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Sugarplum Surprises
Fleeing her baroness stepmother's frightful plans for her after the death of her father, Jane Nichol disguises herself as a middle-aged seamstress to support herself, but her masquerade is threatened when she meets a handsome young duke with his own secrets to hide. Original.
240 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published November 1, 2001
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About the author
Elisabeth Fairchild
24 books26 followersElisabeth Fairchild is half English and considers the British Isles her second home. With a degree in advertising from North Texas State University, Fairchild worked for ten years in advertising before turning to writing full-time.
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
November 6, 2015
2,5 Stars
Mini-review, not much to say about this average Traditional Regency where Miss Jane Nichol, the heroine, in order to escape an arranged marriage to a sleazy old baron lives the life of a French modiste under false identity and happens to attract the attention of the Duke of Chandrose, who's enjoying the Christmas Season in Bath after having jilted his fiancée.
Smooth writing and linear plot made for a relaxing, quick and pleasant enough read, but the sparkle and humour the sub-genre usually relies on, and that I always look for in these cases, were rather lacking or at best opaquely subdued. If the well portrayed atmosphere and old-fashioned seasonal folklore, with plum puddings, mistletoes and silver trinkets, were the strongest points, I found the characterisations a little too pat and the romance quite tensionless as Chandrose knows almost from the beginning who Jane really is and I could see no true obstacle preventing these two from being together. Also, the flawless hero and virtuous heroine's interactions were too sappy for my tastes, the endearing and dotty old governess was too endearing and dotting and the scheming stepmother was too scheming, making the picture dangerously approaching one-dimensional territory.
The ending showed a glimpse of the genre's signature farcical charm, too little too late to enliven the whole parcel though.
That said, not a book to avoid at all costs, especially if you are very fond of Christmas-set romances, but nothing I would go out of my way to change the reading schedule for either.
Buddy-read with Anne :)
April 2, 2015
Okay, I agree that it is slightly ridiculous to be giving such a fluffy, Christmasy book a five star rating, but it really was a good one. I found it so sweet, fun, delightful and pleasant that I couldn't bring myself to rate it any lower.
Elisabeth Fairchild has a very unique writing style, one that feels almost poetic at times. I quite enjoyed it; it gave a nice feel to the story and felt refreshing after the other more contemporary-written Regency I'd been reading. Fairchild's prose went so well with all the talk of Christmas preparations and parties, and silver surprises and plum pudding. It was such a feel-good book!
Miss Jane Nichol was pluck to the backbone, courageous, generous and selfless. Having escaped her step-family to prevent getting married to the old, repugnant Baron Blomefield, she flees to Bath where she disguises and powders herself into middle-aged French seamstress Madame Nicolette, and makes a living as a dressmaker. Ignore the part on the back cover where it says that she lives as Jane Nichol by night...because she doesn't. At least not right away, except for that one time where she decides on a whim to wear one of Fanny Fowler's unworn ball gowns, and shows up to the Assembly Rooms where she proceeds to turn every man's head, including recently single Edward Brydges.
Edward Brydges, the Duke of Chandrose, is tall, dark, handsome, elegant and refined, and your definition of a starchy, prim-and-proper, no-nonsense, imperious duke. (*insert dreamy sigh here*) With an income that would make Mrs. Bennet fall into a coma (100,000 A YEAR!), and newly reacquired state of bachelor, he is probably the most eligible catch in all of England. Dutiful, polite and respectful, Edward is also a great philanthropist and devotes much of his time helping at the local hospital and giving money to all sorts of charities. (*more sighs*)
Having jilted his fiancée (Fanny Fowler) within two weeks of the wedding, (which I still don't totally get -- aren't men NOT supposed to jilt their fiancées??! His doing so didn't even raise that much talk...and it wasn't like he had a plausible reason either, in the eyes of the ton. It was a strictly personal issue. It wasn't as though Fanny was psycho or something! I guess he got away with it because he's a duke with freaking 100,000 a year? Still, it made me wish Edward Ferrars had taken a chance sooner and dumped that Lucy Steele!) Eddie is at his most brooding when Jane meets him for the first time, clad in her dazzling ball gown. She demands he pays for his ex's trousseau, because it had taken a heck of a time and material for Mme Nicolette to make it, and hang it all, she needed the money to get more supplies and continue into her business.
The duke has no sooner set foot in Madame's shop than he suspects something is fishy. He figures out Jane's charade almost immediately, and because he wishes to forget about Fanny and finds himself attracted to Jane, he decides to investigate and find out why she is leading a double life. This leads to secret meetings between himself and Miss Nichol at dawn at the baths (finally a book set in Bath where there are actually scenes with characters bathing!), and the beginning of a most promising and tension-filled relationship between a duke and a dressmaker.
