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7 reviews for:
Regency Christmas Wishes
Emma Jensen, Barbara Metzger, Sandra Heath, Carla Kelly, Edith Layton
3.41 AVERAGE
7 reviews for:
Regency Christmas Wishes
Emma Jensen, Barbara Metzger, Sandra Heath, Carla Kelly, Edith Layton
3.41 AVERAGE
CAPTAIN GREY'S CHRISTMAS PROPOSAL by Carla Kelly
Captain Grey had been fighting malarial fever in Savannah when he met Theodora Winnings. He proposed by letter--but it's taken ten years to receive her reply. The answer was "yes!"--but is she still free to become his Christmas bride?
Good second chance story. Jem is a captain in the Royal Navy who is currently at loose ends with the end of the war. While visiting a tavern that was used as a contact point during his career, he is given a letter that is more than ten years old, from a woman he had met while fighting a bout of malaria. Teddy had been a regular visitor to the hospital and eventually spent most of her time with Jem. After he had returned to his ship, he wrote and proposed to her, but never heard back. He did his best to move on, going on to have a successful career, but he never quite forgot her. He is stunned to receive the letter from her and discover that she had replied in the affirmative. Unfortunately, most of the rest of the letter is illegible due to damage, though she refers to something that she should have told him. Jem must decide if he wants to return to the United States and see if Teddy is still available.
Though Jem knows he should just let it go as a pleasant memory from the past, he can't. Something drives him to pursue his quest to see if he can find her. It isn't easy, and there are moments when he is tempted to give up. Eventually, his persistence pays off and he finds her, but there are huge changes from the woman he remembers. When Jem finds out Teddy's secret, it is a shock, but not one that will keep him from his goal.
Teddy has never forgotten Jem either. Her life has not been an easy one, and her memories of her time with him have been the bright spot in her existence. She is stunned by his reappearance and even more so when she discovers that he still wants her.
I really enjoyed the progress of the story. Jem's persistence in his search made me hope for his success. I loved the assistance that he received from the mysterious newspaper owner. Teddy's arrival was perfectly timed to just as Jem was ready to give up. It was sweet to see that the memories of their feelings for each other gave a boost to the rekindling of their relationship. I loved that Teddy's secret made no difference to Jem's love for her. I loved seeing Jem risk everything to achieve his dream of having Teddy in his life. How it happened had some interesting twists before they reached their happy ending.
I thoroughly enjoyed the mysterious Mr. Hollinsworth and his efforts to help Jem and Teddy. His cheerful and positive attitude was just what they needed at some of the darker moments of their quest to be together. I also liked the connection he appeared to have to Jem's longstanding conversations with "Sir". There were a lot of things that came together at the end, and Mr. Hollinsworth seemed to have a part in each of them.
HER CHRISTMAS TEMPTATION by Christine Merrill
Faith Strickland's plan to marry to save her family backfires when notorious rake James Leggett sets out to break her unhappy engagement. He'll storm her Twelfth Night celebrations and scorch her into surrender!
This one was okay. Faith is desperate to marry as a way to save her family and uses questionable methods to gain a fiancé. The man knows he's been manipulated and isn't happy, for he loves another, but is honorable. Cyril is present during the family Christmas party, but obviously unhappy. Faith isn't any happier, but determined to do what she must.
Enter James. He is well known as a rake and has even participated in several duels. His cousin Bea is the woman who Cyril truly loves. Though James is willing to marry Bea himself, he'd much rather find a way to untangle Cyril from his present circumstances. As he knows Faith's grandmother, he wangles an invite to the Christmas party, determined to break up the engagement.
The development of the relationship between James and Faith is interesting. Neither one comes across as a very nice person. James is a rake and he intends to use that reputation to gain his objective. He fully intends to behave in such a way toward Faith that she will look bad in front of Cyril and others, causing Cyril to break the engagement. He doesn't expect to be attracted and intrigued by Faith. Faith is bothered by James from the moment he arrived. He arouses feelings in her that make her realize just how much will be missing from her marriage to Cyril, but she stubbornly refuses to look at other options. It was fun to see James retain his intention, but also experience some guilt over what the results would likely be. He also unwillingly found himself contemplating the notion of marrying her himself; something that surprised and worried him. Faith did redeem herself somewhat at the end when she found out about Bea. The attraction between James and Faith comes to a head, amazing them both and leaving each in shock. There is some miscommunication that pulls them apart before they finally set things straight and realize that they belong together.
