A Tale of two Hearts by Michelle Griep

What would you do if you had to put up with a scheming cousin with a name like Percy? What would you do if that scheming cousin and his wife had high hopes that your eccentric uncle would name them his heir? What if you desperately needed that inheritance? What if you found out that said scheming cousin has plans to send your eccentric uncle to an insane asylum to get said inheritance? And all around Christmas!

Why, it's only logical, of course. You'd ask that girl whom you know is infatuated with you to stand in as your wife just for one dinner--did I mention your uncle would give preference to you if you were married?

And that's exactly the conclusion that William Barlow arrived at. Perfectly logical, isn't it?

Honestly, when I first read the sample chapter for this novel in the back of the first book in the Once Upon A Dickens Christmas series, I wasn't thrilled. Mina seemed naive. William seemed arrogant. It seemed a letdown after book one.

All things aside, I decided to give A Tale of Two Hearts a shot. And I wasn't disappointed. By chapter two, I was in it for the long haul.

Just like the first book, A Tale of Two Hearts is quirky, comedic, and light-hearted. The characters are vibrant; their voices spring to life from the page. Just when you think things can't get worse, well, they do. The stakes are continually being upped. William's lie, which seemed like a fun trick at the beginning of the book, becomes a web. And getting to the truth might be more surprising than anyone suspects.

As for what that truth is . . . well, I'll leave it to you to sort out.