Edward and Jane had tons of gorgeous and romantic scenes, and the overall book was a delight. The ending was a bit bizarre though, and didn't seem to match the rest of the book, but it was sweet anyways. I LOVED the Christmas feels throughout! All the silver surprises, jingling bells, beautiful wreaths and Jane's bling-bling plum-pudding dress were awesome. Her dress sounded like quite something though! It made the artist in me want to dig out an old dress and try adding silver charms all around the hem just like hers! :)
Definitely a Christmas favourite!!
Buddy read with Christina. :D
Elisabeth Fairchild has a very unique writing style, one that feels almost poetic at times. I quite enjoyed it; it gave a nice feel to the story and felt refreshing after the other more contemporary-written Regency I'd been reading. Fairchild's prose went so well with all the talk of Christmas preparations and parties, and silver surprises and plum pudding. It was such a feel-good book!
Miss Jane Nichol was pluck to the backbone, courageous, generous and selfless. Having escaped her step-family to prevent getting married to the old, repugnant Baron Blomefield, she flees to Bath where she disguises and powders herself into middle-aged French seamstress Madame Nicolette, and makes a living as a dressmaker. Ignore the part on the back cover where it says that she lives as Jane Nichol by night...because she doesn't. At least not right away, except for that one time where she decides on a whim to wear one of Fanny Fowler's unworn ball gowns, and shows up to the Assembly Rooms where she proceeds to turn every man's head, including recently single Edward Brydges.
Edward Brydges, the Duke of Chandrose, is tall, dark, handsome, elegant and refined, and your definition of a starchy, prim-and-proper, no-nonsense, imperious duke. (*insert dreamy sigh here*) With an income that would make Mrs. Bennet fall into a coma (100,000 A YEAR!), and newly reacquired state of bachelor, he is probably the most eligible catch in all of England. Dutiful, polite and respectful, Edward is also a great philanthropist and devotes much of his time helping at the local hospital and giving money to all sorts of charities. (*more sighs*)
Having jilted his fiancée (Fanny Fowler) within two weeks of the wedding, (which I still don't totally get -- aren't men NOT supposed to jilt their fiancées??! His doing so didn't even raise that much talk...and it wasn't like he had a plausible reason either, in the eyes of the ton. It was a strictly personal issue. It wasn't as though Fanny was psycho or something! I guess he got away with it because he's a duke with freaking 100,000 a year? Still, it made me wish Edward Ferrars had taken a chance sooner and dumped that Lucy Steele!) Eddie is at his most brooding when Jane meets him for the first time, clad in her dazzling ball gown. She demands he pays for his ex's trousseau, because it had taken a heck of a time and material for Mme Nicolette to make it, and hang it all, she needed the money to get more supplies and continue into her business.
The duke has no sooner set foot in Madame's shop than he suspects something is fishy. He figures out Jane's charade almost immediately, and because he wishes to forget about Fanny and finds himself attracted to Jane, he decides to investigate and find out why she is leading a double life. This leads to secret meetings between himself and Miss Nichol at dawn at the baths (finally a book set in Bath where there are actually scenes with characters bathing!), and the beginning of a most promising and tension-filled relationship between a duke and a dressmaker.
Edward and Jane had tons of gorgeous and romantic scenes, and the overall book was a delight. The ending was a bit bizarre though, and didn't seem to match the rest of the book, but it was sweet anyways. I LOVED the Christmas feels throughout! All the silver surprises, jingling bells, beautiful wreaths and Jane's bling-bling plum-pudding dress were awesome. Her dress sounded like quite something though! It made the artist in me want to dig out an old dress and try adding silver charms all around the hem just like hers! :)
Definitely a Christmas favourite!!
Buddy read with Christina. :D
December 10, 2019
This is my second Fairchild book (though I really meant to read Captain Cupid Calls the Shots next). What can I say. It's the holidays so I am trying to add to the holiday cheer.
This story is a take off on the Cinderella story. I haven't read enough of her books to say for sure but I noticed that she has a fairytale feel to her stories so far (Valentine's Change of Heart being my absolute love right now).
This will be a short review but first I have to say there's a reason why this story really made me smile. On one hand, I love stories with a fairytale feel to them. On the other, I really hate a lot of the actual classic fairytales told today (yes Disney, I love your music and animation but I'm talking about you). So one day in the car my 7 year old daughter wanted me to tell her a fairytale (she doesn't know of any except Frozen). I decided to tell her about Cinderella. When I was done, I asked her what the moral of the story was and when she couldn't answer I said it's this "See what happens when you don't have an education? You have no skills and can't get a job which means you can't leave a bad situation. If Cinderella was smart, she would have learned skills, got a job and supported herself instead of being abused by her stepmother and sisters. Instead, she relied on a man to save her and hooked up with the first one that showed an interest in her. And what did she know about him? NOTHING other than he had a shoe fetish and was a stalker because WHAT NORMAL MAN would search like that for a woman he just met? I then had to explain what a stalker was to her and YES, I did tell her this story. She informed me at a later date she didn't want any more fairy tale stories from me.
