A delightful story that will bring a smile to you face and thoughts of Tiny Tim and Scrooge to mind! Caroline Anderson is all that is good in trying to sell the ale she produces at the Benevoent Home where she lives. She made a trip to London, trying to find places to sale the brew, her coach ends up snowbound in a ditch and she goes in search of help.
She ends up at the home of an old school friend Nick, Viscount Oakland and the fun begins. With the assortment of travelers she had been with and the scandalous guest at Nick's, umm, orgy for a better word, a lot begins to happen as they all interact.
Of course Caro has a past heartbreak and Nick his demons to deal with, these two were fated to come together and when better than Christmas!
Prepare to laugh out loud and sigh along with a few sad moments that all come out well, a story not to be missed!

I have been a fan of Sally Mckenzie through the Spinster house series and now the Widow's brew series.
This is book 2 in the widow brew series and can be read as a stand alone.

This is the story of Caro and Nick. Nick is the Viscount Oakland. He was born and raised in Italy to a second son and an Italian mother, who didn't expect to inherit.
When Nick's parents die, his Uncle brings him to England to be trained as the future this count. Nick's miserable having lost his parents and his mom's family all at once. His Uncle is a mean pious man who is strict and has no love in him. As a result, Nick leads a very cold life and has a lot of Emotional baggage.
Caro is the Brewer of the " Widows Brew ale". She also has a lot of baggage. C was the victim of a married man in whose house she was in and I. She ends up being loan and cut off my family. She has trust issues as well as emotional issues.
Caro and Nick met as children (he being a friend of one of her many brothers).
They meet again when the wheel on the state cheese on snaps and they must take refuge at the nearest home which turns out to be Nicks.
This story is OK. The romance/chemistry is good. What I didn't like is the fact that she is an only daughter in a Gentry family with many brothers. Yet at 17 she goes into service as a nanny, why? She mentioned in the story she was tired of being nursemaid to her many younger siblings. Yet this is what she chooses to do? Where are her brothers to protect her ? Why is she in service and not her brother's? Her story made no sense to me. I felt it contradicted in a lot of places.
I thank netgalley for the chance to review this book.

This was a fun and fast-paced story about two people haunted by their pasts. I loved how the healing process was wrapped in humor and romance. Caro is the brewmaster for the Benevolent Home where she lives. She took that post after an event that caused a rift with her family and has affected her life ever since. After an unsuccessful trip to London searching for new markets for her ale, Caro is stuck on a coach with some unpleasant passengers and increasingly bad weather. When the coach ends up in a ditch, she recognizes their location and tramps off to seek help at the estate of Viscount Oakland, aka "Lord Devil," her brother's old school friend and Caro's girlhood crush.

Nick recently became the Viscount after the death of the uncle he loathed. Orphaned at a young age, he was wrenched from his mother's family in Italy and forced to live with his cold and bitter uncle. He usually avoids Oakland, but due to unforeseen (and hilarious) circumstances, he had to vacate his townhouse. To thumb his nose at his uncle's memory, Nick invited a couple of his wilder friends and some lightskirts to celebrate with a Christmas orgy. Only, now that he's there he finds himself less than enthusiastic about the festivities.

I loved the opening meeting between Caro and Nick. It has been almost twenty years since they last saw each other and neither immediately recognized the other. Caro mistakes Nick for his butler an is pretty brash in her zeal to procure help for her fellow passengers. She's shocked when she realizes her mistake, but no less determined. Nick didn't recognize Caro at first either, though he did think she looked familiar. He was immediately attracted to her, something that surprised him in light of his earlier disinterest in the available "ladies."

I enjoyed seeing the relationship develop between Nick and Caro. In a hilarious conversation, Caro offers a trade with Nick. She will pretend to be his lover, thereby negating rumors of his "problem" in exchange for his protection from any of the men who get the wrong idea about her. Thanks to their pasts, neither one has any interest in settling down, but their hearts don't get the message. As Nick learns about Caro's past his protective instincts are aroused along with other parts of him. I loved the way that he helped her let go of the pain of that past event and see that it wasn't her fault. Though her heart wants to believe that there is hope for more between them, her head still believes that a "fallen woman" is no match for a viscount.

