A Common Christmas

Haberdashers Tales, Volume 1

By: Sue London

Narrated by: Matthew Lloyd Davies

Length: 2 hrs and 11 mins

Publisher's Summary

A young woman, desperate to have one last lovely Christmas, brings the spirit of the season to the Harrington household.

Grace Ashman has lost everything: her mother five years ago, and now her father and her home just a week before Christmas. She lives on the streets until one kind man invites her inside for a meal before the holiday. What she couldn't know is that his kindness will change her life forever.

Joshua Dibbs has been the butler at the Earl of Harrington's London town home since 1809. If there is one thing Dibbs is known for, it is doing things properly. At least until now. Alas, when the earl arrives unexpectedly, the butler is reliant on help from a homeless woman to keep the household running until the staff returns!

©2014 Sue London (P)2016 Sue London

An Uncommon Christmas Story

I've been meaning to read Sue London's Haberdasher series forever, so I jumped at the chance to listen to this Romance Package offering. It's a quick listen about a servant (butler) and a woman from the trade class, which made it different from most historical romances I've listened to. It had wonderful characters, and it really put me in the Christmas spirit. I will definitely listen to or read the other Haberdasher books. Matthew Lloyd Davies was the perfect narrator for this. He sounded like what I imagined the butler Dibbs would sound like. I usually don't favor male narrators because I don't like how men mimic women's voices. The screechiness they often affect for women's voices usually becomes grating after a while, but Davies did an admirable job with all the characters' voices. #ChristmasRomance #WorkingClassRomance

Sweet Story

I loved this story because it was common people and witty. Great heart warming holiday story.

Unexpected Delight!

A sweet holiday tale set in the 1800's. There seems to be a little backstory between the Earl and the Duke that seems to be missing or would make the story a more enjoyable read if read prior to this book, but otherwise the story is complete. Matthew Lloyd Davies does a great job with the characters including the female main character.

Cute..

This was a very strange historical novella: it was the butler who fell in love and married the homeless girl he took in when all the inside help went off for the Christmas season, and then the earl came home, so Grace helped as much as she could.

It was a cute story and all the help from the stables and the earl’s valet were all sweet characters, as was the earl himself.

It could have had a little more to it, IMO.

No sex.

As for the narrator: Matthew Lloyd Davies was barely okay for me. His woman’s voice was poor and he read without any emotions whatsoever. There was a lot of happiness and laughter but you'd have never known it by the narrators reading. He was pretty bland.

Historical, Christmas romance

Short, simple story. One person can change a group for the better. And of course find love.

Simple, sweet, sublime

A warm cozy listen, perfect for the holidays. I liked that the characters were not nobility.

An expected treasure!

What a lovely, lovely little story. Old fashioned and gentle.

Wish there were more books by Sue London on audible