A Carol for Mrs. Dickens - Review

A Christmas for Mrs. Dickens

By: Rebecca Connolly

Publication: September 23, 2025 by Shadow Mountain Publishing

176 pages

Genre: Adult, Historical Fiction, Christmas, Retelling

Source: Publisher via NetGalley (Thank you!!)

( Goodreads | Amazon )

*Note: The above link to Amazon is an affiliate links. Affiliate links support giveaways for Somewhere Only We Know readers.

Goodreads description--Catherine Dickens, wife of Charles Dickens, experiences her own Christmas Eve transformation as she magically travels through her cherished memories to rediscover her lost love of Christmas.

By 1851, all of London has fallen in love with A Christmas Carol, heralding Charles Dickens as “the man who invented Christmas.” But for his wife, Catherine, Christmas is less of a reason for celebration and more of a burden. Between hosting lavish parties, decorating her home, and caring for her eight children—with one more on the way—she feels more like Scrooge than herself this year.

But everything changes after a chance encounter with a kitchen cook, who reminds her that Christmas can be a time of miracles and magic, if she is willing to open her heart.

Armed with a magical sprig of holly, Kate embarks on three transformative journeys into her past, hoping to reconnect with the love she once felt for the holiday—and with herself. But can these memories be enough to reignite her Christmas spirit? Or are such miraculous transformations only meant for the characters in her husband’s beloved tales?

Inspired by real individuals, A Carol for Mrs. Dickens reminds us that the true spirit of the holiday lies in love, faith, and the joy of giving.

I knew I was going a little out of my comfort zone with requesting A Carol for Mrs. Dickens. This is a retelling of Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol. And I have found that some stories don't lend themselves to retellings as much as others. Cinderella has been done a million times, for example. But I find that I almost always dislike retellings based on Cinderella. And I guess A Christmas Carol falls into one that I don't think I'll ever love any retellings of.

Kate is Charles's wife. She is familiar with his love for Christmas, and his love has created traditions for their family. She's also very familiar with his popular book, A Christmas Carol. But Kate is feeling worn down. She's pregnant and, not long ago, actually lost a baby. So she's feeling fear over the upcoming birth. Her Christmas spirit has dimmed a bit. During this Christmas party she and Charles are hosting, Kate is visited by several of her own ghosts with memories that bring her full circle.

The story itself was sweet. But as I said, this is outside of my usual reading preferences. Kate and Charles have a good relationship, but there's nothing quite so spurring and interesting for me to read as new romance. A Carol for Mrs. Dickens felt honoring to the original, but it was hard for me to read long stretches at a time without falling asleep. At one point, I put it down for months before finally returning to finish it.

Favorite quotes:

-"“Life exhausts,” came the kind, soft rebuke. “It is the nature of being alive. It is our mortal experience. Would you resent the love, laughter, and warmth in your life because it also comes with fatigue, loss, and irritation? We take the good with the bad, Kate. And there is always good.”

-“We will gather our friends and our family, especially our children, and celebrate with love and gratitude for all that we have, even when times are troubling.”

-That joy and desire to celebrate in a time of year when hope and light and love were needed most.

-This was Christmas. This simple, poignant beauty, so understated and underappreciated, that captivated the heart and mind in ways that could not be denied and could barely be expressed.

-All was not perfect, but all would be well. And that was enough.

A Carol for Mrs. Dickens didn't blow me away, but I'm probably not the best reader for this book as it is outside of my normal reading preferences. Or at least outside of the books I favor the most. I found the retelling to be in line with the original. It's a great way to focus on what is important during Christmas or any time of year, but it wasn't very different from the original, making me wonder if it is necessary. Either way, A Carol for Mrs. Dickens gets 3 Stars. Have you read A Carol for Mrs. Dickens? What did you think? Let me know!

Sunday Post - 08/30/26

The Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted by Kimba @ The Caffeinated Book Reviewer ~this meme was inspired in part by ~ In My Mailbox~ It's a chance to share News. A post to recap the past week, showcase books and things we have received and share news about what is coming up for the week on our blog.

Monday was a normal day. School went well, and Big Girl had pitching practice. Tuesday, we normally got to my parent's house, but we didn't this time. I did my grocery pickup as normal though, and all of the kids had their first fall ball practice. Wednesday, we had another good school day, and then Big Boy had pitching practice. Then we had church. Thursday, I dropped the kids at my parents' house. Then I had my annual at the doctor's office. We hung out at my parent's house for a few more hours. The kids had ball practice again. Friday was a rough day with school. But Big Girl cashed in a date night for her reading goal. We went to Bath and Body Works, Chickfila, frozen yogurt, and then Hobby Lobby. Saturday, I had a lazy morning. Little Boy had batting practice that I ran him to. And then I piddled around the house.