Meanwhile, Nick begins to realize that he has let his feelings about his uncle control his life for too long. Caro's presence reminds him of happier times when he felt a part of her family. I loved seeing his metamorphosis from rake to responsible. His protectiveness toward Mrs. Dixon and her children, and his kindness toward young Edward was only the beginning. Learning more about Caro's new life made him take a fresh look at his and realize that he was ready for a change.

The interactions between Caro and Nick were great. The attraction between them was incendiary but tempered by Caro's fears. I loved Nick's patience as he helped her move past them. Their conversations were frank and frequently funny, and their inner monologues added to the hilarity. Nick's were especially amusing as he dealt with the feelings that Caro aroused. As he came to accept and embrace his newfound feelings for Caro, Nick struggled with finding a way to convince her of his love and to believe that they can have a future. I felt for him with his rambling attempts to tell her how much he needed her. I liked seeing Caro's thought processes as she worked through her feelings and fears to the realization of the dreams she thought she had given up. The ending was sweet and sexy and perfect for the two of them.

The mixture of people thrown together could have been awkward and uncomfortable, but the Christmas spirit seemed to take hold of everyone. I enjoyed seeing different sides emerge of the people who didn't make the greatest first impressions. The baker and his wife left their quarreling behind to prepare a special dish for the group. The "Weasel" turned out to be less of a threat than expected, and the judgmental preacher showed he had a heart after all. The two young peers learned a bit of humility, with one of them also experiencing an eye-opening revelation. The lightskirts found a new direction for their lives, and their boss played a big part in bringing Nick and Caro together. I loved Nick's servants and how the relationship between them and Nick changed as he did.

I did have a few questions at the end. Why was Caro in service as a nanny at seventeen? She is the daughter of the gentry, with parents and seven brothers. Shouldn't they have been helping her find a husband rather than sending her out alone into the world? Nick's realization of his feelings about his Italian family at the end left me wondering if he was going to do anything about it. I would have liked another chapter or an epilogue, maybe showing him and Caro honeymooning in Italy and visiting his family. I'd like to see what happens with the new residents of the Home and hope that maybe they will appear in the next book.

Such a good book. Sally has a way with banter among her characters. Primary and secondary characters were interesting. Love this series, have read a book about a woman maker of ale.

I’ve enjoyed Sally MacKenzie’s books for a long time. Her Naked Nobility series was funny and charming. While “The Merry Viscount” is not quite up to that standard, in my opinion, it is still an entertaining holiday special. Nick and Caroline were childhood acquaintances through her brother. When a coach accident strands Caroline and her fellow travelers on Nick’s doorstep on Christmas eve, it means a chance for them to rekindle the friendship and perhaps something more.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

When his neighbor’s dog threw his dinner up (that’s putting it nicely) all over Nick, Viscount Oakland’s, townhouse, he moved his Christmas orgy to his country estate. When the party was abruptly interrupted by the passengers of a stagecoach run into a ditch, the event took a decided turn. It wasn’t long before the unusual assortment of guests began to put together a festive celebration of the holiday.

Among the passengers was Caroline Anderson, the sister of an old friend. Nick and Caro had not seen each other for thirteen years. Nick, who had been a neglected and unhappy child, had become a consummate rake. Caroline, after a traumatic experience at her first job, had become part of the Benevolent Home for the Maintenance and Support of Spinsters, Widows and Abandoned Women and their Unfortunate Children. She is the brew master for the ale the home produces - Widow’s Brew. It seems they have nothing in common, but as they spent time together, they learned that they were alike in many ways. They are both missing something in their lives. Is it possible that fate has brought them together? Is there a Christmas miracle for them?

