Review of Mistletoe for Felicity: A Regency Romance by Sally Britton

I’m sorry that this review of a Christmas themed novella is being posted at the end of January, but I had actually bought this as a Christmas present for my sister. She kindly has let me borrow it after she had finished reading it between Christmas and New Year. I really enjoyed it, so I thought I would post a review despite now not being the Christmas period. I must admit, she was reading it at our house of Christmas and just couldn’t put it down. Now I can entirely understand why as I was exactly the same.

This book attracted me as it is a good old-fashioned Regency themed romance. No sex, just pure love and romance. Entirely up my street! I don’t normally go for this type of book because despite being a lover of all things Regency, I know there are many books of this type that are more like ‘bodice rippers’, which I feel deviates from the Jane Austen style that I prefer. However, Mistletoe for Felicity really did live up to the Austen emulation that I hoped it would. It tells the story of Felicity Winters, a lady of high standing who has recently lost the last surviving member of her family. She enters an arranged marriage with a merchant’s son, Theodore Harcourt, affectionately known as Tad. Both must see if this new arrangement brings the love they are both searching for.

Understandably, they both start the marriage feeling very awkward, but their new home of Winterway and the local community they find there help the couple to come closer together. This makes it all the more endearing as the sense of friendship, community and eventually love just seem to jump out of the pages. The author really does create a warmth that endears the reader. If you’re looking for a book that feels like a cosy night under a warm blanket with a hot chocolate or cup of tea in hand, then this is it. I can see how some readers may say this is incredibly sentimental or sickeningly sweet, but for me, that is exactly what I was looking for. Think of a Hallmark Christmas film (which is a bit of a guilty pleasure of mine), but in book form.

Both Tad and Felicity’s feelings of uncertainty and the growth towards true love are explained so well and it is so easy for the reader to imagine the circumstances they are living in. They do have insecurities, as we all do, but the way it was portrayed felt very human as both Tad and Felicity wanted to help each other work these out for the improvement of their relationship. The tenderness that only grows throughout the story is just a joy to encounter. The setting of Christmas time is a wonderful setting to explore this. The addition of snuggling in a warm sleigh, skating or building snowmen is utterly heart warming.

For me, I liked the inclusion of an almost magical painting of the village connected to the house. It added intrigue but also connected Tad and Felicity with the past owners, the Deerwoods, who do seem rather mysterious but were well loved by the locals. The author hints at the end of the book that the Deerwoods might feature in future writings as well, so I do hope to keep an eye out for that.

If you are looking for a quick read that will fill your heart with warmth, I would totally recommend giving this a go for next Christmas. It is a light hearted and romantic read, perfect for readers, like me, who are hopeless romantics with a taste for the Regency. After reading some books lately which didn’t live up to expectations, it was a delight to read something that exceeded what I thought of it. All round it’s a beautiful story.