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Holiday By Gaslight: A Victorian Christmas Novella
Holiday By Gaslight: A Victorian Christmas Novella | Mimi Matthews
40 posts | 44 read | 36 to read
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 LoveBut 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.
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Ladygodiva7
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Adorable novella!!

44 likes2 stack adds
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AvidReader25
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Pickpick

Just perfection. A lovely holiday read about a young woman who ends a courtship only to find her suitor is exactly the man she wants. I‘ll read this one again over the holidays and future years. There‘s just the right amount of chemistry and innocent connection. I liked that we got to hear the point of view of both the man and the woman at different points in the story.

26 likes1 stack add
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MallenNC
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Pickpick

First holiday read of the season! Someone posted this in one of my FB book groups and I honestly got it for the beautiful cover. It was a great story — it‘s a romance but there are also elements about class, wealth, and a time of transition in the Victorian period. I really enjoyed the main character and how the holiday celebrations were done.

OriginalCyn620 I want to read this one! The cover is gorgeous! 3w
MallenNC @OriginalCyn620 It is! That‘s what got me. 3w
Caroline2 That really is a sumptuous cover! 🥰 3w
See All 6 Comments
MaleficentBookDragon This is my #doublespin this month. I‘m looking forward to it. 3w
DebinHawaii I read this for Winter Games 3 years ago & really enjoyed it! I love that it had an Austen-ish vibe to it. 3w
MallenNC @DebinHawaii Mr. Sharpe definitely had some Darcy qualities. I thought of that while reading too. 3w
28 likes6 comments
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kelli7990
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Day 5 of the #wintergames photo challenge - Holiday

I‘m sharing another ebook I own on my Kindle. This one sounds really good. It also works perfectly for today‘s prompt because I acquired it on December 5, 2022 and it has Holiday in the title so today marks 2 years that I‘ve owned this book. I think I bought it last year thinking I would read it before Christmas but I never did. If I have time this month, maybe I‘ll read this.

#GhostsOfXmas

BookwormAHN Nice 🤍💚🤍 13mo
12 likes1 comment
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Larkken
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…and here‘s my 2nd TBR list for Dec + #Midwintergames / #wintergames ! The first 12 are my picks for #castthedie and then there‘s some catchup reads for #bookspin from the past year. Maybe I‘ll catch up with these haha.
#teamevergreen
These lists should fill me in with a nice backlist of possible reads for #cloakanddaggerchristmas #littenlisten #RGB #wintergamesAtoZ #scaryChristmas #promptmaze #bingoparty #rushathon #adventathon #longdarknights

Emilymdxn Looks awesome to me! ❄️❄️❄️ (edited) 13mo
AllDebooks Fabulous x 13mo
Patchshank Nice! Egotistical Puckboy me chuckle. 13mo
TheAromaofBooks Woohoo!!! 13mo
Ruthiella Looks like a great list of possibilities! 13mo
18 likes5 comments
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willaful

An enjoyable read despite some infuriating characters who do not get the comeuppance they deserve! #tbrdeckofcards

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Coffeymuse
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I was looking for a book for holiday romance for #TBRDeckOfCards and discovered this novella on my Kindle app.

Listening to Christmas music, the A/C turned down low, and this book on my laptop made for a fine evening.

This was a cute Christmas story that I can see rereading next Christmas.

Now I'm off to find more Christmas books in the Kindle store!

willaful Thanks for the reminder of this one! 1y
15 likes1 comment
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IndoorDame
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Pickpick

This Victorian era Christmas romance novella was surprisingly engaging! Even though everything unfolded completely predictably, and the writing style wasn‘t standout, I liked how many scenes made me smile. And I found myself rooting for all the characters. Even the really despicable ones managed to be likable somehow.

tpixie Gorgeous cover! 2y
IndoorDame @tpixie definitely part of the reason I was drawn to it. I‘m totally that kind of reader 🤫 2y
tpixie @IndoorDame lol! me too! 2y
56 likes1 stack add3 comments
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DieAReader
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Pickpick

#WinterReadathon #BookNookBuddies2022 #BookSpinBingo #ReadMyRoom

I‘ve had the pleasure of enjoying & relaxing with this short novella over the past two days and I very much enjoyed it. I definitely recommend it📚🤓♥️😉

I‘ll likely go looking for any others like it (either for next year or as #FREE & #ImpulseReads I‘m undecided yet🤷🏻‍♀️😂📚🤓)

