By: Valerie Bowman, Tiffany Clare, Vivienne Lorret, & Ashlyn Macnamara
Four popular romance novelists come together to bring readers delightful tales of
Christmas Magic and the dukes that make us swoon… The holidays are a time for dining,
dancing, and of course—dukes! Celebrate the Christmas season with this enchanting
collection of historical romances featuring the most eligible bachelors of the ton…
The Duke and Duchess Trap by Valerie Bowman
A childish prank may have reunited the Duke of Hollingsworth with his estranged wife, but only
the magic of Christmas will show this couple ‘tis the season of second chances…
Sophie and the Duke by Tiffany Clare
Sophie Kinsley planned to remain a wallflower at the Duke of Helmsworth’s ball. Yet when a
dance with him leads to a stolen kiss, will the duke be willing to let her go? Or will Sophie’s
Christmas wish be granted at last?
The Duke’s Christmas Wish by Vivienne Lorret
To the Duke of Vale, science solves everything—even marriage. When the impulsive Ivy
Sutherland makes him question all of his data, he realizes that he’s overlooked a vital
component in his search for the perfect match: love.
One Magic Season by Ashlyn Macnamara
Patience Markham never forgot the fateful dance she had with the future Duke of Kingsbury. But
when a twist of fate brings them together for Christmas Eve, will the stars finally align in their
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Goodreads Link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25620577-all-i-want-for-
christmas-is-a-duke
Buy Links: Amazon | B&N | Google Play | Indie Bound | iBooks |Kobo
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00Y9PMEZQ/
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lorret/1121996248?ean=9780062441515
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Is_a_Duke?id=jDWpCQAAQBAJ&hl=en
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VALERIE BOWMAN grew up in Illinois with six sisters (she’s number seven) and a
huge supply of historical romance novels. After a cold and snowy stint earning a degree
in English with a minor in history at Smith College, she moved to Florida the first chance
she got. Valerie now lives in Jacksonville with her family including her rascally dog, Roo.
When she’s not writing, she keeps busy reading, traveling, or vacillating between
watching crazy reality TV and PBS.
Website: http://www.valeriebowmanbooks.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ValerieBowmanAuthor
Twitter: https://twitter.com/ValerieGBowman
GoodReads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5414544.Valerie_Bowman
USA Today bestselling author VIVIENNE LORRET loves romance novels, her pink
laptop, her husband, and her two sons (not necessarily in that order ... but there are
days). Transforming copious amounts of tea into words, she is proud to be an Avon
Impulse author of works including: Tempting Mr. Weatherstone, The Wallflower
Wedding Series, and the Rakes of Fallow Hall series.
Website: http://vivlorret.net/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/vivienne.lorret/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/vivlorret
GoodReads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1806374.Vivienne_Lorret
Deciding that life had far more to offer than a nine to five job, bickering children and
housework of any kind (unless she’s on a deadline when everything is magically
spotless),TIFFANY CLARE opened up her laptop to write stories she could get lost in.
Tiffany writes sexy historical romances set in the Victorian era. She lives in Toronto with
her husband, two kids and two dogs.
Website: http://www.tiffanyclare.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Tiffany-Clare/102596663174362
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/tiffany_clare
GoodReads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/3435784.Tiffany_Clare
USA Today bestselling author ASHLYN MACNAMARA writes Regency romance with a
dash of wit and a hint of wicked. She considers writing her mid-life crisis but reckons it’s
safer than hang-gliding or rock-climbing. She lives in the wilds of suburbia outside
Montreal with her husband, two teenage daughters, and one loudmouth cat. Although
she writes about the past, you can find her in such newfangled places as her website
Facebook, and Twitter.
Website: http://ashlynmacnamara.net/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorAshlynMacnamara
Twitter: http://twitter.com/ashlyn_mac
GoodReads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6452992.Ashlyn_Macnamara
from
THE DUKE AND THE DUCHESS TRAP by Valerie Bowman
PROLOGUE
London,
September, 1810
“Lady
Evangeline Hollister?” The headmistress’s voice rang out across
the huge banquet hall.
