{"id":13780,"date":"2021-01-01T14:35:46","date_gmt":"2021-01-01T19:35:46","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/?p=13780"},"modified":"2024-01-29T20:06:25","modified_gmt":"2024-01-30T01:06:25","slug":"a-christmas-dance-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/archives\/13780","title":{"rendered":"A Christmas Dance"},"content":{"rendered":"

A Christmas Dance<\/a><\/em> (2014) Alissa Johnson<\/p>\n

\"A<\/a>Set in London in an indeterminate time.<\/p>\n

William Renwick, Earl of Casslebury needs a wife. He knows his is disciplined, so he hopes to find a woman who smile and laugh.<\/p>\n

But he wasn\u2019t in need of additional efficiency in his house. He was drowning in efficiency. He was in need of a feminine touch.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Miss Patience Byerly is in London for the Little Season only because friends of her father have been kind enough to take them in. But Miss Caroline Meldrin has become a friend, and has not made Patience for bad about taking her castoff dresses. (This sounds quite strange to a modern eye, but it was common for young women to have paid companions–usually destitute female relatives–so it’s not a particularly uncommon thing to happen.)<\/p>\n

She found herself plucking at the waist of her gown. \u201cYour parents wouldn\u2019t allow me to apologize.\u201d <\/p>\n

\u201cOf course not. It wasn\u2019t your doing.\u201d A sparkle of mischief entered her blue eyes. \u201cYou\u2019re not going to try to apologize to me, are you? Because you know very well I was absolutely delighted with the excuse to leave.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

This is an almost perfect novella: It reads quickly and the characters are delightful. <\/p>\n

Clearly, he was<\/em> the only gentleman to discover the secret Miss Byerly. He found himself both pleased and irritated by the idea. He rather liked the notion of being the only man to recognize her charm. He cared less for the idea she\u2019d never before received flowers. A woman like Patience shouldn\u2019t want for flowers.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

It also has lovely banter.<\/p>\n

“Dodging children with sticky fingers and wet heads. Eating–\u201d <\/p>\n

\u201cWhy should their heads be wet?\u201d <\/p>\n

\u201cThe children? From playing Bob-Apple, of course.\u201d <\/p>\n

\u201cOh.\u201d She thought about that. \u201cDoes it really require a complete dunking?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt does if one has an older sister who takes it upon herself to assist.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

I mean really!<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019ve no Christmas traditions, then? No Yule log, no wassail, no silly games?\u201d <\/p>\n

\u201cNot as of yet,\u201d she replied, before giving a decisive nod of her head. \u201cBut I shall. There are plenty to choose from. Last year in Belgium, Caroline and I met a lovely family who brings an entire tree into their house and covers it with candles. And we met a gentleman from Sweden who said in his village a young woman puts a wreath of candles upon her head and goes about with a procession\u2014\u201c <\/p>\n

\u201cAre there any traditions you\u2019d care to try that aren\u2019t likely to set home and person aflame?\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

You immediately want the best for both characters, and the impediment that stands between them–that Patience didn’t want to tell William–is a quite reasonable one, as is shown later in the story when a party goer accidentally discovers her secret.<\/p>\n

But neither character is perfect, and I actually quite love the interactions both have with William’s nephews, as neither is quite comfortable dealing with the child.<\/p>\n

Patience straightened and took a step forward. . .Then a step back. \u201cWhat if I should drop him?\u201d <\/p>\n

William shook his head. \u201cYou\u2019ll not drop him. A firm grip is part of the womanly instinct.\u201d <\/p>\n

She sent him a withering look. \u201cAnd I suppose men are born with a natural urge to toss them about like sacks of flour?\u201d <\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re a stupid lot.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Normally in a story you’d expect one of the two to be perfectly comfortable with the child, but here they are both awkward, and it’s adorable.<\/p>\n

