Christmas at Falstone Castle – Sarah M. Eden – The Dowager Duchess of Kielder eagerly anticipates spending Christmas with her son and his family. Though their relationship has been strained, the duchess is determined to heal the chasm. Even with the help of the widowed local vicar, her plan will take a Christmas miracle. But during this magical season, anything is possible . . . even two second … two second chances for love.
The Heart of Christmas – Anita Stansfield – When a chance meeting brings together a gentle seamstress and a widowed banker, each lonely soul finds a first hint of hope. As their lives become entwined, it will take Christmas spirit to guide a broken family to love and healing.
’Tis the Season to Be Daring – Esther Hatch Elizabeth – Davenport has had quite enough of the London Season. Determined to evade a parade of unsuitable suitors, she seeks help from the one gentleman who has no regard for Society’s rules. All of Society knows Lord Hawthorne is not interested in marriage, yet he cannot deny Miss Davenport’s unique charm. And as the Christmas season works its magic, their charade begins to feel less like playacting and more like love.
The Christmas Dress – Joanna Barker – Seamstress Nell Addington is thrilled when her childhood friend Jacob Hammond commissions a dress for his sister. But when Nell realizes her feelings for Jacob run far deeper than friendship, an unexpected snowstorm—and some holiday cheer—may convince them both that love is worth fighting for.
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An absolutely enchanting Christmas collection that makes me want to curl up next to a warm fire with a mug of hot cocoa – even though I live in the Arizona desert and it’s still 100 degrees here in August! These are some of my favorite authors and I LOVE them.
A perfect read to welcome in the Christmas season
A heartwarming novella collection about hope and family! These four historical authors, Sarah M. Eden, Anita Stansfield, Esther Hatch, and Joanna Barker, are fabulous by themselves, but bringing them together for a novella collection was a brilliant idea. This collection is absolutely delightful. Each author has a unique voice and charming story that compliments the others in the collection. This is a fabulous fun and easy holiday read that will bring the warmth of family and the reminder of hope to all. This is a wonderful collection that readers will absolutely not want to miss!
Genre: holiday, Christmas, historical, romance
Publisher: Covenant Communications
Publication date: September 1, 2019
Number of pages: 304
A review copy of this book was provided by Covenant Communications. A review was not required and all views and opinions expressed are my own.
I hadn’t read anything by any of these authors before this. I really enjoyed all of their writing! All of the stories were delightful! I loved all of the heroes and liked all of the heroines. These were the perfect length for a quick read. I would definitely recommend this novella collection!
I received a complimentary copy from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are mine alone.
A wonderful Regency Christmas Collection!
I completely enjoyed reading All Hearts Come Home for Christmas. I look forward to reading more from these authors.
In “Christmas at Falstone Castle” by Sarah M. Eden, I loved the healing and reconciliation between Adam and his mother. I also loved the romance that developed between the older couple. I do enjoy a ‘second chance at love’ story.
The Heart of Christmas by Anita Stansfield filled my heart with goosebumps (that’s the only way to describe the feeling I had). This line from the shopkeeper put tears in my eyes, “Of course I can mend them,…I can’t promise exactly how they’ll turn out; I just follow my instincts…as if an invisible hand is guiding me. …I promise they’ll be beautiful and whole once again.”
Addie brings healing and joy to Theo, Becky, and Marla lives and they gave her a feeling of home.
’Tis the Season to Be Daring by Esther Hatch was such a fun story! I very much loved the playful, Lord Hawthorne. I laughed out loud several times! It was nice to see a Society Miss and an Earl step away from what is expected of them. “An Earl can do whatever he wants to.”
In “The Christmas Dress” by Joanna Barker, I felt sad for Nell’s reduced circumstances but proud that she carried on with what she had to do. I loved that Jacob was different from his father and trying to make a better life for his sister, Alice. The scene when Nell sees Jabob for the first time was great!
Thank you NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read this compilation for an honest review.
First, I hadn’t read any of the authors included in this compilation but I will be adding each one to my list of authors to follow. I enjoyed each story with the common theme of being together at Christmas. I didn’t want any of the stories to end! I was so happy to learn that some of the stories have other books with these characters.
Each story is set in the Regency Era and has elements of romance without being sickeningly sweet. I loved how each story ended with a bit of happily ever after but could also have a “sequel” or full length book so that readers learn even more about their lives. Highly recommend!