Evie
swallowed. Oh, she didn’t like this. Not one bit. She bit her lip.
Being shy was such a curse. Why did she have to be the
first to be called upon on the first day at her new school?
Apparently, new students were first to be inspected and provided with
a class schedule. She stared up at the monstrous carved chandeliers
that hung like gargoyles from the wood-beamed roof of the hall.
Attending the most exclusive school in London was her birthright.
Mother had said she must be brave. She’d promised Mother. Never
mind that the idea of leaving Mother, her home, her dog, her beloved
horses, not to mention the servants, made Evie want to cast up her
accounts.
She
blinked away the tears that stung her eyes. Tears would not do.
Mother said the daughter of a duke did not cry. Even at the tender
age of twelve. Evie smoothed her blue skirts and glanced down at her
perfectly clean and orderly white stockings which peeped out at the
ankles. She pressed her palm against the thick wooden table,
preparing to stand. She tucked her book under her arm. The book had
been another recommendation from Mother. “One cannot be homesick
when one is reading a compelling book,” she’d said. “When
you’re reading, it doesn’t matter where you are.”
Mother
was right, and Evie had been clutching her copy of The
Canterbury Tales ever since she’d arrived at Miss Hathaway’s
School for Young Ladies. But she somehow doubted that Headmistress
Hathaway would take kindly to her reading during roll call.
“Lady
Evangeline,” the headmistress called again. Evie pushed herself to
her feet. The short heels of her leather slippers clicked against the
polished wood floor, and the eyes of all the other girls swiveled to
watch her. She gulped and stepped forward, forcing herself to take
another step and another, shuddering at each smack of her heels. She
pressed her hand to her book, clutching it so tightly her fingers
drained of color.
“Present,”
she managed to force from her dry throat.
The
headmistress’s head snapped up, and she eyed Evie’s approach over
the rim of her golden spectacles. It seemed as if hours passed before
Evie arrived, trembling, at Miss Hathaway’s table that was perched
on a dais at the front of the cavernous hall. The middle-aged lady
lowered her spectacles and glared at Evie through narrowed dark eyes.
She spoke in a pinched, unhappy voice. “I’m not amused, Lady
Genevieve. I said LadyEvangeline Hollister.”
Evie
gulped. “I beg your pardon, madam.” Her voice trembled. “Iam Lady
Evangeline Hollister.”
Miss
Hathaway pursed her lips. It was an unfortunate look for her. She
contemplated Evie with a suspicious glare while the giggles of the
other girls grew louder. Evie swallowed and clutched the book to her
chest, crossing her arms over it, desperately wishing she could
disappear. There couldn’t possibly have been a mix-up, could there?
Mother would have seen to all the details. Mother was kind, and
beautiful, and full of laughter. And Mother never made mistakes. It
was absolutely inconceivable.
The
headmistress’s eyes narrowed further, if that were possible. “What
have you done to your hair?”
Evie
pushed her free hand up to her red locks. “My . . . my hair,
madam?”
“Don’t
pretend you don’t know what I mean, Lady Genevieve. You’re
forgetting that I was present when you decided to run off into the
park without your bonnet, resulting in that unfortunate incident with
the pine sap which led to Miss Lancaster having to cut your
hair—and seriously displeasing your father, I might add.”
“My
. . . my father?” Evie cocked her head to the side and stared at
the headmistress as if she were speaking a foreign language. Evie
hadn’t seen her father since she was a babe. Or so Mother had told
her. Evie certainly didn’t remember him or their last meeting. What
in heaven’s name did Miss Hathaway mean? And why did she continue
to refer to her as Genevieve?
“I
beg your pardon, Madam,” Evie managed, “but to my knowledge, I’ve
never had the misfortune to get pine sap in my hair, and I have yet
to make the acquaintance of a Miss Lancaster.”
There
was more tittering from the other girls. Evie’s cheeks heated. She
clutched her book even tighter in her slick palms, wishing she could
disappear into the volume. She had the distinct impression she was
about to be dismissed from the most exclusive school in London before
she’d even begun. What would she tell Mother?
