First Line Friday – A Holiday by Gaslight (Mimi Matthews) – Fiction Aficionado

Welcome to First Line Friday, hosted by Hoarding Books! I’ve discovered a new author recently, thanks to Rachel McMillan, and she’s just released a Christmas novella—perfect for those who’d like to get a taste of her writing. Mimi Matthews writes Victorian romances for the general market (clean), often with slightly Gothic overtones (although not so much in this novella), and I loved A Holiday by Gaslight. In fact, if you’re a fan of Elizabeth Gaskell’s North and South, you’ll find quite a few nods to that story here. You can check out my full review here.

~ About the Book ~

A Courtship of ConvenienceSophie Appersett is quite willing to marry outside of her class to ensure the survival of her family. But the darkly handsome Mr. Edward Sharpe is no run-of-the-mill London merchant. He’s grim and silent. A man of little emotion–or perhaps no emotion at all. After two months of courtship, she’s ready to put an end to things.

A Last Chance for Love

But severing ties with her taciturn suitor isn’t as straightforward as Sophie envisioned. Her parents are outraged. And then there’s Charles Darwin, Prince Albert, and that dratted gaslight. What’s a girl to do except invite Mr. Sharpe to Appersett House for Christmas and give him one last chance to win her? Only this time there’ll be no false formality. This time they’ll get to know each other for who they really are.

Amazon US  //  Goodreads

~ First Line ~

An icy late November breeze rustled the bare branches of the trees along the Serpentine.

Brrrr! Doesn’t that make you shiver?!

I’d love it if you’d share the first line of whatever you’re currently reading in the comments. And don’t forget, you can find out what other bloggers are sharing for First Line Friday by going over to Hoarding Books blog and finding all the links. If you’ve got your own blog, why not join in and add your link over there. 🙂