Love and scandal are the best Christmas gifts. Open up each story and fall in love with the scandalous behavior of the rogues and ladies of this anthology. Embrace the romance and discover the magic of the holiday season with all eight of these stories.Amanda MarielRebecca LovellDawn BrowerChristina McKnightAngelique ArmaeSandra SookooJane CharlesTracy Sumner
Love and scandal are the best Christmas gifts. Open up each story and fall in love with the scandalous behavior of the rogues and ladies of this anthology. Embrace the romance and discover the magic of the holiday season with all eight of these stories.
Included you will find the following titles: ONE WICKED CHRISTMAS BY AMANDA MARIEL; LADY ELSA’S SOUVENIR BY REBECCA LOVELL; SMITTEN WITH MY CHRISTMAS MINX BY DAWN BROWER; BEDDED UNDER THE CHRISTMASTIDE MOON BY CHRISTINA MCKNIGHT; PRINCE OF FROST BY ANGELIQUE ARMAE; BEGUILED ON A CHRISTMAS MORNING BY SANDRA SOOKOO; A LASS FOR CHRISTMAS BY JANE CHARLES; and THE ICE DUCHESS BY TRACY SUMNER. Below you will flind highlights of two of the stories to give you an idea of what you will find in this collection.
*** Highlights of “BEGUILED ON A CHRISTMAS MORNING” by Sandra Sookoo ***
Emmeline, the Countess of Archewyne, and Miles Hawkins, the fifth Earl of Achewyne, are excited to be taking the time to enjoy the Christmas season in their homeland of Kent, yet their peace and merriment is viciously ripped from them by the kidnapping of Miles! Emmeline is heartsick and worried, but a clue from some “overly affectionate geese” may be able to save her beloved’s life and restore the magic to the Christmas holiday.
*** Highlights of “SMITTEN WITH MY CHRISTMAS MINX” by Dawn Brower ***
Lady Adeline Carwyn has one compelling wish: to experience love. She was the daughter of a duke and her family would be hosting a Christmas house party. Since Addie was helping the maids to decorate, Connor Hayes, the Earl of Westmore and a handsome rogue, assumes she is one of the staff and flirts with the lovely maid. They were both quite smitten with each other, and Addie is happy to spend Christmas Eve in his arms. But when her father, the Duke of Whitewood, finds them in a compromising situation everything changes since Addie should have prevented this from happening. Will Connor’s profession of love be true? Will he marry her? Or will he value his freedom more than her honor?
These stories are scandalously wonderful and the reader will enjoy the variety offered here! Grab your collection and read at your own pace as you share these Christmas treasures the authors have put together for us.
To date I have only read the novella A Lass for Christmas by Jane Charles, but I loved it and can’t wait to read the other stories! I first read this novella years ago when it debuted in the Tenacious Trent series, since then it has been featured in several anthologies and even after all this time – I love this story and was delighted to see that it was included in this anthology.
Lady Madeline Trent and her mother, Rose have stopped to visit her brother Matthew and his new wife on their way to Danby Castle for Christmas and she couldn’t be more delighted. After a disastrous first season and then a missed season due to mourning, she is finally looking forward to meeting a gentleman and starting her own life. But those dreams are shattered when she overhears Matthew and her brother Jordan talking to Rose (their 2nd stepmother). They tell her that they have learned that they have learned that their father’s second wife and daughter, are not dead as everyone thought and they believe Adele and Julia are back in England. This means that the Earl’s marriage to Rose was not valid and Madeline is illegitimate! Overwhelmed by the news, Madeline needs to think and decides to sneak out and go for a walk. She ventures out and gets lost, she sees lights and comes upon a manor house – nearly freezing, she makes her way to the house, but doesn’t realize she is walking across a frozen pond and breaks through the ice.
Lachlan Grant, the Marquess of Brachton is at his estate in England, he inherited the English title from his uncle, but in his heart, he is a Scot and he plans find a Scottish bride. His plan to leave is thwarted by a snowstorm and forces him to delay his departure until the snow stops. He is enjoying a drink with his friend/valet Dougal when he spots a woman walking on his lawn and to his horror, sees her fall through the ice. He races out to save her, she is barely conscious when he finally gets her into the house and he has no choice but to undress her and try to get her warm – he asks her name and she tells him it is Mad before passing out – he thinks she is trying to say Maddie. The next day the misunderstanding grows when she tells him she was traveling with Jordan Trent – a friend of his – but doesn’t mention she is his sister. Lachlan assumes she is Jordan’s mistress and decides to seduce her away from him.
