Sometimes love needs a few wagers to stick the second time around. Pleasure is his only pursuit… Colin Rowley, Viscount Hartsford, has been given an offer too good to ignore: if he comes home to Lancaster Hall and his family by Christmas morning, he’ll win a coveted racehorse as well as an estate. Trouble is, recollections attached to his ducal father’s castle leave him haunted, especially … him haunted, especially those regarding the first girl he’s ever loved, the one who rejected him.
Faced with reduced circumstances… Widow Lucy Ashbrook is leaving London for the last time. Now that her husband’s savings have dried up, she can no longer afford her lifestyle, so after she attends the Christmas house party at Lancaster Hall—the site of so many delicious memories—she’ll return to her parents on the neighboring property. Too bad the man who first won her heart, and who accompanies her on the journey to Derbyshire, hasn’t changed his selfish ways.
The magic of the holiday season… When a series of mysterious events continually throw Colin and Lucy together, they can’t help but revisit the past, and rediscover the joy made during those long-ago winters. Happiness will elude them both unless they find the Yuletide wonder and give themselves over to a love that has waited… with the help of a few, secret Christmas wagers working behind the scenes.
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A cute historical Christmas story that give love a second chance after so much pain and loss. Always Love seeing a happy ending.
I loved this second chance romance. Colin and Lucy were once lovers, but as fate would have it, it was not their time. Now as they return to the place it all began, they have a second chance. Each of them having kids and past marriages brings some baggage, but these two belong together. Fate seems to want them together as a series of events keeps throwing them together. This was a heart warming story. I found myself wanting them together from the beginning. Colin seems to have matured, and that adds depth to this second chance. SO many tugs at my heartstrings kept me captivated by this story.
Megan Green did a great job narrating this story. She has an easy to listen to voice. Ms. Green was able to keep the characters distinct and easy to follow. I felt as if I was a part of this story as Megan Green brought it to life.
Characters without charisma or witty dialogue
Audiobook version: 3 stars overall, 3 stars story, 4 stars narration
I generally love Regency romances, but this one fell flat for me. It is a 5.5-hour-long second-chance Regency romance set during the Christmas season. The third person perspective alternates between the two primary characters, Lucy and Collin. When she was 18 and he was 21, their relationship failed at Christmas. Now, 17 years later, after each of their first spouses have died, they get accidentally reunited during the holidays. Can the heartache from the past be transformed into new love?
This audiobook did have several good things going for it. First, the plot was realistic enough for a Regency romance, and secrets were properly divulged slowly. The mode of speaking sounded historically authentic, and the cultural details seemed well researched. The author really tried to infuse the magic of Christmas into the story. There were lots of quaint Christmas traditions. In addition, the narrator Megan Green did a pretty good job. She has a pleasant tone of voice and lovely English accent. She differentiated the various character voices well. I noticed only one mispronounced word (“emulate”), so the narrator is accomplished in Regency-era vocabulary.
However, a few parts of the audiobook did not meet my hopeful expectations for a charming Regency romance. First, the dull characters could not keep my interest. Lucy and Collin had no charisma and no witty nor funny dialogue. I certainly didn’t laugh during the story. I really tried to like this story, but I struggled to finish it. I really couldn’t care less if Lucy and Collin finally got together or not. I suppose that I just don’t like this new-to-me author’s writing style, but other people will probably like it.
I requested and received a free Audible audiocode from #AudiobookObsession, and I voluntarily wrote this honest review.
#AudiobookObsession reviewer