Reviews

What a Lady Needs for Christmas by Grace Burrowes

megglettep's review

3.0

I've read some of Grace's newer books, notably the Windham brides books, each of which I've read multiple times. I think this book is an older one of hers, and it follows that her writing is a bit less developed. I was waiting for a bigger release of tension at the end of the book, but it didn't happen like that. There's also the fact that Joan doesn't immediately enjoy her husband's physical attentions, which isn't the reason I read romance novels. Maybe there're other people who are ok with how those scenes played out, but I found her reticence off-putting.

taisie22's review

4.0

Exactly what I want from one of my favorite authors at the holidays. Lady Joan Flynn has been compromised and needs a husband. Dante Hartwell needs an aristocratic wife to advance in society. Mix in a passel of MacGregors, children, dogs and Christmas festivities, and you get a lovely holiday romance.

tinab's review

emotional hopeful medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

shamfeldt's review

3.0

He never figured out OG. smh.

mnemehoshiko's review

2.0

Decent premise. Uneven pacing. It felt like the author didn't know how to handle the sexual assault plot line and just dragged it out. The characters were good but the plot really needed some tightening.

vampires's review

medium-paced

• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No

3.0

the first half of this book was so promising! but the second half was just increasingly frustrating. the conflict between the main couple was annoying rather than compelling, because there was almost no reason for it. i like drama for the sake of drama, and i'm used to the typical third act miscommunication conflict in romance (and especially historical romance) but fsr it bothered me more in this book than usual! vent about that at the end. 

Also, the smut scenes were frustrating. Whenever he comes before her he's like oh, sorry, my bad :( now i guess you can't get off at all :( because, you guessed it, the only sex act they have is the bare bones penis-into-vagina. the clit is never mentioned once. at no point does anything touch her vag, other than his dick, when it enters her. there is literally almost no way a woman would be able to come under the situations in this book 💀 and true to form she only comes once, and that was when he says he loves her 💀 usually the unrealistic factor in romance is the li's dedication to foreplay and non-penetrative sex acts, but in this one it was the fact that the mc comes from just the thrusts and no foreplay aside from kissing. each scene had me thinking: how is she even wet?? WAS she even wet? every time they have sex it goes like this: they kiss. he feels up her chest a little? penetration. he comes and she is left feeling sad and frustrated. literally get a divorce..... oh my god. 

Okay now about the conflict:

he makes a really big deal about honesty and fidelity, because his first marriage was miserable (not his doing) so before they marry, they promise to tell each other everything and never sneak around on each other. eventually, she starts to be blackmailed by her rapist, and decides not to tell him and instead to sneak around with her rapist which of course he finds out about. and then when he asks her about it, she continues lying about it so unconvincingly. he doesn't flip out or anything, but it was so frustrating to watch her needlessly sneak around and tangle herself in a web of lies. he had already known about the rape from the beginning! there was no reason for her to not just tell him "[rapist] has my sketches and wants to meet me about them". if it had been a matter of telling him about the rape, i could have totally understood her reluctance, because that can be a difficult thing to disclose! but they had literally already discussed that and he handled it so well that he ended up helping her cope with it. so why let him think she was cheating on him, i literally don't understand that. it got more and more annoying the longer she kept lying about it. thankfully she came clean, but only right before they were literally about to separate over it :/

readermonica's review

4.0

In What A Lady Needs for Christmas a marriage arranged out of desperation and convenience blooms into much more than what Dante and Joan could have hoped for. The daughter of a marquess, Joan knows that she is expected to marry well. However, after being deceived by a man she thought that she could trust Joan finds herself compromised and the only solution is a quick marriage. Dante is her solution, but he will not be the easiest of men to get along with. Dante doesn't have much faith in people and wants a second marriage that will bring connections and new opportunities for his business. Dante has a young family of his own and a wife from a good family will be a help to his children as well. The arrangement solves problems for both Dante and Joan but transforms into something more. Dante and Joan develop an understanding and appreciation for talents and interests that they both share. Respect and admiration becomes a romance that neither dared hope for.

What A Lady Needs for Christmas was an enjoyable historical romance set during the holiday season. Well developed main characters and enjoyable secondary characters made for a great read. Grace Burrows knows how to weave a historical romance with relatable characters and descriptive scenery. What A Lady Needs for Christmas is a holiday read that can be enjoyed any time of year!

**I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.**

You can find more from me at Monlatable Book Reviews
http://www.monlatablereviews.com/

pattydsf's review

3.0

When 2017 started, I hadn't read a romance by Burrowes for three years. I made up for that by reading six of her novels this year. I enjoyed every one of them. Burrowes has smart, witty heroines who are matched in wit and humor by their prospective husbands. I have a good time lost in these stories.

This one is the fourth in a series - I read the first one years ago. I hope to get back to the others.

Hot fudge sundae with good chocolate ice cream.

fiarcurrin's review

2.0

Okay so I've found that reading Grace Burrowes can be a bit of a gamble. Either I love her work or I'm sort of ambivalent. I think they're all wonderfully written but I lack a connection with the characters. I don't think that's her fault or anything because I have certain tropes that I just adore and I stick to those. In fact I'm quite happy doing that. This book mentioned several of her other stories in the series but luckily I've read most of them. Sadly though, that didn't help me connect with these characters. And there weren't even any smoldering smut scenes to make up for it. I also kind of found the plot dull and kind of predictable but not the good kind.

gwenj's review

4.0

3.5 Just didn't really connect with these characters, and the story in general through the first half. Things got a lot more interesting through the second half.