I am a big Carla Kelly fan and have enjoyed all the locations and characters I've met in her books. Marian's Christmas Wish starts out as a rambunctious family Christmas story, tinged with sadness because it is the last Christmas the family can have at their home because they have fallen upon hard financial times. The oldest son comes back from the talks in Vienna in 1814 with an somewhat older diplomat, an Earl, who is completely unstuffy and falls in love not only with the second oldest daughter in the house, Marian, but with the entire family.
Marian is a bit too young (16) to fall in love with such an older man (he's 28), but she likes him a lot, tends his scars with ointment that she has made, and goes Christmas caroling with him. The family's financial concerns seem about to be resolved with the oldest daughter's impending proposal to a fat, old baronet, who only cares about material things, and looks down on the high-spirited Marian. The baronet's comeuppance is very funny and very thoroughly done.
Not so funny begins to happen shortly thereafter when Marian's younger brother decides to abduct Gil to take him to Bath to see his family for Christmas. He hasn't seen them in 2-3 years, and both the brother and Marian think he should visit them. Marian is aghast, however, to discover what her brother has done -- dosing him with laudanum so that he will be unconscious during his abduction. This abduction is not wholly unexpected because Gil and the younger brother had been instrumental in tricking the baronet. The high spirits gone bad theme continues after a bit when suddenly Gil has to leave his family and go to London on a mysterious mission. Marian and her brother have remained in Bath after delivering Gil to his family, who are very happy to see him. However, Marian and her brother feel out of place with this upper-crust family and begin to long to be back home.
Here's where the story takes a sudden turn to the very serious -- betrayal, lying, knives, murderous chases -- the family idylls at both Bath and Devon are replaced by a nightmarish landscape of fear -- and Gil has brought it all to bear on Marian and her brother.
Gil is a delight - smart, funny, diplomatic, imaginative, kind -- he seems to be the magical visitor who will fix everything for Marian and her family. The question is, which Gil will prevail? Will Marian be able to overcome the enormous evil foisted upon her? Can equilibrium and family life be restored in a world torn apart by greed and deception?
The first time I read the book, I was quite confused by the change in tone. Then, a second and third reading have increased both my delight and appreciation of this book. As usual, Kelly never lets us forget the reality surrounding our heroes and heroines. Life is tough and may change you for the worse if you are not careful of your heart and your sense of self and your morals. And the best outcome happens when people of integrity choose to be with each other for the right reasons.
I highly recommend this book as a meaningful Regency Romance that has a bit of grit and grime in it to keep it real, and to make us care even more for the characters in the book. There's one scene where you will have your heart in your throat . . . .
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Reviewed in the United States on March 27, 2014
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East End Lady
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