My Review for The Red Button by Keith Eldred

⭐⭐⭐⭐ A prequel to Charles Dickens’, A Christmas Carol, The Red Button is a delightful, Regency romance novel by Keith Eldred. Beautifully written, with familiar characters, Eldred provides us with a differing side to Mr. Ebenezer Scrooge, showing us he hasn’t always been the grumpy old miser that we are accustomed to. Indeed, he used to be in love with a young lady named Belle and they were all set to spend the rest of their lives together until business got in the way.

Belle works alongside her father, in the family business, making buttons, hence the title of the book. Parts of the story are actually told from the Red Button’s perspective - weird I know, but strangely, it works!

The Red Button isn’t my usual genre, and, as expected, is written in the style of Dickens. It is far from fast-paced but gives us insight into Ebenezer’s life, and business dealings from a young age. How he came to know Jacob Marley and how money changed his life and his priorities. The author delicately deals with the sad subject of dementia and how it not only affects the person suffering but also their family and friends.

To conclude, I thoroughly enjoyed reading The Red Button, and whether or not you have read A Christmas Carol, I’m sure you will know the story and, therefore, the characters. I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys a Regency-era story and is intrigued to find out why Scrooge became the man he did.

Thank you to the author for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.