The Merry Viscount is a wonderful story full of fun and humor, a happy holiday tale. Watching the group work together to have a festive, traditional Christmas celebration was delightfully entertaining. Much is learned about our hero and heroine, their lives and hopes, through their ‘soul searching,’ in turns funny, poignant, and sad. I really enjoyed this story. I happily recommend it and the Widow’s Brew series.

I received an ARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. My review is voluntary.

This is a book that requires a suspension of belief -- the events are somewhat fantastical, as the story begins with a broken wheel that lands our heroine at a Christmas orgy and proceeds from there. It's just a tad unrealistic to see the hero transform (almost overnight) from the host of an orgy to someone ready to settle down with one woman. As for Caroline, a female brewer, her rediscovery of a childhood friend -- the host of the orgy -- does give him a reason to transform, but a bit more background on their friendship might have made their fast fall into love more believable. I did like Nick's growth as he understands why his uncle was so cold, but it never made sense to me that Caroline went into service. Both characters were betrayed in their pasts, and both had to work to change and be open to love. The story proceeds along, with the classes mingling and bringing Christmas cheer to the old homestead. Sally MacKenzie writes with humor, bringing the people and setting to life in an easy-to-read manner. This is an enjoyable read, but not her best. (I received an ARC on NetGalley. Opinions mine.)

Caro values her independence and thinks men are just a nuisance. Nick is living a life of debauchery. A stagecoach accident finds the two Alana with a houseful of others stranded together. It is a strange mix of people who gets to create a true Christmas miracle. The story is funny with an inner monologue carried out by the two main characters that will make you laugh. As the story unfolds each person find happiness in their situation and Caro and Nick find a lifetime together.

The Merry Viscount by Sally MacKenzie is book 2 in the Widow's Brew Series. This is the story of Caroline 'Caro' Anderson and Nicholas St. John, Viscount Oakland.
Nick is trying to make it through the holidays and being back in a house that he doesn't have great memories of. This leads him to have a party where its to be a orgy theme. Caro is a brewer of the Widow’s Ale at the Benevolent Home. This home helps supports Spinsters, Widowers, and Abandoned women and their children. Caro was coming back on the mail wagon from a trip to London to see if a Pub was interested in her brew but the person seem to be only interested in her. So she leaves and while on the wagon her and some other passengers are caught in a blizzard and there only hope may be the house they see. This leads Caro to meet Nick again who was her brother's friend and her crush.
Enjoyed their story.

Caroline (Caro) Anderson is traveling in the snow on a stagecoach heading back to the Benevolent Home for the Maintenance and Support of Spinsters, Widows, and Abandoned Women and their Unfortunate Children located in Little Puddleton. She had traveled to London hoping to encourage Mr. Harris, owner of the Drunken Sheep to purchase Widow’s Brew which she and the other residents of the Home produce. It has been well-received and if she can send more of it, they will not be under the threat of their patron, the Duke of Grainger. It is difficult to be a woman in business as so many men try to put their hands on her.

On the drive, they pick up another couple of passengers, a mother and her young son. Once onboard, the mother shows she also has a newborn daughter with her. But a broken axle brings the coach to a halt.

Luckily, it happens near the home of Nicholas (Nick) St. John, Viscount Oakland, age 32, and sometimes called Lord Devil. It just so happens that he is hosting a Christmas orgy for some of his friends which has quickly become a bore to him. When Caro and the others knock on the door, Nick is shock to see a young woman with a baby requesting help for the people in the disabled coach.

Nick had inherited his title and home from his uncle whom he despised. The man had been mean and cold to him. Now, Nick doesn’t really know where things are in the large mansion he has inherited as he was never allowed in certain areas.

Nick and Caro had been childhood friends as he played with her brothers. However, she no longer has contact with her family. At one time, Caro had had a crush on Nick, but she has since put all that aside to concentrate on selling the ale they brew. Now that she realizes that trying to supply ale to far away London would be impossible, she asks for Nick’s help.

As they spend more days together, they want to give into their attraction to one another, until Nick learns that Cleo had been violated as a young woman and along with being skittish of men, is afraid of sex. Ah, but Nick is a good teacher, so will he be able to guide her to happiness for both of them?