A festive Christmas theme woven through several sweet love stories written by some of my favorite Regency authors who gave me the gift of several enjoyable evenings spent reading.
Such a fun collection of perfect Christmas novellas!
I was quite disheartened when I saw that one of the requirements of a reading challenge I’m doing this year was to read a book by an author that shares my first name. How many authors are there out there who write Christian Fiction with the name “Esther?” Not many—but thankfully, someone in a reader’s group I’m part of was able to connect me to an author in this collection, and I was excited to see the collection available for review soon afterward!
First up: I can’t say I loved the books in here. But what I can say is that despite this being outside my normal reading genres, I still enjoyed the stories.
Admittedly, there’s something about Christmas that tugs at all of our hearts. I don’t even really “celebrate” Christmas in the usual sense, but something about remembering how much the Lord loves us is quite humbling—and brings me joy. And thinking about others being humbled and loving those around them at a certain time in the year is fun to read about, too.
I think my two favorite books in this series were the middle ones, The Heart of Christmas and ’Tis the Season to be Daring. The former was sadness turned to joy and was sweet and somewhat poetical; the latter gave me a great number of chuckles through the first few chapters, even though I had to wonder how likely that particular plot would have been at the time. I loved the symbolism in The Heart of Christmas—and the description of the hearts being mended was so sweet! ’Tis the Season was a favorite mostly because I love the idea of someone wanting to be themselves (although I don’t agree with trying to thwart a parent’s plan quite like it was shown here, even though I would have sorely been tempted to do so if I was in the same situation!). Some parts of this book reminded me of Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, too, which was lots of fun!
The other two books were enjoyable, although I struggled with the setting in Christmas at Falstone Castle some. The way characters from (what I view, anyway) two separate classes of society got along together didn’t quite ring true for me. But I did enjoy the diversity in characters here. The Christmas Dress was also not as much of a favorite as the two middle ones. It was sweet in its own way, but I didn’t connect with it as much. I did enjoy the sisterly relationship shown here, but in all, the story didn’t do a lot for me.
Am I glad I read this book? Yes. Would I read it again? Not likely. As someone who enjoys romance as a subplot in the story, this admittedly was not going to fully be my cup of tea genre-wise. I was pleasantly surprised that it didn’t contain as much physical romance in it as I’ve seen before (and frankly, I was really thankful for that!), but it’s still not the kind of book I like to read a lot. So for those who do enjoy reading Christian romances, I’d recommend it—but if you’re looking for complex, challenging stories, I’d recommend you look elsewhere.
I requested a free review copy of this book, and this is my honest opinion of it.
WHAT IT’S ABOUT
Christmas at Falstone Castle · Sarah M. Eden
The Heart of Christmas · Anita Stansfield
’Tis the Season to Be Daring · Esther Hatch
The Christmas Dress · Joanna Barker
Four sweet Christmas stories set in the Regency period. Christmas at Falstone is a reunion of Dangerous Duke’s family and that of his wife’s. It was fun to get to see how the various couples have been doing and share some time together. There was a lovely romance mature romance too.
MY TAKE
The Heart of Christmas was a tender story of a young woman’s ability to heal a family. The Christmas Dress also followed that theme, and both stories had likeable characters.
“Tis the Season to be Daring is my favorite story by Esther Hatch. I loved how Elizabeth wanted to get out of the last of the season’s events and the yucky men her mother kept introducing her to with marriage in mind. Elizabeth decides to take matters in hand and do something that won’t QUITE ruin her but get her into enough trouble to be excluded from the social events. She decides to be daring in approaches Lord Hawthorne is has a reputation for being ALMOST disreputable. What he turns out to be is unconventional. And a delight.
4 1/2 stars
What a deal. 4 great authors in one book with Christmas at the center. I really enjoyed and would recommend to all looking for good stories.
Thank you for NetGalley for allowing me to read and review these good stories.
Christmas at Falstone Castle 4*
Fans of Sarah M. Eden’s Lancaster family books will appreciate this intimate look at the ever evolving relationship between Adam and his mother. I admire the way the author is always consistent with plot lines, characters, and interweaving stories. The details included allow this story to stand alone, although depth is always achieved by reading the other novels.
The Heart at Christmas 3.5*
Everything works out smoothly in this story by Anita Stansfield. The characters’ gentle respect and need for each other is sweet.
