At twenty-seven years old, Mariah Travers has become what she most feared—a spinster and a perpetual adolescent in the eyes of her family and the law. But her fortunes change when her father announces that he has promised her hand in marriage to an old friend and colleague in the House of Lords. Lord Peter deVere, Earl of Dunsford, is not at all who Mariah imagined marrying, but she is willing to … to take a chance on the older man in order to gain the freedom that only married women are allowed.
After a tragic marriage that stretched on for two decades, Peter is hesitant to marry again. But he needs an heir, or else his dastardly nephew, Lord William, will inherit everything he’s worked his entire life to build. But when he meets Mariah, sparks fly that neither of them expected. Their unlikely match stands a chance of giving each of them all the things they never realized they needed.
But trouble abounds when the mine that has provided Peter with his fortune is exhausted and the search for new veins of copper begins. On top of that, Lord William isn’t about to stand by and watch his inheritance disappear. His efforts to drive a wedge between Peter and Mariah cause havoc and heartbreak at Starcross Castle, which will take an act of heroic devotion to overcome as Peter sets out to prove that true love is ageless.
PLEASE BE ADVISED – Steam Level – Very Hot!
If you would like to read about events leading up to December Heart, check out A NEW LIFE, part of the West Meets East series, available now.
And be sure to pick up the two accompanying novellas to December Heart, STARCROSS LOVERS and STARCROSS DREAMS. The rest of the series is coming soon!
The Silver Foxes of Westminster Series consists of:
DECEMBER HEART (and its accompanying novellas)
–Starcross Lovers
–Starcross Dreams
AUGUST SUNRISE (and its accompanying novellas)
–Winterberry Spark
–Winterberry Fire
MAY MISTAKES (and its accompanying novellas)
–Brynthwaite Promise
–Brynthwaite Summer
more
Needs lots of editing. Ending was bizarre.
I loved it. Great and interesting characters.
Loved the characters.
This book was awesome! I loved it!
Nice having older but realistic characters
Enjoyed the read. It was easy although had some turns in it. Also remained romantic yet clean
I loved this book, I can always count on the book being great when I see Merry Farmer is the writer!!
Good easy read with great characters.
different approach to romance, very nicely written
Original plot for historic romance and interesting main characters. Good reading!
The most disappointing thing about this book is that it started with an interesting premise, with characters that held promise for being interesting and complex, and then devolved into what can only be described as a trite mess. Where did the strength of the characters disappear to, and so quickly? I think the author found character development to either be too much work or to be beyond her abilities and she abandons the reader to eye rolling defeat. Will definitely not read anything by this author in the future.
Really liked this book – nice having an older husband to a younger wife!
Easy read, drew me in quickly. Shows how independent women couldn’t really get appreciated in those times. Peter’s nephew was a nasty piece of work who got what he deserved in the end. Mariah’s father was a featherbrain.
A good read, I enjoyed it.
Good historical. Very entertaining story about failing in love with an older man. She was doomed to be spinster until he offered for her. Love isn’t always about hunky bodies and slick moves, sometimes it’s better to have someone dependable.
This is a great start to a new series. I liked the vulnerability of the H and the open mindedness of the h. Though the younger sister was a bit over played, there could be room to develop her character in future books. If 60 is the new 40….there are a lot of us out there who would like to read about someone older than 18
December Heart by Merry Farmer is a fabulous historical romance. Ms. Farmer has delivered a well-written story. Mariah is pushing towards spinsterhood. Peter, older than Mariah, is in need of a wife in order to have an heir. Mariah and Peter’s story is loaded with drama, humor, sizzle and suspense. I enjoyed reading December Heart and it held me captive from cover to cover. I look forward to my next book by Merry Farmer. December Heart is book 1 of The Silver Foxes of Westminster Series but can be read as a standalone. This is a complete book, not a cliff-hanger.
Wow, I’d read and liked a few of Ms Farmer’s western historicals and was more than pleased with this set in Victorian England. I read it straight through. It’s a bit of a twist on the old tale of arranged marriages and an eager and desperate heir presumptive. There is humor and some suspense. The hero and heroine are wonderful characters.
My critique would be with the character of the younger sister, Victoria, whose silly behavior and most especially her lack of manners are – in my opinion – in great contrast to Mariah. Victoria reminds me of Lydia Bennett. Their mother allows Victoria to sit in on the “talk before the wedding day”.
An Entertaining story from beginning to end and encompassing something not seen too much in historical romance. Lord Peter, Earl of Dunsford is fifty years old and fears he will never have an heir. Having been married in the past for over 20 years and his wife had lost many babes before she passed away, he agreed to remarry when his old friend from the House of Lords arranged he marry his twenty seven year old daughter Mariah. Mariah felt she was firmly on the shelf after having been jilted by her former fiance and made a source of gossip by the Ton. After meeting Peter and realizing how much older his was, she became determined to marry and make the best of it because she would be able to gain the freedom of a married woman. But as fate would often have it, when she and Peter were together their was a strong attraction and it seemed all would be well. Step into the picture Peter’s awful nephew, Lord William who was a total wastrel and had expected to inherit until Mariah came into the picture. William became determined to split Peter and Mariah up by any means possible so that there would be no heir to upsurge his title.
Full of many twist and turns and strong emotions, this story help my attention until the very end. What a delight to see an older gentleman in a story and both he and Mariah having a second chance at happiness. I cannot wait to read more in this series and want to thank Merry Farmer for stepping out of the normal younger H & H and bringing this story to life.