Robyn Reviews: TRA All Regency Collection by Annette Lyon, Heather Moore, Sarah M. Eden, and More!

Story descriptions below review

Audience: Adult

Genre: Historical Romance

Rating: 5

Review: This is another winner in the Timeless Romance series. This is a clean and enjoyable read. Each author does a great job of telling the various stories. Each is sweet and fun.

Anna Elliot, in her THE WEDDING GIFT: A PRIDE AND PREJUDICE STORY does a fine job of telling a fun and mysterious story about our favorite Jane Austen characters. The story is told in first person by Elizabeth Bennett. First person is not my favorite writing style, but after a few pages I was interested enough in the story to keep reading. It's fun knowing what Elizabeth's thoughts are, and perhaps this story is meant to see thing from a young lady’s point of view, but the story is a little far fetched as to how Mr. Darcy ends up rescuing Elizabeth. However, that's why it is fiction :) I liked the story and the lesson that emerges of the gift of love.

DREAM OF A GLORIOUS SEASON, by Sarah M. Eden is another winner from Sarah. She writes in the style of Georgette Heyer with lots of fun and mishaps along the way to true love. I enjoyed this story of unrecognized love and how our hero, Julian thinks he's just a friend and wants to help Elizabeth. The characters are real and have depth, especially for a novella. You will love the fun and feel for Elizabeth as she navigates the road to love.

Carla Kelly’s story, THE MENDER, was another one that was out of the normal and I wondered about reading it. But, as I started reading it, I really got involved and was really curious how Thankful was going to find her love and adventure. This story drew me in quickly and had me wondering how Thankful and Adam we're going to resolve their problems. The character were well developed and I enjoyed growing, laughing and crying with them.

In BEGIN AGAIN, by Josie S. Kilpack, I was drawn quickly in and felt like it was experiencing the frustrations and misgivings of the hero and heroine. Their misunderstandings were both funny and frustrating. It was interesting dolling them through their discoveries about each other and watching them forgive and let go of preconceived ideas about what and why the other did something. I felt like these characters were real and they experienced real life.

THE AFFAIR AT WILDEMOORE by Annette Lyon was another surprising story. It was not what I was expecting. I loved how it turned out. I enjoyed the character development and growth of both Ellen and Anthony. I laughed at the way each perceived the same event and the misunderstandings the resulted. I loved the lesson about nurturing a marriage and listening to each other and communicating. I really liked how their daughters got in the plan and helped their mother be romantic. It was fun and enjoyable.

THE DUKE’S BROTHER by Heather Moore was sweet and fun. Even though Mabel is a bit different, I loved how Gregory saw what a sweet woman she was. I enjoyed their mishaps and misunderstandings. They were a fun couple. I liked that Mabel could be herself and still find true love with the right man.

You will love reading these stories. These authors don't disappoint.

Content

Sex - 1 (Some romantic kissing)

Violence - 0

Language - 0

Overall Content Rating - PG 

Source: Review Copy

* * *

Robyn Reviews: TRA SILVER BELLS COLLECTION (Mirror Press, 2014)

Book overview below.

Audience: Adult (Clean)

Genre: Historical Romance

Length: 292 pages

Rating: *****

Review: This collection is just as wonderful (if not more so) as all the other Timeless Collections. The authors have put together some fun and poignant stories. Sarah M. Eden has created another one of her funny, sweet Irish stories in A Christmas Promise. You will love the fun that Patrick and Maeve have together along with her protective older brothers.

Heather B. Moore’s Twelve Months will have you cheering for the true gentleman in Lucien. Cora is a sweet heroine who recognizes her knight in shining armor in Lucien. Their courtship is fun and sweet.

A Fezziwig Christmas by Lu Ann Staheli, is a fun take on the historical romance stories, it’s fun to watch the growth of both Dick and Cilla in the charming short story.

In A Taste of Home by Annette Lyon, you get to relive just how annoying ‘boys’ can be and what happens when they grow up to be men. Sweet and sentimental.

My Modern Girl by Becca White was fun and interesting. I liked that she thought she knew exactly what she wanted, but found out what she thought and what was real were actually two different things.

Lucinda Brant’s Fairy Christmas was really interesting in that there were actually two romances happening in the story. I enjoyed the misunderstandings and the real life things that happened in the story to make the people real. This was a fun Christmas romance.

You will be entertained by all the stories in this collection. The authors do a great job of being real and fun. You and your daughters will enjoys these stories and put you in the mood for romance and Christmas.