THE PAST WEEK

Monday: Review of Pride Comes Before the Fall (Miss Prentice's Protegees, # 3) by Virginia Heath (4 Stars)
Wednesday: Can't Wait for A Court of Splintered Harmony (A Court of Thorns and Roses, # 6) by Sarah J Maas
Friday: Homeschool Friday - Clifford for President

UPCOMING THIS WEEK:

Monday: Review of A Carol for Mrs. Dickens by Rebecca Connolly
Tuesday: Top Ten Tuesday?
Wednesday: Can't Wait for Wednesday
Thursday: Review ?
Friday: Homeschool Friday - Tori Comes Out of Her Shell

NEW BOOKS:

No new books this week.

That's it for my shelves and recaps of my past and upcoming week. What did you add to your shelves this week? Any bookish news you want to talk about? Let me know!

Homeschool Friday - Clifford for President

Homeschool Friday is a feature here at Somewhere Only We Know that showcases books my family reads during homeschool and provides a mini-review for each.

Clifford for President (Clifford the Big Red Dog)

By: Acton Figueroa

Illustrated By: Tom La Padula

Publication: October 1, 2004 by Scholastic Inc.

32 pages

Genre: Children's, Animals, Level-2, Early Reader, Picture Books

Source: Personal Library

( Goodreads | Amazon )

*Note: The above link to Amazon is an affiliate link. Affiliate links support giveaways for Somewhere Only We Know readers.

Goodreads description--Clifford is running for President . . . of the Birdwell Island dog park! Emily Elizabeth needs to put up a candidate for a class project, so of course she nominates the Big Red Dog who's always a big winner!

Clifford for President is an early reader that we were given by a friend passing down some books her children no longer needed. AR Book Finder lists it as a Level 2.7. Emily Elizabeth's class learned about the presidential election. The next day Emily Elizabeth and Clifford go for a walk in the park and notice that the trash cans are overflowing. Clifford picks up some trash and throws it into the trash can. Emily Elizabeth says that Clifford should be the president of the park because he would make it clean as a whistle. She decides to go home and make some campaign posters. Jetta sees the posters and wants her dog, Mac, to be president because "he's the best dog." Jetta and Emily Elizabeth manage the campaigns for their dogs, and the kids take a vote. Before that, the kids see Clifford actually cleaning up the park. So who do you think wins? The best dog? Or the best dog for the job?

My adult brain thinks, "Isn't there a parks and recreation department over the park? I don't think anyone can just become president of the park." But I know, I know. This is all fiction indended to teach the child a lesson about elections and not just voting because you like someone, but voting for the person you think will serve the office the best. I thought it taught the concept well enough on a basic level, even if my adult brain sees flaws that a child would never notice.

I don't think Clifford for President is going to win any awards, but if you're looking for level 2 readers for your child, then it checks a lot of my boxes. I appreciate that there's a lesson to learn, and it isn't just a fun story. So often, early readers have no purpose besides helping the child get reading fluency. There's no reason why we can't do both at the same time. Clifford for President gets 4 Stars. Have you or your child read Clifford for President? What did you think? Let me know!

Can't Wait for A Court of Splintered Harmony

Can't-Wait Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Wishful Endings to spotlight and talk about the books we're excited about that we have yet to read. Generally they're books that have yet to be released as well. It's based on Waiting on Wednesday, hosted by the fabulous Jill at Breaking the Spine. Find out more here.

A Court of Splintered Harmony (A Court of Thorns and Roses, # 6)

By: Sarah J Maas

Expected Publication: October 27, 2026 by Bloomsbury Publishing

352 pages

Genre: Adult, Fantasy, Fae, Romantasy

( Goodreads | Amazon )

*Note: The above link to Amazon is an affiliate links. Affiliate links support giveaways for Somewhere Only We Know readers.

Goodreads description--What was broken will be remade.

Deep in the heart of the continent, Koschei the Deathless is stirring. Though he's been bound to a mountain lake for millennia, the insidious threat of his return now spreads across the Fae territories, attracting powerful allies hell-bent on reclaiming what was once theirs: the human lands.

The Night Court will not stand idly by while innocents are attacked. But with Prythian still piecing itself together in the wake of the devastating Hybern War, the task of uniting is proving more difficult by the day.

To make matters worse, those who rule and protect the Night Court are reeling from recent betrayals and revealed truths. The rifts dividing them seem insurmountable.

But to defeat Koschei's creeping shadow, they must find a way back to each other and resurrect their former alliances. To survive, they must find a way to repair the splintered harmony all around them.

The internet is ablaze with the ACOTAR news. And while I don't always love jumping on trends, the truth is, I am really excited for this book. However, I probably won't get to this book immediately. What are you guys waiting on this week? Let me know!

