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A review by pantsreadsbooks
Christmas Belle by Mary Balogh
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Ohhh, I loved this one. This is the epitome of a second-chance romance, they fucked it up when they were young and stupid and they needed the time to mature— him particularly, especially when it came to their relationship, although she did make one big bad decision. But he gives good grovel and I loved seeing his realizations over the course of the story. The “twist” was pretty obvious from the start, but it didn’t make it any less satisfying. I loved the turnaround on age-gap romances also— Jack has been set up with a much younger woman and it makes him uncomfortable.
Balogh magically knows how to handle a large cast of characters, and although I didn’t like The First Snowdrop nearly as much as this, reading it first made this a lovely return to the Stewart-Frazer family, and a few years means marriages and kids, and it worked seeing all of them mature as well. (Freddie is still my favorite.)
Balogh magically knows how to handle a large cast of characters, and although I didn’t like The First Snowdrop nearly as much as this, reading it first made this a lovely return to the Stewart-Frazer family, and a few years means marriages and kids, and it worked seeing all of them mature as well. (Freddie is still my favorite.)