This is a well written, nicely paced novella with very likable characters, warm love scenes and a surprisingly in-depth emotional story. This novella is part of the Tenacious Trent series, but it can easily be read as a standalone title.
*I am voluntarily leaving a review for an eARC that I requested and received from the publisher. All opinions are my own,*
A good group of short stories and I enjoyed them very much. All but one of these are new to me authors. But I plan to check out their other books. All the stories had a bit of a scandal, but they did have a HEA. Good stories.
Reading Jane Charles romance story between Lachlan and Madeline is a short and sweet holiday love story. I love the joy and happiness of the family experienced trying to bring two souls together for marriage. I like the witty comments and the charm of Lachlan as he set out to make Madeline his. I definitely like the well written details of Lachlan’s body description when he was advised to keep Madeline warm and bring her body temperature up. Jane details were awesome. I recommend this book. I reviewed this ARC after a free gifted copy
I received a copy of this collection because I’m a member of Tracy Sumner’s ARC team. Of course, I ready her story first. I loved it. I then proceeded to read the rest of the stories and they were okay, until I got to A Lass for Christmas from Jane Charles. I loved this one too. So basically, two out of eight stories earned 5 stars. That means just 25% of the stories were truly worth reading. TL;DR: Skip ahead to A Lass for Christmas and The Ice Duchess.
Anyway, I wrote a little bit about each story— random thoughts about the so-so ones and longer reviews on the good ones. Read on if you’re interested.
One Wicked Christmas – Amanda Mariel
2 stars
Mediocre
One of my pet peeves is when authors use trite phrases rather than crafting new ways of saying things. One that especially bothers me is the variations on “I wouldn’t want it any other way.” This author used the phrase “I’d not wish to have it any other way,” and I lost interest in writing a review. If a writer can’t be bothered to take the time to state something in a new way, I don’t want to take the time to write about it. In no particular order, here are my complaints.
Unimaginative – Words used to describe character reactions were unoriginal – sparkling eyes
Caricatures – Cristiana didn’t want Adam to know about Emily. Then he convinced her to give him a chance to prove himself. She decided to pretend to give him a chance, but then thought about it more (with no input from him re behavior) and decided to be receptive to him because maybe he had changed.
Inconsistent – Cristiana put Emily down for a nap. Moments later, Adam arrived and she was sitting on the floor of the nursery playing. Child was just over a year old but was already walking (which is not impossible, but is unusual).
Repetitive use of words – Adam’s breath caught when his gaze landed on Cristiana…When she met his gaze, she smiled brightly…He followed her gaze across the room
Too much telling, not enough showing. Adverbs used rather than actions verbs (bright smile, playful glance, flirtatious glance, roguish grin).
The relationship between Danby and Adam is unclear. Why is Adam bound to obey his uncle’s order to court someone else?
Lady Elsa’s Souvenir – Rebecca Lovell
2 stars
Annoying attempt to obfuscate parentage of Sophie from the beginning
Characters of Elsa and Bryce were very childlike
As a result, writing seemed childlike
Interesting concept, but explanation seemed incomplete, possibly unbelievable
Smitten with My Christmas Minx – Dawn Brower
3 stars
Too brief
Insta-love
Intriguing plot with interesting characters
Likeable main characters, Devon and Addie
Mistaken identity lasted a bit longer than realistic but it was explained adequately
Contrived conflict – leaving only to realize his mistake and walk back in a snowstorm
Bedded under the Christmastide Moon – Christina McKnight
3 stars
I liked the writing style but the characters became annoying after a while. The constant second-guessing and hurt feelings due to lack of communication drove me crazy. Both characters seemed cowardly, but Brigham more so than Mellie. I had difficulty imagining him as at all attractive due to his personality.
Making love on Christmas Eve, outdoors, in England was far-fetched and ridiculous. For two people who had managed to tamp down on their desire for one another for over five years, it was silly to think they couldn’t wait a little bit longer to get into the warm house.
Prince of Frost – Angelique Armae
4 stars
Love the sense of humor of the narrator and Leopold’s relationship with his valet Phipps. Juliana was an interesting character and I liked her internal sarcasm, esp in regard to Mother Superior.