‘Tis the Season to be Daring 5*
Ester Hatch’s contribution to this anthology is brilliantly crafted; full of fun and light and life! This charming short story has unconventional, lively characters who make it such a fun read as they fall in love with each other.
A Christmas Dress 4.5*
A sweet story with universal themes of being loved for who you are, not your perceived worth or status. Just the right amount of tension to make the happily ever after a satisfying conclusion for this wonderful tale by Joanna Barker.
I received a complimentary copy of this book. All opinions are my own.
All Hearts come home at Christmas:
Christmas at Falstone Castle:
By Sarah Eden, this is a novela that is a spinoff from Persephone the book by Sarah Eden. The story is about the mother of the duke of Kielder (aka the dangerous Duke). They had been estranged for many years but she wanted to amend things between them so she went to visit for the Christmas time. While there she reconnects with the local Vicar. And so the story goes. It has been along time since I read the story of Adam and Persephone. It took a little remembering, but it all started to come back, once I got into the storyline. It was a sweet reunion that Christmas miracles are made of. I love Sarah Edens style of writing and although I’m not a huge fan of novelas this was a nice quick holiday read.
The heart at Christmas: By Anita Stansfield, I love the way this book started out. But through the middle there just wasn’t much substance. I continued reading and toward the end it picked up again. Maybe it was just me. I struggled through most of the book, because I thought Theo was a much older man. When she started having feelings for him, I was a bit turned off. I went back and read when they first met, and since it never said how old either of them are, I had just assumed there was a bigger gap. But they probably were closer in age. If I had that in mind when I read it the first time, it might have been more enjoyable. Overall it was a nice read with a sweet Christmas message.
‘‘Tis the season to be daring: By Esther Hatch,
Oh this is definitely a 5 star story in my opinion!! From the first paragraph to the last I could not put this book down. Wonderful love story, and I loved the characters! That they were able to break the mold ( rules of society) and have fun doing it! Well done Esther Hatch!
The Christmas dress by Joanna Barker
This is a lovely sweet romance. Beautifully written. It drew me in at the very beginning and kept me engaged though out. The characters were real and honest. A wonderful holiday happily ever after!
All Hearts come home at Christmas:
Christmas at Falstone Castle:
By Sarah Eden, this is a novela that is a spinoff from Persephone the book by Sarah Eden. The story is about the mother of the duke of Kielder (aka the dangerous Duke). They had been estranged for many years but she wanted to amend things between them so she went to visit for the Christmas time. While there she reconnects with the local Vicar. And so the story goes. It has been along time since I read the story of Adam and Persephone. It took a little remembering, but it all started to come back, once I got into the storyline. It was a sweet reunion that Christmas miracles are made of. I love Sarah Edens style of writing and although I’m not a huge fan of novelas this was a nice quick holiday read.
The heart at Christmas: By Anita Stansfield, I love the way this book started out. But through the middle there just wasn’t much substance. I continued reading and toward the end it picked up again. Maybe it was just me. I struggled through most of the book, because I thought Theo was a much older man. When she started having feelings for him, I was a bit turned off. I went back and read when they first met, and since it never said how old either of them are, I had just assumed there was a bigger gap. But they probably were closer in age. If I had that in mind when I read it the first time, it might have been more enjoyable. Overall it was a nice read with a sweet Christmas message.
‘‘Tis the season to be daring: By Esther Hatch,
Oh this is definitely a 5 star story in my opinion!! From the first paragraph to the last I could not put this book down. Wonderful love story, and I loved the characters! That they were able to break the mold ( rules of society) and have fun doing it! Well done Esther Hatch!
The Christmas dress by Joanna Barker
This is a lovely sweet romance. Beautifully written. It drew me in at the very beginning and kept me engaged though out. The characters were real and honest. A wonderful holiday happily ever after!
This was a quick set of Christmas stories to read I know I will be reading them again, they are well written and held my interest throughout. I received an Arc through Netgalley, and I am leaving a voluntary review.
I loved each of these stories! Sarah Eden’s made me want to go back and read Seeking Persephone again (which I just did) and in this novella it was wonderful to see even more healing take place between Adam and his mother, as well as her own second chance at love.
The Heart of Christmas was heartwarming and lovely as Addie brings light into a family who needs a few nudges out of their grief and back together.
