Review: Christmas in Camelot by Brenda Jernigan

Arthur, Guinevere, and Lancelot are generally the central characters in Camelot stories but since we all know how badly that love triangle ends up, Jernigan has chosen to write her happily ever after about Nicholas the Dragon, knight of the Round Table not interested in Guinevere, and Lady Noelle, young woman being compelled to marry Sir Gavin, also a knight of the Round Table. Now Noelle is not thrilled with her brothers' interference in her unsuccessful search for true love and is even less pleased to discover that King Arthur himself has chosen Sir Gavin, a knight she's never met, for her. Given that Lady Noelle has a penchant for speaking her mind and doing as she wants, finding her the right match will definitely be difficult but she is convinced to at least give Sit Gavin the benefit of the doubt. And they will be married at Christmas if she finds no fault with the match. She wants to hold out for her true love and that's where Nicholas the Dragon comes in.

Nicholas survived a terrible, loveless childhood and as an adult left a trail of broken hearts in his wake, never wanting to open himself up to love and its possibilities. But he is captivated by Lady Noelle and despite the fact that she's bethrothed to one of his fellow knights, he can't stay away from her as he knows he should. The secondary plotline of Noelle's brother and the murderous knight who lays waste to her family castle seem destined to become the focus of a sequel to this book as they are not fully explored here.

While this seems like it should be a Christmas book based on the title, there's little to make it Christmas related. Noelle is to marry Gavin at Christmas if she finds him acceptable. And the women all decorate the hall, including with the requisite mistletoe. But in general, there are no Christmas traditions included or woven into the plot and the story could have as easily taken place any time of the year. Also, the narrative is very general and normal until Nicholas almost dies, at which point, Merlin, who had been absent from the story until now, is brought in and must use magic to bring Nicholas back from the dead in order to allow Noelle and her chosen knight to have their happily ever after. This is rather disruptive to the flow of the storyline and unnecessary to prove that Noelle is willing to chase after love. Over all, the story itself is all right if a bit choppy. However, not much about it really stands out. An average romance that will still appeal to Camelot romantics.