12 Days at Bleakly Manor By Michelle Griep
(Bk #1 in Once Upon a Dickens Christmas)
Book Description 
A mysterious invitation to spend Christmas at an English manor home may bring danger…and love?
England, 1851: When Clara Chapman receives an intriguing invitation to spend Christmas at an English manor home, she is hesitant yet feels compelled to attend—for if she remains the duration of the twelve-day celebration, she is promised a sum of five hundred pounds.
But is she walking into danger? It appears so, especially when she comes face to face with one of the other guests—her former fiancé, Benjamin Lane.
Imprisoned unjustly, Ben wants revenge on whoever stole his honor. When he’s given the chance to gain his freedom, he jumps at it—and is faced with the anger of the woman he stood up at the altar. Brought together under mysterious circumstances, Clara and Ben discover that what they’ve been striving for isn’t what ultimately matters.
My Review
½ – 4 ½ smiles!
This is the first book of Michelle’s that I’ve read but it won’t be the last. The subtitle hinted that this novella found its roots in Dickens’ storied tale, Bleak House, so I looked up the summary of Dickens’ story. Let’s just say, I’m happy to be reviewing Michelle’s “Bleakly” story and not Mr. Dickens’ Bleak book.
12 Days at Bleakly Manor begins with a glimpse of Clara’s relationship with her aging aunt and gives a few mysterious clues to their financial ruin. I was immediately drawn to Clara’s tender heart and spunky spirit. I felt her still-raw wounds from a wedding day on which her groom never showed. When she receives a letter promising financial freedom for twelve days in a nearby mansion, her aunt is surprisingly adamant that Clara go.
We meet Ben in a terrible prison. He’s been bruised and battered, as well as psychologically tortured. So when he’s called into the warden’s office and given the chance at freedom if he stays twelve nights in a nearby mansion—he believes it’s another form of torture. And our stage is set for their meeting at Bleakly Manor.
The other characters we meet at Bleakly are as rich and eccentric as old English characters should be. I listened to this story on Audible, which is sometimes more difficult to keep multiple characters straight. However, I had no difficulty with these unique and fully-formed folks from Ms. Griep’s imagination. Each had a serious motivation for staying twelve days at Bleakly, but when ultimate sacrifice was called for—the resolution in this story was wholly satisfying. A wonderful Christmas read but could really fit any time of year.