AWAKENING HIS SLEEPING BEAUTY by Janice Preston
Lonely Diana Fleming knows handsome knights don't really exist. But can a festive kiss from the man she loves reawaken her frozen heart?
Good story. Diana's life is pretty dreary, especially around Christmas time. Her younger brother died eight years ago, and since then her father hides out in his study and her mother dwells on her grief. Her mother has Diana bowing to her every demand. Neither Diana nor her mother is happy to hear that her father invited his cousin and her seven children to spend the holidays. Lavenham insists however, because the oldest son, Aaron, is now heir to the estate and it's time for him to become familiar with it.
Aaron isn't happy with the change to the usual Fleming family Christmas. He is used to coming home to his family and the same traditions, and doesn't want anyone changing things. Besides, he doesn't have that great an opinion of Diana, who he recalled as a mouse of a girl. But his mother insists, and off they all go. Neither Aaron nor Diana know that Sally and Lavenham plotted the whole visit with an eye to encouraging a match between them.
Now I will admit that neither Diana nor Aaron made the best first impression on me or each other. Diana doesn't seem to have any backbone at all when it comes to her mother. Yes, the woman is grieving, but she is sucking all the life out of Diana as well. Aaron just came across as a bit spoiled. He's been out of the army for several years and spends most of his time hanging out with his friends. To complain about his mother's plans seems selfish, especially since he will inherit that estate someday. When the Flemings arrive, Aaron thinks that Diana is still stiff and quiet, and Diana things that Aaron is arrogant and overbearing.
I enjoyed both the development of the relationship and the whole visit. Thanks to Diana's mother's excessive mourning, Diana had never experienced the usual Christmas traditions. After a bit of a rough start, Aaron gets into the Christmas spirit along with his brothers and sisters, and drags Diana right along with them. Besides all the fun of the traditions, there are also sparks between Aaron and Diana. I especially enjoyed the protectiveness he showed whenever Diana's mother would start in on her. I also liked the way that Diana started showing more spirit under Aaron's attention and the friendship with her other cousins. There were some sweet scenes as the sparks between them grew brighter. The only dark spot came when first Diana discovered the matchmaking plot and didn't know how to tell Aaron. Then he found out about it and was furious because of an earlier betrayal by a friend. Aaron behaved like a jerk, but fortunately came to his senses pretty quickly. Overall, a good story. I'd like to eventually see stories for Aaron's brothers and sisters too.
Captain Grey had been fighting malarial fever in Savannah when he met Theodora Winnings. He proposed by letter--but it's taken ten years to receive her reply. The answer was "yes!"--but is she still free to become his Christmas bride?
Good second chance story. Jem is a captain in the Royal Navy who is currently at loose ends with the end of the war. While visiting a tavern that was used as a contact point during his career, he is given a letter that is more than ten years old, from a woman he had met while fighting a bout of malaria. Teddy had been a regular visitor to the hospital and eventually spent most of her time with Jem. After he had returned to his ship, he wrote and proposed to her, but never heard back. He did his best to move on, going on to have a successful career, but he never quite forgot her. He is stunned to receive the letter from her and discover that she had replied in the affirmative. Unfortunately, most of the rest of the letter is illegible due to damage, though she refers to something that she should have told him. Jem must decide if he wants to return to the United States and see if Teddy is still available.
Though Jem knows he should just let it go as a pleasant memory from the past, he can't. Something drives him to pursue his quest to see if he can find her. It isn't easy, and there are moments when he is tempted to give up. Eventually, his persistence pays off and he finds her, but there are huge changes from the woman he remembers. When Jem finds out Teddy's secret, it is a shock, but not one that will keep him from his goal.
