Tag: Mary Jo Putney

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. *

 

Silver Lady by Mary Jo Putney

On By BarbaraIn Barb's Reviews, Historical Paranormal/Fantasy, Part of a Series, Regency Era (1811-1820)Leave a comment

Silver Lady (Dangerous Gifts #1)

Barbara’s rating: 4 out of 5 Stars
Series: Dangerous Gifts #1
Publication Date: August 22, 2023
Period: Regency
Number of Pages: 270

There is always something wonderous and magical about a well-written historical romance, but when the characters really are ‘gifted’ it just becomes – WOW! I don’t often read fantasy/paranormal (whichever word you prefer) books, but I just had to check out this one because of the author – and the book blurb. I’m glad I decided to read it – and now I am looking forward to the second book in the series.

The Prologue nicely introduces us to Lord and Lady Tremayne who are both ‘gifted’ and one of their gifts is finding others who are also ‘gifted’ – usually children who have been turned out of their homes because their families and society cannot deal with their gifts. They have rescued many gifted children, so this could – should the author wish it – be a long series. 😊 The two children featured in the prologue are Brannock (Bran) and Cade Evans and though they are not brothers by blood, they are closer than brothers by choice.

Fast forward several years and we find Bran and Cade as grown-up young men who work for the Home Office. It seems the Home Office has seen the benefit of using these misfits to help keep England safe. They are given a fair amount of autonomy and Bran keeps feeling he needs to go to Cornwall, but he can’t put his finger on a reason for that. Then, when someone turns up at the Tremayne home looking for a gifted male who has a dragon tattoo on his shoulder, Bran knows he needs to determine if he is the heir the man is seeking – and what, if anything, that means to him. Still, he knows that is only secondary because he is sure there is something afoot in Cornwall that will require his unique skills.

In Cornwall, Bran rescues Merryn and protects her from those seeking to recapture her. Merryn remembers nothing except needing to escape. However, the longer she’s out of captivity, the more she remembers – and the stronger Bran feels there is a serious threat to England coming from somewhere in Cornwall.

The story is filled with excitement, action, adventure, and, of course, romance as Bran and Merryn work their way through the mystery to uncover and thwart a huge plot to destabilize and weaken the country. As far as Bran’s natural family goes, I’m not sure I care for his decision – because I have to wonder how any future children of his will feel about that. On the other hand – things went in a perfectly acceptable way.

I enjoyed the read – and am looking forward to the next book in the series. I hope you’ll love it as much as I did. Happy Reading!

I voluntarily read and reviewed an Advanced Reader Copy (ARC) of this book – provided by the publisher and NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

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