I love funny, lighthearted historical romances, but I also like historical romance that does serious political work. Anne Knight’s Christmas novella, A Lord’s Guide to Mutiny, Marriage, and Mistletoe, is an example of the latter. Centered on an early nineteenth-century worker’s rights movement, many of the points the novella makes about the exploitation of workers and the need for a living wage unfortunately still apply today.

That may make the book sound heavy and educational rather than happy and emotional, but this story is a Christmas romance at heart, full of mistletoe, decorations, and even a discussion of early Christmas trees. (As always, Knight has done the research needed to bring this historical moment to life.) Though the romance takes place over the course of a relatively short time, it’s believable because the leads already grew closer to each other by exchanging wartime letters. The sexual attraction between the leads is strong, but so is the emotional bond—which isn’t always the case with romance novellas.

This is a steamy, open-door romance that features disability rep and a class difference between the leads. Note that the novella contains depictions of violence and physical injury, and discussions of deaths and corporal punishment that occur off-page.

Anne Knight is a historical romance writer worth watching, and this is one of the better holiday novellas I’ve read this year. Grab it on Kindle Unlimited starting December 11!

Disclosure: I received a free digital ARC from the author. This is my honest review.