Lady Osbaldestone’s Christmas Goose

Series: Lady Osbaldestone's Christmas Chronicles, Book 1

By: Stephanie Laurens / Narrated By: Helen Lloyd

Length: 7 hrs

LOVED IT!!!!!

I admit that I had high hopes for Lady Osbaldestone’s Christmas Goose. Yeh yeh yeh, I read the Publisher’s Summary (This was back in 2017 when I was still reading… and getting misled by… the danged things), and I’ve gotta tell you: It seemed enchanting.

But then I started getting into Historical Romance audiobooks, found that I’m a TOTAL prude, and discovered that author Stephanie Laurens is known for some pretty (‘Twould appear) steamy stuff. Stuff that is not my preference. Stuff that would have my toes curling into my heels, that’s how bad said stuff was.

So I rather began this story with held breath. Plus, even tho’ I found the P. Summary enchanting? Well, the beginning of this audiobook has Therese Osbaldestone’s three young grandchildren in a spot of hot water (They tied all the church bells this way and that, so that when rung, there was a DAStardly cacophony!), and if there’s one thing I find more loathsome than a precocious child, it’s a snotty kid. I know, I’m awful, AND a curmudgeon cuz Christmas should be all about kids and such all!

And so it is that Therese finds herself at a loss after having them apologize to the Vicar; what’s she to do with these young things? After all, she didn’t raise her own children, so what on earth is she going to do this Christmas season with her grandchildren (It’s like this, see: Therese usually visits her daughter for Christmas, but this year her son-in-law has the mumps, so her daughter packed up the three eldest and shipped them off to dearest mama)?

Fate intervenes when it’s discovered that the village flock of 23 geese have Poof! disappeared. With nary a trace, nary a feather to be found.

Ahhh, THIS is beYONd interesting to Therese (She wants her danged Christmas goose!), and it turns out? Her grandchildren, James, George, and little Lottie, are entranced by this mystery (And they want their danged Christmas goose!).

Soon, Therese and the (Not annoyingly) precocious threesome start a-sleuthing. Their quest takes them to Miss Eugenia, a young woman who’s struggling to manage her late parents’ estate, all while trying to handle her dissipated brother and his drunken trio of friends. She’s lovely, she’s kind… Aha! Therese’s radar goes off!

Then they get to the forbidding estate of Lord Longfellow, and young James brings them all a grudging welcome. VERY grudging because, you see, Lord Longfellow treats his estate like a fortress. He was GRIEvously injured during the wars, the side of his face is horrifically scarred, and he uses a cane as his left leg drags along with a limp. Ho-hum, thinketh Therese. Silly of him to think the villagers will shun him or treat him with, even worse than a shunning: Pity! Egad, no!

By this time, having met two young people, Therese’s London ways start to show. For in that town, her life was one of manipulating high society. Here, in this tiny village she’s conSIDering retiring to, has she found enough to keep herself entertained?

This is a WONderful audiobook, totally clean (As anything involving children should be!), and it’s an oh so sweet listen for Christmas! The children, especially James, are clever rather than precocious, spirited rather than obnoxious, and charming rather than cloying. I found the way Laurens wrote the manner their minds worked to be yes, I’ll use the word again: Enchanting! And Therese was a delight with her cunning plots, her goodhearted machinations. As a matter of fact, all the inhabitants of the village of Little Moseley were dear and well-written, each given personalities as befits those who are auditioning for a grande dame.

Helen Lloyd does a simply marvelous job with the narration, capturing each villager, capturing Therese’s, and the children’s! whirring minds as they set things to right as tho’ Little Moseley was in dire need of some straightening out. Lord Longfellow was to die for, and Eugenia came off as a strong and capable woman who also had a very dear heart. StuPENdous!

So, really, I was overall delighted with this audiobook. At 7 hours, you can still do it in a single sitting as >cough cough< I did. I can’t help it: I canNOT delay gratification, and while I definitely rooted for the romance-to-be, I found that I simply couldn’t decide whether to root for the geese or not. And coming from me, that’s really saying something.

But I did soooo love all these characters! Maaaaybe a goose might be okay, just for this one story?!?

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