A Christmas Bride - Helena Stapleton is a proud widow, cleverly hiding deep emotional scars beneath a confident facade. Along comes Edgar, a wealthy merchant and not one of the ton, in search of a titled bride. He has no need for wealth, but his father yearns for him to achieve some level of status as a result of their hard work. When Helena and Edgar lock eyes, sparks fly, but Helena is certainly not loveable, much less worthy of someone's forgiveness. That does not stop her from treating Edgar as if she is far an away his better. Separate from his interaction with Helena, Edgar pursues an eligible bride, but neither of them can forget a night of abandon, which ultimately produces consequences and changes both of their plans for the future.

I am a fan of Ms. Balogh. She writes deeply troubled characters who must struggle to overcome self-inflicted emotional obstacles, and this story is as keenly written as I have come to expect from her. Deeply touching, she instills the sense of hope that is lost when all appears to be bleak.

A Christmas Beau - This one is another tale of redemption, albeit much more active than most of Ms. Balogh's works. She has created an utterly evil hero, which I noticed from someone else's review was very hard to redeem. And yet, this is the type of character one would expect from Ms. Balogh (though usually not on the page). I thought it was well done and just at the moment when you believe all is lost and there is no hope, there is redemption.

I do enjoy the Regency era stories and the happily ever afters. I do not enjoy modern day heroines plunked into a previous time period. These stories ring true to their era and as I enjoy a good old fashioned romance novel, enjoyed these books.