Category: Novella

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 ReviewsLeave a comment

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. *

 

The Viscount’s Christmas Storm by Jane Charles

On By TracyIn Georgian Era (1714-1837), historical-romance, Novella, Part of a Series, Re-Release / Updated Edition, Regency Era (1811-1820), Tracy's ReviewsLeave a comment

The Viscount's Christmas Storm (The Spirited Storms #7)The Viscount’s Christmas Storm by Jane Charles

Tracy’s Rating: 4.5 of 5 stars

Series:  Spirited Storms #7 (Previously Published in Kindling the Flame Anthology)

Release Date:  July 21, 2026

Lady Deborah Storm fell in love with her brother Peter’s best friend, Percy Grey, Viscount Shrewsbury when she was only fourteen years old, but she knew he only thought of her as Peter’s little sister. But things changed shortly after her debut, and they shared a kiss that convinced her they were meant to be and Percy spoke of courting and more. Yet instead of asking her brother for permission to court her, he left the estate without a word and made no attempt to speak to her. She was heartbroken and vowed to forget him. Now a year and a half later, she is spending Christmas with her sister and Percy is also a guest and seems to rekindle their friendship. Can Deborah risk her heart again?

Percy fell head over heels in love with Deborah and wanted to marry her, but after Peter caught him kissing her, he was beaten and warned to stay away from her. He tried to speak to her older brother, Benjamin, the Earl of Kenley but was refused an interview and told he was no longer welcome at the Kenley estates. He bided his time and tried again when the season started, but was warned away by not only her mother, but her great-uncle, the Duke of Danby, defeated he stayed away from her. But he didn’t give up, he vowed to himself to pursue her regardless of what her family thought. His plan was to wait until the season began but was invited to her sister’s estate for Christmas and learned that Deborah was to be attending. This time he won’t go quietly, but his work will be cut out for him because before he can woo his love, he has to gain her forgiveness.

I love the Storm family, and Deborah’s story was every bit as enjoyable as her siblings happily ever afters. This was a novella, but it had the depth of a novel, and the author did a great job of pacing the story as well as supplying their backstory, so the story didn’t feel rushed or weak. I did think the truth of what happened did seem to take a lot longer to come out than it should have, but overall, it was a sweet second-chance romance with wonderful characters finding their HEA. This is the seventh book in the series and was originally published in the “Kindling the Flame” anthology and could easily be read as a standalone title.

*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. *