A Christmas Romance...

 

Title & Author:  A Christmas Bride by Jo Ann Ferguson

Genre:  Regency Romance

First line:  "All we need to do is find you a fiancee by tomorrow."

Plot summary:  All Timothy Crawford's grandfather wants for his 70th birthday is to meet his grandson's fiancee, Serenity Adams. The only problem is that she doesn't exist; Timothy made her up. He's on his way to York to tell Lord Brookindale the truth when he happens upon an overturned carriage with an injured young woman inside who looks remarkably like his imaginary Serenity. She appears to be an abigail, but she doesn't remember her name, or who she works for, or where she's from. When Timothy's cousin explains Timothy's situation to her, she agrees to pretend to be his fiancee over Christmas. In return, he promises to help her figure out who she really is.

My thoughts:  Sweet and frothy are two words that perfectly describe this novel. And I don't mean that in a bad way. Serenity seems to fit right in with Timothy's family, and he quickly finds himself falling in love with her. But he also doesn't want to take advantage of her situation. Besides their romance, there's the intrigue surrounding Serenity's accident and true identity. Though that mystery is NOT the main focus of the story, it does add a little twist at the end. Ferguson also throws in a lot of time period slang throughout the book, words like betwattle and skimble-skamble. I felt it was a little overdone at times, but it was a small thing and easily overlooked. For the most part, this is a completely predictable bit of light-hearted fluff. But it's also a fun read. And knowing a happy ending is coming isn't a bad thing when it comes to a Christmas romance.

Happy Reading!

Similar reads:

The Mischief of the Mistletoe by Lauren Willig 

Christmas-y Haiku Reviews

The White Christmas Inn by Colleen Wright

A classic comic novel...

I chose to read a Georgette Heyer for this year's Back to the Classics Reading Challenge classic comic novel category because Heyer's books always make me laugh. And Sprig Muslin is no exception. Here's just one example of Heyer's wit and humor:

"Sometimes one is forced to take desperate measures. And it is of no use to tease oneself about propriety, because it seems to me that if you never do anything that is not quite proper and decorous you will have the wretchedest life, without any adventures, or romance, or anything!"

 So says 17-year-old Amanda, a young lady who's run away from home as part of her "campaign" to force her grandfather to give her permission to wed Captain Neil Kendal (who is completely unaware of what she's done).

Sir Gareth Ludlow is on his way to Brancaster to make an offer of marriage to Lady Hester Theale when he happens upon Amanda at a public inn. His conscience won't let him leave her there unprotected; so, against her wishes, he determines that the only thing he can do is to take her along to Brancaster where he knows she'll be safe.

"If Sir Gareth meant to arrive at Brancaster Park with this dazzling young beauty on his arm, he was unquestionably out of his senses. But it was not the business of his groom to point out to him the unwisdom of introducing his chance-met bit of muslin to Lady Hester."

 Lady Hester, unassuming and shy, does indeed reject Sir Gareth's proposal. (Despite his claim of affection and esteem for her, she wishes for love.) And that's when things really start to get interesting. Amanda runs off. More lies are told. And many other humorous complications ensue as Sir Gareth tries to wrangle the headstrong runaway and return her safely home. Even Lady Hester manages to have a small adventure. Sprig Muslin is a charming and delightful Regency romance with captivating characters and happy endings for all. I loved it. In fact, it's now my favorite Heyer novel. (With The Quiet Gentleman a close second.)

Happy Reading!

The Grand Sophy

Meet Sophia Stanton-Lacy.  Headstrong. Outrageous. And above all else, unforgettable. I wasn't sure I liked her at first, but she grew on me. And while I'd never want her "organizing" my own life, I thoroughly enjoyed watching her meddle in her cousins' lives. Especially the Honorable Charles Rivenhall's. Here are a few of my favorite quotes from this fun Georgette Heyer Regency romance, all about the redoubtable Sophy:

"Sophy would never be a beauty. She was by far too tall; nose and mouth were both too large, and a pair of excessive gray eyes could scarcely be held to atone entirely for these defects. Only you could not forget Sophy."

"We are all very fond of my dear niece...but she is too fatiguing. One does not know what next she will do, or, which is worse by far, what she will make one do that one does not wish at all."

"Sir Horace himself couldn't stop her, not when she's got the bit between her teeth."

"I have a great many faults, but I am not lazy, and I am not timorous--though that, I know, is not a virtue, for I was born without any nerves at all, my father tells me, and almost no sensibility.... I have not yet made up my mind just what I should do, but I may need your assistance in breaking this foolish engagement."

"...her determination once taken, no consideration of propriety would deter her from embarking on schemes which might well prove to be as outrageous as they were original."

Happy Reading!

P. S.  If you want to know more about Georgette Heyer and her many entertaining Regency romances, Helen over at She Reads Novels recently wrote an excellent post about her with links to all of her own Georgette Heyer novel reviews, so be sure to check it out!