As always, Sally MacKenzie has written a thoughtful, sexy, and humorous novel that readers will enjoy. Well done!

Copy provided by NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

I received an ARC of this book to read through NetGalley in exchange for a fair review. The Merry Viscount by Sally MacKenzie is the second book in her charming Widow’s Brew series.
It can be read as a standalone but I enjoyed the first book so recommend reading both. This book is a delightful Christmas story full of warmth and humour and all the joys of the season.
Caroline Anderson is returning home after a visit to London when the coach she is travelling in crashes just outside the estate of her childhood crush Nicholas (Nick) St. John, Viscount Oakland aka Lord Devil. The passengers from the coach are reluctant to seek shelter from the winter storm because of Nick’s reputation and indeed when Caroline arrives she interrupts his plans for a Christmas Orgy although the idea doesn’t seem to appeal as much now that he is sober. With a houseful of uninvited guests to care fore Nick and Caroline set out to have a true Christmas something they both have not had for many years. I enjoyed reading this book immensely. Medium Steam. Publishing Date Sept 24, 2019
#NetGalley #TheMerryViscount #SallyMacKenzie #Bookstagram #KensingtonBooks #ZebraRomanceNovels #ChristmasRomanceNovel #HistoricalRomanceNovel

On her way home from a less than fruitful trip to London in the hope of securing another tavern to carry her ale, Miss Caroline Anderson finds herself stranded when the stagecoach to her home slides off the snowy road into a ditch. Caro and the other passengers seek shelter at a nearby estate, only to find that it is owned by her childhood friend Nick, now Viscount Oakland. He's clearly in the midst of some rather unsavory holiday entertaining, but his house is warm and Caro is out of options at present.

Nick has invited some less than respectable characters to his home for Christmas, always hoping to thumb his nose at the overly pious uncle who made his childhood a misery. He's surprised to recognize Caro at his door and even more shocked at the thoughts she soon has him entertaining, ideas that threaten to turn his whole life upside down.

I enjoyed the festive redemption vibe of this story. Nick and Caro both had some serious emotional issues and it was nice to see them face and work through them. Nick got a chance to rethink his choices and turn his life around for the better. He and Caro were both extremely lonely and when they realized that they were better off together, this was really sweet. However, this didn't actually happen until right at the end of the book. The majority of the story felt like both of them, mostly Caro listing all the reasons they couldn't or shouldn't be together and this got a little repetitive for me. Other than that, the story had some cute analogies that made me laugh and most of the characters were charming, though I found Caro to be rather tiresome. I also never understood how Caro, as the only daughter of a member of the gentry, wound up in service; that just didn't make sense to me. I would've liked a bit more closure between Nick and Caro just because they didn't really get it together until the very end and we didn't get to see them much as a couple without Caro sniping and scowling at Nick.

Overall this was a sweet story and I'd like to check out the rest of the series.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Awk...Ward!

So what happens when it's nearing Christmas Eve, you've caught the last coach out of town and then, some drunken youthful peers take the reins? You get Trouble, with a capital T!
For Miss Caroline Anderson it was Double Trouble. Caro is "the brewster at the Benevolent Home for the Maintenance and Support of Spinsters, Widows, and Abandoned Women and their Unfortunate Children in Little Puddledon.” Quite a mouthful ! The coach has floundered outside the country residence of Nicholas St. John, Viscount Oakland, or, as some called him, Lord Devil, a onetime childhood friend of Caro's.
For Nick it's also double trouble. Firstly he's rebelliously planned a Christmas orgy to rid the house of the memory of his late Uncle Leon's censorious voice, thumbing "his nose at everyone...by celebrating the Roman Saturnalia in place of Christmas" and secondly, he's having considerable trouble orgy-ing, and now a houseful of dubious travellers have landed on his doorstep including Caro!
I loved the feistiness of Caro, I was saddened by her victim mentality, something that Nick talks to her about. A high point for the novel and for these two people! I was confused as to why Caro had to go into service. I was amazed at the coincidences that kept cropping up but then if truth is stranger than fiction, then fiction is allowed to be a bit strange.
A lighthearted Christmas story, with serious undertones. Nick's childhood past and him being not quite the thing due to having an Italian mother is one of them. Caro's story is another.
I have my favourite Sally MacKenzie books, and although Nick and Caro's story is different and brought a smile to my face, it hasn't joined that list.

