Christmas at Whitefriars
Novella By Elizabeth Camden
Mary Beckwith has never left the family castle called Whitefriars. Whitefriars was a monastery that became an estate owned by the Beckwith family. Mary has been mostly in charge of it making renovations to prepare it for the possibility of tenants. She has been working on the estate with their American investor, Everett Wooten. Both Everett and Mary have been conducting a business correspondence for a number of years. Everything seemed to be going alright, at least from the perspective of the letters. However, when Mary breaches their contract, Everett makes a visit to the castle and is not happy with some of the renovations.
They struggle to reach some agreement. But as they spend more time together, they start to develop feelings for one another. Mary, though, does not want to leave Whitefriars and Everett loves loving in the city. Do they have a future together? Can they come to an agreement on the estate?
I enjoyed the dichotomy in this novella between the city and rural environments, and the differences between American and English cultures. Both main characters were quirky, which illustrates how they complemented each other. I enjoyed the story immensely. The only problem is that with novellas, the story is short, and it does not allow for as much development as a novel does.
Rating: 5/5
Next Novel to Review: Fields of Bounty (Leah’s Garden, Book 3)