Teddy has never forgotten Jem either. Her life has not been an easy one, and her memories of her time with him have been the bright spot in her existence. She is stunned by his reappearance and even more so when she discovers that he still wants her.
I really enjoyed the progress of the story. Jem's persistence in his search made me hope for his success. I loved the assistance that he received from the mysterious newspaper owner. Teddy's arrival was perfectly timed to just as Jem was ready to give up. It was sweet to see that the memories of their feelings for each other gave a boost to the rekindling of their relationship. I loved that Teddy's secret made no difference to Jem's love for her. I loved seeing Jem risk everything to achieve his dream of having Teddy in his life. How it happened had some interesting twists before they reached their happy ending.
I thoroughly enjoyed the mysterious Mr. Hollinsworth and his efforts to help Jem and Teddy. His cheerful and positive attitude was just what they needed at some of the darker moments of their quest to be together. I also liked the connection he appeared to have to Jem's longstanding conversations with "Sir". There were a lot of things that came together at the end, and Mr. Hollinsworth seemed to have a part in each of them.
HER CHRISTMAS TEMPTATION by Christine Merrill
Faith Strickland's plan to marry to save her family backfires when notorious rake James Leggett sets out to break her unhappy engagement. He'll storm her Twelfth Night celebrations and scorch her into surrender!
This one was okay. Faith is desperate to marry as a way to save her family and uses questionable methods to gain a fiancé. The man knows he's been manipulated and isn't happy, for he loves another, but is honorable. Cyril is present during the family Christmas party, but obviously unhappy. Faith isn't any happier, but determined to do what she must.
Enter James. He is well known as a rake and has even participated in several duels. His cousin Bea is the woman who Cyril truly loves. Though James is willing to marry Bea himself, he'd much rather find a way to untangle Cyril from his present circumstances. As he knows Faith's grandmother, he wangles an invite to the Christmas party, determined to break up the engagement.
The development of the relationship between James and Faith is interesting. Neither one comes across as a very nice person. James is a rake and he intends to use that reputation to gain his objective. He fully intends to behave in such a way toward Faith that she will look bad in front of Cyril and others, causing Cyril to break the engagement. He doesn't expect to be attracted and intrigued by Faith. Faith is bothered by James from the moment he arrived. He arouses feelings in her that make her realize just how much will be missing from her marriage to Cyril, but she stubbornly refuses to look at other options. It was fun to see James retain his intention, but also experience some guilt over what the results would likely be. He also unwillingly found himself contemplating the notion of marrying her himself; something that surprised and worried him. Faith did redeem herself somewhat at the end when she found out about Bea. The attraction between James and Faith comes to a head, amazing them both and leaving each in shock. There is some miscommunication that pulls them apart before they finally set things straight and realize that they belong together.
AWAKENING HIS SLEEPING BEAUTY by Janice Preston
Lonely Diana Fleming knows handsome knights don't really exist. But can a festive kiss from the man she loves reawaken her frozen heart?
Good story. Diana's life is pretty dreary, especially around Christmas time. Her younger brother died eight years ago, and since then her father hides out in his study and her mother dwells on her grief. Her mother has Diana bowing to her every demand. Neither Diana nor her mother is happy to hear that her father invited his cousin and her seven children to spend the holidays. Lavenham insists however, because the oldest son, Aaron, is now heir to the estate and it's time for him to become familiar with it.
Aaron isn't happy with the change to the usual Fleming family Christmas. He is used to coming home to his family and the same traditions, and doesn't want anyone changing things. Besides, he doesn't have that great an opinion of Diana, who he recalled as a mouse of a girl. But his mother insists, and off they all go. Neither Aaron nor Diana know that Sally and Lavenham plotted the whole visit with an eye to encouraging a match between them.
Now I will admit that neither Diana nor Aaron made the best first impression on me or each other. Diana doesn't seem to have any backbone at all when it comes to her mother. Yes, the woman is grieving, but she is sucking all the life out of Diana as well. Aaron just came across as a bit spoiled. He's been out of the army for several years and spends most of his time hanging out with his friends. To complain about his mother's plans seems selfish, especially since he will inherit that estate someday. When the Flemings arrive, Aaron thinks that Diana is still stiff and quiet, and Diana things that Aaron is arrogant and overbearing.