🎄: 25

TheAromaofBooks Woohoo!!! 2y
Andrew65 Looks great, well done 🎄🎅🏼🎄 2y
DieAReader @Andrew65 @TheAromaofBooks It was just one of those books that made me wanna curl up & ignore the world. I really liked it♥️🥰🤓 2y
Andrew65 @DieAReader That‘s just what you want. 🎅🏼 2y
DieAReader @Andrew65 Precisely!🤓📚♥️☕️ 2y
49 likes5 comments
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kspenmoll
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Pickpick

This is a novella of Victoria Romance set for the most part in a generational, innovative family home in Derbyshire, England.Cash poor but titled Sophie is to marry wealthy tradesman Ned Sharpe per arrangement. What follows is an unexpected slow burn of a romance amidst snow, mistletoe, woods,& holly. Talk of the death of Prince Albert, Charles Darwin‘s theories, & scientific discoveries are woven throughout. Enjoy this book in cozy surroundings.

IndoorDame I just picked this one up! 2y
DieAReader 🥳🥳Glad you liked it! I just opened this one on my ereader last night! Hoping to start it today♥️ 2y
Andrew65 Fantastic 🎅🏼🎅🏼🎅🏼 2y
61 likes1 stack add4 comments
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esurient
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Panpan

I had really enjoyed John Eyre by the same author, and when this was offered as a freebie I snapped it up.

I hated it. Loathed it. I rolled my eyes at least once a chapter, and I only slogged through to the end to see if the karma bit those characters I hated and, spoiler, it didn't.

esurient Even the romance that was the main plot was such stupid fluffy gloss that I'm rather wistfully thinking that fanfic in a future setting where the spouses murdered and manipulated each other would be a fantastic read. 3y
esurient The best I can say about this is that the writing was competent and I liked how the author deliberately introduced historical details of economics and non-aristocratic society into the book, even I wanted about 300 times more of especially the latter. 3y
esurient But I wanted to shake the stupid characters and I'm infuriated that those mild 'villain' / obstacle characters all ended the story with exactly what they wanted and barely a tsk to their actions. 3y
esurient I wanted the house to burn down. Not recomended. My next read by this author will be only if I can find a library copy. 3y
esurient (Which is a shame because I was really excited about her new one releasing next week.) : 3y
18 likes5 comments
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CaitZ
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Pickpick

This was a sweet romance and short so I was able to read it in a couple of hours last night. I liked it. I'll have to look into more books by this author. #WinterGames2021 #TeamGameSleighers #NewYearSpecial @StayCurious @Andrew65

Andrew65 Looks fun 👏👏👏 3y
27 likes1 comment
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booksandsympathy
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Started this earlier and I'm enjoying it so far. I'm about halfway through with it, but I need to put it aside and do some cooking for tomorrow. It's a perfect, cozy read for this chilly, rainy Christmas Eve.

16 likes1 stack add
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Deblovestoread
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#BookReport This week I overloaded on holiday books and I think I am done. All were ok reads but not outstanding. I am still reading the Winterson one story a day. It a great collection and I enjoy her reflections and recipes between each story. I‘ve made no progress on buddy reads this week, I couldn‘t get into the Allende and have no clue what‘s next but have a week off work and hope to have my nose in a book as much as possible.

Deblovestoread @thearomaofbooks A Very Nantucket Christmas is my #BookSpin. 3y
TheAromaofBooks Woohoo!!! Great week!!! 3y
43 likes1 stack add2 comments
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DebinHawaii
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Pickpick

I found this holiday historical romance sweet & endearing. Although it takes place in the 1860s, it has an Austen-ish vibe in both characters & story & while predictable, that works here.

It‘s also a quick read & a bonanza for the #WinterGames2021 #WGWordSearch with 217 words (bless Kindle search) so 2170 points, plus 25 for a holiday read + 1 so 2,196 (+ readathon points of course) for the #TeamGameSleighers 🤗

I‘ll list the readathons below

MeganAnn Stacked for the Austen-ish vibe! I‘ve been seeing some mixed reviews on this one. 3y
PuddleJumper Kindle search function is amazing 🤣 3y
See All 8 Comments
Andrew65 Looks like a good read 👏👏👏 3y
TheSpineView It was a great Christmas story! 3y
keys_on_fire Seeing this everywhere! Definitely going to have to read it myself. Way to go! 3y
kimmypete1 Love this cover! (Also love the kindle word search 😆) 3y
StayCurious This is on my list as well 3y
58 likes1 stack add8 comments
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Bookzombie
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Pickpick

I love this cover and the Christmas atmosphere in this novella. Sophie and Ned‘s slightly second chance romance is so sweet and charming and I gobbled this up.

