Halloween is over and now the holidays are upon us! I read Cindy's novel Suitors and Sabotage earlier this year and at the time, I heard that she was coming out with a spin-off for it. The moment I found out I was approved for this book, I was excited to dive in and see what she had to offer.

We focus on one of the ladies maid's Kate and Matt, Ben Steeple's valet, from the previous novel. There were hints of their attraction from the novel and they are further explored in this one. Due to the holiday hustle and bustle in Shackleford Park, the Steeple and Chively families come together to feed the flame between these two.

Now, I enjoyed Suitors and Sabotage, but it needed to be fleshed out more. There was more talk than show pertaining to scene development and even pertaining to Kate and Matt's relationship. I mean, there weren't that many scenes where they were paired together for us to fully understand or watch their relationship grow to what we could have perceived.

I was great to be back into this world and the atmosphere of the 1800s. However, the lack of action made the experience lacking. The mystery aspect didn't even show up till halfway through the book. It was a good read, yes, but when you tell more than show - it robs you of the experience.

If you need a quick, holiday-themed mystery, try this out. But do not expect everything you wish for wrapped up with a pretty bow on top.

**3.5 Stars**
Side note here, I will admit that it was a little disconcerting reading a book based around the Christmas season while actually surrounded by all things Halloween. Talk about out of place! Here I am watching horror movies, seeing scary decorations, carving pumpkins and then reading a sweet little fluffy about snow, love and yuletide.

I usually am not a big fan of reading Holiday books in general (no I do not have a good reason, I am just usually disappointed in them so I tend to avoid) but I wanted to give this one a shot since I liked the previous book that I had read that just so happened to be set in the same series. Keep in mind all the books in this world are standalone and can be enjoyed independent of each other, but it is nice to have a background of the world and the families as well as see a familiar face or two. Matt and Kate, our two new main characters in this adventure, were very straightforward an honest, easily likable, yet through none of their own actions drawn into mayhem.

This was a cute, fun, very lighthearted read that is perfect for a cold snowy day escape for the holiday (Christmas to be very specific!) season. If you are a fan of proper British setting and rules of the day, in the style of Downton Abbey, then you will absolutely love this read. There was charm, propriety, scandal, misunderstanding and romance wrapped together to create a lighthearted story that would be the perfect addition to a delightful holiday season. This is the happily ever after you are looking for.

I am voluntarily reviewing an advance, complimentary copy of this book. Come visit me at https://smadasbooksmack.blogspot.com/

I received an e-ARC of this book from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Anstey's fourth stand-alone novel brings readers into days gone by where family, work, and life go hand in hand. I really enjoyed the characters and the writing. I will continue to look forward to more by Cindy Anstey.

I have read Love, Lies, and Spies. I know it was a completely different book, but that was such a hooking story and narration. The amount of love going there was something that gets me to this day. That was why I was hoping for huge improvements over Carols and Chaos.

Carol and Chaos tell the story of a lady’s maid and a valet getting tangled to a coin counterfeiting. It sounds seriously engaging. And swoon worthy!

However,

I can’t help but cringe a lot and feel mortified for the events that just happened here. The beginning seemingly was not that engaging at all. The narration was tolerable. And as it goes it diminished but halfway through it became staggered.

The dialogue was what made me feel embarrassed. I read through and between the lines, I see that there is a strong chemistry that isn’t forced upon. But whenever they open their mouth and goes on banter with each other I couldn’t brush off the feeling of forcing it way too much.

Especially when they were getting close in their hunt for the culprit and when they are interacting with the culprit. I can only take much. I wanted to abandon it. And pick up another romance read. The interacting among these gentlemen and lady was horrid. It was unnatural and contrived.

The setting was exceptional; I love that is set out in the past, in an older time. I get to see and feel these places of how it was then. And that it gives a romantic touch. I like that aspect of it. There is an undeniable chemistry between the two lovebirds and I love the ending and the ending alone. It was worth swooning over, however, the thing I mentioned above happened, I hope that there were changes that had gone through with the finished copy.

Carols and Chaos a sweet below-stairs holiday historical romance/mystery. There is definitely a very Downton Abbey feel to this story, and I love the shift in focus on the staff below stairs rather than on the members of Society. The focus of this romance is between Kate, a ladies maid to the young ladies of the manor, and Matt, the valet of two visiting gentlemen. There's an element of star-crossed lovers to their story because they're servants in different households and can't entirely act on what their hearts want. While I would definitely class this as a romance, the romancing is limited to a few stolen kisses and lots of hand-holding (which is plenty scandalous for 1817, I suppose!)

