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A review by turophile
Regency Christmas Wishes by Emma Jensen, Barbara Metzger, Sandra Heath, Carla Kelly, Edith Layton
4.0
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.