Holiday by Gaslight is a perfectly romantic, historical epic. I loved every single page and getting lose in the world that the story built. Five stars!

This was just such a sweet little romance!  Ned is a delightful hero, so respectful of Sophie that he almost loses her.  It made him feel relatable and more real, that he is super successful and yet becomes tongue-tied when around the girl he’s courting because he’s so worried of saying the wrong thing.  

Sophie, on the other hand, is looking for a man who sees her as something more than an object to be obtained—someone who actually sees and likes her for herself.  After several months of her suitor barely speaking two words to her, she feels like he isn’t even interested in her and resolves to break it off.  

The second chance comes when he goes to their country estate for a Christmas party and Sophie makes him promise to be honest with her.  As they begin to learn how to communicate with each other, it gets so sweet.  

Further, I enjoyed the little tidbits on gaslight production.  Having been in a home still plumbed for gas from the 1880s a few months back and seen the original fixtures in action, I was slightly surprised to hear that propane doesn’t burn hot enough and that “coal oil” would have been brighter.  I’d never heard of coal oil before, and no one really knew how it was produced, though the old-timers also on the tour said it somehow came from coal.  This book gave a few more hints of how that would have been achieved, and having seen dimmer propane in action gave a great relevance to this mention of gaslight.  It’s a nice warm light, quite enough to read and see by, but without the glare of modern lights.

Thanks to the publisher for a free reading copy.  A favorable review was not required.  The review is based off a finished copy I own in paperback.

A Holiday By Gaslight was an absolute joy to read. I loved the premise for the story beginning with a refusal of a suitor followed by a change of heart by the heroine who decides to start again and take a bit more time and effort to learn whether she and her former suitor are, in fact, suited for each other or not. I tore through this story and loved the fuzzy feelings I  felt reading it as our main love interests came to know each other better and opened their minds and hearts to each other. As I finished this story I found myself putting on North & South in the background to support my mood, only to learn after completing the book that the author points out the North & South similarity’s that fans may have noted. I hadn’t stopped to think about the similarities, but I certainly felt them in the characters and the story. Richard Armitage’s John Thornton was certainly brought to mind as I read A Holiday By Gaslight. This was a completely enjoyable read and I look forward to reading more from Mimi Matthews!

I loved this novella! It's sweet and perfect for the Christmas season. I loved the main characters. It's been a while since I read something written about the Regency period, and I really enjoyed it.

I would like to thank netgalley and Perfectly Proper Press for a free copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

I liked that the MC's came from two different classes of people, but would have liked to get to know the two MC's better.

The first thing that caught my eye was the cover. How could I ignore it, when it's so pretty? The next thing that made me want to read this book was the fact that it was not only a Christmas story, but a historical romance one. So basically you have the two best things in the world put together. I've never read Mimi Matthews before, but I absolutely loved this introduction into her world and I believe I shall dive into her backlist in the upcoming year.
The book opens with Sophie breaking up with Edward, and then realizing she has to invite him to spend Christmas at her family's house. Sophie wants to marry for love, but at the same time she knows that because of her father's very eccentric life style she needs to marry someone rich to maybe give her sister the chance to marry with whomever she chooses. I really liked Sophie. She was a very smart young lady, and very daring. She was also very loving, and she really wanted what was best for her sister. I was mad on her behalf, because she really got the worst father possible. Her dad was much more interested in making people believe he was rich, cultured, and deserving of his title, and he would do anything to make that happen, even spending his daughters' dowries, with no thought as to what that would mean for their futures. He wanted to have the most modern house, the most modern appliances, and if that meant making a very bad impression to his potential soon-to-be son in law the so be it. I honestly hated the guy and felt sorry for his wife, as well as his daughters.

Edward was exactly what I pictured he would be. He was quiet, a little bit distant, very guarded about his feelings, especially with people he didn't know. But once I got to meet him, I realized there was a charm to him that was almost irresistible. I really enjoyed his relationship with Sophie, I liked seeing them get to know each other properly. And I liked their courtship, I thought it was very sweet.

This book reminded me in some ways of Pride and Prejudice. I was actually flooding Haley's DMs (The Caffeinated Reader) while I was reading this book, and at one point I told her that for some reason Sophie's younger sister reminded me a bit of Lydia Bennet, but without the idiot money-hungry future husband of hers. No, Edward's friend was quite nice and a gentleman. I quite liked him. The book also had a Dickensian feel to it, which I also loved. Basically I loved everything about this story. I did have a big issue with Sophie's father, like I said.

The book was rather short, with only 175 pages (or 4 hrs and 4 mins for those of you wanting to listen to this book in audio version). I actually took advantage of my Audible Escape membership and listened to this book while working one afternoon and I absolutely adored the the narration. The narrator, Alex Wyndham, did a fantastic job at bringing the characters to life.