‘Tis the Season to Be Daring was my favorite of the collection for its romance! Lord Hawthorne and Miss Davenport both had fun personalities and brought the laughter out in each other. A wonderful falling-in-love story as pretend love turns into the real thing.
I also enjoyed the blossoming romance in The Christmas Dress. The difference in social status between Nell and Jacob provide the conflict as they are reunited and rekindle their friendship. His sister helps move things along with a little matchmaking and gentle encouragement and I enjoyed their sibling relationship as well.
(I received a complimentary copy of the book; all opinions in this review are my own)
Four heart-warming Christmas stories you won’t regret reading!
Four Sweet Novellas
Christmas at Falstone Castle 4* by Sarah M Eden – a delightful story of redemption, family and love.
The Heart of Christmas 3.5* by Anita Stansfield – Addie mends the broken hearts of a small family and makes a forever home for herself.
‘Tis the Season to be Daring 5* by Esther Hatch – Elizabeth has had enough for one season of her matchmaking mother embarrassing her. She takes matters into her own hands to scandalise her mother enough that she is retired for the remainder of the season but in doing so falls in love. Loved this story.
The Christmas Dress 4* by Joanna Barker – Since the death of her father Nell has made her living as a seamstress but when she becomes reacquainted with Jacob, she dares to dream of a different life. A sweet story.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book from NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Reading this Christmas collection transported me, at least for a little while, from the sweltering heat of a deep South summer. Four authors, four wonderful and heartwarming Christmas stories to help you feel that special Christmas spirit.
CHRISTMAS AT FALSONE CASTLE by Sarah M. Eden–I only discovered Sarah Eden’s books within the last few years and haven’t had a chance to read about the Lancaster family, but they’ve appeared in some of the Jonquil books I’ve read. This novella is from Adam’s mothers point of view, and gives us more on the background of the infamous Duke of Kielder. Why he’s the way he is. Once you get to know him he’s not really so ‘Dangerous’. I loved Adam’s view of having mistletoe in the house, and his mother gets a happy ending too. This one will give you all the Christmas feels.
THE HEART OF CHRISTMAS by Anita Stansfield–A sweet story about a seamstress and a banker who meet when he needs to have a button reattached to his coat. Theo hiring Addie to help with his household brings long awaited healing to a family. I loved how the broken heart ornaments were repaired like Addie helped repair the hearts of Theo, Marla, and Becky. This is such a sweet Christmas story.
’TIS THE SEASON TO BE DARING by Esther Hatch–This story had so many fun elements. Elizabeth Davenport and her schemes–to be daring enough to miss out on the balls, but not so daring as to ruin her reputation made me almost laugh aloud. I loved when Lord Hawthorne (Charles) taught her to drive a carriage through Hyde Park. This was a fun fake-relationship-turns-to-love story.
THE CHRISTMAS DRESS by Joanna Barker–Not only is this a second chance romance, but Nell and Jacob are not on the same rung of the social ladder. They have a funny meet-cute when Nell’s hat gets in a tree by the brisk wind. This is another lovely Christmas story of a family in need of healing. I loved Nell’s attitude about life and her kindness towards Jacob’s sister, Alice.
This is a wonderful collection to give you all the Christmas feelings.
This book is a collection of 4 novellas that are regency Christmas by four of the greatest regency writers: Sarah M. Eden, Anita Stansfield, Esther Hatch, and Joanna Barker. Normally I don’t like to read a whole lot of novellas, because they are too short. You barely get to know the characters and then the story is over. But to my amazing surprise these four authors managed to succeed in telling a short story to where you are satisfied when it ends, which means the pacing was excellent.
I loved that my all-time favorite character was in this book in Sarah M. Eden’s story Christmas at Falstone Castle. Though this was mainly about the dangerous Duke’s mother, you still get to see him and his cute little son, Oliver. It’s worth to get this book just to read this story. Any story with the Dangerous Duke of Kielder is a must read in my opinion.
I love the daring characters from Esther Hatch’s story ‘Tis the Season to be Daring. I had smile on my face the whole time as I got to join Miss Elizabeth Davenport in trying to get out of attend the Season’s events.
Off course we can’t forget about the lovely Nell Addington in Joanna Barker’s The Christmas Dress. You can’t help but cheer Jacob Hammond and Nell Addington. Makes me want to be stuck at a place with a cute guy during a snowstorm.
Anita Stansfield’s story wasn’t bad either.
I highly recommend this book.