This is my #Doublespin for December.

Reggie Did her skin glow reflecting the soft light of the gaslight? 3y
TheAromaofBooks Woohoo!! 3y
Bookzombie @Reggie I think that might have been said, lol. 3y
49 likes3 comments
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TheSpineView
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Pickpick

I loved the setting for this book. The story is set at Christmas and is about a wealthy businessman who sees a young woman of the noble class and is instantly drawn to her. At this time it is very difficult to court, much less wed, outside of your class. The Victorian rules are strict and courtship is not easy. This makes for a great story and I loved the spark between them and how they worked at find their footing with each other. 4.5⭐

65 likes1 stack add5 comments
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DebinHawaii
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#WinterGames2021 #festivephotochallenge

Two #redandgreen holiday books I started today —ebook for the tagged & audiobook on my way home. Also I stopped at the store & the red poinsettias in green pots were so festive in their display. ❤️💚

If I am counting correctly, I believe this is 16 points for #teamgamesleighers

TheBookHippie What a pretty cover A Holiday by Gaslight is! WOW. 3y
Bookzombie I may get to this one the month too. 3y
Deblovestoread I‘m hoping to read both of these. 💚❤️ 3y
peanutnine Both are beautiful covers ❤️ 3y
61 likes2 stack adds4 comments
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TheSpineView
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This one is on my TBR list for #WinterGames2021 @StayCurious #TeamGameSleighers and on my #BookSpinBingo board.

61 likes2 stack adds3 comments
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TheSpineView
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SeaToSkyes I think I wanted to read this last year and didn't get to it. Thank you for posting! 3y
claudiuo Thank you! 3y
See All 7 Comments
Larkken Thanks!! 3y
wordslinger42 Thanks for sharing! This looks good 😊 3y
68 likes7 comments
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AmberWB
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Pickpick

Still reviewing my 2020 reads. 😁 I really enjoyed this one. This is not a time period I usually read about, for whatever reason- it may be time to change that. I liked that this was a quick read, and while it was somewhat predictable, it was still a sweet Christmas story.

Deblovestoread I love this cover! 4y
44 likes1 comment
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rjsthumbelina
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#cranberryred #12coloursofdecember #wintergames #wintergames2020 #teamreadnosedreindeer @StayCurious December 16

21 points

I'm a sucker for the idea of Victorian romances, but never seem to like the books as much as I expect! Hears to hoping this one is an exception 😉🤷🏻‍♀️🎄👗

18 likes1 stack add
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BayouGirl85
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robinb
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Pickpick

This was a sweet, quick Victorian romance centering around Sophie, a young lady whose spendthrift father has spent her dowry to keep up appearances and Ned, a merchant‘s son who has built a fortune but after having met Sophie is trying desperately to act the “gentleman” in hopes of winning her. At first they misunderstand each other, but as they really get to know each other they discover deeper feelings. A satisfying read. 4/5⭐️

#coverlove❤️❤️

58 likes1 stack add
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Laughterhp
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#BookReport - Finished 4 books this week, 2 were novellas

Read the first part for #SundayBuddyRead
More than halfway through Nevermoor on audio and about 24% into A Christmas Carol on audio

#WeeklyForecast - Not sure if I‘m in the mood for a fantasy, mystery or more holiday reads so we‘ll see what I end up actually reading this week.

Cinfhen Great week and loads of fabulous options 4y
LazyOwl Loved Crooked Kingdom 💕 4y
Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks 💙❄️💙 4y
55 likes3 comments
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Laughterhp
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Pickpick

This was a pretty sweet Victorian historical romance. It‘s a very clean holiday romance. Zero steam.

Sophia‘s family has a title but no money. Ned has no title but lots of money. What starts out as a business match, turns into love.

+26pts

Also watched Gremlins and Love Actually last night +10pts

+36pts #MerryReaders #WinterGames2020

#ReadYourWay 14:45:29 hours read
#BookSpinBingo Box 15

TheSpineView ❤📖🎄 4y
Clwojick 😊😊 4y
54 likes3 comments
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Jen_Reads
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Bailedbailed

It very well could be the narrator, but this is a DNF.