Very awkward sex, took a 5 star story to 4.
Fairytale quality with anticlimactic ending
It was implied Mother Superior had an ulterior motive when sending Juliana to the event instead of attending herself, but it was never confirmed and that was disappointing. As a result, she was a very two-dimensional character.
Beguiled on a Christmas Morning – Sandra Sookoo
3 stars
Probably better for those who have met these characters before
A lot of time spent giving background on how they met etc
Boring at first because of how much background was needed
Quirky characters were likable and fun
Once the conflict of the story arose, it was exciting, but it took too long to get there
New character of governess was too much of a mystery – blatant attempt to pique interest for future story
A Lass for Christmas – Jane Charles
5 stars
This was an unusual story from an author new to me. I really enjoyed the writing style and the characters. They were multi-dimensional, likable, and memorable. I’d be interested to read more from this author.
For me, one of the highlights of this story was the relationships between the characters. This is probably why I feel I’d be interested in reading more. I’m curious about Madeline’s extended family and their relationships. I found it wonderful that Lachlan was already friends with Madeline’s older brother, Jordan, and that they had a “history.” It added an unexpected “complication” to his initial interactions with Madeline.
The general idea is that Madeline hears some disturbing secret information and decides to take a walk because she is upset. She is distracted and loses her way and realizes it is getting dark so she heads for some lights. It so happens those lights belong to Lachlan’s manor, and it happens he is looking out the window as she walks across the snow-covered field. I don’t know how far away the pond in his backyard is located, but somehow he sees her fall through the ice and manages to run through deep snowfall to get there and drag her out. This was unbelievable, but I was willing to overlook that because I enjoyed the story so much.
What ensues is a series of events that are bound to lead to a forced marriage between Lachlan and Madeline, simply because he was trying to save her life. But she knows he wants a Scottish wife so she refuses to marry him. I loved that Madeline was not only strong enough to turn him down despite her personal feelings toward him, but also that, despite being heartbroken, she manages to focus on the positive and consider how much better her life is than so many others’ and how much she has to look forward to in the future.
This was a fun story with a happy ending, and I appreciate that the author didn’t feel the need to add an epilogue. Personally, I’m happy to imagine their future, and I don’t need to read about some future date in which they fondly look upon their children and act thankful they found one another. They lived happily ever after. The end.
The Ice Duchess – Tracy Sumner
5 stars
This isn’t a very long story, but as with every story from Tracy Sumner that I’ve had the pleasure of reading, it’s an enjoyable one with memorable characters. The saga of Dex and Georgiana is a sweet telling of redemption and second-chances. Despite loving one another when they were young, neither told the other, and as a result, Dex left England to pursue a career as a geologist and Georgiana was sold off to an elderly titled man of means who rescued her father from financial ruin. It was not a pleasant experience and Georgiana is determined to never again feel so helpless. Luckily for her, he died and left her financially independent and she intends to enjoy her freedom.
She stubbornly refuses to even consider marrying Dex, even though they still love one another, clinging to her freedom, until she finally realizes the freedom she clings to is a trap. It’s a prison of sorts. As Dex implores her to reconsider, he curses Arthur (her first husband) for still keeping her prisoner.
Georgiana decides that having an affair with Dex will allow the two of them to enjoy one another and then move on without regret. Of course, Dex doesn’t believe this, hoping to convince her to marry him after all. I have to wonder whether she truly believed it herself. Although she clings to her assertions, it’s clear she’s cracking and this observation leaves little room for doubt. “Dex pulled her into his arms and rolled her to her back, his laughter echoing off the crack in the ceiling and smooth as silk, slipping right through it.” In much the same way, his laughter, consideration, and love for her slip through the cracks and find their way into her heart.
Georgiana and her friend Hildy run an organization called the Duchess Society to help young women navigate the negotiations and contracts of marriage, to ensure they are not left destitute in the event of being widowed. One of the pieces of advice she provides to young women is this: “if you have the luxury of choice, obtuse men are easier to control.” One of the things she realizes while spending time with Dex is that she has maintained a very negative view of marriage based on personal experience, but it isn’t fair to debutantes to poison their perception of something that could just as likely be sweet and caring. As it turns out, giving in to Dex’s affections makes Georgiana an even better advisor for young debutantes.
