ARC Review: A Yuletide Kiss by Madeline Hunter, Sabrina Jeffries & Mary Jo Putney
10:00
Series: None
Author: Madeline Hunter, Sabrina Jeffries & Mary Jo Putney
Published September 28th 2021 by Kensington
Goodreads Synopsis
The reigning queens of Regency Romance return with another delightful Christmas collection of three sparkling holiday romances, as stranded travelers find merriment, mistletoe, and holiday romance awaiting at a quaint country inn...
An Unexpected Christmas Gift by Madeline Hunter
Jenna Waverly has closed her inn, anticipating a blissfully quiet Christmas, until a snowstorm brings the first of several strangers to her property. Lucas Avonwood, as charming as he is secretive, is on a mission to track down a scoundrel, but the inn’s lovely owner is giving him a more compelling reason to stay...
When We Finally Kiss Good-Night by Sabrina Jeffries
When Flora Younger first met Konrad Juncker, she thought she’d found her match, only to have her hopes dashed. Konrad is now a famous playwright whose plays Flora has secretly panned in reviews. But a chance meeting in a secluded inn may help them rewrite this star-crossed romance...
When Strangers Meet by Mary Jo Putney
Kate McLeod is shocked to find that a fellow guest in the snowbound inn is the dashing sea captain who may or may not be her husband. Captain Ramesh Langdon barely remembers that night in Bombay, but the desire they discover now will be impossible to forget, or to ignore...
Goodreads
Review
I received an Advance Reader Copy from the publisher via NetGalley. This in no way impacted on my view.
A Yuletide Kiss is a Christmas anthology, where three stories intertwine. As the Christmas Season approaches, a sudden snow storm forces a rag tag bunch of travellers to take shelter at a small country inn, which is closed for the holiday. As they work together to make the time enjoyable, romance blossoms, between old friends and new acquaintances.
I've never really read a book like this before, but I've loved the work of these authors in the past, so was definitely looking forward to it. The first story was Sabrina's which is related to her Duke Dynasty series. I was glad we saw Conrad again, but this was my least favourite tale of the three. I felt like Conrad and Flora's story was a little contrived, and didn't have too much substance to it - but it was only a short one, so that's probably why. Story two, this time Madeline's, focuses on the owner of the inn, Jenna, and one of the travellers, Lucas, who is looking for a thief, who turns out to be linked to the inn. He falls ill, and needs to be cared for by Jenna, and in that period, the sparks fly, and I really felt like Jenna found someone who could support and help her, and who was deserving of her love. The final story was my favourite. Mary Jo's characters, Kate and Daniel, had met in India, and been forced to marry in order to save Kate from being auctioned off by a vindictive and opportunistic uncle. When Daniel out Kate on a ship back to London, and her mother's family, they thought the marriage was a sham. But Kate has since discovered it was real, and needs to find Daniel - or have him declared dead - in order to marry for real. So it's as if fate has intervened when they are snowed in together for Christmas. Daniel wants to give the marriage a try, and Kate's not wholly against it. I loved their growth as a couple, and how they bolstered each other, and came to truly love one another. All in all, a really nice Christmassy read!
Dates Read:
December 5-11 2021
Rating
3 Stars
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