Content

Sex - 0

Violence - 0

Language - 0

Overall Content Rating - PG

Source: Review Copy

Robyn suggests...All the Timeless Romance Anthology Collections“Kiss of a Stranger” by Sarah M. Eden; “Edenbrook” by Julianne Donaldson; Actually, anything by these two authors!

****

Six Award-Winning Authors have contributed new stories to A Timeless Romance Anthology: Silver Bells. Readers will love this collection of six historical romance novellas, all centered around the Christmas season.

In NY Times & USA Today’s bestselling author Lucinda Brant’s delightful novella, FAIRY CHRISTMAS, Kitty Aldershot is orphaned and forced to live on others’ charity. Offered a home under the generous roof of her relatives, the Earl of Salt Hendon and his countess, Kitty wants for nothing, not even the affections of Mr. Tom Allenby. But when Kitty stumbles across a letter written by Lady Caroline that reveals how Mr. Allenby would be ruined should he marry the likes of Kitty, she realizes she has been fooling herself all along. Kitty’s world crumbles around her as she recognizes she will forever be alone with no prospects at all.

Sarah M. Eden’s charming romance novella A CHRISTMAS PROMISE, Sean Kirkpatrick is trying to get to his new place of employment, Kilkenny Castle, in order to start as the new stablehand. His only requirement is to drive a team of high-spirited nags from Dublin to Kilkenny in a certain amount of time. Unfortunately he winds up in a muddy field, stuck, lost, and running out of time. He’s about to lose the job before he can prove himself capable of finishing his first assignment. When Maeve Butler arrives on the scene, Sean isn’t sure if she’s intent on rescuing him or bent on torturing him with her fiery wit and lovely dark eyes.

In Heather B. Moore’s enchanting novella, TWELVE MONTHS, Lucien Baxter’s best and most incorrigible friend, Will, dies unexpectedly, leaving behind his new bride and unborn child the week before Christmas. Will’s last request is that Lucien watches over Cora, not just as a benefactor, but as a husband. When Lucien does his duty and proposes to Cora, he’s turned down flat. But over the course of the next few days, Lucien discovers that marrying Cora wouldn’t be any sort of duty after all, but a matter of following his heart.

In Lu Ann Staheli’s sweet romance novella, A FEZZIWIG CHRISTMAS, Dick Wilkins and his best friend Ebenezer Scrooge have been looking forward to the annual Fezziwig Christmas dance for weeks. Ebenezer is practically engaged to Annabelle Fezziwig, and Dick hopes to start courting her younger sister, Pricilla. Once the dance starts, and Pricilla arrives, as pretty and charming as ever, Dick discovers that he’s not the only man vying for her attention. His best friend advises Dick that he has to win Pricilla’s heart, as well as her mother’s favor. Losing his heart has suddenly become very complicated.

A TASTE OF HOME, a captivating romance by Annette Lyon, we meet Claire Jennings, who’s on her way to spend Christmas with her family. As she rides the train with William Rhodes, who grew up across the street, memories of Christmases past flood her mind. He may be twenty-one now, but she can’t forget his torturous teasing from their school years. At the rail station, Claire discovers that her home is under quarantine because her little brother has measles. She's stuck in town, away from her family, on her favorite holiday. William stays behind with her, and as Christmas Day approaches and her homesickness deepens, she discovers that perhaps he has changed in more ways than one.

Becca Wilhite’s entrancing novella, MY MODERN GIRL, follows Margie, who lands her dream job as a clerk at Macy’s department store in New York City. Margie might be new in town, but she’s determined to succeed and prove to Henry that moving to the city was the right decision. As the Christmas season approaches, Margie realizes that being a “modern girl” might not be all she had dreamed of and Henry might have more to offer than she ever imagined.

Mini-Review: DESPERATE MEASURES by Candice Hern

From Amazon: Customers who enjoy the traditional Regency Romances of Georgette Heyer will enjoy this witty Regency short story by New York Times bestselling author Candice Hern. Lydia Bettridge is a young woman suffering the pangs of unrequited love. To capture the attention of Geoffrey Danforth, the man who has stolen her heart but barely notices her, she has resorted to desperate measures with a seemingly clever plan. By engaging the help of Phillip, a friend of her brother's, to play the love-smitten fool in public, she hopes to pique the interest of her unnamed love. But when Geoffrey himself shows up to take Phillip's place, all her careful planning is turned upside down. What's a girl to do but to make the best of it? This short story was originally published in The Mammoth Book of Regency Romance.