Lieutenant Maxwell Davies returned from the Crimean War wounded and broken. He no longer fits into high society and wants nothing more to escape and hide the depth of his pain and trauma from the world.Miss Josephine Brewer is an outcast of society due to the scandalous nature of her birth. The illegitimate daughter of a gentleman and his mistress, she stands between two worlds—neither of which … which she completely belongs to.
During a week-long house party, the two will succumb to a powerful attraction. Will Maxwell’s plans for a solitary life and Josephine’s unsuitability make any sort of future impossible for them—or will their burgeoning love prove strong enough to overcome it all?
Previously published as Mistletoe Kisses in the Once Upon a Christmas Wedding anthology. Newly released with added chapters!
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This was a fantastic story by an author I really love. The characters are truly wonderful!
Loved the fact that Maxwell had agreed to help the family with the Christmas house party before leaving to his own home. He had decided to go to his own property to get away from society and other people, that was until he met Josephine. She was on the outside of society being a woman of color with a fairly large flowery. Maxwell fell instantly for her, but he thought he was unacceptable because of his injuries in the Crimean war. after being caught in a snowstorm Maxwell asked her to marry. Between them they had an idea for injured returning soldiers which they put into starting up.
I’d read this book when it was first published as part of an anthology about Christmas Weddings. I was enamored, at that time, of the story itself. Seldom have I read anything about the Charge of the Light Brigade except in history books. And rarely would I ever have heard the Battle of Balaclava mentioned. In fact rarely is the Crimea mentioned in a fiction novel, let alone a romance.
I always like to be surprised. I like to be surprised with the hot lick of passion where I least expect it. I like to be surprised by a plot that pulls the Crimean battles into a wonderful historical romance. I like to be surprised that the heroine is a person of color who has so much more class than the family who has raised her. I especially like to be surprised when the hero of said romance is smitten from the first glance. And more than anything, I love to be surprised by a lasting love that begins on a snowy night when there are no more secrets between them.
But you know what I like even more? I like the way Elise Marion writes. She is sensitive, loving, sensual, giving, imaginative, and will wow you with her talent winding around the written word. Frankly, I can’t believe I didn’t know of her books years ago, and I would highly recommend that you go grab a few – this new series of her about soldier of the Crimea would be a great start, but she also has a series on her make-believe world of Cardenas that will also wow you into silence.
If you are looking for erotic steam, you won’t find it here. What you WILL find is sensuality that will make you fall in love with the characters bit by bit.
Elise Marion’s books are the kind I want to curl up with and not be interrupted until the plot is done and the hero is with his heroine forever. Thank you for a wonderfully written, and thoroughly enjoyable book. The sensuality was off the charts and served as a lovely backdrop for Josephine and Maxwell to fall in love.
Lieutenant Maxwell Davies returned from the Crimean War seriously wounded and broken, now a year later he’s well on the way to recovery but has still lost his joie de vivre. Miss Josephine Brewer is an outcast of society due to the scandalous nature of her birth but is invited to the house party along with her step mother & sister to make up the numbers. Beneath the mistletoe during a the house party, the two will succumb to a powerful attraction. I just loved this short story of the two misfits who found each other, it fit the bill of a heart warming Christmas short story in every way. I shuddered at the recounting of some of the events of the Crimean War & sighed at the lovely proposal. It ticked every box for me. I first read this in the Once Upon a Christmas Wedding anthology but this edition has new material added which enhances it even more
A good regency with wonderful characters with their own hurts and pasts. I enjoyed these two getting to know each other and the care they showed. There were a few steamy scenes.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.