I enjoyed both the development of the relationship and the whole visit. Thanks to Diana's mother's excessive mourning, Diana had never experienced the usual Christmas traditions. After a bit of a rough start, Aaron gets into the Christmas spirit along with his brothers and sisters, and drags Diana right along with them. Besides all the fun of the traditions, there are also sparks between Aaron and Diana. I especially enjoyed the protectiveness he showed whenever Diana's mother would start in on her. I also liked the way that Diana started showing more spirit under Aaron's attention and the friendship with her other cousins. There were some sweet scenes as the sparks between them grew brighter. The only dark spot came when first Diana discovered the matchmaking plot and didn't know how to tell Aaron. Then he found out about it and was furious because of an earlier betrayal by a friend. Aaron behaved like a jerk, but fortunately came to his senses pretty quickly. Overall, a good story. I'd like to eventually see stories for Aaron's brothers and sisters too.
Christmas books are often like Christmas candy, tasty but so very sweet that they should be consumed only once per year. I reread this in 2019 and wrote review before realize I'd already done that - so pasting at the bottom.
(THis anthology needs a sugar index)
The Lucky Coin, Barbara Metzger
A happy tale of a poverty stricken gentleman hoping for a reprieve from his creditors. On his way to London he shares his concerns with an elderly man in the carriage who gives him a coin for his thoughts. Though he initially wants to refuse the coin from this man who looks even worse off than he, his luck begins to change almost immediately as he rubs the coins and makes a wish. Like any good Christmas special, events and circumstances continue to improve for him at each turn, though there’s a set back and a few conflicts along the way.
Following Yonder Star, Emma Jensen
It’s refreshing to read a regency set in Ireland. Our hero and heroine grew up as neighbors for friends, but Alice eventually fell in love with Gareth. Unfortunately, Gareth as second son decides he did not need or want to tie himself down to Ireland and goes off to war then to see the world. Eight years later after his brother dies, Gareth comes back at Christmas to await the birth of a niece or nephew, who potentially could inherit the title and relieve Gareth of any familial obligation to stay in Ireland.
As the family prepares for Christmas and the birth, Gareth and Alice spend more time together and rekindling old feelings. At the end Gareth does realize he loves Alice and wants to stay. Nice story, but Gareth’s emotional turnaround was a little pat.
The Merry Magpie, Sandra Heath
It’s not often that a bird is one of the central characters of a romance, but Jack the Magpie plays an important role in reconciling a husband and wife who had separated 8 years before the story started because of his infidelities.
Jack the sherry drinking magpie is definitely my favorite character in this story, but the author does a good job of developing Charles our wayward husband. He recognizes what he did to ruin the marriage and doesn’t try to make excuses for his behavior. INstead he tries to use a little Christmas magic and help from a bird to make things right.
Unfortunately the female character, Juliet, is not as well developed. Hence it’s hard to understand why she so quickly accepted him after holding him back for eight years
Best Wishes, Edith Layton
Unlike most romance stories, this story is not about a couple falling in love. Rather, it’s about a couple figuring how to make that love work. This story of family and marital relationship dynamics could as easily be set in the 21st century as in the 19th, but that’s a compliment. Ms. Layton captures the difficult dynamics a couple face as they try to integrate the customs, expectations, and personalities of their former lives, challenges that are heightened at holiday time. Well done and enjoyable, but some aspects of the story may make readers wince as hitting a bit close to home.
I’ll admit it. I’m a sucker for Holiday Romances, especially short ones, which is why I love anthologies like this one. Sometimes their schmaltzy, the characters aren’t always fully fleshed out, and occasionally they veer a bit to religious for me but when the snow is falling, the wind is howling, and the temperatures dip below zero I just want to huddle under a blanket.
This is the second read of this anthology for me and I still enjoyed it.
