Cindy Anstey

From the author of Suitors and Sabotage comes a swoonworthy Christmas adventure, perfect for fans of Jane Austen and Downton Abbey. 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 mischief, Carols and Chaos—a standalone companion novel to Suitors and Sabotage—is perfect for readers who like their historical fiction with a side of romance and danger. Praise for Carols and Chaos: "One part intriguing mystery, one part cozy romance. Jane Austen fans will enjoy the propriety and the Regency setting, while that dose of Christmas adds an extra bit of cheer.” —Booklist "A nod and a wink to the works of Jane Austen and Charles Dickens. ... This book could serve as a stepping stone to classic read-alikes, such as Pride and Prejudice or Jane Eyre." —School Library Journal

Carols and Chaos

Candyce Kirk

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!

laura

I actually enjoyed this book. I thought it was such a cute historical fiction read that has some holiday drama. I really liked the romance as well in this book and found both POV to be equally interesting. I also liked how really it was focused on historical fiction rules and society rules. It was such a fun read. I also was pleasantly suprised by the mystery and really liked that plot part as well. I def would read more by this author in the future.

Carols and Chaos

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