It’s just a lovely story, and a delightful comfort read.<\/p>\n

Rating: 8.5\/10<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A Christmas Dance (2014) Alissa Johnson Set in London in an indeterminate time. William Renwick, Earl of Casslebury needs a wife. He knows his is disciplined, so he hopes to find a woman who smile and laugh. But he wasn\u2019t in need of additional efficiency in his house. He was drowning in efficiency. He was […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[191,30,292,33,196,742,26,56],"tags":[156,50,721,738,640],"class_list":["post-13780","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-8-5-10","category-british","category-ebook","category-historical","category-novella","category-physical-health","category-romance","category-sexual-content","tag-alissa-johnson","tag-boinking","tag-dementia","tag-holiday","tag-parental-illness"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/piQkW-3Ag","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":19494,"url":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/archives\/19494","url_meta":{"origin":13780,"position":0},"title":"A Christmas Dance","author":"Michelle","date":"December 31, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"A Christmas Dance (2014) Alissa Johnson Set in historical England. William Renwick, Earl of Casslebury, always has a plan for everything. He was four-and-thirty, and it was time he did his duty to the title by producing an heir. Never mind he hadn\u2019t expected to outlive two cousins and an\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "8.5\/10"","block_context":{"text":"8.5\/10","link":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/archives\/category\/8-5-10"},"img":{"alt_text":"A Christmas Dance","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/A-Christmas-Dance.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":22694,"url":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/archives\/22694","url_meta":{"origin":13780,"position":1},"title":"A Christmas Dance","author":"Michelle","date":"January 12, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"A Christmas Dance (2014) Alissa Johnson Miss Byerly did not feature in his matrimonial plans. Pity, really, that she wasn\u2019t a bit softer. He\u2019d spoken to her once or twice before and she seemed an intelligent sort, with an efficiency of speech and manner he appreciated. But he wasn\u2019t in\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "8.5\/10"","block_context":{"text":"8.5\/10","link":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/archives\/category\/8-5-10"},"img":{"alt_text":"A Christmas Dance","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/A-Christmas-Dance.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":11394,"url":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/archives\/11394","url_meta":{"origin":13780,"position":2},"title":"A Christmas Dance","author":"Michelle","date":"January 17, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"A Christmas Dance (2014) Alissa Johnson Set in London in an indeterminate historical time. William Renwick, Earl of Casslebury has decided it's time for him to find a wife. It was his sense of responsibility that had necessitated his most recently constructed plan. He would marry a young lady of\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "7.5\/10"","block_context":{"text":"7.5\/10","link":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/archives\/category\/7-5-10"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/A-Christmas-Dance.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":25476,"url":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/archives\/25476","url_meta":{"origin":13780,"position":3},"title":"Nearly a Lady","author":"Michelle","date":"October 27, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Nearly a Lady (2011) Alissa Johnson (Haverston Family #1) \"He needs something to do. Something to accomplish.\u201d Something, the marquess thought, that might lighten the shadows his brother attempted to hide behind a cheerful wit and careless smile. Being knocked unconscious by two small women was a degree better than\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "10\/10"","block_context":{"text":"10\/10","link":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/archives\/category\/10-10"},"img":{"alt_text":"Nearly a Lady","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/nearly-a-lady-188x300.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":10996,"url":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/archives\/10996","url_meta":{"origin":13780,"position":4},"title":"Nearly a Lady","author":"Michelle","date":"August 8, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"Nearly a Lady (2011) Alissa Johnson Set in Scotland Trying to figure out what I wanted to read next, I remembered I had a new Alissa Johnson, but couldn't remember which book in the series came first, so I picked one, started reading, and realized this is the one I'd\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "8.5\/10"","block_context":{"text":"8.5\/10","link":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/archives\/category\/8-5-10"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/nearly-a-lady-e1511016913295.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":9269,"url":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/archives\/9269","url_meta":{"origin":13780,"position":5},"title":"As Luck Would Have It","author":"Michelle","date":"September 8, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"As Luck Would Have It (2008) Alissa Johnson Set in England in 811 Miss Sophie Everton has spent years overseas following the death of her mother and sister, but has decided to return to London to experience the Season. Unfortunately, the cousin her father left in charge of their properties\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "7.5\/10"","block_context":{"text":"7.5\/10","link":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/archives\/category\/7-5-10"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/As-Luck-Would-Have-It.png?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_likes_enabled":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13780","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=13780"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13780\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=13780"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=13780"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=13780"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}