I received this book for free from Avon in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
A Christmas to Remember by Lisa Kleypas, Lorraine Heath, Megan Frampton, Vivienne Lorret Published by Avon on September 26th 2017
Genres: Historical Romance, Regency Era, Holiday Romance
Pages: 432
Format: eARC
Source: Avon
ISBN: 0062747231
Romance stars Lisa Kleypas, Lorraine Heath, Megan Frampton, and Vivienne Lorret prove in this collection of stories that love is the most magical during Christmas…
I Will by Lisa KleypasTo be reinstated into his father’s will, Andrew, Lord Drake, must court a respectable woman-his friend’s spinster sister, Miss Caroline Hargreaves. After he blackmails Caroline into helping him, the charade begins-but is it really a charade once love takes hold of their hearts…?
Deck the Halls With Love by Lorraine HeathAlistair Wakefield, the Marquess of Chetwyn, devastated Lady Meredith Hargreaves when he proposed to another. But when he becomes free to pursue her, it’s too late for she’s on her way to the altar….. As Christmas approaches, Chetwyn vows to lure Lady Meredith back into his arms.
No Groom at the Inn by Megan FramptonJames Archer detests his mother’s matchmaking ways. When ordered to attend a Christmastime house party filled with simpering maidens, he produces a fiancée-Lady Sophronia Bettesford. James and Sophronia pretend to be in love for one month. But their pact soon turns into love.
The Duke’s Christmas Wish by Vivienne LorretTo the Duke of Vale, science solves everything-even marriage. When the impulsive Ivy Sutherland makes him question all of his data, he realizes that he’s overlooked a vital component in his search for the perfect match: love.
I Will
This novella almost didn’t seem like a short story, it could have easily been made into a novel if Lisa Kleypas had the inclination to do so. It didn’t feel super rushed like normal novella’s tend to do more often than not. It’s what I admire about Kleypas, every book she writes whether long or short, is a story you can become fully invested in and this is what happened with I Will. I truly adored this book. This story is about a fake engagement that turns out turning very real. Our heroine, is smart with glasses. And our hero, is a full on rake. Even though he seems on the outside to be a scoundrel, only interested in drinking and gambling, there is much more to him than that. And I liked peeling the layers off of him because he ended up being a hero to fall in love with. I truly adored the way that these two were together. Their interactions with one each other were engaging. A very easy book to flip pages through to see these two to their happy ending along with a twist or two along the way.
“And the way you dress reminds me of an unmade bed!”
“Does that mean you’d like to lie on top of me?”
Deck The Halls With Love
This is a second chance romance and what a sweet and lovely story. I swear Lorraine Heath can always deliver a wonderful romance and she does with this novella. As with Kleypas, Heath is one of those romance authors you can depend on to deliver a lovely story and she does with Deck The Halls With Love. This story is about two people who are able to have a second chance for their own happy ever after. Our hero, may have cared for Meredith, but went off intending to marry another. But when his fiancée fell in love with another man, he let her go. And the one woman he really wants is now engaged to another. A man who could never truly understand her. And now Alistair will have to prove to Meredith during a Christmas house party, how sincere his intentions towards her really are. Both characters are simply wonderful, and you just want them to win in the end of this one. I think what I enjoyed most was seeing how well Alistair really knows Meredith, and see who she really is, unlike her fiancée who doesn’t really know her at all.
No Groom At The Inn
As with her normal style, Megan Frampton delivers a purely entertaining story that wins your heart and makes you smile all the way through. This novella is a part of her Dukes Behaving Badly series. Sophronia is looking for any reason to avoid taking care of six children and the numerous amounts of chickens. So when a stranger proposes to her, she accepts. She is looking for a way out of her current predicament. Christopher is trying to avoid his matchmaking mother, especially at her Christmas party. And is having Sophronia act as his fake fiancée to avoid his mothers creative ways to get him hitched. Even though this portrays a fake engagement trope, pretty quickly these two form a close attachment to each other and awaken a sizzling desire for each other that turns into more than they expected. I had a blast with this story, and it kept me entertained and wrapped up in this charming love story.
The Duke’s Christmas Wish
Vivienne Lorret is a new author for me, but every time I read her I truly fall in love with her a little bit more and I had a wonderful time with this one. I do love a character is so smart. And our hero is that….science and experiments are everything. He has this formula for marriage that he just knows is the most “logical” approach to marriage. Until he meets his match and the one woman he never could have put in his formula unless he added in the element of “love” too. Ivy has come to see that her cousin finds the best match and never expected to be intrigued by the most peculiar and fascinating Duke. A man of intelligent and caring. Two combinations she never thought she would find stimulating. I just adored this book so much. Seeing a smart intelligent man be worn down by love, and seeing a heroine show him the power of desire and tender emotion. Definitely a story you want to keep in mind during the upcoming holiday season
Overall this anthology was simply magnificent and I had a blast reading all four of these stories by four of the best historical romance authors to write in this genre!! A must read for any romance lover!
About Lisa Kleypas
LISA KLEYPAS is the RITA award-winning author of 21 novels. Her books are published in fourteen languages and are bestsellers all over the world. She lives in Washington State with her husband and two children.
About Lorraine Heath
Also writes Young Adult under Rachel Hawthorne, Jade Parker, and with her son as J.A. London)
Lorraine Heath has always had a soft spot for emotional love stories. No doubt because growing up, watching movies with her mom, she was taught that the best movies "won't half make you cry."
She is the daughter of a British beauty (her mom won second place in a beauty contest sponsored by Max Factor® during which she received a kiss from Caesar Romero--Joker on the original Batman TV series) and a Texan who was stationed at Bovingdon while serving in the air force. Lorraine was born in Watford, Hertfordshire, England, but soon after moved to Texas. Her "dual" nationality has given her a love for all things British and Texan, and she enjoys weaving both heritages through her stories.
When she received her BA degree in psychology from the University of Texas, she had no idea she had gained a foundation that would help her to create believable characters—characters that are often described as “real people.” Her novels have appeared on bestseller lists, including USA Today, Waldenbooks, and most recently, the New York Times.
About Megan Frampton
Megan Frampton's love affair with books began when her parents moved her to a remote town in New Hampshire where there was only one television station. And then the TV broke. She devoured every book of fiction in her well-read parents' library, finding special joy in Georgette Heyer and the fairy tales collected and translated by Andrew Lang. Megan majored in English literature at Barnard College and worked in teh music industry for fifteen years. She lives in Brooklyn, New York, with her husband (her former intern) and her son. (Book jacket, "A Singular Lady")
Lovely review! And what a wonderful line up of authors for this anthology. I enjoy all of their work individually so I’ll definitely be grabbing this book!
What a great collection! I would pick this one up for the Kleypas story alone but the other stories sound great as well. I will keep this one in mind for the holidays. Great review!
I so need to read this when it gets closer to Christmas. I always end up craving Christmas romances and then struggle to find them. I’m so glad you enjoyed this. Novellas are always difficult, but I think when they are done right they are so much fun.
I was so tempted by this one! I really need to try out both Kleypas and Heath. Sounds like a great antho!