OK. I digressed there for a moment but I brought it up because in this, Cinderella has some employable job skills and so leaves her bad situation to go out into the world and support herself. I loved it. Until the end. A day after I read it I actually thought "Oh, I forgot to finish that book." Then realized I had. The reason I had forgotten was because the ending came fast and was wrapped up REALLY fast. Also, it came out of left field because this normally strong and independent young woman suddenly caves into her stepmother's coercion which made little sense. Yes, stepmom threatened her loved ones but did she honestly think if she picked up stakes and left that her pretty much powerless stepmother would have enacted her threats? And then the prince shows up and saves her. Only...it was so fast. I mean, it was like Ms. Fairchild got suddenly bored with the story or maybe had something she needed to do and said "Dang, I gotta wrap this thing up. I'll throw in some crazy pigs and the Hero and the end." In reality, the author seems to have a quick and witty mind and probably laughed at the ending not realizing that the train left the station with a lot of readers left behind.
Still, it was an enjoyable read and fun for the holidays.
This story is a take off on the Cinderella story. I haven't read enough of her books to say for sure but I noticed that she has a fairytale feel to her stories so far (Valentine's Change of Heart being my absolute love right now).
This will be a short review but first I have to say there's a reason why this story really made me smile. On one hand, I love stories with a fairytale feel to them. On the other, I really hate a lot of the actual classic fairytales told today (yes Disney, I love your music and animation but I'm talking about you). So one day in the car my 7 year old daughter wanted me to tell her a fairytale (she doesn't know of any except Frozen). I decided to tell her about Cinderella. When I was done, I asked her what the moral of the story was and when she couldn't answer I said it's this "See what happens when you don't have an education? You have no skills and can't get a job which means you can't leave a bad situation. If Cinderella was smart, she would have learned skills, got a job and supported herself instead of being abused by her stepmother and sisters. Instead, she relied on a man to save her and hooked up with the first one that showed an interest in her. And what did she know about him? NOTHING other than he had a shoe fetish and was a stalker because WHAT NORMAL MAN would search like that for a woman he just met? I then had to explain what a stalker was to her and YES, I did tell her this story. She informed me at a later date she didn't want any more fairy tale stories from me.
OK. I digressed there for a moment but I brought it up because in this, Cinderella has some employable job skills and so leaves her bad situation to go out into the world and support herself. I loved it. Until the end. A day after I read it I actually thought "Oh, I forgot to finish that book." Then realized I had. The reason I had forgotten was because the ending came fast and was wrapped up REALLY fast. Also, it came out of left field because this normally strong and independent young woman suddenly caves into her stepmother's coercion which made little sense. Yes, stepmom threatened her loved ones but did she honestly think if she picked up stakes and left that her pretty much powerless stepmother would have enacted her threats? And then the prince shows up and saves her. Only...it was so fast. I mean, it was like Ms. Fairchild got suddenly bored with the story or maybe had something she needed to do and said "Dang, I gotta wrap this thing up. I'll throw in some crazy pigs and the Hero and the end." In reality, the author seems to have a quick and witty mind and probably laughed at the ending not realizing that the train left the station with a lot of readers left behind.
Still, it was an enjoyable read and fun for the holidays.
July 17, 2022
Really nice traditional regency with a holiday theme set in Bath; perhaps a little too heavy on the sugarplums-and-Christmas-traditions, and descending into a ridiculous and somewhat heavy-handed farce/drama at the end, but over all pretty good. I will also say that the heroine's business sense when it came to getting paid for her work was pretty terrible. I am not a nineteenth-century dressmaker but even I know that the nobility are constantly going to try to weasel out of paying you unless you take precautions. Hopefully she'll display a little more financial know-how when it comes to duchessing?
December 3, 2019
I feel like this book would have appealed more to fans of cheesy Hallmark Christmas movies, because something about it didn't particularly draw me in like previous romances. It wasn't bad, per se, and I actually really liked the sexual tension between Edward and Jane quite nicely. But... one, that ending was ridiculous (not necessarily bad, just bizarre), and two, the execution overall was rather mediocre. I did like the fluffy romance itself, the fact that it didn't depend on "arguments leading to sexual tension" or any of the really annoying (and problematic) tropes out there, and that Edward was actually willing to admit that his standoffish attitude in the beginning wasn't the result of a broken heart so much as a bruised ego. Jane's circumstances were sympathetic (albeit odd), and her awful stepmother was deliciously slimy and despicable, making her incredibly easy to hate. So, there were the usual tropes that always makes these Regency Romances a fun read. But the more I read on, the more I wanted it to be over and done with. Cute romance, interesting premise, not the best payoff.
