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Synopsis from the publisher:
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.
My review:
3.25/5 stars. Carols and Chaos has a lot of atmosphere and potential, but it doesn’t live up to it in execution. I loved the vibes, and the characters have good banter, but those are mostly the only positives. Some of the writing is a bit cringey and heavy-handed, and the plot didn’t hold my interest consistently, despite it being a shorter book. However, the ending is cute.
This book is described as being similar to “Downton Abbey” and Jane Austen. There aren’t really a lot of Jane Austen parallels, but there are definitely a lot of “Downton” similarities. The dynamic of staff working at a manor is very reminiscent of that side of the show, except about a century earlier. That’s probably my favorite aspect of the story. I enjoyed seeing the servants interact with each other and the members of the household, and all the old-fashioned language and the cozy setting.
Speaking of language, the dialogue is another great aspect of this book — specifically, between Matt and Kate. They have some great banter from the start. They’re sarcastic and playful with each other but still have chemistry.
On the other hand, while the dialogue is good, the narration is too much at times. When it comes to the romance, the writing feels a little heavy-handed. Instead of letting the characters’ dialogue and actions speak for themselves, the author over-explains to make sure the readers know “these characters love each other.” Similarly, some of the writing is a bit cringey when it describes how Matt and Kate think about each other.
Another problem with the writing is that there’s a bit too much telling instead of showing. The author describes a character’s action but then also explains it. For example, one sentence is something along the lines of “he sighed, indicating his annoyance.” In context, the sigh is enough to show that he is annoyed. It’s unnecessary and redundant to then also state outright what emotion he’s feeling. There are a few moments like that throughout.
The plot is interesting, but not enough to hold my attention very well. I don’t know if it’s the pacing, the characters, or something else, but I didn’t find myself excited to pick the book back up very often. There’s a good mystery and some tension, but not engaging enough. But I did enjoy the way Carols and Chaos ends. It’s a good conclusion and very cute.
Rated: Moderate. One or two instances of mild language. Lots of kissing and making out, described in some detail. Lots of thinking about kissing and wanting physical closeness. Some violence, but nothing detailed or gory.
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