Sunday Brunch: A Countess For Christmas by Christy McKellen

Title: A Countess For Christmas

Author: Christy McKellen

Series: Maids Under The Mistletoe #1

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Publisher: Harlequin

Pub Date: October 1, 2016

Pages: 256

My Copy: Courtesy of NetGalley and Harlequin

Book Summary:

The earl's secret bride… 

Emma Carmichael is shocked when she sees who she's waitressing for at a lavish party—Jack Westwood, the new Earl of Redminster. Her new life comes crashing down when Jack announces to the world that they're married! 

Jack has never forgotten his first love despite the tragedy that tore them apart. When the paparazzi cameras intrude, he proposes they live as man and wife until the fuss dies down. Emma feels like Cinderella, masquerading as his countess…only, behind closed doors, their marriage feels tantalizingly real…

Book Review:

An enjoyable contemporary romance. This book had a very enjoyable heroine and hero. Emma and Jack just sizzle together when they are around one another. Emma and Jack are not like other couples because of their circumstances.

Emma is working at a party trying to pay off the last of her father’s debts. We get some of her past and find out that her father was a peer of the realm who got into some trouble and kept these things from his family. After he died the debts were enormous and it left Emma and her mother in a terrible position. Her mother was in no position to work, so Emma had to work and all her friends and members of the peerage which she belonged to turned their backs on her. This Emma left her in the position which she finds herself at the beginning of this story. She is now forced to work to pay off debts.

I totally like how while she is working at a party for a pig named Joylon. Joylon keeps trying to hit on her while she is serving the guests at the party. What spooks her is when she sees Jack Westwood at the party, who happens to be the Earl of Redminster. Yet there is a past and a secret that these two individuals know about. Bad things happen at the party and of course what happens is that Jack rescues Emma from Joylon's  clutches and announces in spectacular fashion that Emma is his wife.

Of course this leads to some very interesting things happening. Once this announcement happens, they make an arrangement to live together and pretend to be the happy couple in love. This leads to a lot of things happening between them with the press and Jack's family interefering with things. Jack and Emma try pretending to be the happily married couple. We learn through out a series of events what drove them apart and how Emma suffered without reaching out to Jack. We also learn that Jack has never stopped wanting Emma. So during this pretending things happen and they start to reconnect in a way that’s powerful. 

I totally found the start to finish of this book driven by what it means to give up things. Reconnect with the person you thought hurt you. I totally found that Emma and Jack work through their issues through time and patience and helping each other. I like the way they talk to one another and come to reassure one another of things. Things happened that I never expected and it was great to see these things make them stronger as a couple.

A wonderfully sweet book that makes you believe in second chances and happy endings. This was the kind of book that you fall in love with both characters and things happen that were forced upon them and they realize that they are stronger together rather than apart and Emma realizes she needs this man in her life and vice versa for Jack.

A perfect romance for those of us looking for something sweet to read.

Rating:

4.5 Hearts