Teresa G. (tgriffis) - , reviewed One Candlelit Christmas: Christmas Wedding Wish / The Rake's Secret Son / Blame It On The Mistletoe (Harlequin Historical, No 919) on + 327 more book reviews
A nice collection of regency Christmas romance short stories. Though short, each fulfilled what I like. In all the stories, the love interests knew each other for a long time, so didn't need the details of how they came to be together at this Christmas time. I especially liked "The Rake's Secret Son", though I don't like that title for the story. Young Harry, son of Nell, has always been talked about because his father is not known. When he attends Sunday school and hears how Joseph took care of Mary knowing her baby was not his, and he didn't turn them out. He wishes he had a father like that who would accept him no matter what.
Laura J. (LauraJ) - , reviewed One Candlelit Christmas: Christmas Wedding Wish / The Rake's Secret Son / Blame It On The Mistletoe (Harlequin Historical, No 919) on + 35 more book reviews
The three novellas in this regency Christmas collection are a bit uneven.
Christmas Wedding Wish by Julia Justiss is perhaps the best in the collection, with an interesting hero and heroine. However, the conflict feels a bit forced.
The Rake's Secret Son is perhaps the weakest of the three novellas. This could be the plot of a complete novel, but as a novella, it loses a lot of needed character development.
Blame it on the Mistletoe is average. Again, the conflict feels a bit forced, but the characters are genuine and sweet.
Christmas Wedding Wish by Julia Justiss is perhaps the best in the collection, with an interesting hero and heroine. However, the conflict feels a bit forced.
The Rake's Secret Son is perhaps the weakest of the three novellas. This could be the plot of a complete novel, but as a novella, it loses a lot of needed character development.
Blame it on the Mistletoe is average. Again, the conflict feels a bit forced, but the characters are genuine and sweet.