Pride Comes Before the Fall - Review

Pride Comes Before a Fall (Miss Prentice's Protegees, # 3)

By: Virginia Heath

Publication: July 28, 2026 by St. Martin's Griffin

336 pages

Genre: Adult, Historical Fiction

Source: Publisher via NetGalley (Thank you!!)

( Goodreads | Amazon )

*Note: The above link to Amazon is an affiliate links. Affiliate links support giveaways for Somewhere Only We Know readers.

Goodreads description--In the third installment of this witty Regency romcom series, a headstrong chaperone is torn between following her rigid principles or her heart

Despite his many responsibilities, there is nothing Leopold Sloane, the 11th Duke of Debden, takes more seriously than the safety of those he loves. When one of his sisters is injured at a protest rally, he drags his family to Bath for the summer to keep his reckless and rebellious siblings out of harm’s way. The only flaw in his plan is his overwhelming but inexplicable attraction to the new chaperone he has hired to watch out for them. An outspoken conundrum of a woman who soon causes him more trouble than both his sisters combined...but who calls to his soul regardless.

From the moment Portia Kendall read her first revolutionary pamphlet beneath her bedcovers at Miss Prentice’s School for Girls, she realized that her true calling was to make the world a fairer place for the masses downtrodden by the aristocracy. A calling that led her to Equitas, a radical newspaper that champions reform. But as Portia discovers, writing doesn’t pay the bills. To make a living, she must push aside her principles and serve the very people she criticizes weekly in her column. A temporary position as a chaperone in the home of a pompous duke seems like the perfect way to earn enough to follow her heart. Unfortunately, the duke who hires her seems to be more dashing and noble than pompous and soon begins to call to her heart too—as much as she tries to deny it. But dare she risk her principles for love or will her pride always come before a fall?

What's funny is that I keep avoiding the books in this series even though I know I want to read them because I keep predicting wrongly. Because Portia is so forward-thinking, I could only assume that her character would be super annoying to me. I don't really like female characters in books or in real life that are domineering and dogmatic. Overly forceful in their views. And for some reason, I really pictured Portia as being a feminist in today's terms and not as much in the historically accurate way. Either way, I was pleasantly impressed with this book and Portia.

I won't say that Portia isn't concerned with gender differences, but her attention seems to be focused on the differences between the commoner and the aristocracy. She has been writing for a newspaper that writes what is considered sedition for many years. But now she has risen in rank and relocated to Bath. Unfortunately, she didn't realize that the position doesn't come with any income. So she still needs to provide for herself. She ends up applying for the position of being a companion for a duke's sisters who are determined to thwart their brother. She didn't realize that the duke is also a magistrate.

Leo is just trying to protect his family. After his sister is injured on his watch, he has taken that responsibility to a new level. But his "protection" has come in the form of control. But his sisters are determined to do what they want. And they are not happy with being sent to Bath during the Season. He hires Portia because she is fiery and spunky. And that seems to be what his sisters need to keep them in line. But he finds himself drawn to her as well.

I enjoyed Portia and Leo's relationship. I don't want to spoil too much, so I can't describe all of the pieces that I liked the most. They had a few moments of intensity that closed-door readers might not appreciate, but I did appreciate that for the most part they went about things in the "proper" way. Spice is something hard to quantify because all readers have different tolerances and preferences. For me, I thought there was less descriptive scenes than other books I've read by Virginia Heath, which I appreciate.

Favorite quotes:

-"I want equality and change to come from enlightenment and not down the threatening barrel of a gun."

-"That is the unique curse of us dukes. To always be underestimated simply because we were born with a silver spoon in our mouths and always be judged solely on our impressive title and even more impressive ducal exteriors."

-Nothing killed a wholly futile, totally inappropriate romantic moment quite like guilt.

-"I've honestly never met anyone like you before. You call to my soul, Portia."

-"Oh for goodness' sake! People change, Portia, and what they want changes too. It is perfectly acceptable for a grown woman of four-and-twenty to reevaluate what she thought she wanted as a child of sixteen!"

-"Women who use their privilege as a platform and the finances at their disposal as a weapon and, while I agree that it might be slow, as change so often is, in the end they really make a difference."

I absolutely loved that Portia had to learn that not all aristocrats are evil or the enemy. Shades of grey can be found in all levels of society. There are morally great people at all levels. And there are morally bankrupt people at all levels. Even still today. The title isn't the enemy. Evil is the enemy.

Pride Comes Before the Fall was better than I expected. I liked Portia better than I expected. I had no idea who her MMC was going to be, but I really think Leo was the perfect pairing for her. Pride Comes Before the Fall gets 4 Stars. Have you read Pride Comes Before the Fall? If so, what did you think? Let me know!