Reviewed by Sadonna

TITLE:  A Case for Christmas

SERIES:  The Lords of Bucknall Club

AUTHORS:  J.A. Rock and Lisa Henry

LENGTH:  238 pages

RELEASE DATE:  July 15, 2021

BLURB:  

He loves no-one and never will.

Lord Christmas Gale is a genius and a misanthrope, and, quite to his disgust, adored by all of Society for his capacity to solve mysteries. When a man approaches him seeking help in locating a lost dog, Gale rebuffs him. But what begins with a missing dog ends in murder and intrigue—two of Gale’s favourite things, if it weren’t for the orphan that comes attached to them. Oh, and Benjamin Chant.

He has sworn to never love again.

The Honourable Mr. Benjamin Chant isn’t sure how he got swept up in Gale’s mad investigation, but there’s something intriguing about the man—a vulnerability that most of the world doesn’t notice, but which captures Chant’s interest, and his sympathy, from their first meeting. After a disastrous love affair in the past, Chant has sworn to never give his heart away again. Especially to a man who does not want it.

But it isn’t just their hearts at stake.

When their investigation takes a dangerous turn and their lives are threatened, both Gale and Chant are forced into the realisation that perhaps two imperfect men might fit perfectly together—that is, if they can outwit the killer who is intent on seeing them both dead.

A Case for Christmas is the second book in the Lords of Bucknall Club series, where the Regency meets m/m romance. The Lords of Bucknall Club can be read in any order.

REVIEW:

Christmas Gale has become something of a rather renowned sleuth – solving cases that now have made it to the press.  He’s most unhappy about this as now his face has become well known.  He’s accosted while returning from an adventure of a personal nature when he’s accosted by a mysterious drunk who wants help finding a dog.  But he’s on his way to chaperone his sister to a ball, so he’s on his way.

When Gale meets Benjamin Chance – at the dance while chaperoning one of his many (too many in his opinion) sisters, he’s quite shocked at the man.  This leads to a conversation and Chant being able to somehow calm his anxiety.  So much so, that he even agrees to a dance – which he never does 😉  And when he next discover that the drunk he had the conversation with has been murdered and knows that there is now a young girl left orphaned, despite the stern visage he has cultivated, he absolutely cannot leave this girl to fend for herself and in the middle of the night, secures Chant’s assistance in retrieving the girl from the slum where she lives.  Things don’t go exactly to plan though and he takes her back to his family home.

He endeavors to find the missing dog for the girl and stumbles across the fact that someone else was looking for the dog.  And that man could potentially be the murderer.  And of course the dog does not want to cooperate either 🙂  Chant is intrigued by Gale as he is obviously exceptionally brilliant and despite his best efforts, Chant has begun to glimpse the real Gale beneath his stern exterior.  It’s clear that Gale  is not like anyone he has ever known, but he’s now drawn to the man and also he’s concerned that Gale is not being very careful and that he would be extremely upset should something happen to him.  Gale for his part, is extremely upset that he seems to now seek more of Chant and he feels it’s distracting him from the investigation (don’t call it a case!).

As the investigation grows more dangerous, but Gale and Chant are worried not just about the danger from the villains. It seems that they are also worried about their own hearts, because they are now invested in more than just finding the murderer and bringing them to justice.  They each have to overcome their fears and insecurities and also past hurts to make a way forward.

I SO enjoyed this new story in this series.  Christmas Gale was a standout supporting character in A Husband for Hartwell and I was thrilled that he was the main character in the next book 🙂  I so wanted him to find his own HEA, much to his chagrin.  LOL! Gale is brilliant but extremely flawed – my most favorite type of character.    Benjamin Chant has had a rather sad life, which is slowly shared during the course of the book.  His sunny and rather optimistic exterior, however, is as bit of a cover for the heartbreak that he’s experienced.  But he soldiers on, despite some setbacks with Gale. I absolutely adored the Gale family – sisters and mother alike.  It was clear that both men had issues that were longstanding.  They needed each other desperately to overcome those challenges in order to let the other into their world and most importantly their hearts.  The mystery was very well done and I absolutely love the descriptive imagery that truly pained a picture of the time and place.  This alternative regency setting where same-sex marriage is legal is so interesting and a fun new twist.  I really grew to love both Gale and Chant in this story and was so happy they could eventually overcome their misgivings and get out of their own way!  Highly recommended and I cannot wait for book 3!!

RATING: 

BUY LINK:

Amazon