Carols and Chaos by Cindy Anstey

Carols and Chaos
by Cindy Anstey
Published by Swoon Reads
October 9, 2018
328 pages

Plot: A lady's maid and a valet become entangled in a yuletide counterfeiting scheme in this romantic Christmas YA adventure.

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.  A companion book to Suitors and Sabotage. (2019, Goodreads.com)

Review: Carols and Chaos is a sweet romance between two side characters from Suitors and Sabotage.  Although a standalone novel, it is best to read Suitors and Sabotage first to understand the dynamics of the relationships between all the characters.

Kate is a lady's maid and Matt is a Valet, both servants to two different upper-class characters from Suitors and Sabotage.   The romance between Kate and Matt is slow as both are concerned about what a romance between them would mean for their current employment.  But, when another servant goes missing, Kate and Matt spend more and more time together to solve the mystery of his disappearance. But, as they investigate this missing servant, the more entangled they get into a dangerous counterfeiting scheme, unbeknownst to them. 

It's rare to see a story centered on the romance between servants in a historical fiction novel. Usually, the love interests are nobles or royalty, so I did enjoy the different perspective.  And, although slow to start, the story does pick-up midway through the book and really doesn't stop!  It gets exciting from that point on, so don't give up if you feel not much is happening in the first half of the story.  I was hoping for more of a Christmas feel throughout the book, but the story focuses more on the romance between Kate and Matt and the missing servant. 

Another cute romance from Anstey with some adventure, danger, and intrigue!  If you like a clean romance with Austen-styled writing, then you will enjoy Carols and Chaos.

*An DRC was given for an honest review.

Rating: 💖💖💖💔
                3.5 hearts!