There is a mystery element to this story, but it doesn't really start to form until halfway into the book. Once it does start to take shape, it takes flight rather quickly and the story takes off running with it. I actually really enjoyed the mystery elements of the story, and now that I know the conclusion I'm tempted to go back and reread to see if there were clues in there story that I could have picked up on if I'd known then what I know now. The plot of the mystery seemed to jump around a bit, and the book itself dragged on a bit while it took such a long time getting to the mystery part of the plot (during the Matt and Kate are flirting part of the plot, you could call it.) Overall though, this is a fun and fairly flirty holiday read, perfect for fans of Downton Abbey and Christmas historicals.

From the start it's clear that Carols & Chaos was written by Cindy Anstey. She definitely has an unique writing style. I have read in certain reviews that this is kind of a spin-off of Suitors & Sabotage, but to be honest I think I kind of missed that. It definitely didn't change my opinion of this story.

Carols & Chaos is a light-hearted Christmas read, but doesn't put too much attention on Christmas itsself. As the sypnopsis says, this is full of sweet, charm and holiday shenanigans. While this book has all of those elements, I found it lacking a bit compared to Suitors & Sabotage. There was a lot of moments where there was really only mention of how a scene was taking place. Not much actually happened actionwise or even really a lot of dialogue.

It's clear from the start that Kate and Matt are interested in each other, but I felt that the connection wasn't as used as it could've been. Of course, they spent some moments together trying to figure out where Matt's friend had gone. I think those moments could've been used a lot more. I also found the climax of the book a bit disappointing and the action afterwards seemed a bit out of place. I can't say too much without giving the plot away.

That being said, I did enjoy this book. I would love to visit the house they're at around Christmas time and sit near the fireplace with a book. The humor and rules of society in the 1800s are quite entertaining. On top of that Matt and Kate are enjoyable characters. They both work hard to try and make their dreams come true. Even though they know they are feeling something, avoiding it is something that seems wise to do, but they also learn being wise isn't always the best choice.

If you're looking for a sweet and light holiday read, with a tad bit of mystery, Carols & Chaos is the book for you!

I don’t usually start reading Christmas-y books before we’ve even gotten to Halloween and I also don’t usually read romances but something about this one caught my attention and drew me in. Partly, it’s the really appealing cover but perhaps I also had a yen to go back to the Regency era, at one time a favorite period for me. At any rate, I threw caution to the wind and I’m glad I did.

Kate Darby is a nice young woman, not a lady precisely, according to the class distinctions of her time, but she works hard, cares for her mother, and is clever and genuinely friendly. Matt Harlow is hardworking, too, and has a certain kind of loyalty to his position and the family he works for. He and Kate have eyes for each other but, really, they don’t have time right now for such goings-on, especially after it comes to light that some nefarious activity is going on at the manor.

Drama ensues, along with holiday frivolity and the expected dynamics between upstairs and downstairs. I especially appreciated having servants as the main characters rather than the high society folks we generally get and the mystery of the missing footman and perhaps related skulduggery brings Kate and Matt together as quite capable sleuths.

Apparently, Carols and Chaos is a companion or spin-off to another of the author’s books which I haven’t read but I never felt that anything was lacking because of that. More dialogue would be nice, especially between Kate and Matt, but this is a charming lighthearted entry to the holiday season and I recommend it for those who enjoy the Regency era, a bit of romance and a good mystery to solve.

Reviewed by Lelia Taylor, October 2018.

A super fun romantic holiday story! You don't have to have read Suitors and Sabotage but these characters are a continuation of that story. It's a great read for fans of Downton Abbey :)

Carols and Chaos by Cindy Anstey is a Regency novel that primarily takes place below stairs. Miss Kate Darby is a lady's maid for Miss Imogene Chively who is betrothed to Mr. Ben Steeple for whom Mr. Matt Harlow is valet. There is an immediate attraction between Kate and Matt but both stand off since they know no good can come of their attraction. Shackleford Park is Kate's place of residence with matt visiting in service to Mr. Ben. Johnny has also arrived with Matt as extra labor in the upcoming preparations for Christmas. As Christmas arrives and all the guests arrive, things get more complicated. For one, Johnny disappears, apparently on a quest to retrieve his ring, which he sold but was give a counterfeit coin in exchange. Kate and Matt use their spare time to locate Johnny.

After several days the people above stairs are forced to involve themselves in the disappearance. Kate and Matt are abducted, not once, but twice in their pursuit of Johnny and discover some disquieting facts about some of the town's residents. There are a few times they fear for their lives. Will they find Johnny? Will he be alive? Will their romance blossom into more?

