'Twas the Night After Christmas by Sabrina Jeffries (thoughts)

This is the second year in a row that I have managed to find a new to me author to read and love thanks to a Christmas romance.  This might turn into a yearly tradition if I am lucky.  I haven't made a lot of time to read historical romances this past year (shame on me) and this book really made me wonder why.  I adored it and cannot wait to read more by this author!

In this book Pierce Waverly (also known as the Earl of Devonmont) is called back home as his mother is said to be on her death bed.  He arrives to find his mother healthy and unaware of the deception that has been pulled by her lady companion.  Camilla Stuart sees how much it hurts Lady Devonmont to be estranged from her son and decides to do something about it.  Unfortunately she is unaware of the history between mother and son which brings more trouble then she has bargained for.  Especially when it becomes apparent that the Earl also has plans for seduction....will she be able to resist?

This was such a sweet romance and it really reminded me why I enjoy this genre so much.  From the very beginning the author managed to intrigue me by the mysterious history between the Earl and his mother.  We basically see what happened when the Earl was younger from his point of view only which means that there were more questions than answers.  Enter in Camilla Stuart, lady companion to the Earl's mother, a strong willed widow who is trying to patch up the rift between mother and son but is causing more trouble than she bargained for.  The chemistry between Camilla and Pierce was instantaneous and so sweet.  Camilla has secrets of her own that she keeps hidden from Pierce for various reasons.  For this reason she really takes awhile to allow herself to trust him and even then she keeps a distance thinking that they will never have a future.  For me I spent the book waiting for two separate things to happen.  One, for Camilla and Pierce to realize that they were in love with each other and find their happy ever after.  This is something that I always want with a romance read.  Ha!  Second, to figure out the reasons behind the estrangement between Pierce and his mother.  Both storylines were enjoyable and kept me reading long into the night.  And the author did a really nice job of wrapping these two storylines together in the end and finishing them in a way that felt right.

Overall, this was a really great read and perfect for the Christmas time of year.  It made me wish that we actually had snow on the ground while I was reading it (of course now we actually do have snow and I am less thrilled) and put me in the holiday spirit.  Really though, this was a just an enjoyable historical romance that I couldn't put down.  I found another new author to read which is always my goal.  Good chemistry combined with a bit of a mystery was the perfect combination to this holiday read!  Easily recommended!

Bottom Line:  A delightful read that was perfect for the holidays!

Disclosure:  I checked this book out from my local library.  Thoughts are my own!