The Lucky Coin involves a down on his luck artistocrat and the wealthy niece of banker. Sir Adam Standish is on his way to town to plead with his banker to postpone his loan payments on debt incurred by his deceased father. He wants to keep the estate running until spring to keep his tenants from starving. On the way to town, he meets an old man who gives him a coin for his thoughts – turns out it is a not a typical coin. His banker turns him down. As he’s wandering, he stumbles into antiques shop where he wants to have the coin assessed. While he’s in there he spots a beautiful young girl, but also interrupts a robbery. The young woman’s maid thinks he’s in on the crime and knocks him out after he saves them. The romance blossoms from there. Sweet romance with a spunky heroine.
Following yonder star is set in Ireland with a young man coming home after many years because his brother has died and he’s inherited his property. Enjoyable but not as memorable as the first tale.
The Merry Magpie is not a traditional holiday tale. The hero, Charles, had been thrown out by his wife ten years before after his cheating had been laid bare at a holiday gathering. Though taking mistress was apparently common among the aristocracy the public nature of his offense had been too much to bare. Years later he has returned. He believes he’s matured and wants to win her back, but first he has to get through her aunt and her mischievous magpie. It’s refreshing to see a second chance romance like this one.
Best Wishes, Edith Layton
This is an interesting one. Jonathon, the Viscount Rexford, married young Pamela after a whirl-wind romance. Like many of his set, he’d been with a lot of women and led a raucous life but was ready to settle down. Pamela has not seen much of the world coming from a large country family.
It’s their first Christmas and Jonathon has accepted an invitation from his first lover, a much older woman, to join her and her husband at a home party. Pamela refuses and instead insists they go to her family’s gathering, in which Jonathon the sophisticate has no interest. They compromise and decide to split their holiday.
Along the way they really learn about themselves, about compromise and about family. Even though set in regency times, of the five stories, this one may have the most timeless themes. It could have been set in any era.
Let Nothing You Dismay, Carla Kelly
Ms. Kelly is one of my favorite regency authors, and I enjoyed this story, though not as much as Captain Grey’s Christmas Proposal. The story revolves around Lord Trevor Chase, a barrister who functions much like a modern day public defender . He’s tortured emotionally by one of his first cases that resulted in the death of a young boy and rarely celebrates Christmas, but has agreed to return to his brothers’ estate this year. Cecilia is a teacher and has agreed to escort a pupil Lucinda home just to see that she makes it safely. She’d planned to return immediately to London, but through a series of unfortunate events agrees to stay for a few days where she and Trevor peel back their emotional layers. Well done as with any Kelly book.
4/5 on romance scale. A holiday reread.
(THis anthology needs a sugar index)
The Lucky Coin, Barbara Metzger
A happy tale of a poverty stricken gentleman hoping for a reprieve from his creditors. On his way to London he shares his concerns with an elderly man in the carriage who gives him a coin for his thoughts. Though he initially wants to refuse the coin from this man who looks even worse off than he, his luck begins to change almost immediately as he rubs the coins and makes a wish. Like any good Christmas special, events and circumstances continue to improve for him at each turn, though there’s a set back and a few conflicts along the way.
Following Yonder Star, Emma Jensen
It’s refreshing to read a regency set in Ireland. Our hero and heroine grew up as neighbors for friends, but Alice eventually fell in love with Gareth. Unfortunately, Gareth as second son decides he did not need or want to tie himself down to Ireland and goes off to war then to see the world. Eight years later after his brother dies, Gareth comes back at Christmas to await the birth of a niece or nephew, who potentially could inherit the title and relieve Gareth of any familial obligation to stay in Ireland.
As the family prepares for Christmas and the birth, Gareth and Alice spend more time together and rekindling old feelings. At the end Gareth does realize he loves Alice and wants to stay. Nice story, but Gareth’s emotional turnaround was a little pat.
The Merry Magpie, Sandra Heath
It’s not often that a bird is one of the central characters of a romance, but Jack the Magpie plays an important role in reconciling a husband and wife who had separated 8 years before the story started because of his infidelities.
