Barbara Monajem

Barbara Monajem writes American historical romance and fantasy-inflected fiction, often placing emotionally guarded characters within Regency settings. The Christmas Knot is a historical Christmas novella about Edwina White, a widowed governess who accepts a position in a remote northern English house, and Sir Richard Ballister, the former lover who now employs her. Their unresolved past is complicated by a family curse and reports of a ghost, giving the reunion plot a Gothic element. The novella first appeared in the multi-author collection Captivated by His Kiss and was later included in a historical Christmas set. Monajem’s own publication archive identifies the story among works that have appeared in changing anthology editions, while its independent catalogue record classifies it as Christmas, historical, Regency, and Gothic romance. Her larger bibliography moves between conventional historical romance and stories with paranormal touches. The Christmas Knot fits that pattern by joining a second-chance relationship with an inherited mystery that the central pair must investigate together.