The Christmas Countess [Paperback]

Adrienne Basso (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1, 2008

A Woman With A Past. . .. . .

Six years ago, Rebecca Tremaine, the daughter of a vicar, became pregnant by her fiancé. When he died unexpectedly, Rebecca was heartbroken and disgraced. The child was stillborn--or so Rebecca believed. Now, she's both shocked and jubilant to discover that her relatives arranged for her baby girl, Lily, to be given to a distant family connection--Cameron Sinclair, Earl of Hampton. The widowed earl reluctantly agrees to let Rebecca visit Lily over Christmas at his home in Kent, where she finds that the little girl, while a darling, is alarmingly spoiled. . .and the handsome, confident earl is attractive beyond measure. . .

A Love For All Seasons. . .

Graceful, tender-hearted, and completely captivating, Rebecca fills Cameron Sinclair's home with warmth and light. There's no denying that her concern for Lily's behavior is well-founded. Just as he knows there's also no denying the ache he feels at the thought of her departure. After his wife's death three years ago, Cameron was adamant that he could never love another woman. But as the holiday season draws to a close, he can only hope that it is not too late to admit the joy of being proven thoroughly, delightfully wrong. . .

Praise for Adrienne Basso's The Christmas Heiress. . .

"In her latest sinfully sensual historical, Basso neatly blends beautifully nuanced characters with a plot rich in Christmas cheer." --Booklist

--This text refers to the Kindle Edition edition.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Rebecca Tremaine’s family told her that her baby was stillborn, and that it was for the best, since her fiancé had tragically died. While going through her recently deceased father’s papers, Rebecca discovers that her daughter lived and was given to Cameron Sinclair, the Earl of Hampton, and his wife. When Rebecca insists on meeting with her daughter, Cameron reluctantly invites her to spend the holidays with his family, never expecting that she could help him forget the loss of his wife. Love, family, and the magic of the holiday season bring two different couples together in Basso’s latest richly emotional and elegantly written Victorian historical romance. --John Charles

Product Details

• Paperback: 352 pages
• Publisher: Zebra (October 1, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1420104322
• ISBN-13: 978-1420104325
• Product Dimensions: 6.6 x 4.2 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,003,699 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A lovely Christmas Romance, October 7, 2008

By 

Dollar (In the middle of a book) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Christmas Countess (Paperback)

While sorting her father's papers to settle his estate, Rebecca Tremaine learns that the baby she delivered stillborn is actually alive. Her family lied to her about the birth of her baby to spare the family the scandal of her unwed pregnancy. Her Aunt Mildred arranged for her baby to be raised by the Earl of Hampton who had recently lost a baby to miscarraige.

After learning of their parents' duplicity, Daniel Tremaine (Rebecca's brother) arranges to speak with Cameron Sinclair, the Earl of Hampton to discuss a meeting between Rebecca and the Earl's adopted daughter Lily.

Shortly after adopting Rebecca's baby, Cameron's beloved wife died from a long illness. He was forced to raise Lily by himself the past three years. Even though he is angry at Rebecca's intrusion into his life, Cameron decides to invite them to his country home for the Christmas holidays. There are usually thirty guests in his home, and this will give Rebecca time to observe Lily under Cameron's close supervision.

As Rebecca joins the Christmas celebrations, she is able to get to know her daughter. To her dismay, she learns that her daughter is terribly spoiled by her father. Rebecca and Cameron continually disagree about his methods of raising Lily, but their arguments only serve to spark the romance growing between them. Their passionate exchanges lead to a burgeoning love affair surrounded by the joy and celebration of the Christmas season.

Adrienne Basso's THE CHRISTMAS COUNTESS is wonderful! It is passionate and funny while showcasing the best of the Christmas holiday's goodwill. The sprit of the Christmas season comes alive with Cameron and Rebecca's romance in this delightful novel. I read it one sitting, and plan to run out and get the rest of Basso's novels! This is a must for all readers!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Nice Christmas read - engaging story, December 27, 2008

By 

Susan Smith (A small rural village in the English Midlands) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Christmas Countess (Paperback)

Others have summed up the plot so here are a few comments about this story. I've never encountered the author before but somehow came across this title and ordered it to read during the holidays. It had a wonderful atmosphere and the setting at a Christmas house party in early Victorian England was well done. I liked all of the characters and actually enjoyed the secondary romance between Charlotte and Daniel more than the main one. However, Rebecca and Cameron's story was well drawn and moved at exactly the right pace. The fact that Rebecca had anticipated her wedding vows with her first fiance was believeable and I had a real sense of sympathy for her in her sad loss on his death. Cameron, as a widower, has made nearly a full recovery from his loss and now needs to go forward into a new relationship.

Here is what kept this from being a 5 star read: I really did not like Lily - partly her behaviour resulted from her upbringing but I could not warm to her at all. And, secondly, although the sexual scenes between Rebecca and Cameron were well done, I was jerked out of the flow by the use of extremely generic anatomical terms that seemed out of kilter with the sense of love and passion between the main characters and the general tone of the story. I thought this could have been handled better.

Overall, I would recommend this as a very engrossing and rewarding read. I don't rate it as a keeper but I am intrigued to read more by the author.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A nice idea, but not very well written, December 3, 2011

By 

MemElaina (Colorado Springs, CO USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Christmas Countess [CHRISTMAS COUNTESS] [Mass Market Paperback] (Paperback)

The story line sounded good, and the book started out fairly well, but by the time I reached the middle everything was totally trite and you knew exactly what would happen next to each character. The author used modern slang in several places to describe Victorian happenings and that broke up the story badly for me. If I hadn't been on a plane with nothing else to read I doubt it I would have finished this.