Upon a Ghostly Yule: A Victorian Christmas Short Story

by Amanda DeWees

Can the ghost of a tragic beauty teach a spirited Victorian belle how to live—and love? Find out in this spooky, sweet story from the author of the Daphne du Maurier Award–winning With This Curse!In this delightful short story of about 60 pages, when debutante Felicity Reginald impersonates the ghost of a willful 18th-century beauty at a Christmas house party in 1856, she is embarking on a dangerous masquerade. The real specter is hungry for life—and when she steps into Felicity’s skin, nobody, least of all dashing Sir James Darrington, is prepared for what happens next. James and Felicity must overcome the bitter misunderstanding that has kept them apart in order to solve the mystery and save Felicity before the ghost’s growing influence takes over entirely.Prepare yourself for spooky chills, charming romance, and “DeWees’ signature witty repartee” (Volatilisanguis, Amazon reviewer) in this fun-filled short story starring Felicity Reginald, first seen in Sea of Secrets, winner of the 2012 RONÉ Award in mystery. Fans of traditional gothic romance in the tradition of Mary Stewart, Victoria Holt, and Barbara Michaels will delight in what reviewers are calling “a beautiful, haunting tale filled with twists and turns” (Caitlyn, Amazon reviewer) and “a thoroughly enchanting story of romance, betrayal, secret passageways, and ghostly occurrences” (Darrell, Goodreads). And if this is your first time exploring Amanda DeWees’s Victorian gothic works, you won’t want to miss a single one of her other books in the ghost stories, historical gothic romance, Victorian era, Christmas stories, cozy mystery, traditional gothic romance, 19th century, sweet romance, historical romantic suspense, paranormal, romantic comedy, spinoff characters, aristocracy, manor house

Genres: Christmas, Romance, Paranormal, Historical, Short Stories

71 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 30, 2015

About the author

Amanda DeWees received her PhD in English from the University of Georgia and wrote her dissertation on 19th-century vampire literature—the perfect training, although she didn’t know it at the time, for writing Victorian gothic romance novels. Her books include With This Curse, winner of the 2015 Daphne du Maurier Award in historical mystery/suspense, and the Sybil Ingram Victorian Mysteries series.

Reviews

[Amarinske · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lot of fun. I definitely want to read more from this author now. The Victorian setting with a bit of suspense and a mystery is totally my thing. No matter if it has romance or not but the romance did give it an extra little thing as did the Christmas setting.

[Angie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun historical fiction Christmas novella with paranormal flair

[Pamela · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this novella. It was a Christmas Ghost story,and included Sir James, and Felicity. It was charming,and had a great story line,and ending. Sometimes a ghost has something good to pass on. That was the case in this story. My favorite of the season so far.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A short story from the author of the Sybil Ingram series. Felicity is invited to a Christmas house party, where handsome James is also present. Their past clashes keep them apart. But when Felicity is talked into playing a prank by impersonating a ghost, it backfires and the ghost takes over her body. James eventually realizes that she is not herself, and helps her. Apparently Felicity is from another novel, Sea of Secrets, which I have not read. But this was a charming, and slightly spooky story.

[Roxane Twisdale · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a romantic ghost

This is a short story but you know some of the characters if you have read any of Mrs Dewess other books. I can't really tell y'all anything about the story of you will be spolied. It was a romantic ghost story and I loved it. No matter if it's 60 pages of 300 this author always delivers a great story and makes me happy. I love reading great authors like this one. Thank you

[Dianna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Under developed plotline and characters

I think if I read previous books by this author [this series] I would have enjoyed this book more. It read as though I opened a book in the middle, read a few pages, and then moved onto the last chapter of the book.

[Larry · Rating 5 out of 5]

As with all the other works, I have read by this author, this short story was excellent. The main characters are fun, interesting, and endearing, quickly. The plot is easily followed and the story quite good. I can definitely recommend this short story.

[Joan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this short story.

[Maria DeBlassie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a fun, fast-paced holiday gothic romance to put you in a festive mood.

[Sandy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really didn’t like the narrative style in the beginning but it was a decent, albeit predictable short story.

[Michele Bolay · Rating 4 out of 5]

(I received a copy of this in exchange for an honest review)

In general I am a sucker for a good Christmas romance, and while gothic/supernatural is not my main sub-genre I do enjoy it sometimes.

DeWees' style is fun, a mixture of old-school gothic revival (taking me back to my Victoria Holt days) and traditional historical. Felicity, the heroine, was a bit too much if an ingenue for my taste, but I simply prefer older, sassier heroines. So at first I was all "Team Amelia"....until I SO wasn't. I hate pranks. Sir James is very sexy and I would definitely enjoy getting stranded in a snowy mansion with him, especially one that includes secret doors and hidden passages. Very enjoyable read.e I wanted to hang out with.

[Peyton · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars. I love pretty much everything she writes, and this is no exception. The story was fun and exciting, with a few good sinister moments. I really enjoyed the hero’s gallantry—and our heroine’s forwardness. The plot and pacing were great for the length of the story, but I was a little sad to see it end after a mere 60 pages. Surely Felicity should have more than that! There’s never enough of one of Ms. DeWees’s stories.

I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

[Pilar Seacord · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really cute story. As the synopsis says Felicity has her coming out with a family that don't really want to sponser her. The daughter of the family, Amelia isn't quite as attractive. It doesn't matter because there is a scandle in Felicities family. Through some misunderstanding Sir James heard some badmouthing from Felicity. So he thinks bad of her but she also heard he badmouthed her so she thinks bad of him. The ghost is interesting and she is a bit wild. The story is short but a fun read.

[Alisa Jenkins · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5/4 stars
a very quick read, not much of a holiday story. More for back ground purposes. But definitely a ghost story.
I felt sorry for Felicity, in how others treated her. Amelia is such a spoiled brat. Her "tricks" were down right mean. She deserves for her friends to abandon her.
So happy that there was a happy ending to this story, all around.

*I received my copy in exchange for an honest review.

[Madeline · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love Amanda DeWees' stories...I don't understand why they're not more popular!

With this one in particular, Ms. DeWees creates a very complete story - with complex characters, relationships, motivations, & backgrounds, and an atmosphere I could really feel - in SO FEW PAGES! It was the perfect moody, creepy, gothic, cozy short story for a winter night. Loved it. 5 stars

(Now to go read about Felicity's full backstory in Sea of Secrets!)

[volatilisanguis · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really liked how DeWees used the old tradition of telling ghost stories at Christmas to set the tone for a light-hearted Gothic Romance. It reminded me a lot of one of my favorite novels, Elizabeth Mansfield's The Phantom Lover. It was also fun to see one of the minor characters from Sea of Secrets get her own story!

[Carly O'Connell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute love story, very short. I read it without having read DeWees's other works which build the world for it, and it still held up well on it's own. Good to get you in the Christmas spirit (see what I did there? Spirit - ghost - get it? Nevermind).

[Darrell Grizzle · Rating 4 out of 5]

A thoroughly enchanting story of romance, betrayal, secret passageways, and ghostly occurrences.

[Shawna Wood · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun short read. This story of one of the minor characters in Sea of Secrets is everything you come to expect of a Ms. DeWees. I only wished it was longer.

[Heidi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Awwwww

A lovely romantic story, with just a touch of the otherworldly in the form of a kind of alter ego ghost. A good short read for a wintry night.

[Gwynn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interesting shirt story!