Category: Christmas

A Cinderella Christmas by Sabrina Jefferies, Mary Jo Putney & Anna Bradley

On By TracyIn Anthology, Christmas, Georgian Era (1714-1837), Historical Paranormal/Fantasy, historical-romance, Novella, Part of a Series, Regency Era (1811-1820), Tracy's Reviews2 Comments

A Cinderella ChristmasA Cinderella Christmas by Sabrina Jeffries

Tracy’s Rating: 3.5 of 5 stars

Series: Anthology with Ongoing Series Connections

Release Date: October 27, 2026

Three of my favorite historical romance authors have collaborated to write a Christmas anthology, with each author contributing a new, never-before-published novella with a Christmas theme and a HEA.

THE MISTLETOE MAIDEN by Sabrina Jeffries, 3.5 stars – Eve Archer is back in England after being detained in France by Napoleon for years. But the life she once knew is gone, as her father passed before they returned, leaving her and her step-mother and young brother to fend for themselves. She is reunited with Noel Davenant, Viscount Cokesbury, her best friend’s older brother, who is determined to help her restore her family’s fortune, but is unwilling to risk his heart. I liked this one but could have done without the “other woman” plotline – it was not necessary and made both Eve and Noel look bad. This novella is connected to the Lords of Hazard series.

THE CINDERELLA CHALLENGE by Mary Jo Putney, 3 stars – Rejected by her father for being gifted, young Casey was taken in by Jamie Harris, a man who was also gifted. For years she has hidden by disguising herself as a young man and working in the offices of the Chatham Royal Navy Dockyard. But when she reports her concerns of a plot against Britain’s most brilliant engineer to the home office, she didn’t count on them sending Cameron Tremayne or that he would also be gifted. Cameron insists on taking back to London and introducing her to the Tremaynes and helping her find herself and possibly soulmate. This one was a bit rushed, and I just didn’t get the “Cinderella” connection. This novella is connected to the Dangerous Gifts series.

A WINTER’S WISH by Anna Bradley, 4 stars – Estella Harley wants to escape her cruel stepmother and her nasty stepsisters who treat her as little more than a servant. She has her chance when the family is invited to a house party hosted by the mysterious Duke of Hawthorne as a lady’s maid. At the estate she meets Christopher Ambrose, the duke’s gardener and is smitten, but all is not as it seems and sometimes, fairytales do come true. Of the three novellas, this was the only story that had any semblance to Cinderella and I enjoyed it, but I do think the villains got off way too easy. I am not sure if this is connected to an ongoing series.

This was an interesting anthology, but other than Anna Bradley’s offering, I didn’t really get the Cinderella connection. Overall, it was a fun Christmasy anthology with great characters and unique storylines that each end with a happily ever after. If you have been reading the author’s ongoing series, you will be delighted with the connections, but you can still enjoy the novellas without having read the series.

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

 

Enchanted Village by Lily Starling

On By TracyIn Christmas, Contemporary, Contemporary Romance, Cozy Fantasy, New To Me Author, Paranormal / Fantasy, Romantasy, Standalone Title, Top Pick - Highly Recommended, Tracy's ReviewsLeave a comment

Enchanted VillageEnchanted Village by Lily Starling

Tracy’s Rating: 4.5 of 5 stars

Series: Standalone

Release Date: October 20, 2026

Silas Birchwood comes to the enchanted village of Hex Hollow to teach non-magical science at Emberwind Academy, where his uncle is the headmaster. Unlike his uncle and the students of the academy, Silas is not magical and is in awe of the magic that most residents take for granted. He is in the village when he meets Miss Margaret Nettle, the owner of the Toasty Owl Pub and he is immediately smitten. He hopes to pursue her, but when he visits her pub and attempts to flirt, he is attacked by her dragon and her pub is damaged, and the timing couldn’t be worse, as a new bar is set to open in a few weeks which could threaten her business and break her heart. Silas tries his best to help repair the damage, but as hard as he tries, she seems intent on keeping him at an arm’s length.

Margaret Nettle owns the Toasty Owl pub and is the last of her line. Despite coming from an impressive magical family, Margaret has no magic of her own. She has kept the pub running by leaving everything her mother and grandmother created unchanged—not only to preserve their magical charms, but also to keep their memories alive. Margaret makes both alcoholic and non-alcoholic magical drinks with ingredients from the enchanted garden planted by her grandmother. She fiercely guards the secrets of both the garden and her recipes. She also seems to have a special gift for interacting with magical creatures, which the villagers readily call upon whenever a problem arises. Although Margaret is always willing to help others, she struggles to accept help herself—even from her best friend, Liza, a very talented witch, or from Silas, the handsome professor. When a new bar threatens to drive the Toasty Owl out of business, however, Margaret must learn to rely on others and perhaps even believe that she has had her own magic all along.

This book was exactly what I was hoping for, it is a well-written, charming and magical cozy fantasy with a dash of slow burn romance. Margaret is a sweet young woman who has long carried the shame of not being magical yet has never given up trying to keep her family’s legacy alive, but it has come with a steep price. And Silas is just about perfect, he is intelligent, caring and never gives up on Margaret, even when she seems to be trying to push him away. The book is filled with magic, found family, good friends, secrets, mythical creatures, dragons, warmish love scenes, a little heartache, betrayal and finally a very sweet and happy ending. This is presented as a standalone title, but I certainly hope that Ms. Starling has plans to return to Hex Hollow!

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