Category: Christmas

At the Mistletoe Masquerade by Dayna Quince FEATURED IN THE ANTHOLOGY: HAVE YOURSELF A MERRY LITTLE SCANDAL BY VARIOUS AUTHORS

On By TracyIn Christmas, Georgian Era (1714-1837), Novella, Regency Era (1811-1820), Tracy's ReviewsLeave a comment

Have Yourself a Merry Little ScandalHave Yourself a Merry Little Scandal by Dayna Quince

Tracy’s rating: 4 of 5 stars

Series: Have Yourself a Merry Little Scandal Anthology

Release Date: October 9, 2020

Lady Cassandra “Cassie” has long been in love with her brother’s best friend Sidney Anthem, Viscount Reardon, but is sure he just thinks of her as his friend’s little sister. So, in an attempt to steal a kiss and hopefully change Sidney’s prospective of her – she plans to get him alone at the Mistletoe Masquerade and kiss him. She isn’t trying to trap him but unfortunately due to the scheming of another woman who wants to marry him, that is exactly what happens.

Sidney always like Cassie, but it wasn’t until her come out that he realized his feelings were much deeper. He has stayed away because she is Tristan’s sister and because of a secret that he is keeping that makes him feel unworthy of her affections. When they are caught kissing at the ball, he immediately does the honorable thing and offers for her. But Cassie doesn’t want to be an obligation and Sidney’s feelings of unworthiness might keep them from their HEA.

This was nice novella with a bit of a friends to lovers vibe. The secret Sidney keeps is not as earth shattering as I assumed and Cassie’s reaction to his revelation was priceless. The novella is well written, nicely paced, has surprisingly warm to steamyish love scenes, great secondary characters and a wonderful ending. I really enjoyed the story and look forward to reading more by this author.

*I am voluntarily leaving a review for an eARC that was provided to me at my request – all opinions are my own.*

A Princess by Christmas by Julia London

On By TracyIn Christmas, Tracy's Reviews, Victorian Era (1837-1901)Leave a comment

A Princess by Christmas (A Royal Wedding, #3)A Princess by Christmas by Julia London

Tracy’s rating: 3.5 of 5 stars

Series: A Royal Wedding, #3

Release Date: October 13, 2020

When owner of Honeycutt’s Gazette of Fashion & Domesticity for Ladies, widow Hollis Honeycutt, overhears a rumor concerning the peace accord between the counties of Alucia and Wesloria – she is immediately intrigued. Hollis’ sister Eliza is married to Prince Sebastian, the heir to the throne of Alucia. She is sure there is more to the story and won’t stop digging. She is pondering how to get information from the Weslorian delegation, when purely by chance she meets Marek Brendan, an advisor to the Minister of Trade for Wesloria.

Marek has secrets which make his life very solitary, he is a loner and straddles two worlds. He is deaf in one ear and so when he meets Hollis, he has a hard time understanding her and isn’t sure what to make of her! He tries to keep her at arm’s length, but she isn’t having it, she pulls him in to her investigation and by extension; her life. At first, he thinks she is crazy, but soon realizes she may be on to something – something that could not only destroy peace between Alucia and Wesloria, but could be a plot to assassinate his King!

This book was not at all what I was expecting, the romance is a very slow burn and almost secondary to the mystery. Hollis truly loved her first husband and has felt like life is beginning to pass her by, slowly she lets go of her mourning and opens her heart to the possibility of loving again. Marek is a subdued character, he is clearly overwhelmed by Hollis at first, but they soon discover a shared love of Shakespeare and as they work together, she discovers his secret and he begins to realize that she is what has been missing in his life. The book is the final installment in the series and it does nicely wrap up several ongoing plot points from the previous books. I felt the book did drag a bit, there are still title errors and mistakes (that may – fingers crossed – be corrected prior to publication) and the romance is on the back burner until almost the end of the book – but it was a nice read and the ending was very romantic and the epilogue was very sweet. While I would suggest reading the series in order, this could be read as a standalone title without a problem.

*I am voluntarily leaving a review for an eARC that was provided to me by the publisher.*