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569 reviews for:
How the Dukes Stole Christmas
Sarah MacLean, Joanna Shupe, Sophie Jordan, Tessa Dare
3.66 AVERAGE
569 reviews for:
How the Dukes Stole Christmas
Sarah MacLean, Joanna Shupe, Sophie Jordan, Tessa Dare
3.66 AVERAGE
MEET ME IN MAYFAIR (๐๐๐๐๐) Tessa Dare doesnโt miss. I loved the premise of a Duke set to evict a family and falling for the daughter, and my only note is that I would have loved this as a full length novel. I want their courtship!!! THE DUKE OF CHRISTMAS PRESENT (๐๐๐๐๐) I wasnโt sure what to expect from Sarah MacLean, but this was a delight. Eben and Jack are so sweet, and the epilogue was absolutely perfect. The fake Scottish fiancรฉ was brilliant. I hope they have a million babies and the happiest life together and that Aunt Jane and Lawton hook up. HEIRESS ALONE (๐๐๐๐) Iโm not the biggest home alone fan, but Iโm really glad I read this instead of โThe Duke Alone.โ This was the perfect story for a novella, because I didnโt really need anymore. The nun plot line wasnโt my favorite, but other than that it was solid. CHRISTMAS IN CENTRAL PARK (๐๐๐๐) Did it feel rushed? Sure. But it was a damn good time. This was probably my least favorite of the novellas, but it does make me want to read more Joanna Shupe and see what she does with a full length novel.
I adored this! All four of the stories were absolutely wonderful and now Iโm craving shortbread.
I think my favorite was Sophie Jordanโs. It had everything Iโm looking for in a historical romance.
I think my favorite was Sophie Jordanโs. It had everything Iโm looking for in a historical romance.
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Each story had a common element: shortbread cookies! It was a cute touch that tied them together nicely.
emotional
funny
hopeful
relaxing
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I bought and read this book to afterwards listen to the correspondent episodes on the Heaving Bosoms podcast.
I enjoyed all the stories in this anthology, but if I have to rate them it would be
1. Tessa Dare: simple perfection - masterfully written dialogue - just wow.
2. Sophie Jordan: very likable characters, and I was into the humor! I didnโt like the plotline with the marauders, but it was needed for it all to work.
3. Joanna Shupe: an amazing heroine. I usually have a hard time with deception, but I had to admire her gumption! I also liked the hero but was worried if heโd be really able to change enough to be good at love and relationships, after the way he was raised.
4. Sarah MacLean: the hero was just a bit too whiney for me, sorry. I couldnโt get over them being apart for 12 years for such stupid reasons. But for once I was quite into the teenage love affair.
By the way: listening to Erin and Melody discuss the book was even better than reading the stories by myself.
I enjoyed all the stories in this anthology, but if I have to rate them it would be
1. Tessa Dare: simple perfection - masterfully written dialogue - just wow.
2. Sophie Jordan: very likable characters, and I was into the humor! I didnโt like the plotline with the marauders, but it was needed for it all to work.
3. Joanna Shupe: an amazing heroine. I usually have a hard time with deception, but I had to admire her gumption! I also liked the hero but was worried if heโd be really able to change enough to be good at love and relationships, after the way he was raised.
4. Sarah MacLean: the hero was just a bit too whiney for me, sorry. I couldnโt get over them being apart for 12 years for such stupid reasons. But for once I was quite into the teenage love affair.
By the way: listening to Erin and Melody discuss the book was even better than reading the stories by myself.
Overall, this was pretty good. I'm not going to go into detail about each novella because they've all run together in my head, but I found Sophie Jordan's story to be the most fun. I'd never read anything by her before, so that was a pleasant surprise. I'm definitely more interesting in reading more of her stuff soon. All of these stories involve shortbread, and luckily, I made my own for Christmas and was able to satisfy my cravings
Read cause I liked one of the authors...but this was awful...very raunchy.
DNF'd 72%
fair wrning this is more of a pros & cons list than a review
Meet Me In Mayfair by Tessa Dare
4.5/5 stars
(spoiler alert this is the highest rating out of this shitsorm)
the romance & banter was adorable; & the characters felt very well developed in the short time we had with them. the only downside was the epilogue & the sex scene felt rushed. which considering the rest of these short stories i should count myself lucky. This story lulled me into a false sense of security.
The Duke of Christmas Present by Sarah Maclean
0/5 stars
My first attempt at this novella ended in me DNFing w/in the first chap. Looking back I don't know why I gave this story a 2nd chance. There were MULTIPLE grammatical & punctuation errors; check my e-book notes on this & you'll see what I mean. On top of that Eben, the male lead, is & was a little bitch. His reasoning behind letting Jack go was contrived & honestly she's better off without him.
Heiress Alone by Sophie Jordan
0/5 stars
I switched to this story after I couldn't deal with Eben's whinning anymore. Needless to say it caused me more frustration than before. This story is basically a glorified "Home Alone" fanfic in the 1800's minus the booby trap highjinx & all around enjoyability. The romance felt not only one sided but incredibly rushed. Like with the second novella I hated the male lead, god I hate a "misunderstood bad boy trope'. There were also many moments of questionable consent. There was no reason for the lead to undress Annis (while unconcious) & then get in bed w/ her naked. A maid could've done that perfectly fine. Also there's a fireplace where you can lay her down to get warm; no need for sexual assault. Which is what this is. My skin was crawling the entire time I was reading it.
By this point I DNF'd the entire thing w/o a second thought. I'm sorry to Joanna Shuoe for not giving her story a fair shake. But honestly I couldn't stand anymore disappointment.
fair wrning this is more of a pros & cons list than a review
Meet Me In Mayfair by Tessa Dare
4.5/5 stars
(spoiler alert this is the highest rating out of this shitsorm)
the romance & banter was adorable; & the characters felt very well developed in the short time we had with them. the only downside was the epilogue & the sex scene felt rushed. which considering the rest of these short stories i should count myself lucky. This story lulled me into a false sense of security.
The Duke of Christmas Present by Sarah Maclean
0/5 stars
My first attempt at this novella ended in me DNFing w/in the first chap. Looking back I don't know why I gave this story a 2nd chance. There were MULTIPLE grammatical & punctuation errors; check my e-book notes on this & you'll see what I mean. On top of that Eben, the male lead, is & was a little bitch. His reasoning behind letting Jack go was contrived & honestly she's better off without him.
Heiress Alone by Sophie Jordan
0/5 stars
I switched to this story after I couldn't deal with Eben's whinning anymore. Needless to say it caused me more frustration than before. This story is basically a glorified "Home Alone" fanfic in the 1800's minus the booby trap highjinx & all around enjoyability. The romance felt not only one sided but incredibly rushed. Like with the second novella I hated the male lead, god I hate a "misunderstood bad boy trope'. There were also many moments of questionable consent. There was no reason for the lead to undress Annis (while unconcious) & then get in bed w/ her naked. A maid could've done that perfectly fine. Also there's a fireplace where you can lay her down to get warm; no need for sexual assault. Which is what this is. My skin was crawling the entire time I was reading it.
By this point I DNF'd the entire thing w/o a second thought. I'm sorry to Joanna Shuoe for not giving her story a fair shake. But honestly I couldn't stand anymore disappointment.