Jack the sherry drinking magpie is definitely my favorite character in this story, but the author does a good job of developing Charles our wayward husband. He recognizes what he did to ruin the marriage and doesn’t try to make excuses for his behavior. INstead he tries to use a little Christmas magic and help from a bird to make things right.
Unfortunately the female character, Juliet, is not as well developed. Hence it’s hard to understand why she so quickly accepted him after holding him back for eight years
Best Wishes, Edith Layton
Unlike most romance stories, this story is not about a couple falling in love. Rather, it’s about a couple figuring how to make that love work. This story of family and marital relationship dynamics could as easily be set in the 21st century as in the 19th, but that’s a compliment. Ms. Layton captures the difficult dynamics a couple face as they try to integrate the customs, expectations, and personalities of their former lives, challenges that are heightened at holiday time. Well done and enjoyable, but some aspects of the story may make readers wince as hitting a bit close to home.
I’ll admit it. I’m a sucker for Holiday Romances, especially short ones, which is why I love anthologies like this one. Sometimes their schmaltzy, the characters aren’t always fully fleshed out, and occasionally they veer a bit to religious for me but when the snow is falling, the wind is howling, and the temperatures dip below zero I just want to huddle under a blanket.
This is the second read of this anthology for me and I still enjoyed it.
The Lucky Coin involves a down on his luck artistocrat and the wealthy niece of banker. Sir Adam Standish is on his way to town to plead with his banker to postpone his loan payments on debt incurred by his deceased father. He wants to keep the estate running until spring to keep his tenants from starving. On the way to town, he meets an old man who gives him a coin for his thoughts – turns out it is a not a typical coin. His banker turns him down. As he’s wandering, he stumbles into antiques shop where he wants to have the coin assessed. While he’s in there he spots a beautiful young girl, but also interrupts a robbery. The young woman’s maid thinks he’s in on the crime and knocks him out after he saves them. The romance blossoms from there. Sweet romance with a spunky heroine.
Following yonder star is set in Ireland with a young man coming home after many years because his brother has died and he’s inherited his property. Enjoyable but not as memorable as the first tale.
The Merry Magpie is not a traditional holiday tale. The hero, Charles, had been thrown out by his wife ten years before after his cheating had been laid bare at a holiday gathering. Though taking mistress was apparently common among the aristocracy the public nature of his offense had been too much to bare. Years later he has returned. He believes he’s matured and wants to win her back, but first he has to get through her aunt and her mischievous magpie. It’s refreshing to see a second chance romance like this one.
Best Wishes, Edith Layton
This is an interesting one. Jonathon, the Viscount Rexford, married young Pamela after a whirl-wind romance. Like many of his set, he’d been with a lot of women and led a raucous life but was ready to settle down. Pamela has not seen much of the world coming from a large country family.
It’s their first Christmas and Jonathon has accepted an invitation from his first lover, a much older woman, to join her and her husband at a home party. Pamela refuses and instead insists they go to her family’s gathering, in which Jonathon the sophisticate has no interest. They compromise and decide to split their holiday.
Along the way they really learn about themselves, about compromise and about family. Even though set in regency times, of the five stories, this one may have the most timeless themes. It could have been set in any era.
Let Nothing You Dismay, Carla Kelly
Ms. Kelly is one of my favorite regency authors, and I enjoyed this story, though not as much as Captain Grey’s Christmas Proposal. The story revolves around Lord Trevor Chase, a barrister who functions much like a modern day public defender . He’s tortured emotionally by one of his first cases that resulted in the death of a young boy and rarely celebrates Christmas, but has agreed to return to his brothers’ estate this year. Cecilia is a teacher and has agreed to escort a pupil Lucinda home just to see that she makes it safely. She’d planned to return immediately to London, but through a series of unfortunate events agrees to stay for a few days where she and Trevor peel back their emotional layers. Well done as with any Kelly book.
4/5 on romance scale. A holiday reread.
This review is for the last three stories as I must have read the beginning a while ago. More like 3.75. I enjoyed all three, they were sweet. Would have been a 4, but they were a little too sweet, maybe even smarmy. Carla Kelly's wasn't and was a treat.