#bookspinbingo

GypsyKat That‘s a shame, the cover is beautiful! 4y
Jen_Reads @GypsyKat the cover drew me in. Maybe in print it would be different, but I really disliked the guy reading it. 4y
14 likes2 comments
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Crinoline_Laphroaig
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Pickpick

Let's just have one more Holiday read. It's delightful! 🎄🎁🍾

38 likes1 stack add
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MidnightBookGirl
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Pickpick

Catching up on reviews! This was a lovely Christmas romance where the two love interests part in the very beginning, only to be thrown together later, and finally get to actually know each other. The historical part of the gaslight was very interesting!
#WinterGames @Clwojick @StayCurious #SlayBells #HolidayRead (21pts)

28 likes1 stack add
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MrsBibliophile
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Pickpick

This was our book club choice for the month of December. It was a quick read at only 164 pages. I would consider this book a historic fiction, and well researched for the Victorian era. I enjoyed the characters, and felt as though the plot had a good flow.

I would recommend this book to anyone interested in the mid 1800's, or Victorian Christmas stories.

📚📚Happy Reading!📚📚

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Linsy
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Pickpick

I listened to this book on Audible and loved it so much!!! So I tried to take an awesome #bookface ... not quite my finest hour. 😆

#HolidayRead #WinterGames #TheFilthyAnimals

Scochrane26 I like it! 5y
Linsy @Scochrane26 Really? Thanks! Maybe we‘re just being perfectionists then. My husband wanted to make it perfect, the sweetie. (edited) 5y
rather_be_reading haha i love it too! 5y
Butterfinger I think it looks spot-on. I really do. 5y
61 likes5 comments
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howlinglibraries
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Pickpick

A Christmas historical romance novella that completely swept me off my feet and left me swooning! It‘s so wholesome and sweet, and I can not recommend this one highly enough, especially if you‘re a fan of NORTH AND SOUTH as this is *majorly* inspired by the classic! And it‘s only $2.99 in the #kindle store!

#romance

30 likes1 stack add
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laurieluna
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Pickpick

First half 3⭐, second half 4⭐. Started off a bit predictable and boring. But even though I knew what was coming at the end, the characters and extremely sweet interactions pushed it to a 4. If your looking for a quick, cosy and romantic novel for Christmas I recommend this! #netgalley

97 likes2 stack adds
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Birdsong28
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Pickpick

Good. Nice little story for this time of year, characters were enjoyable to read. Overall I enjoyed it.

Thank you #NetGalley for the proof copy.
#Holidaybygaslight

48 likes2 stack adds
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Birdsong28
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Sassy's current read!! (The tagged book) 📚📖 #catsoflitsy

43 likes1 stack add
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CoffeeK8
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Pickpick

A lovely #romantsy novella set in Victorian England between an impoverished Lady who reads Charles Darwin and a quiet tradesman with a fortune. 💕

DivineDiana Sounds fun! 6y
KarouBlue Loved this one! 6y
Cadyly That sounds cute! 6y
49 likes4 stack adds3 comments
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julesG
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Mehso-so

A Christmas novella, set in London and Derbyshire in 1861.

I struggled with this one. The main characters felt wooden. I could not connect to them. Since that rubbed me the wrong way, I also noticed a few American English phrases Victorian Brits would not have used.

#NetGalley #ARC

Cathythoughts Oh dear ! Nice Christmas cover vibe though ❤️ 6y
julesG @Cathythoughts I was lured in by the cover. Then hit the first snag when they addressed the MC once as Sophie, then as Sophia. Okay, it's an ARC I thought, they can still iron that out. Then Sophie/Sophia, the unmarried daughter of a baron, is addressed with "Ma'am". ? For an author priding herself with having written non-fiction about the Victorian era this is big slip in etiquette. 6y
67 likes2 comments
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julesG
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Halfway through this.

Well-written, if it wasn't for the "Americanisms" in Victorian London. ????

#romance #ARC #NetGalley

readingjedi Nice cover, very festive! 6y
Cathythoughts Here comes Christmas 🎉🎉😍 6y
Sarah83 I also saw this one. 🤗 6y
Maria514626 Thanks for the tag, @Avanders! 6y
81 likes1 stack add5 comments
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julesG
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My car gets its winter tires and I may wait and read. They promised to get it done by 9.30am. Well, I won't mind a few extra minutes.

Might get the ARC done.

Quirkybookworm Let me know what you think of it. I read it while back 6y
77 likes1 comment