Review: 'Twas the Night After Christmas by Sabrina Jeffries
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'Twas the Night After Christmas by Sabrina Jeffries
Historical / Regency
Gallery Books (October 30, 2012)
Heroine: Camilla Stuart – Widow, Mother
Hero: Pierce Waverly – Earl, Rake
Setting: England
Review:
This book… I don’t know what I was expecting, but it definitely wasn’t this! I mean, I started tearing up while reading the prologue. Yeah. The prologue. And I don’t think my eyes were ever completely dry again. From those very first few pages, Pierce had me. Unequivocally. His pain was my pain. He got his tiny little eight year old fingers latched around my heart and never let go.
Because, at a very young age, Pierce Waverly learned a hard lesson: Life isn’t fair. Abandoned by his parents, sent to live with distant relations, Pierce grows up to feel unwanted. Confused and hurt, he’s spent his childhood and adulthood lashing out. Drinking, gambling, mistresses upon mistresses—Pierce wants his parents to know he just doesn’t give a damn. About them or anything.
Or so he wishes. Because when his mother’s companion, Mrs. Camilla Stuart, sends an express to tell him his mother is seriously ill—he can’t help but go to her immediately. (Which speaks volumes in itself.) When he finds out that his mother might not be as ill as alluded to, or, really, ill at all... He’s not as angry as you might expect. More than anything, he’s intrigued by the capricious Mrs. Stuart.
Camilla is the epitome of a caring and devoted woman. Having spent nearly six months with Pierce’s mother, Lady Devonmont, hearing her tell stories about Pierce as a boy, she can’t help but become enraged on her behalf. What kind of son ignores his mother? Refuses to answer her letters or visit? As an orphan, Camilla doesn’t—can’t—understand. And when you combine that with a brash and straight-forward personality, well, you get Camilla. She must mend their fences, try to help solve their problems. And she’s not afraid to go toe-to-toe with Pierce, stand up for what’s right, even if it’s not easy.
Which causes more than a few problems for her. As she entangles herself in their mother-son drama, she becomes irreversibly entangled in their lives. Together, Pierce and Camilla were... beautiful. Passionate. Heart warming. Though they’re initially at odds, they quickly see similar hurts and scars in each other. Trust blossoms, followed by friendship. And, throughout it all, is that simmering attraction. It made the pages sizzle and my heart squeeze.
I absolutely adored every character in this book, especially Camilla’s son Jasper. I love that he was important to the story and important to Camilla. The moments between Pierce and Jasper were some of my favorites because, while Pierce might not believe in the word ‘love’, Camilla and Jasper consistently show him what it really is.
‘Twas the Night After Christmas is about second chances and forgiveness and letting go of the past. It reminds you what Christmas and family and love are all about. A perfect story for the holidays. This book is going on my favorites list—it really touched me deeply. Pierce had my heart from page one and by book end, all of the characters had it. Even Pierce’s mother.
Favorite Quote:
She stared him down, daring him to do his worst.
Then he kissed her. Hard. Fiercely. On the lips.
It startled her so much that she jerked back to gape at him. “What in creation was that for?”
”To shut you up,” he said, eyes ablaze. Then his gaze dropped to her mouth, and the blaze became smoldering coals. He removed her spectacles and tossed them onto the nearby bed. “But this one, my dear, is for me.”
Thoughts While Reading:
4.0% - "Oh, no. Prologue had me tearing up!"
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