This book contains five short stories set around Christmas time. Some were better than others.
Reread, December, 2018 Carla Kelly's LET NOTHING YOU DISMAY is a somewhat gritty Christmas story with characteristics often found within Ms. Kelly's romances. It contained people on the outskirts of 'proper' society who shared their hopes and dreams with each other.
Lord Trevor Chase was the unexpected guardian of his nieces and nephew in the days before Christmas. His brother and wife were caring for another daughter's children who were plagued with measles. A bachelor, Trevor had a damaged history and was haunted with Christmas memories from the past.
Miss Cecelia Ambrose was his niece's -Lucy- teacher and companion. She was dropping the young student off on the way to her holiday destination. She expected to spend one night when a fire broke out in the kitchen of the estate. Lord Chase asked for her assistance while everyone moved into the dower house temporarily.
I liked this story because of the unusual characters. Considering how short the story was, there was quite a bit of texture and 'feels'. Qualities often found with Ms. Kelly's romances. A solid 4 stars
~~~~~
Edith Layton's BEST WISHES (reread 11/7/2017) 3 stars
Barbara Metzger's THE LUCKY COIN. Four stars for an interesting twist on people who discover the true meaning of Christmas.
I didn't care for Sandra Heath's MERRY MAGPIE, an unbelievable tale of adultery and forgiveness. Also, Emma Jensen's FOLLOWING YONDER STAR stretched the imagination; a man who was always on the move suddenly found love, even though he knew her most of his life. One star apiece.
Reread, December, 2018 Carla Kelly's LET NOTHING YOU DISMAY is a somewhat gritty Christmas story with characteristics often found within Ms. Kelly's romances. It contained people on the outskirts of 'proper' society who shared their hopes and dreams with each other.
Lord Trevor Chase was the unexpected guardian of his nieces and nephew in the days before Christmas. His brother and wife were caring for another daughter's children who were plagued with measles. A bachelor, Trevor had a damaged history and was haunted with Christmas memories from the past.
Miss Cecelia Ambrose was his niece's -Lucy- teacher and companion. She was dropping the young student off on the way to her holiday destination. She expected to spend one night when a fire broke out in the kitchen of the estate. Lord Chase asked for her assistance while everyone moved into the dower house temporarily.
I liked this story because of the unusual characters. Considering how short the story was, there was quite a bit of texture and 'feels'. Qualities often found with Ms. Kelly's romances. A solid 4 stars
~~~~~
Edith Layton's BEST WISHES (reread 11/7/2017) 3 stars
Barbara Metzger's THE LUCKY COIN. Four stars for an interesting twist on people who discover the true meaning of Christmas.
I didn't care for Sandra Heath's MERRY MAGPIE, an unbelievable tale of adultery and forgiveness. Also, Emma Jensen's FOLLOWING YONDER STAR stretched the imagination; a man who was always on the move suddenly found love, even though he knew her most of his life. One star apiece.
Wow, I liked this a lot better than I expected to!
~The Lucky Coin by Barbara Metzger, 4*: Light-hearted and quite humorous, very enjoyable.
~Following Yonder Star by Emma Jensen, 3*: Lovely descriptions of rural Ireland
~The Merry Magpie by Sandra Heath, 2*: Kind of a downer, so just okay
~Best Wishes by Edith Layton, 3*: Amusing tale of newlywed love
~Let Nothing You Dismay by Carla Kelly, 3.5*: A longer story, well-crafted with a somewhat abrupt end.
~The Lucky Coin by Barbara Metzger, 4*: Light-hearted and quite humorous, very enjoyable.
~Following Yonder Star by Emma Jensen, 3*: Lovely descriptions of rural Ireland
~The Merry Magpie by Sandra Heath, 2*: Kind of a downer, so just okay
~Best Wishes by Edith Layton, 3*: Amusing tale of newlywed love
~Let Nothing You Dismay by Carla Kelly, 3.5*: A longer story, well-crafted with a somewhat abrupt end.
