It’s about time I mentioned one Christmas book on the blog, isn’t it? Several of you recommended Hannah Langdon’s Christmas with the Lords, and you’re right. It’s a delightful, charming Christmas romance with a lovely family and mature characters. I’ll second that recommendation if you’re looking for something for the holiday season.

After ten years together, Penny Winklesham’s boyfriend, Timothy, dumped her at the beginning of December, saying he did’t want her to expect a Christmas proposal. She wasted ten years on this man, so she makes three decisions. 1. Never get involved with a man ever again. 2. Hand in her notice as a teacher right after Christmas, and move to India. 3. Spend Christmas living with and working for people she’s never met.

So, Penny’s in Dorset, England to be “mother’s help” for three weeks for Bunny Lord, the desperate mother of four-year-old twins. She’s encouraged when she sees the gorgeous mansion decorated for Christmas. And, it doesn’t take long for her to fall in love with the twins. Bunny desperately needs help and a shoulder to cry on. The rest of the household is delightful, from William Lord who she first meets in a state of undress, to Pilar, the Spanish cook who takes Penny under her wing. Then, there’s Lando, the owner of the house, William’s son. He’s a handsome wood sculptor, but a troubled man. He comes across as grumpy, but Penny sees flashes of humor at times. And, it’s obvious he loves the twins, his niece and nephew, and his two dogs.

Three weeks. Is that long enough to fall in love with a family, and make new decisions about life? Penny is a loving woman, who wants nothing more than to be a wife and mother, but fears she wasted her good years on the wrong man. She’s strong, brings happiness and peace to the family, but needs to find the courage to search for her own happiness.

I liked that Penny and Lando are mature characters with pasts. They are not young people just starting out in life. They’ve been wounded, and they have to decide if they’ll hide themselves away, or try to move forward. Christmas with the Lords is funny with great characters. It’s a fun Christmas story if you suspend disbelief as to what can happen in three weeks. And, don’t we all suspend disbelief this time of year?

Christmas with the Lords by Hannah Langdon. Storm Publishing, 2023. ISBN 9781805082811 (paperback), 284p.

FTC Full Disclosure – I bought a Kindle edition to read.