Carols and Chaos was a fun, quick read. The characters were good, although as servants their lives appeared to be easier than lives below stairs are often portrayed. The mystery got a little involved with a lot of traipsing around on foot (servants don't have access to other means of transportation). As may of this general type, there is really little mention of daily life either upstairs or downstairs. It was a little heavy on abductions but all in all it was a pleasant book. I recommend it for anyone looking for light mystery or light romance.

I was given a free ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review. #netgalley #carolsandchaos

I’ve been a fan of all of Cindy’s books, so I was eager to get to this one.

I liked Kate and Matt. They’re both good and loyal people. I loved the pride in their jobs and ambition for more. There are a lot a lot a lot of other characters in this story and it took me a minute to realize it was a sort of continuation of the previous book.

Plot wise, it was sort of a mess. For me there were too many moving parts, too many repetitive scenes, and not nearly enough dialogue. When Kate are Matt are together and talking, the story came alive. Sadly, those scenes were short and a lot of the time was spent in their heads as each day dreamed about the other.

Overall, it was a cute story, but it dragged more than the other books. And while I was curious to see how it played out, sadly I was bored as well.

**Huge thanks to Swoon Reads for providing the arc free of charge**

You have to like historical fiction to enjoy this book. The language and description take some getting used to if you’re a contemporary fiction reader. I wanted to try something different and it just wasn’t for me. I can’t fault the book for that! This a great book for the genre, well written, earning it 4 stars.

This book is super good. Definitely a book that will get you into the Christmas and winter time spirit.

https://methodicallyknockinghatsoff.wordpress.com/2018/10/18/review-carols-and-chaos/

I liked the characters, even though I didn’t feel they were totally believable for 19th-century servants. The story is appealing to readers who enjoy YA romance, but I think the reluctant readers will probably shy away from it. The setting makes it a little less approachable than many modern realistic novels.

Plot in a sentence: Kate is a lady’s maid and Matt is a valet to two visiting gentlemen, a romance between the two of them could cost them their livelihoods and dreams. But their mutual attraction is increasingly hard to resist, especially as they they get caught up in criminal intrigue.

This review is based on an ARC given to me by Macmillan. This novel is due to be released on October 9th 2018.

Recommended age: This is a novel for adults but it is appropriate for teens.

Who will love this book:

Fans of below stairs regency romances.

What I liked about this book:

Kate and Matt’s romance is both sweet and a terrible idea. The tension between their attraction and their duty adds spice to their flirtation.
I love how Anstey weaves crime fiction into her romances, in this case counterfeiting, kidnapping and murder. It’s all very exciting with peril around every corner.

If you liked this book, read: Her Royal Spyness by Rhys Bowen for more flirtation, peril and mystery.

Absolutely delightful! Kate and Matt are very charming as are their friends and the setting is wonderful. I look forward to reading more from this author and hand selling this book.

Carols and Chaos is a young adult historical fiction novel written by Cindy Anstey. I was very excited about the opportunity to read this book because I have enjoyed her three previous books.

Carols and Chaos serves as a companion to Suitors and Sabotage, but each of the two books offers a very different perspective. Both books are set during the Regency era and both have young adults as their protagonists, but Suitors features members of the gentility whereas the two protagonists in Carols are servants. Upper servants, yes, but servants nonetheless.

Kate Darby has established herself as a lady’s maid. This is not to be a permanent occupation- Kate intends to open up her own dress shop one day when she has saved up enough money. The young ladies she assists are amiable, but her job is not always easy because her mother (who lives nearby) asks for help and doesn’t understand that Kate’s focus needs to be on her duties at the manor house. Kate also does not need to be distracted by the handsome Matt Harlow, who serves as valet to the Steeple brothers, who have come to stay at the house for the Yuletide season.

It’s clear that Kate and Matt share a connection, but it’s highly inappropriate for them to engage in any sort of romance; even flirtation is considered unseemly. A twist of fate throws Kate and Matt together when a footman goes missing. As a local, Kate can offer assistance to Matt; the locals aren’t used to questions from strangers.

Christmas is quickly approaching, and it seems that the missing footman is only one of several strange happenings. Kate and Matt might find themselves dealing with something Much Bigger than they expected.

This was a fun book. I like that the narrative featured protagonists with more humble origins. I absolutely love reading about the aristocracy/gentility, but it is always a delight to receive a fresh perspective. After all, there were many more servants toiling away in manor houses than there were titled gentleman. It was interesting to see Kate and Matt having to balance their work duties with their sleuthing. The mystery aspect was quite satisfying, and I had no idea what was going to happen next- or if they would ever find the missing footman.

