2014 Christmas Recommends/Historical, Part 3!

… and here come some more of this years great Christmas Historical reads 😉

‘The Fox and the Angel’ by Danelle Harmon

STORY: Readers who fell in love with Lucien De Montforte, the powerful and manipulative Duke of Blackheath in Danelle Harmon’s internationally bestselling De Montforte Brothers Series, will welcome his reappearance — and interference — in this heartwarming Christmas novella set in England of 1779.

Lucien’s best friend Sir Roger Foxcote has long since lost the spirit of Christmas following a tragic loss. Lucien’s cousin Angela Seaford Holmes is widowed and destitute. Is Lucien’s gift of a painting that Sir Roger adores, a mere Christmas gift to Angela, or is the manipulative, matchmaking duke back to his old tricks? Once again, Lucien sets in motion events that are all but guaranteed to bring together this unlikely pair.

REVIEW: I’m a huge fan of this author and her De Montforte series so when this little gem showed up on Amazon, it was a no brainer I had to read it.

Lucien de Montforte, the Duke of Blackheath is a meddler and a matchmaker so it’s not a great surprise to me that he’s up to his old tricks once more with his best friend and his cousin. He uses an old portrait as a bait for his invited guests, Sir Roger and Angela.

And although I loved visiting with Lucien and Eva, I actually adored the visiting couple. Both have distinctive personalities and traits that the other is weary of, yet both are feeling the attraction for each other and are in a quandary about how to best handle it.

If you’ve never read this author, here is a perfect little gem for you to savor her wonderful writing voice, prose and characterization. This sweet, sensual and utterly fun story is sure to bring you couple of hours of joy and have you grabbing her FREE offer of the first book of her De Montforte Brothers series The Wilde One. And once you read that story, well, you’ll be hooked for life!

‘Her Christmas Earl’ by Anna Campbell

STORY: No good deed goes unpunished…

To save her hen-witted sister from scandal, Philippa Sanders ventures into a rake’s bedroom—and into his power. Now her reputation hangs by a thread and only a hurried marriage can rescue her. Is the Earl of Erskine the heartless libertine the world believes? Or will Philippa discover unexpected honor in a man notorious for his wild ways?

Blair Hume, the dissolute Earl of Erskine, has had his eye on the intriguing Miss Sanders since he arrived at this deadly dull house party. Now a reckless act delivers this beguiling woman into his hands as a delightful Christmas gift. Is fate offering him a fleeting Yuletide diversion? Or will this Christmas Eve encounter spark a passion that lasts a lifetime?

REVIEW: This is another short story well told within the constraints of being a novella and although

Christmas isn’t a huge part of it I liked it never the less.

Anna Campbell always delivers on her characterization and in this story she had me fall in love with these two very easily. Both characters were very likable and kind to each other as they find themselves in a situation that only a marriage can solve.

This is another little gem that packs a powerful punch when it comes to sweet, tender and sensual story. It is an Anna Campbell so be ready for the sweetest of sensual love scenes, ok?!

Again, if you’ve never read this author, this is a perfect time to sample her work. You’ll enjoy it without a doubt!

‘The Earl’s Christmas Colt’ by Rebecca Thomas

STORY: Lady Arabella Sutton is stunned to learn her brother has betrothed her to a stranger despite his promises for a season in London. Although she is the first to admit no man would suit, since she’s more interested in horses than marriage, the last thing she wants is to become a brood mare to a stuffy old earl. Facing a future she cannot abide, she takes an impetuous ride to clear her head and ends up tending her injured mare instead.

Oliver Westwyck, the Earl of Marsdale, can’t believe his luck when he stops at an inn the night before he’s to meet his fiancée. In the stable, while tending the colt he intends to give to his future wife, he happens upon her—rain-drenched but beautiful. She assumes he’s a stable hand, a fine joke he means to end…until Lady Arabella declares all noblemen are egotistical, conceited, and arrogant. How can he reveal his true identity before he’s managed to change her mind and win her heart?

REVIEW: This was a very sweet and short story, only 51 pages but I really loved it.

The mistaken identity trope is one of my favorites and in this one I just fell in love with Arabella who was such a feisty little thing!

Oliver, Earl of Marsdale finds himself in an arranged marriage of his own making and once he accidentally meets the woman is in a quandary about how to show himself as she mistakes him for a stable groom.

If you’re in between cooking your Christmas dinner or waiting for guests to arrive, this is a perfect, lighthearted, sweet and fun story for you.

Melanie for b2b

Complimentary copies provided by the publisher or bought from Amazon