Left at the altar and told that her fiancé has absconded with her family's fortune, Clara Chapman finds herself heartbroken, penniless, and living with an ailing aunt. When a mysterious invitation arrives promising her 1000 pounds to spend the 12 days of Christmas at an unfamiliar Bleakly Manor, Clara feels she has no choice but to accept.
Unjustly accused and imprisoned for stealing the Chapmans' money, Benjamin Lane is offered his freedom if he also spends the same 12 days at Bleakly. As Ben and Clara come face-to-face again at the mysterious country home, they must decide if they can forgive one another for the schemes and misunderstandings that have separated them. When the master of the house never appears, servants continue to leave, and other house guests continually injure themselves in freak accidents, will Clara and Ben even be able to survive 12 days?
Michelle Griep takes reader on an intriguing adventure in 12 Days and Bleakly Manor. Clara and Ben are both well-developed and believable protagonists, and the host of secondary characters in the story are equally entertaining. I particularly enjoyed Griep's depictions of Christmas traditions and celebrations in the mid-19th Century. The story's conclusion was equal parts lovely and satisfying, and I enjoyed every single page. I anxiously await the next installment in the Once Upon an Dickens Christmas series.
I received a free copy from the publisher. No review, positive or otherwise, was required—all opinions are my own.
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