A Kensington Books ARC via NetGalley
(Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.)

Miss Caroline Anderson the brewer for the Home’s Widow’s Brew has travelled to London trying to find new customers for the brew. On the return journey the stagecoach ends up in a snow-covered ditch. Amid a nasty storm, Caro seeks shelter for herself & two young children at a nearby estate, only to be greeted by Nick Viscount Oakland, her brother’s childhood friend and her schoolgirl crush. He’s holding an orgy but at least the house is warm. Nick wishes he hadn’t invited his friends for an orgy & almost welcomes the passengers of the damaged stagecoach.
This is the second book in the series & could easily be read on its own. I loved the humour that ran throughout the book & it often had me laughing out loud. There were also more serious issues as both Nick & Caroline needed to let go of the past, I liked that this was a gradual process, which made it far more believable. The characters were well portrayed & had depth. I read the book in two sittings as it was highly entertaining. My one quibble was that it the ending left me wondering, how Felix settled in his new roll, did Archie pursue his love of music, how did the ladies settle in Little Puddleton, so I would have liked an epilogue
My honest review is for a special copy I voluntarily read

You can always count on a entertaining read when picking up a Sally MacKenzie book and this is no exception! Filled with wonderful characters, laugh out loud moments, unexpected twists and witty banter is book was a fun read. Caro has found a place as brewmaster in a charity home for women finding themselves in unfortunate circumstances, because a youthful indiscretion she's sees herself as unmarriable, a spinster if you will, focused on selling her brew to help with the home's expenses, so when she finds herself stranded with her fellow coach passengers at the end of the drive of and old family friend in a snow storm she takes matters into her own hands to broach the Viscount to allow them shelter. Nick had a blissful childhood until his parents' death when his uncle called him to England, Nick resented his new life and his stern uncle to the point of wanting nothing to do with the title his uncle's death left. Single and staying that way, Nick left London for the Christmas holidays, with questionable guests to his estate, little could he have known the intrusion that was coming! Laughs galore! Wonderful heart warming Christmas story.

Enjoyed the love story of Nick and Caro and how it came about. They met due to a stagecoach accident during a snowstorm, after having known each other as children, they come to realize they might care more than they first though. The story is well written and entertaining. I would recommend it for someone who wants a sweet romance.

With Christmas around the corner, Miss Caroline Anderson hoped to persuade a London tavern owner to carry the Home’s Widow’s Brew—only to discover the dastard was more interested in her ankles than her ale! To her further annoyance, her stagecoach back to Little Puddledon is waylaid by louts and a snow-covered ditch. Amid a nasty storm, Caro seeks shelter at a nearby estate—only to be greeted by Viscount Oakland, aka Nick, her brother’s childhood friend—and her schoolgirl crush.
Ever the free spirit, Nick has invited the wilder gentlemen of the ton, and an assortment of London’s light skirts, to celebrate Christmas in a more traditional, pagan fashion. He's surprised to find a young lady at his door who seems familiar but he can't seem to place where he knows her from. Caro knows right away who Nick is and with a blizzard raging, she hopes he will take her and her fellow passengers in—despite his fear they won’t take to his other guests, and worse, upend his party.
However Caro may surprise him—and upend his life instead.
This is another delightful Sally MacKenzie novel. The Merry Viscount (The Widow's Brew Series Book 2) like all of the books situated in Little Puddleton is an excellent and humorous read. Once I started reading it I couldn't put it down.
This book has an unusual assortment of characters that blend together to make this book a joy to read.
I gave this book 4.25 of 5.0 stars for story line and characterization.
I received a complimentary digital ARC to read from Zebra Books via NetGalley. This in no way affected my opinion of this title which I read and reviewed voluntarily.

