This review was originally posted on Addicted To Romance

I Will

This novella almost didn't seem like a short story, it could have easily been made into a novel if Lisa Kleypas had the inclination to do so. It didn't feel super rushed like normal novella's tend to do more often than not. It's what I admire about Kleypas, every book she writes whether long or short, is a story you can become fully invested in and this is what happened with I Will. I truly adored this book. This story is about a fake engagement that turns out turning very real. Our heroine, is smart with glasses. And our hero, is a full on rake. Even though he seems on the outside to be a scoundrel, only interested in drinking and gambling, there is much more to him than that. And I liked peeling the layers off of him because he ended up being a hero to fall in love with. I truly adored the way that these two were together. Their interactions with one each other were engaging. A very easy book to flip pages through to see these two to their happy ending along with a twist or two along the way.

"And the way you dress reminds me of an unmade bed!"
"Does that mean you'd like to lie on top of me?"

Deck The Halls With Love

This is a second chance romance and what a sweet and lovely story. I swear Lorraine Heath can always deliver a wonderful romance and she does with this novella. As with Kleypas, Heath is one of those romance authors you can depend on to deliver a lovely story and she does with Deck The Halls With Love. This story is about two people who are able to have a second chance for their own happy ever after. Our hero, may have cared for Meredith, but went off intending to marry another. But when his fiancée fell in love with another man, he let her go. And the one woman he really wants is now engaged to another. A man who could never truly understand her. And now Alistair will have to prove to Meredith during a Christmas house party, how sincere his intentions towards her really are. Both characters are simply wonderful, and you just want them to win in the end of this one. I think what I enjoyed most was seeing how well Alistair really knows Meredith, and see who she really is, unlike her fiancée who doesn't really know her at all.

No Groom At The Inn

As with her normal style, Megan Frampton delivers a purely entertaining story that wins your heart and makes you smile all the way through. This novella is a part of her Dukes Behaving Badly series. Sophronia is looking for any reason to avoid taking care of six children and the numerous amounts of chickens. So when a stranger proposes to her, she accepts. She is looking for a way out of her current predicament. Christopher is trying to avoid his matchmaking mother, especially at her Christmas party. And is having Sophronia act as his fake fiancée to avoid his mothers creative ways to get him hitched. Even though this portrays a fake engagement trope, pretty quickly these two form a close attachment to each other and awaken a sizzling desire for each other that turns into more than they expected. I had a blast with this story, and it kept me entertained and wrapped up in this charming love story.

The Duke's Christmas Wish

Vivienne Lorret is a new author for me, but every time I read her I truly fall in love with her a little bit more and I had a wonderful time with this one. I do love a character is so smart. And our hero is that....science and experiments are everything. He has this formula for marriage that he just knows is the most "logical" approach to marriage. Until he meets his match and the one woman he never could have put in his formula unless he added in the element of "love" too. Ivy has come to see that her cousin finds the best match and never expected to be intrigued by the most peculiar and fascinating Duke. A man of intelligent and caring. Two combinations she never thought she would find stimulating. I just adored this book so much. Seeing a smart intelligent man be worn down by love, and seeing a heroine show him the power of desire and tender emotion. Definitely a story you want to keep in mind during the upcoming holiday season

 

Overall this anthology was simply magnificent and I had a blast reading all four of these stories by four of the best historical romance authors to write in this genre!! A must read for any romance lover!