Lady Osbaldestone’s Plum Puddings

Series: The Lady Osbaldestone's Christmas Chronicles, Book 3

By: Stephanie Laurens / Narrated By: Helen Lloyd

Length: 7 hrs and 53 mins

Here! The third in the series. One more to go? Boooooo, and I >sniffle< most mightily!

I’m already mourning, I tell you…

Last year, I’d checked to see just how many more Christmas Delights I’d be getting from author Stephanie Laurens and her “Lady Osbaldestone’s Christmas Chronicles” and I saw that I had two good years, with a fifth FIRMLY as a Noooooo! as it’s all steamy, what?

-But-

I’m here now, and who knows: Global Apocalypse with m’ morning cup of coffee each and every day, so p’raps, like, arctic blasts will knock out the Texas power grid to the point where I and my family freeze in our homes or, like, Once In A Generation Heat (Coming every single summer) will knock out the Texas power grid to the point where I and my family swelter to death.

Uhm… ho ho ho… I see I’ve allowed m’ husband’s DAILY Global Apocalypse tirades to get to me, so BACK to this MARVELOUS Book 3!!!

Christmas with grandmama Lady O has become a cherished thing. This time, with youngsters Jamie, George, and Lottie comes Melissa again, and now her older sister Mandy has joined in to see what-all the fuss is about. Lady O, Therese, no longer wonders how this spirited crew will behave; they’re growing up so fine and well, and their inquisitive minds will find SOMEthing. This year? Well, the bumper crop o’ plums have Therese offering to make aaaaaaalllll the Plum Puddings for the families of Little Moseley this Christmas. First? The coins that go in the puddings for luck (Nothing says YUCK! to me more than a dirty ol’ coin in my food!) need to be washed, polished, sorted, and readied to tuck into them.

The crew gamely gets onboard with this, but in the end, whilst sorting, sharp-eyed George and Lottie discover that three coins are much more than what they seem. A trip to the Vicar has him all excited and sending a missive off to a Professor pal who is quite the Historian: The coins seeeem to be ancient, and more information is needed. In the meantime?

Who donated them, and where did they come from?

This has the young men of Fulsome Hall joining in the new Mystery, and it brings Professor Webster with his beautiful niece Honor to the village. Further, the little crew meets up with one Callum Harris who just happens to be exceeeedingly knowledgeable about antiquities, and whazzis? He and Honor start, well, making sheep’s eyes at each other.

THIS Therese notices like crazy, and when she discovers that Callum has a secret? Well, to get the pair together, she’ll have to work her magic like crazy.

Helen Lloyd? Oh gosh, top notch for ALL Things Lady Osbaldestone. From the maturing Jamie (Who really is indeed shaping up to be a fine Lord, leader of the crew), to little Lottie who holds herself together like a proper young lady even whilst standing in freezing sludge after falling down a well that particular trio happened to be investigating, all the way to Melissa’s deeper voice as befitting a 15-year old young woman who’s mature for her age… but who’s discovering that she just miiiiight be too young for what she really wants in the world, Lloyd manages it all with grace and vocal efficiency. Little Moseley villagers; the irate Professor Webster (Never peeve off a man who gets peeved before he listens to Reason!); Henry the Once-Dissipated young fool who is now quite the fine fellow? Lloyd does Every. Single. One o’ them so very well. A perfectly captivating performance for what was a jolly JOLLY Listen this Christmas Season.

There’s a deadline for all of these Whazzis to be solved, so the pacing gets tighter as Lady Osbaldestone’s Plum Puddings starts heading towards December 21st, when all and sundry are set to head off their separate ways for Christmases with families. There was absolutely NO drag time in ANY of the not-quite 8-hours of blissful pleasure and enjoyment, and to say I dozed nary a wink, to say I listened all in one sitting, to say I was tickled pink the entire time I was curled up under a heavy blanket (That arctic blast, doncha know?!), all those? Pitiful little understatements that don’t describe just how delightful these Lady O Chronicles are.

Come on, come on! Listen to the First, the Second, or this: The Third!

Okay, I’ve had my wondrous enjoyment…

Now? I’m off to hunker down and feel a bit sorry for m’self that there’s only one more to go.

Looking forward to it; but write more, Laurens! Write MORE! Huzzah for Christmas!!!

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