All in all, the perfect story to get you in the holiday spirit.

A highly enjoyable, fast paced book. I read it in one night. Recommend!
I received an ARC of this book from Netgalley. Thank you, Netgalley!
All opinions are my own.

An enchanting historical novella that blends elements of Victorian technology, Charles Darwin's On the Origin of Species, etiquette books, and Victorian Christmas traditions with a sweet cross-class romance. Wholly original. Not to be missed.

Matthews, Mimi. A Holiday by Gaslight: A Victorian Christmas Novella. Perfectly Proper. Nov. 2018. 169p. ebk. ISBN 9780999036464. $2.99. HISTORICAL ROMANCE 
After a two-month courtship, Sophie Appersett, daughter of an impoverished baronet, ends her relationship with the austere but wealthy merchant Edward Sharpe, believing him indifferent to her. Ned is perplexed when having strictly followed all the rigid protocols of high Victorian society etiquette he is flatly rejected by the woman he longs to marry. Sophie later decides to give Ned a second chance by inviting him to celebrate the Christmas holiday at her family’s country estate. Raised by caring but abstemious parents, Ned must learn to show his true feelings to Sophie, or he will have his heart broken again. Matthews (The Matrimonial Advertisement) pays homage to Elizabeth Gaskell’s North and South with her admirable portrayal of the Victorian era’s historic advancements in addition to courtship struggles arising from societal castes. Revealed incrementally throughout are family circumstances molding the characters of both Sophie and Ned, allowing their genuine identities to evolve naturally, just like their sincere and sweet romance.
VERDICT With this stand-alone novella developed into a full-length novel, readers will easily fall for Sophie and Ned in their gaslit surroundings. Suitable for a clean reads audience.—Eve Stano, Indianapolis P.L.
This review was originally published in Library Journal Xpress Reviews: E-Originals, October 12, 2018.

Part of the A Victorian Christmas Novella series a well written story that I found myself smiling through. Mr. Edward Sharpe is a wealthy manufacturer who meets Sophie Appersett and they do not get off to a good start, but Christmas is coming a lot can happen at this time of love. This is the first book by this Author that I have read and I will be looking for more by her.

Review:

Sophie — willing to marry outside her class to ensure the survival of her family. It’s a cute short read. And, if you don’t have any issues with a Christmassy/winter read in the dead of Summer — go for it.

It is a Victorian setting and what I like really…is that the dialogue doesn’t take me out of the story. I’ve noticed with Victorian setting the dialogue often feels hard to read through.

Downloaded from Netgalley free in exchange of an honest review.

Thank you very much for allowing me the opportunity to read this book!  I appreciate the kindness. <3

Who doesn’t love a feel-good Christmas novel?  I found this story easy to read and light-hearted. The historical references were wonderful. Great characters and relationships. Definitely recommend.

A Holiday By Gaslight: A Victorian Christmas Novella by Mimi Matthews

Sophie Appersett does not have many suiters or prospects and no dowery, so when she calls off her courtship to the stern and wealthy London merchant Mr. Edward Sharpe, he can only assume that their class differences are too much for the proper daughter of a baron. 

Sophie has been reading Darwin and knows that like all creatures the gentry needs to adapt with changing times… so why reject Mr. Sharpe’s suit? Has she been rash in with decision? Could she give hime a second chance where they are themselves, loyal daughter and sister Sophie and hard working and carling Ned? Can these two find love in their truth?

I truly enjoyed this novella, Mimi has a wonderful why of entwining history into her story and creating characters that you can root for. I loved both Sophie and Ned and found them both to be solid charatures working on themselves and their futures, while trying to make love happen as best they knew how. The infusion of truthful speak was wonderful in a genre where miscommunications and folly often run the story.

I highly recommend, this book and I myself will be going to pick up more of Mimi’s work! A Holiday By Gaslight by Mimi Matthews was released November 13, 2018.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Perfectly Proper Press through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

#HolidayByGaslight #NetGalley

I wasn't sure what to expect, but I enjoyed reading this. An interesting story with fun characters. Well written.

A Holiday by Gaslight was a very intriguing read. I enjoyed the ambiance and historical setting; but the most interesting aspect was the lesson for all of us in that first impressions are not always right or the best. Second chances or glances reveal more facets to people and maybe that we are mistaken in our assumptions; and therefore, may miss out on the very best for our futures. Being willing to admit an impulsive mistake, allows Sophie another chance to see Edward Sharpe in a different light. She finds a treasure she might have lost if she had continued with her preformed opinion. I highly recommend this read. Thanks to Victory Editing for allowing me to read this novella on Netgalley.

Unfortunately, this was a book I had to DNF. I’ve tried to pick it up a couple times since NetGalley was nice enough to let me have if for my honest review, but I just can’t seem to get into it.