Two Fun Reads...

The Road to Winter by Mark Smith

This entertaining YA dystopian novel is set in an Australia where an unknown virus has wiped out most of the population. For the last two years, Finn and his dog, Rowdy, have been on their own. Finn traps rabbits and harvests abalone for food, trades for veggies with an old man who lives nearby, and tries to avoid the gang of raiders known as the Wilders. Oh, and he surfs to stay sane. Then a girl named Rose enters his life. She's on the run from the Wilders and Finn knows he will have to risk his own life in order to save hers.

Not all dystopian novels are worth your time, but if I were grading this one I'd give it a solid B. It's well-paced. It wasn't too long, which means it never dragged. I really liked the survival aspects of it; I liked the characters, too, especially Finn. And I'm actually looking forward to reading the sequel.

To Suit a Suitor by Paula Kremser

Insipid characters, stilted dialogue, conflicts that could be resolved in two seconds, and/or an overly contrived plot will make me DNF a Regency romance every time. Luckily, this particular Regency romance by Paula Kremser has none of these deficiencies. Instead, Kremser has created two main characters who are believable and very likeable. I enjoyed their witty bantering and their tentative friendship.

Julia North, who is in her third London season, has just been abandoned by her latest suitor, much to her mother's chagrin. Julia knows there must be something wrong with her, she just doesn't know what. So she retreats to her cousin's house in the country where she meets Mr. Henry Chamberlin, who is still mourning the death of his fiancee three years ago. He's handsome, but truly believes he'll never fall in love again. Then he meets Julia. This charming romance, while not on the level of Austen or Heyer, is a light-hearted, well-written and fun read. And I liked it a lot.

Happy Reading!

Some bookish happiness...

Sometimes I just want a book that not only makes me smile, but that ends with a happy sigh. Drops of Gold does both. Written by Sarah M. Eden, this Regency romance has endearing characters, a nice dose of humor, and a happy ending. Is it perfect? No. Is it predictable? Yes. Do either of those things lessen its enjoyability quotient? Not for me.

Want a brief summary?  Newly orphaned and now penniless, 19-year-old Marion applies for the job of governess at Farland Meadows with a forged letter of recommendation and an assumed name. As Mary Wood, her job is to take care of young Caroline Jonquil, whose widowed father, Layton, is haunted not only by grief, but by guilt. Marion does her best to bring joy to both Caroline and her father, never intending to fall in love with Layton Jonquil--not just because he's her employer, but because she has secrets of her own. Only Layton is a hard man to resist. I bet you can guess the rest. The thing that makes it fun is that Layton's six brothers show up in some of Eden's other novels.

So, there you have it. My happy book of the week. The one that made me smile and sigh at the end. But as much as I liked Drops of Gold, I have to admit that I liked Eden's The Kiss of a Stranger and Seeking Persephone even better. So you might want to start with those.

Happy Reading!

Shades of Milk and Honey...

9 similarities between this novel and the novels of Jane Austen:

• One plain and level-headed older sister
• One more impulsive and reckless younger sister
• An entailed estate
• A recently returned Navy captain
• A secret engagement
• The mention of Gothic novels, especially those written by Ann Radcliffe, and their deleterious effect on impressionable young ladies
• A mother who's a hypochondriac
• A dark and brooding gentleman
• Several romantic entanglements and misunderstandings

And 1 notable difference:

• Mary Robinette Kowal's characters can do magic, weaving artistic glamours with the ether to hide certain flaws, and to make their homes seem wealthier and their environments more beautiful.

This Regency romance revolves around Jane Ellsworth and her younger sister, Melody, and their quest to find husbands (although Jane, at 28, has pretty much resigned herself to remaining a spinster). Pretty Melody turns heads while plain Jane spins and folds the ether into skilled glamours. Enter the men:  the young and dashing Captain Henry Livingstone, their eligible neighbor, Mr. Dunkirk, and the artistic and mysterious Mr. Vincent. One of them is a scoundrel of the worst kind, but which one? What ensues is a light comedy of errors with romantic machinations and misadventures, magic and true love. I really liked Jane; Melody, on the other hand, was so selfish and contemptuous of her older sister that I mostly just wanted to slap her. (Jane is much more forgiving than I am.) There are a few twists in this book, but pretty predictable ones. I saw most of them coming. And while the antagonistic relationship between Jane and Mr. Vincent hardly rivals that of Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy, it does have its moments. So even with its flaws, Shades of Milk and Honey is a fun, light-hearted novel. In fact, I'd read Mary Robinette Kowal again, especially if she's writing about these characters.

Happy Reading!

Similar Reads:

   Bewitching Season by Marissa Doyle

   The Magicians and Mrs. Quent by Galen Beckett