March 26, 2019
Not great. May b good as a Christmas read.
Felt the story to be too improbable.
Felt the story to be too improbable.
February 26, 2025
I love the idea of hiding in plain sight and using the skills you have to survive. I found some of the side characters and activities more sidelining than supportive.
Christmas Regency Romance
Christmas Regency Romance
December 15, 2011
By night, she is her own person. By day, Jane Nichol disguises herself as middle-aged Madame Nicolette, the best seamstress in town. Could she be a runaway with secrets? Edward Bridges, the Duke of Chandrose, is determined to find out.
This story surprised me because it is a farce BUT the characters are fairly well-developed. Jane's responsibilities as a dressmaker take their toll. She has to remember her French accent while she is playing one part and English while she is in true form. Just getting into costume is cumbersome.
Edward, as she knows him, realizes something is amiss. He becomes aware that Jane is in disguise and wants to know why. As he unravels the truth, our hero falls in love. As expected, there are highs and lows to this Regency romance. If you are looking for a Christmas story set in gentle, some-what unrealistic times, SUGARPLUM SURPRISES is for you.
This story surprised me because it is a farce BUT the characters are fairly well-developed. Jane's responsibilities as a dressmaker take their toll. She has to remember her French accent while she is playing one part and English while she is in true form. Just getting into costume is cumbersome.
Edward, as she knows him, realizes something is amiss. He becomes aware that Jane is in disguise and wants to know why. As he unravels the truth, our hero falls in love. As expected, there are highs and lows to this Regency romance. If you are looking for a Christmas story set in gentle, some-what unrealistic times, SUGARPLUM SURPRISES is for you.
May 29, 2016
Jane Nichol is in disguise as Madame Nicolette, dressmaker, having run away from a planned forced marriage. Jane meets Edward, Duke of Chandrose, as herself at an Assembly where she tries to shame him into paying for his fiance's trousseau after he jilted her and the jilted bride's father refuses to pay the dressmaker. He refuses but when he comes to her shop he guesses that Jane and Nicolette are one person. Thus begins a loosely based retelling of Cinderella with a stepmother and 2 stepsisters. There is even a scene where all of her friends help her make a beautiful gown to attend the ball. I'm glad the Duke saw through her disguise immediately since this plot device has never worked for me. There were times that one need to suspend belief to follow the story, but all in all it was a nice Regency romance.
January 3, 2009
my mother has an affinity for regency romance. Sometimes they are nothing more than smutty bodice rippers. However I did enjoy this one as it was innocent and charming.
I liked the storyline and the character development.
I feel the ending was a little too "happily ever after" and "no one ever heard from the mean old stepmother again" for my taste.
I like the villains to have their justice meted out to them with an iron fist. I like the just desserts. This book didnt seem to have that.
But this was a cute, quick holiday read.
I liked the storyline and the character development.
I feel the ending was a little too "happily ever after" and "no one ever heard from the mean old stepmother again" for my taste.
I like the villains to have their justice meted out to them with an iron fist. I like the just desserts. This book didnt seem to have that.
But this was a cute, quick holiday read.
December 18, 2011
I really enjoyed this book. The heroine rescues herself from a bad situation and manages to take control of her life. Despite some instalove, both H and h give some thought to their relationship and its consequences. A very nice holiday read.
September 25, 2009
Regency
December 21, 2009
liked the book, didn't like the ending.
December 6, 2020
One of the better books in this genre
November 16, 2020
Started off fun and engaging. But ending felt rushed. Very romantic though. My biggest issue is that the evil step mother never got her just desserts, leaving me dissatisfied at the end.
March 26, 2017
Jane Nichol is the daughter of a deceased baron. To escape the evil marriage her stepmother arranged, Jane flees to Bath and disguises herself as French seamstress Madame Nicolette. Edward Brydges is a Duke and has just called off his marriage to Fanny Fowler when she admits to no love for him. Jane has made Fanny's trousseau and will be in financial trouble if it's not paid for. So, she appears at a ball to confront the duke in behalf of her "friend". Edward is intrigued and goes to visit Madame with his sisters. Overnight her work becomes the rage and Edward discovers her secret when her step-mom shows up in town. Misunderstanding happen, but all works happily ever after. Frothy Christmas Regency. Well done, but not outstanding.
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews