I bought this book because I wanted a sweet Christmas story. That it's set in the Regency period only made it better for me. I already liked the sample and definitely wasn't disappointed after reading the whole book. :)
I won't say anything about the contents, as other reviewers summed the story up already, just that I found the ending a tiny bit dissatisfying. A small epilogue would have been nice, although I don't yet know whether there are more books in this universe. After reading "Once upon a Christmas time" I'll certainly go and find out!
This book had me literally laughing out loud (and dissolve into tears on several occasions because the hilarity was too much), something that not many authors achieve! Humour is very hard to write, and for that reason alone the book is a new favourite of mine. Of course, there were also sad moments, and very emotional ones. The main characters, too, were well executed in my opinion, although Jack's younger sisters and father didn't have much play time. (If they did, the book would've been quite a bit longer than it already is, I'd imagine ;) )
All in all, I give this story four stars and recommend it to readers who love uplifting, heart-warming Christmas stories.
(reviewed 2 days after purchase)