I would absolutely recommend Carols and Chaos. The Christmas setting made the story even more delightful. This is a very sweet book- while there is a romance, the focus is on furthering an acquaintanceship, and are duo does not do anything more scandalous than kiss- making this story appropriate for readers of all ages. Fans of Anstey’s other books will appreciate the glimpses of Imogene and Ben from Suitors and Sabotage, although they are gracious enough to remain in the background so that Kate and Matt can have their story told. As I’ve mentioned, readers don’t have to read Suitors before this one, but it’s just as fun of a book. I am looking forward to reading more from Anstey in the future.





I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book.

The holiday season is always filled with hustle and bustle, and things at Shackleford Park this year doubly so as they are welcoming the family of one of the ladies's betrothed. All Kate Darby can think about, as she helps her ladies prepare, is on seeing Matt Harlow once again as he's the valet to said betrothed gentleman. Even though they know nothing beyond flirting will ever work out for them, as they are employed by different families who live quite a bit apart, and they each have separate hopes and dreams for the future that they don't want to see derailed because of a possible dalliance. But what Kate and Matt share together is so much more than that as they genuinely enjoy each other's company.

When a counterfeiting scheme reaches Shackleford Park and one of the staff goes missing, Kate and Matt are swept up in the mystery that quickly takes a dangerous turn.

Those of you who've read Suitors and Sabotage published back in April, will recognize Kate and Matt as background characters in that story. Kate a lady's maid, and Matt a gentleman's valet. The small mention of Kate finding Matt attractive perked my ears up and I immediately knew there was a story waiting to be told.

Fortunately, Cindy Anstey thought so as well because here we have Carols and Chaos.

This is my first holiday read of the season. I feel like they get more and more likely as we actually approach the holidays. The feeling of a traditional Christmas celebration is deftly felt in Carols and Chaos. I really loved the setting and the time of year, a household getting ready to be full to the hilt with people celebrating and generally having a great time.

The mystery of the book is slow and steady in how it unfolds, and for the most part I enjoyed it. I was truly enraptured until close to the end trying to figure out how everything would fall into place. I'd say this mystery worked out better than its predecessor mentioned above.

The idea of Kate and Matt was just so sweet. So far in Cindy Anstey's books our main characters have been Ladies and Gentlemen. I liked the shift of perspective, as it were, to those who are "behind the scenes" so to speak. People who have to work a bit harder for their dreams and desires to come true and Kate and Matt certainly fit this description. At first, I could see how difficult it would be if their feelings for each other went beyond simple flirtation, but I loved how similar they turned out to be with their own hopes for the future. While Cindy Antsey makes no qualms about the work it will take for Kate and Matt to be together, it's all very hopeful.

Cindy Anstey has delivered some reliably sweet and somewhat suspenseful YA historicals. I've enjoyed all her books, but Carols and Chaos just might be my favorite.

*Copy provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I genuinely loved this book. I absolutely needed a break from grim reality and this book sure made me smile and hope for better days. Kate Darby is a maid at Shackleford Park with dreams of using her wages to have her own clothing shop one day. Matt Harlow is a valet to visitors to the estate. Falling in love was never part of the plan for these young people. Sparks fly and their attraction is electric, when Matt's friend Johnny goes missing both Kate and Matt find themselves caught up in a mystery. Sweet, cute and romantic take a break with this amazing.

When Kate Darby’s eyes first set upon Matt Harlow, it alighted a little spark. What she wanted to keep to a fun holiday flirt slowly turned into a warmth that would run through her whole being. As the two are tossed into a week of chaotic holiday preparations, they are also taxed with ferreting out the disappearance of a fellow staff member and the mystery surrounding a counterfeit coin.

I’m not sure if this will continue to be a series, but it certainly is a fun duo. In Antsy’s first installment, Suitors and Sabotage, she introduces us to the Chively, Beeswanger, and Steeple families. She follows that fun, romantic mystery with this lively addition giving us a peek at the people that run the three households of these families. It’s a bit Downton Abbey and Upstairs, Downstairs. Though the teen audience won’t have any recollection of Upstairs, Downstairs, they will delight in this story. Filled with budding romance and nail-biting tension it will certainly be a great read during the holiday season. Pour the hot chocolate and bundle up for a very satisfying read.

Historical fiction, mystery, and romance, all rolled up in one! Recommend for fans of Charles Dickens' English life and Jane Eyre fans.