A Tale of Two Hearts

Once Upon a Dickens Christmas, Book 2

By: Michelle Griep

Narrated by: Nan McNamara

Length: 5 hrs and 53 mins

Publisher's summary

London, 1953: Mina Scott will do anything to escape the drudgery of her life. She saves every penny to attend a finishing school, dreaming of the day she'll become a real lady - and catch the eye of William Barlow, a frequent guest at the inn where Mina works and lives.

William is a gentleman's son, a charming, but penniless, rogue. However, his bachelor uncle will soon name an heir - either him or his puritanical cousin. In an effort to secure the inheritance, William gives his uncle the impression he's married, which works until he's invited to bring his wife for a visit.

William asks Mina to be his pretend bride, only until his uncle names an heir on Christmas Day. Mina is flattered and frustrated by the offer, for she wants a true relationship with William. Yet, she agrees...then wishes she hadn't. So does William. Deceiving the old man breaks both their hearts. When the truth is finally discovered, more than just money is lost. Can two hearts survive such deception?

©2018 Michelle Griep (P)2018 Oasis Audio

Heartwarming

I have enjoyed both of the Once Upon a Dickens Christmas books and eagerly await the third. They are beautifully written, wonderfully paced, interesting, and modestly romantic. It’s so refreshing to enjoy a book without profanity or indecency. The first one is still my very favorite, but this installment is a fierce competitor. These are books I look forward to reading again, and I don’t say that about many books. A winner for me!

A Tale of Second Chances

I loved this book. The story of Mina and Will is a story of second chances. Second chances for many characters in this Tale of Two Hearts. Once again, Michelle Griep's storytelling drew me in and did not let go. I listened from beginning to end without stopping.
I loved the reappearance of the second chance coin and the meaning it holds.

Sweet, heartwarming tale to remind me of Dickens

A Tale of Two Hearts is meant to remind the reader of Charles Dickens fine works about all classes of people in London. It definitely brought to mind Bleak House and shades of David Copperfield. Will's uncle is set to announce the heir to his estate between his 2 nephews and Will is in competition with his cousin Purcell. I love a good bad-guy and Purcell and his greedy and sharp-tongued wife Alice are truly onerous. But will has a checkered past and he also weaves a tangled web of deception to look good in his uncle's eyes. Poor Mina, who is secretly in love with Will, get caught up in the fake marriage plot and things get complicated fast. Many timely themes of the class differences in London, the standards of decorum, the dire financial need of widows, spinsters and orphans in society and the role of women are all played out in the story. The narrator did a very good job and she created the right atmosphere for 1900 century London. The story was maybe a little too sweet in the ed but I do recommend it as an uplifting Christmas novella.