Christmas at Sugar Plum Manor + Giveaway

As the beloved stepdaughter of the Earl of Castleton, Lady Mariah Lyons cherishes her home at Plumford Manor, but her idyllic world will be threatened when the estate passes to Cyril Lightbourne, a childhood friend she hasn’t seen or heard from in years. Once, Mariah dreamed their old friendship would kindle into something more–but that was before she heard that Cyril was courting the cruelhearted Lady Pearl. Now Mariah is willing to welcome him as a friend and pray he will finally be the heir her stepfather needs, but she’ll keep her heart locked safely away from anyone with such poor taste.

Due to misunderstandings, Cyril Lightbourne has long avoided returning to Plumford Manor, yet he reluctantly arrives in time for Christmas. When his friendship with Lady Mariah reignites, he finds himself torn between his affection for her and her family’s distance toward him because of Lady Pearl, a woman he’d rather forget. Then, more trouble arrives in the form of a Danish lord on a mission to win Mariah’s hand by Christmas . . . and to disgrace Cyril in the process.Inspired by The Nutcracker, this Edwardian-era historical romance is a tale of holiday spirit, love, and the power of family and friendship from bestselling and award-winning author Roseanna M. White.

My Review:

I’m quite enamoured with retellings – especially Christmas ones and Roseanna M. White has done an exceptional job with her reimagining of The Nutcracker. And while she has crafted her own unique story, I really enjoyed spotting the gentle nods to the original classic as well. So much fun!

A reunion romance, of sorts – Mariah and Cyril were great friends for a time during their childhood. And Mariah corresponded with him for years afterwards but their meet-cute is awkward and stilted as they shift from childhood friendship to adult expectations. Cyril is the heir apparent to her beloved Plumford estate and she has a potential suitor coming to stay with the family for Christmas.

I’ll admit, I was worried about the romantic plot because I am so love triangle adverse and I am happy to report that it wasn’t as angsty as I anticipated. Oh, there’s a bit of drama, but the story really does focus on Mariah and Cyril getting reacquainted and building on that childhood friendship which was so delightful! And occasionally toe-curling. 🙂

An inspiring Christmas full of old-fashioned holiday ambiance and the true meaning of the season.

GIVEAWAY OPPORTUNITY:

US – available in print or ebook — winner’s choice

Canada – available in print or ebook or audible (if available) — winner’s choice

International – ebook copy if you have a US Kindle account.

If you would like a chance to win a copy of Christmas at Sugar Plum Manor,  leave a comment below or email me at kavluvstoread AT yahoo DOT ca. If you add an email to your comment, remember to use AT and DOT instead of @ and . in order to protect yourself from spammers. If you enter the draw via email, please add the title to the subject line so it’s easy to spot your entry. Draw will be held and winner announced on Saturday July 26 2025.

26 thoughts on “Christmas at Sugar Plum Manor + Giveaway”

    1. Yes, this one evaded me too. My library got in a copy so I decided to go that route only I didn’t factor in all the holds! So, July is the guaranteed time to catch up on Christmas reading from the library, I guess. 🙂 Good luck, Tracey!

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  3. CHRISTMAS AT SUGAR PLUM MANOR sounds like the perfect way to get in the Christmas frame of mind. The beautiful cover would draw me in, the write up would have me thinking I would enjoy the story and your review has me saying – YES, I need to read this! Oh, the poor potential suitor. Wonder if he was happy to not have his life planned out for him.

    Thank you so much for the chance to win a copy!

    Have a terrific Tuesday.

    2clowns at arkansas dot net

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  7. I read my library Hoopla copy last year and would love a copy for my keeper shelf. Definitely worth an annual Christmas time rereading from one of my favorite authors!

    Sandyavery at comcast dot net

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  8. What a stunningly beautiful cover! And the story sounds equally delightful! I love Christmas in July for books as you can read them without all of the wintry chill.
    Thanks for your awesome review, Kav, and the chance to win a copy of this book!

    Alison Boss
    nj(dot)bossman(at)gmail(dot)com

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  10. I would love to read this. A retelling of The Nutcracker would be so much fun since my granddaughter performed in a local Nutcracker production.

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  11. I wanted to read this one last Christmas but never got around to it! There’s so many Holiday books that come out every year 😀

    Count me in for this….and that cover is gorgeous!

    teamob4 (at) gmail (dot) com

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