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rozymbanks's reviews
165 reviews
A Harlequin Christmas Carol: Yesterday's Bride\\Today's Longing\\Tomorrow's Destiny by Jacquie D'Alessandro, Hope C. Tarr, Betina Krahn
3.0
The theme of a guardian angel helping each respective heroine to find her "one true love" is cute although to my mind, it's not really like "A Christmas Carol" as suggested in the story. I enjoyed the bookstore/book club setting.
Yesterday's Bride: was a good read other than the love scene which used a lot of cliched language and really took me out of the story.
Today's Longing: very good, the ending was maybe a little too neat.
Tomorrow's Destiny: Also very good, cliched characters (heroine with bi-colored eyes and a limp, albino hero) but Hope Tarr's writing made up for it.
Yesterday's Bride: was a good read other than the love scene which used a lot of cliched language and really took me out of the story.
Today's Longing: very good, the ending was maybe a little too neat.
Tomorrow's Destiny: Also very good, cliched characters (heroine with bi-colored eyes and a limp, albino hero) but Hope Tarr's writing made up for it.
A Christmas Promise by Mary Balogh
4.0
A Christmas Promise takes familiar tropes and themes and presents them in a way that feels totally new and unique. I've heard Balogh's books referred to as "high concept" and after reading several of them, I understand why.
This story had a lot more angst than other Christmas-themed romances I've read recently. I found that Ellie was more prickly than other "nouveau riche" heroines I've encountered. While this meant it took me a long time to warm up to her, in the end it made her seem more of a complete character--I don't like it as much when such heroines are all sweetness and humility. On the other hand, I found Randolph to be a mostly honorable man from the start--perhaps only with the exception of his treatment of Ellie on their wedding night.
One of my favorite aspects of the book was the way Ellie's boisterous family transformed Randolph's estate and gave him a chance to relive his childhood and celebrate the season in a much more fun, carefree way (snowball fights and sledding for instance).
Possible spoiler ahead: I was glad that Balogh didn't make the love triangle involving Ellie's former beau Wilfred the focus of the story. Maybe if it had been a longer book this would have been explored in more detail.
This was a very quick read for me that felt a lot more complete and in all, a more satisfying story than any of the Christmas novellas I've read. I already have Under the Mistletoe, a collection of Christmas stories by Mary Balogh waiting for me to pick up at the library.
This story had a lot more angst than other Christmas-themed romances I've read recently. I found that Ellie was more prickly than other "nouveau riche" heroines I've encountered. While this meant it took me a long time to warm up to her, in the end it made her seem more of a complete character--I don't like it as much when such heroines are all sweetness and humility. On the other hand, I found Randolph to be a mostly honorable man from the start--perhaps only with the exception of his treatment of Ellie on their wedding night.
One of my favorite aspects of the book was the way Ellie's boisterous family transformed Randolph's estate and gave him a chance to relive his childhood and celebrate the season in a much more fun, carefree way (snowball fights and sledding for instance).
Possible spoiler ahead: I was glad that Balogh didn't make the love triangle involving Ellie's former beau Wilfred the focus of the story. Maybe if it had been a longer book this would have been explored in more detail.
This was a very quick read for me that felt a lot more complete and in all, a more satisfying story than any of the Christmas novellas I've read. I already have Under the Mistletoe, a collection of Christmas stories by Mary Balogh waiting for me to pick up at the library.