Caroline Anderson is on her way back from London after a failed attempt to sell the Home's Widow's Brew beer to a London tavern. In fact, she ended up having to ward off the gentleman from a rather amorous attempt. Now she's on the stagecoach from hell with a judgmental pastor, a husband and wife who are REALLY annoying, and now a young mother with a six-year-old boy and a baby. Then two inebriated gentleman join the trip. And they decide to take over the reins and immediately drive the stagecoach into a ditch. To her astonishment, Caroline knows where they are, near the home of a man known as Lord Devil, a man who's nephew she played with when they were children. Only now the nephew has taken on the mantle as the Lord and he's holding a Christmas orgy at his house to spite his uncle's memory. However, the lord, Nick, isn't so inhuman that he'd turn people out into the cold so the entire stagecoach ends up at his house. He's astonished to recognize his childhood friend and even more astonished when she suggests that they pretend to be lovers.
Caroline has a really good reason for that-especially since her past was Not Good and she could use the dubious protection of a relationship with Nick but she soon realizes that a fake relationship might turn out to be real after all.
Like all MacKenzie books, this is a fast, fun, and fairly shallow read. Everything is wrapped up neatly without a lot of angst. The perfect book to read if you need something fluffy and light but I wish there had been a bit more character development.

Three and a half stars
This book comes out September 24th
ARC kindly provided by Kensington Books and NetGalley
Opinions are my own

I enjoyed this particular story. It seems like the perfect stress relief for leading up to Christmas, the characters are likeable, the drama mostly internal, the characters learn about themselves and grow and are sweet to each other. The only thing that I found a little disappointing was that one of the characters realized something in the last chapter and they don't really expand on how he's going to fix or address it. However, this is part of a series, (it's book 2) so the characters will probably pop in again in the future, and maybe we'll get an update in the future for his other family.

Caroline “Caro” Anderson is the brewer of the Widow’s Ale at the Benevolent Home for the Maintenance and Support of Spinsters, Widows and Abandoned Women and their Unfortunate Children. She is returning from a disappointing trip to London when the mail coach she is riding in becomes disabled, stranding her and several other passengers, including a small boy and his infant sister in the snow. Knowing the children will not survive the cold, she takes the baby and goes for help at a nearby estate. The estate is owned by a man she knows well, or at least knew well, Nicholas St. John, Viscount Oakland. Nick was friends with her older brother and was a frequent visitor to her home. She has not seen him in 17 years, but hopes he will offer shelter to them.

Nick is at the estate and is hosting an orgy, he however can’t seem to find the enthusiasm to join in, he blames it on being back at the estate. Nick was born in Italy, his father was the younger son of the Viscount and a painter, he fell in love with an Italian woman while on his grand tour and never returned to England. But when they died, his uncle, the new Viscount demanded that Nick come to live with him in England – his uncle was a dour, bitter man who Nick blames for all his unhappiness. Being at the estate, especially at Christmas, brings back all his memories and has him feeling out of sorts. When Caro comes banging on the door, Nick has no idea how much his life is about to change.

This was a sweet story with characters who have some very potent emotional issues. I loved seeing Nick grow as a person and begin to start taking responsibility for his own life and to stop blaming his uncle. I also enjoyed seeing Caro begin to let go of the pain in her past, she was hurt badly by a man and then to add insult to injury, disowned by her family. Watching them help each other to see the truth of their pasts and move on was very well done. I like the story, but there were just some things that didn’t really work for me, I never understood why Caro went into “service”, her family wasn’t poor and she was 17 and the only daughter, why didn’t her father try to find her a husband? It just didn’t make sense. I also felt like the book ended too abruptly, it really needed another chapter or at least an epilogue to show the reader their HEA as well as letting us know what happened with the secondary characters that were also stranded at the estate. This is the second book in the series, but it can easily be read as a standalone title.

*I am voluntarily leaving a review for an eARC that was provided to me by NetGalley and the publisher.*