Month: October 2025

Lady Elizabeth’s Winter Stranger by Anna Campbell

On By TracyIn Christmas, Georgian Era (1714-1837), Novella, Part of a Series, Regency Era (1811-1820), Series Crossover, Top Pick - Highly Recommended, Tracy's ReviewsLeave a comment

Lady Elizabeth’s Winter Stranger (A Mayfair Christmas Romance, #2)Lady Elizabeth’s Winter Stranger by Anna Campbell

Tracy’s Rating:  4.5 of 5 stars

Series:  A Mayfair Christmas Romance, #2

Release Date:  September 30, 2025

After returning to London early to meet her family for Christmas, Lady Elizabeth Tierney is surprised to find a letter from her father waiting for her. The letter informs her that her brother is bringing his friend Stanton Morley-Bridges, Viscount Fairchild, who happens to be looking for a wife, to dinner and her father believes he would be a good match for her. Her father makes it clear that after four seasons and the rejection of numerous suitors, he has had enough and expects her to marry Stanton and if she refuses, he will ship her off to Scotland to be a companion to her Great-Aunt Agatha and her plethora of pugs. Elizabeth is enraged and needs time to process this turn of events and find a way to change her father’s mind before her family arrives. She decides to take a walk in the park, hoping no one will see her as it is Christmas morning.

She makes it to the park but begins to rethink her decision to go out alone, when she sees a man watching her and he offers to escort her home. She immediately refuses his assistance, but he is persistent. He introduces himself as Tom and makes her feel comfortable, so she agrees to walk with him. They spend a lovely morning together and she is sad to leave him and return to her family. They make plans to meet again the next morning, and she returns home right before her family arrives. She is now more determined than ever to defy her father and rebuff any courtship attempts Stanton Morley-Bridges might make and find her own HEA.

This was a sweet and spicy Christmas novella featuring several wonderful characters, including Lady Elizabeth, who has been in many of Ms. Campbell’s regency novels, yet never found her HEA, until now. I loved this story, it flowed so nicely and never felt rushed or unbelievable, despite being a novella. The story is a light, fun read with a bit of spice and a twist that will keep you flipping pages to find out how everything works out! This novella is a standalone title in the A Mayfair Christmas Romance series that is also loosely tied to the Scandal in Mayfair series.

*I am voluntarily leaving a review for an eARC that I requested and was provided to me by the publisher/author. All opinions in this review are my own. *

The Sword of Light by Heather Graham

On By TracyIn Ancient Britain, Audiobook, Historical Fiction, Historical Paranormal/Fantasy, Irish Historical, New To Me Author, Paranormal / Fantasy, Romantasy, Standalone Title, Tracy's ReviewsLeave a comment

The Sword of Light: A NovelThe Sword of Light: A Novel by Heather Graham

Tracy’s Rating Print Edition: 3 of 5 stars

Tracy’s Rating Audiobook    : 3.5/4 of 5 stars

Series: Standalone

Release Date: October 14, 2025

Deidre, the daughter of a Rí, is a proud and determined warrior, when she is given a magical sword during an attack by Northmen, she wields it with success and realizes it is the mythical Sword of Light. When she dreams of a great battle to come, she is then tasked with defending her homeland and uncovering a traitor among the Irish kings. This begins a quest to find gifts from Tuatha Dé Danann, which are reported to help the people of Éire during times of great need. She is joined by Kylin, the son of a Northman who married an Irish lass. She doesn’t trust him, but as they spend time together, she learns that they share a bond and feelings begin to grow.
Kylin, a fierce warrior and ally to the Rí, also dreams of a battle to come and joins Deidre on this perilous quest. He knows she doesn’t trust him because his father came to Éire from the North, but Kylin loves his home and will do whatever it necessary to protect it and Deidre. He proves himself time and again to her, and slowly their relationship develops into mutual respect each other’s strengths and skills, but deeper feelings will have to wait until they complete their quest.

I was excited to read this book as it is a blend of historical fiction, fantasy, and romance, drawing on Celtic mythology and Irish legend, I was also looking forward to finally reading a Heather Graham book. I liked the story, but I was hoping for more, more magic, more intrigue and more passion, and while the world-building and premise are compelling, I wasn’t pulled into the story and found it to be a bit repetitive and slow moving. While reading the book wasn’t the experience I was hoping for, I also listened to the audio edition and found that experience much more enjoyable, the narrator Alana Kerr Collins read the story in a lovely Irish lilt and without being distracted by seeing choppy text and excessive punctuation, the story did seem to flow better. Overall, the book isn’t really what I was hoping for, but it was interesting and if given the choice, I would pick the audio edition over the printed edition.

*I am voluntarily leaving a review for an eARC that I requested and was provided to me by the publisher/author. All opinions in this review are my own. *