The
headmistress tapped the end of her quill against the wide mahogany
table in front of her. “Lady Genevieve, as usual, I do not find
your behavior amusing in the least. Now, I shall ask you for your
full name one final time. I warn you, your father will hear about
this if you give me anything short of the truth.”
Evie
swallowed and nodded.
Miss
Hathaway’s nostrils flared. She raised her chin and pressed her
spectacles farther up her beaklike nose. “Your name, if you
please.”
Evie
didn’t blink. “Evangeline Marie Sandford Hollister.” Her voice
was low and weak as usual, and she silently cursed herself for it.
The
headmistress’s hand cracked against the surface of the table,
making Evie jump. She jumped a second time when the door to the hall
slammed open and an urchin with short red hair, sagging stockings,
and an askew bonnet came running across the wide expanse of wood
flooring. She passed the banquet tables filled with girls and skidded
to a halt in front of the headmistress, her hair flipped across her
brow, obscuring her face. She smelled like sherbet lemons, reminding
Evie of home. Mother’s favorites.
The
girl was breathing heavily and seemed to be balancing precariously on
one foot. Evie also noted with no small bit of wonder that the urchin
was missing a button from the back of her gown, and one of her gloves
appeared to be stained. Blood? Good heavens! Or was it chocolate? She
wasn’t sure which was more alarming. Mother wouldn’t approve of
Evie missing a button from her gown, let alone being in possession of
a stained glove. What sort of mother did this urchin have?
And how in heaven’s name had the creature managed to matriculate at
Miss Hathaway’s School for Young Ladies?
“I
was told you were looking for me, Miss Hathaway,” the urchin stated
in a loud, clear voice. “I am sorry, ma’am, but I was in the
science hall feeding the lizards and quite lost track of the time.”
The
urchin turned to look at Evie. She swiped the unfashionably short
crop of red hair from her forehead and her face came into full view.
Evie
gasped.
Miss
Hathaway gasped.
The
urchin’s eyes (which were the exact same shade of blue as Evie’s)
grew wide. “Oh, my. How wonderful. You must be my twin sister,
Evangeline. I cannot tell you how lovely it is to finally meet you.”
I have always been a sucker for Christmas Historical compilations. This book is absolutely fabulous. Usually there's a week story in the bunch, but not here.
Of the four novellas included in this book I loved The Duke and Duchess Trap. You can guess by the title that it is a twist on The Parent Trap. It is done so beautifully well. The children were perfect. I just love Gena and Evie and their pranks.
Like The Parent Trap each parent has custody of one twin and the children don't know about each other until they meet at school.
The reason Nathan and Elizabeth lived apart isn't really a good one in my eyes, but that made it so easy for them to fall back into love and they were so perfect together.
Sophie and the Duke was my next favorite of the bunch. It was a bit of a take on Cinderella, at least in my eyes. The Duke, Adrian, is having a ball to find a wife, when he encounters Sophie. She is a childhood friend, and even though they haven't seen each other in years, they seem to easily slip back into their friendship.
Sophie comes complete with a nasty stepmother and a stepsister.
Then there's The Duke's Christmas Wish. This is another fun one. The Duke is a bit of a science geek, think of him as a character from Big Bang Theory, only good looking. Ivy is really the perfect match for him, but she's trying to find a match for her good friend.
The Duke has a Marriage Formula that supposedly will help the aristocracy find mates without having to go through the motions of a season. The problem is Ivy falls into his unmarriageable ledger. His formula doesn't take into account what happens when feelings are involved.
I loved North, I only wish he would have been socially awkward to go along with his intelligence.
The last story, One Magic Season was the one I liked the least. In comparison to the other stories, that had something unique to recommend them, this one was more formulated. Patience and Nathaniel have found each other after years apart and different marriages.
A snow storm finds them trapped together and they rekindle their romance. Their original romance was thwarted by his family. That's actually what put me off of this story. I wanted her to really stand up to his family, especially his sister Diana who was really wretched.
If you love holiday stories, you mustn't miss this compilation, it is really the best one from this year.
Rating: 5 flowers
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