As warm, sweet and sexy as a quick kiss under the mistletoe.
An anthology of four short historical romances sends up the holiday season with a touch of mischief, mistletoe and Christmas magic.
In Enoch’s “One Hot Scot,” when a Highlander rescues an English lady who’s been kidnapped by a rival clan, he risks his safety to help her, not realizing he's risking his heart by spending time with her. The Christmas connection is a bit of a stretch, but the amiable characters and sensual storyline—including the hero’s clever outmaneuvering of the villain—win the reader over. In Hawkins’ “Once Upon A Christmas Scandal,” Lady Ellen is mortified and angry when her father increases her dowry to win her a husband, then confused when Lord Swainsbury finagles his way into their holiday party under false pretenses. He seems like her perfect match, but it’s clear he’s hiding something, so are his attentions to be believed? A hint of a housebound mystery spices up this warm yet sexy romance. In Essex’s “The Scandal Before Christmas,” a naval lieutenant must find a wife before his loathsome father forces him to marry his own choice. A colleague’s docile and shy spinster daughter seems like a perfect choice, and when a snowstorm forces them together, he finds himself falling for the intelligent, passionate woman emerging from beneath her dowdy exterior. There’s a satisfying plain-Jane storyline with the added bonus of outsmarting the insufferable father. Bowman’s “It Happened Under the Mistletoe” offers a magical cat, a Regency meet-cute in a closet, and a duke and an heiress who are perfect for each other, though they’re convinced they aren’t—with a bit too much emotional hand-wringing on her part, which detracts slightly from the story’s overall charm. Historical romance anthologies are as much a part of the Christmas season for some readers as trees and stockings, and this is a fun collection they’ll appreciate.
As warm, sweet and sexy as a quick kiss under the mistletoe.Pub Date: Sept. 30, 2014
ISBN: 978-1-250-06056-3
Page Count: 413
Publisher: St. Martin's
Review Posted Online: Sept. 27, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2014
Entertaining and thoroughly engrossing.
Another reboot of Jane Austen?!? Hadlow pulls it off in a smart, heartfelt novel devoted to bookish Mary, middle of the five sisters in Pride and Prejudice.
Part 1 recaps Pride and Prejudice through Mary’s eyes, climaxing with the humiliating moment when she sings poorly at a party and older sister Elizabeth goads their father to cut her off in front of everyone. The sisters’ friend Charlotte, who marries the unctuous Mr. Collins after Elizabeth rejects him, emerges as a pivotal character; her conversations with Mary are even tougher-minded here than those with Elizabeth depicted by Austen. In Part 2, two years later, Mary observes on a visit that Charlotte is deferential but remote with her husband; she forms an intellectual friendship with the neglected and surprisingly nice Mr. Collins that leads to Charlotte’s asking Mary to leave. In Part 3, Mary finds refuge in London with her kindly aunt and uncle, Mr. and Mrs. Gardiner. Mrs. Gardiner is the second motherly woman, after Longbourn housekeeper Mrs. Hill, to try to undo the psychic damage wrought by Mary’s actual mother, shallow, status-obsessed Mrs. Bennet, by building up her confidence and buying her some nice clothes (funded by guilt-ridden Lizzy). Sure enough, two suitors appear: Tom Hayward, a poetry-loving lawyer who relishes Mary’s intellect but urges her to also express her feelings; and William Ryder, charming but feckless inheritor of a large fortune, whom naturally Mrs. Bennet loudly favors. It takes some maneuvering to orchestrate the estrangement of Mary and Tom, so clearly right for each other, but debut novelist Hadlow manages it with aplomb in a bravura passage describing a walking tour of the Lake District rife with seething complications furthered by odious Caroline Bingley. Her comeuppance at Mary’s hands marks the welcome final step in our heroine’s transformation from a self-doubting wallflower to a vibrant, self-assured woman who deserves her happy ending. Hadlow traces that progression with sensitivity, emotional clarity, and a quiet edge of social criticism Austen would have relished.
Entertaining and thoroughly engrossing.Pub Date: March 31, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-250-12941-3
Page Count: 448
Publisher: Henry Holt
Review Posted Online: Dec. 22, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2020
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Anyone who believes in true love or is simply willing to accept it as the premise of a winding tale will find this debut an...
True love flares between two people, but they find that circumstances always impede it.
On a winter day in London, Laurie spots Jack from her bus home and he sparks a feeling in her so deep that she spends the next year searching for him. Her roommate and best friend, Sarah, is the perfect wing-woman but ultimately—and unknowingly—ends the search by finding Jack and falling for him herself. Laurie’s hasty decision not to tell Sarah is the second painful missed opportunity (after not getting off the bus), but Sarah’s happiness is so important to Laurie that she dedicates ample energy into retraining her heart not to love Jack. Laurie is misguided, but her effort and loyalty spring from a true heart, and she considers her project mostly successful. Perhaps she would have total success, but the fact of the matter is that Jack feels the same deep connection to Laurie. His reasons for not acting on them are less admirable: He likes Sarah and she’s the total package; why would he give that up just because every time he and Laurie have enough time together (and just enough alcohol) they nearly fall into each other’s arms? Laurie finally begins to move on, creating a mostly satisfying life for herself, whereas Jack’s inability to be genuine tortures him and turns him into an ever bigger jerk. Patriarchy—it hurts men, too! There’s no question where the book is going, but the pacing is just right, the tone warm, and the characters sympathetic, even when making dumb decisions.
Anyone who believes in true love or is simply willing to accept it as the premise of a winding tale will find this debut an emotional, satisfying read.Pub Date: Oct. 16, 2018
ISBN: 978-0-525-57468-2
Page Count: 400
Publisher: Crown
Review Posted Online: July 30, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2018
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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