I have been provided with a copy of A Scandalous Christmas by the author for an impartial review. This box set has the following titles One Wicked Christmas by Amanda Mariel, Lady Elsa’s Souvenir by Rebecca Lovell, Smitten with My Christmas Minx by Dawn Brower, Bedded under the Christmastide Moon by Christina McKnight, Prince of Frost by Angelique Armae, Beguiled on a Christmas Morning by Sandra Sookoo, A Lass For Christmas by Jane Charles, and The Ice Duchess by Tracy Sumner. I’ll be updating my review as I finish each title.
One Wicked Christmas by Amanda Mariel
Lady Elsa’s Souvenir by Rebecca Lovell
Smitten with My Christmas Minx by Dawn Brower
Bedded under the Christmastide Moon by Christina McKnight
Prince of Frost by Angelique Armae
Beguiled on a Christmas Morning by Sandra Sookoo
A Lass For Christmas by Jane Charles
The Ice Duchess by Tracy Sumner
The Ice Duchess is the first book and in the brand-new The Duchess Society and this was just a great way to start off a new series. I was just drawn in and had so much fun with these new characters. I was just captivated by their story and I was so sad to turn the last page. I can’t wait to read more wonderful stories from this author.
A group of eight wonderful and talented authors have come together to bring us this anthology, and what a collection this is! These are sweet and steamy, entertaining stories, the perfect holiday stories to get you in the holiday mood.
Here’s my review of one of the stories
The Ice Duchess by Tracy Sumner
This is the story about two childhood friends who have been reunited after many years and are given a second chance at love. Georgie has always held a torch for Dex, but when he left home, she had no choice but to marry another. Having a bad experience with this marriage, she decided never to marry again when she became widowed. Then Dex pops back into her life and all the old feelings for him come back and she starts to rethink her decision. As for Dex, he is also in love with her and he does everything in his power to change her mind. I love how he slowly wooed her and allowed her to come to her own decision. This was a heartwarming, sweet and entertaining story that is perfect for the holiday season.
I was gifted an advanced reader’s copy from the author and am voluntarily leaving my review.
ICE DUCHESS- Georgiana as a debutant was the toast of the season. Her father married her to a much older man with money. A wretched marriage, she embraces her independence after her husband’s death and has no interest in marrying again. No longer reckless and passionate about anything, she devotes her time and money to The Duchess Society, until her heart is cracked open by the man she loved growing up, her dead brother’s best friend. Dexter, Marquees of Westfield left Derbyshire and everything behind when he pursued his passion for geology. After seven years he’s returned due to his father’s illiness. Dex promised he would marry by Twelfth Night. When Geogiana walks back into his life, he realizes the biggest mistake was not taking her with him. It’s a second chance to convince Georgiana to embrace love and be his future Duchess. Very passionate! Gifted a copy by the author.
A fantastic book set that will kept reading until the end…
Wonderful characters and plot…
I love these stories and in particular that entitled “SMITTEN WITH MY CHRISTMAS MINX”… A surprising love story set up during Christmas with identity exchange…
These book set will kept warm during the cold of winter time…
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
My review is for A Lass for Christmas by Jane Charles. In this short story, Madeline and Lachlan were a fun couple, both with plans for their lives. I enjoyed Maddie’s spirit despite her newly-found past history. She was protective of Lachlan’s reputation, not so much her own. Lachlan wanted a wife who was different, spunky, and Scottish. I found his journey to love witty, steamy, with a fair amount of soul searching. I enjoyed this story and look forward to reading the others.
I received a gift copy of this anthology, and this is my unsolicited review.
First Read on 17/10/2020: I read The Ice Duchess by Tracy Sumner and this is my voluntary and unbiased review of it:
Righting the Wrongs!
Georgie and Dex grew up together but parted ways when she was forced to marry an older man, now deceased.
As a widow, she is known as the Ice Duchess and when they meet up again some years later, the love that began totally flourishes and grows and yet Dex still has a hard time convincing her to marry him.
I loved how he slowly got her to realize that she couldn’t be happy without him and also the way she held onto her beliefs for as long as she could.
This is a very nicely written story and it flows off the pages.
I think this is a great series starter and look forward to more in this vein.
Then read the rest of the books finishing on 27/11/2020:
Well Presented!
I have just finished reading an Advance Reader Copy (ARC) of all 8 of these remarkably good stories, most of which, I discovered, have been released previously as individual books by their authors.
