Book Review: A Midwinter Ball: Timeless Romance Anthology

I finished the Timeless Romance Anthology: A Midwinter Ball over the weekend and I loved it.

The first one is Much Ado About Dancing by Heidi Ashworth. I mentioned to you last week how easy it was to lose myself in this one. Analisa's angst was real and I felt so bad for Lord Northrup. They were definitely a root-for couple! Even though this was a novella, I was pleasantly surprised at the depth of the characters and how fleshed out the story was. I really enjoyed it.

The second one was Sweeter Than Any Dream by Annette Lyon. Poor Olivia Wallington is pretty much emotionally abused in her own home by her mother and aunt. She's careful not to bring any attention to herself that might earn her an avalanche of either insults, being treated like a child, or given the silent treatment. But even with that upbringing, she is still sweet and dreams of her perfect man. When her newly married brother comes for a visit, he takes pity on her and sneaks her out of the house to a ball. Olivia decides to be her real self while at said ball, her one chance to do something she's only dreamed of. Of course she meets her brother's old school chum and they are immediately attracted to each other's intelligence, opinions, and wit. But the way to love is full of thorns when you have a mother like Olivia Wallington does. An enthralling tale!

The last one was An Invitation to Dance by Michele Paige Holmes.  This one was one I read slowly. Alex Darling has been sent to collect Lady Ella from her estate and bring her to London for a ball and possibly a season. Ella doesn't want to go. She's waiting for her father to send for her and take her on his travels around the world. Thinking it may be a test from her father, she does go, but not before making an indelible first impression on Mr. Darling. As events unfold, Ella finds out the truth about her fiance's death, why Mr. Darling is so reclusive, and how much her father truly does love her. Definitely a story to be savored.

Of course the one thing in common that each story has is a Midwinter Ball. And what is there not to love about a regency ball in all its finery! I definitely recommend this one.

You can get your copy herefor $4.99

Here's the back copy:

Join three bestselling regency romance authors, Heidi Ashworth, Annette Lyon, and Michele Paige Holmes, for three new regency romance novellas in A MIDWINTER BALL.

MUCH ADO ABOUT DANCING by Heidi Ashworth. Two years have passed since Lord Northrup declared his intentions for Miss Analisa Lloyd-Jones and forbade any other man to court her. Angry at the neglect, Analisa stopped reading his letters, never even breaking the seals. Tired of waiting, Analisa joins the house party at Mrs. Smith’s famous country home, determined to find a beau. When Lord Northrup unexpectedly joins the party, Analisa discovers she is no longer repulsed by the man who first laid claim to her hand.

SWEETER THAN ANY DREAM by Annette Lyon. Olivia Wallington is firmly established as a spinster, but that doesn’t stop her from dreaming about the perfect man. Ever since her father’s death, Olivia has been forced into seclusion by her mother. When her brother and his wife come for a visit, they discover the extent to which she lives under their mother’s thumb. With their help, Olivia sneaks out to attend a local ball, where she meets Edward Blakemoore. For a few divine moments, all of her dreams seem possible. But even someone like Mr. Blakemoore would be hard pressed to get past Mrs. Wallington’s fortress of protection—or past Olivia’s pride.

AN INVITATION TO DANCE by Michele Paige Holmes. Lady Ella has been isolated on her father’s estate since her mother’s death as her father travels the world. When Alex Darling arrives with a letter from her long-dead fiancé, and a demand that she travel to London for a series of engagements, Ella thinks her father instigated the strange demands and agrees. In London, she discovers the truth behind her fiancé’s death, and that new love might be possible in the arms of the most unexpected man.