My Favorite Things

Lyndsay Sands always provides a good read.

One of my favorite authors. I read all of her historical romance books and am always anxious for a new one to be available.

All I Want

With Lady Prudence’s father gambling away the family’s savings, all she wants for Christmas is to haul him away from London’s most notorious gaming hell. Yet the wickedly handsome proprietor, Lord Stockton, refuses to let a lady enter his establishment. Now Pru needs a Christmas miracle to make her wish come true—and to resist succumbing to Stockton’s charms.

Good story. Pru’s father is drowning his grief over his son’s death in alcohol and gambling, to the point where the bill collectors are beating at the door. Desperate to stop him before he lands the family in the poorhouse or debtor’s prison, Pru decides to take matters into her own hands by invading the gaming hell. Unfortunately for her, not only are her efforts unsuccessful, they bring her to the attention of the hell’s owner. Stephen started his business after his own father beggared the family with his gambling. He’s not about to let Pru ruin his business.

I liked both Pru and Stephen. She is determined to protect her family by any method necessary, and her schemes become increasingly wild. There are some hilarious moments as she creates chaos with her attempts. Stephen’s charms are an unwanted distraction. Stephen is equally distracted by Pru, who quickly worms her way into his heart. I loved seeing how Pru’s determination and her eloquence about the effects on her family eventually make an impression. Stephen is a good man at heart. He tries to protect Pru from the consequences of her action. Their mutual attraction develops rapidly, and the time they spend together deepens their feelings for each other. But Pru makes it clear that she can’t give her heart to someone who can cause so much pain for others.

I loved the ending. I loved Stephen’s big moment as he finally understands Pru’s pain. What he did next wasn’t much of a surprise, but solidified his nice guy status. I loved the scene with Pru’s father in the kitchen at Pru’s house. It was truly satisfying to see her mother blast her husband and watch as the truth of the situation finally makes an impression.

Three French Hens

Brinna’s life as a scullery maid changes with the arrival of the castle’s newest guest, Lady Joan. Desperate to escape an arranged marriage, Joan suggests that look-alike Brinna take her place at the Christmas festivities. Suddenly, Brinna finds herself being wooed by a true gentleman, and getting the best Christmas present of all: a new life.

Good story. Brinna is a scullery maid who is coerced by a castle guest into taking her place. Joan, who is nearly identical to Brinna, is betrothed to Royce, a Scot. Joan has no intention of marrying a heathenish Scot and prevails upon Brinna to take her place while Joan figures out how to get out of it. Brinna is reluctant but consents when offered enough money to take care of her aging foster mother. There was some question as to whether Brinna could learn enough to pass for a noblewoman, but ends up being a quick study.

Royce isn’t thrilled to be marrying Joan, who he has heard is a spoiled brat (she was). But she comes with a large dowry, which he needs to restore his estate, beggared by his father. Royce is determined to spend time with Joan and get to know her before the marriage takes place.

The first few days were a mess, as Joan’s best friend Sabrina does her best to keep Brinna and Royce apart, preserving the deception. She was quite obnoxious in the process, and Royce’s frustration was evident. But when she takes ill, Royce finally has his chance. I loved seeing Brinna and Royce together. She was sympathetic to his dilemma and did her best to convince Joan that Royce was not the barbarian she thought he was. Royce was drawn to Brinna’s kindness and humor. The more time they spent together, the closer they became, and the greater Brinna’s guilt grew. The arrival of Joan’s father precipitated a great many events as things began to unravel. I enjoyed the resolution, though I had already suspected part of the backstory.

The Fairy Godmother

Odel is told by her godmother that she must marry by Christmas, and even gives her fairy dust to separate the mice from the men. But Odel has sworn off love…until kind and generous Michel catches her eye. He shows Odel how good it can feel to fall in love, but will it be enough to convince Odel to trust her heart?

Good story. Odel spent her life under the thumb of her controlling father. The story opens just after his death when Odel realizes that she is now free to do as she wishes. She barely has a chance to think about what she wants when her fairy godmother shows up. In her earthly life, Tildy was Odel’s mother’s best friend and has now made it her mission to find Odel a husband. However, a husband is the last thing Odel wants. Tildy is determined to have Odel married by Christmas and throws herself and her fairy magic into the process. Odel soon finds herself inundated with handsome, wealthy suitors vying for her hand.

Into this chaos comes Michel, a neighboring knight who is on the way home with his squire. Caught in a snowstorm with tiring horses and an ill squire, Michel stops at Roswald for shelter. Odel is rather rude at first, believing him to be another unwanted suitor, but once she understands the truth, she is very helpful.

I liked Michel. He is not exceptionally handsome nor wealthy, but he is nice. He treats Odel well and doesn’t try to tell her what to do. This is an eye-opener for Odel, who believed that all men were like her father. It was sweet to see the friendship that grew between them over shared conversations at dinner and chess games between evenly matched opponents. I liked seeing their friendship grow into something more and enjoyed seeing the attraction between them explode. Things became complicated when Odel’s suspicions ran into Tildy’s machinations and Odel pushed Michel away. I liked how Tildy set Odel straight on the difference between magic and true love. I loved Odel’s big moment at the end as she made everything right.