Genre: Regency Romance, Christmas
Five Stars
A book of Christmas stories, "A Sneeze on Tuesday" by Elizabeth Mansfield; "The Rocking Horse" by Holly Newman; "A Memorable Christmas" by Sheila Rabe; and "The Baby Shoppe" by Ellen Rawlings.
A Sneeze on Tuesday: A broken engagement and a miserable cold were not in Elinor's holiday plans. But her spirited heart found its own remedy: a true and lasting love...
The Rocking Horse: The handmade toy was Lord Tarkington's gift for his young daughter. But his labor of love touched the heart of a lady - who knew she had found her heart's desire.
A Memorable Christmas: A tumble down the stairs turns the Colby household upside down - in a madcap scheme to forget the past and mend a marriage!
The Baby Shoppe: Fallen upon dire circumstances, Penelope Archer makes a business of selling her beloved doll collection. But she gains the world when her heart is made rich-with love...
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I was looking for something light and "Christmasy" to read, and I certainly found it in this book. It is a series of short stories by four Regency authors. The kind of Regency authors who don't feel the need to put sex in every other page to get their story across. I know that there are those out there who enjoy those kinds of books, but I honestly don't see what love and romance have to do with sex in any way. You have romance, which leads into love; and then sex. You DON'T have sex, which leads into romance and then love. (I'm sure it can, but I'd rather know that the meeting of souls occurred before the meeting of bodies).
Anyway, these stories are warm and comfortable. All, of course, take place at the holidays, but three in the country and one in the city. Naturally, there really isn't a lot of time for massive character development, since each is roughly 67 pages, but you still get a feel for the main characters, and, in a couple of the stories, the secondary characters as well.
All I can truly say is that for anyone who enjoys traditional Regency novels, this is a Christmas book worth reading.