The common themes are of course Christmas and the happy ever after, but what really struck me was the amazing talent that each of these authors has.
Every single story was pure enjoyment and wonderfully entertaining and I am so happy to have been able to read and recommend them!
This is my voluntary review and it is based on my own thoughts and is also unbiased.
A set of eight scandalous lovely holiday treats!
The Ice Duchess by Tracy Sumner
Georgie and Dex haven’t seen each other in over seven years. Dex left after a fight with his father, the Duke, over his desire to be a geologist. Georgie was forced to marry a cruel man older than her father. She now widowed, doesn’t wish to marry and has formed an group, The Duchess Society, to help guide young women in making more amenable marriage contracts. Dex has come back to be with the Duke, who is dying. They meet at a Christmastide party and just can’t fight that feeling. Georgie loves helping Dex catalogue fossils from some of his expeditions, just being with him. Dex is determined to ease her fear, court her and make her his. Will he succeed or will she help him find someone else for his duchess? Dex and Georgie are wonderful. They are still attracted to each other and the chemistry between them sizzles. Their story heartwarming. Georgie carries the pain from her marriage. He understands and carefully brings her back to the girl he fell in love with. I really enjoyed The Ice Duchess and look forward to more stories from the Duchess Society.
I am voluntarily reviewing an ARC of this story from the collection. More to come.
Loved these love stories. Men and women who never they would find love or were deserving of love. Couples getting second chances. I especially loved the story about the Prince who stutters and has been forced to be along for years, separated from his family and society. Lonely and alone. I received a copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review
I really enjoyed this delightful set of 8 Regency holiday reads from eight different authors. The stories are all different with different characters and include kidnapping, compromised honor, secrets, mistaken identity, second chances, misunderstandings, and gossip. The various gents, ladies, misses, and maids are all adequately developed and described for the length of the stories, and the locations and scenery are beautifully described. The stories are entertaining, and I recommend the set to anyone who enjoys Regency romance.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
A great set of stories by some very good Authors, I enjoyed reading this set and know I will be reading it again closer to Christmas. The stories are by Amanda Mariel, Rebecca Lovell, Dawn Brower, Christina McKnight,Angelique Armae, Sandra Sookoo, Jane Charles, and Tracy Sumner. I would recommend this set especially at this price.
I received a free copy of this boxset and I am voluntarily leaving a review.
The story lines caught my attention at the very beginning and kept me interested throughout the entire book.
I loved the characters.
What a great box set of stories. They are each different but just as captivating and enticing. I had to take breaks but I wanted to devour each story back to back. You won’t be disappointed.
If you love historical Christmas romance stories, this collection of 8 of these stories is for you. They each have great characters, romance and intrigue and of course a HEA. I particularly liked A Scottish Lass for Christmas, but thoroughly enjoyed them all. It has some of my favorite authors, but I found several new ones, too, and I hope to read more from them.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
This is a collection of 8 stories by 8 different authors. At this time, I have read 2 of the stories so I would like to give my review on the 2 stories I have read.
The Ice Duchess by Tracy Summer
This was a pleasant, delightful short story. It is a story about past friendship, past opportunities missed, new opportunities and taking a chance on love. Georgie and Dex were friends when they were younger, they shared one kiss which could have led to a future if Dex was not leaving to follow his dream. Georgie married a man older than her father, and he was very cruel. Dex is now back and he wants to make up for the mistake he made when he left Georgie, but she does not trust love and marriage. The way Tracy Summer wrote the characters is wonderful, she had Dex showing patience to win Georgie. And Georgie slowly realizing how much Dex means to her.
A Lass for Christmas by Jane Charles
I enjoyed reading this story about Madeline (Maddie) and Lachlan. Lachlan was an Marquess who thought it was time to get married, he is from Scotland and wanted to marry a Scottish Lady. Madeline was the youngest sister with 4 brothers. One night she went for a walk and fell into a frozen lake. Lachlan found her and brought her to his house and saved her life. He did not know who she was but because she was in his house with no other female she was compromised. They both felt an attraction toward each other, but he wanted a Scottish Lady, and she wanted love.
I received an ARC of this book for my honest opinion.
Great Christmas stories and happily ever afters. New authors for me and definitely didn’t disappoint . Cannot wait for more.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.