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.

Friday Freebie

Today's Friday Freebie is called Best Kind of Love: A Reunion Romance Novella by Rebecca Talley. It's a novella, so it's perfect for reading in between my Christmas projects this weekend!

Here's the back copy:

Brynn Sawyer is a successful project manager in Houston. When her best friend from high school convinces Brynn to attend their ten-year reunion, Brynn hopes she’ll have the chance to reconnect with Troy Richards, the guy who stole her heart back in middle school.

Craig Dawson, an attorney in San Diego, is in a relationship that’s going nowhere and wonders why he can’t seem to commit. When he sees Brynn at their reunion, he thinks he might finally understand why. The only problem—she’s still infatuated with Troy what’s-his-name.

Will Brynn find the love she seeks with Troy, or will she realize the best kind of love has always been right in front of her?

You can download your free Kindle copy here 

Thursday Freebie

Today has been a super stressful day for me so I was looking for some great book deals to take me away (like Calgon but better) and found this romance for free! (I've read one of Ms. Peel's books before and really enjoyed it.)

This one is called Trouble in Loveland by Jennifer Peel.

Here's the back copy:

Charlee Jensen had what she considered the idyllic childhood growing up in a town named for that most prized emotion of all, Loveland, Colorado. At seventeen, her teenage crush, a man eight years older than her, marries and she naively thinks this is the worst thing that would ever happen to her. Then her parents divorce and her world crumbles. She finds herself being whisked away from her beloved home and estranged from her father.

Now eight years later, with two degrees that she never wanted in hand, and no job prospects, her father offers her a position with his CPA firm. With no other options available, Charlee accepts his offer and returns to the hometown she loves. While rebuilding her relationship with her father, she discovers that perhaps a romantic relationship is in the cards for her, with her old teenage crush, Ryan Carter, who just happens to still live next door and is now a partner in her father’s CPA firm.

Newly divorced and single dad, Ryan Carter, isn’t quite sure what to make of the girl next door, who’s all woman now. He finds himself having a hard time resisting this beautiful yet annoyingly charming woman, but their age difference and his complicated relationship with his ex-wife cause quite a bit of trouble for the couple. Ryan finds himself torn between keeping the peace with his ex-wife and mother of his child and his feelings for Charlee.

Can they successfully overcome their troubles in Loveland? Find out in this witty romance filled with sparks, humor, and of course, a little bit of trouble.

You can download your free Kindle copy here

What I Did Today Instead Of Writing

I know you will all be shocked that I was reading instead of writing today. (Or maybe not.)  But you see, A Midwinter Ball Timeless Romance Anthology came out yesterday and I couldn't put it down! It's three novellas (each close to 100 pages this time, which I love) and the authors are Heidi Ashworth, Annette Lyon, and Michele Paige Holmes, some of my favorite regency writers!

I am well into the second story of the collection and if it's anything like the first, I know I'm going to love all three.

The first one, A Merry Dance by Heidi Ashworth, was so tender.  Analisa has been promised to a man, Lord Northrup, who has been traveling abroad for years. Before he left, he warned any potential suitors away from Analisa, which has left her lonely and pretty much a wallflower and she's quite put out about it. Upset enough to set aside his letters and pretend she's not promised to anyone. But now he's back and ready to press his suit. Analisa just isn't sure she wants to marry the man he's become. Until she reads the letters he wrote to her and never opened. So sweet I stayed up late and pulled it out to read every chance I got today!

The second story is Sweeter Than Any Dream and I'm not finished with it, but am enjoying it as much as I did the first one.

So, this isn't really a review, it's a recommendation that if you are a regency romance fan and love Christmas balls and the seasonal things that come along with that, then you need to get this collection!

You can get your Kindle copy here for only $4.99

December Reading Recommendation: A Rare Nativity

Can you believe it's December already? I love the Christmas season and I've decided to share with you some of interesting and unique Christmas books that our family is reading. (Since I won't have any new Castle to review this month, books are the next best thing, right?)

The first one is A Rare Nativity by Sam Beeson.

Everyone has heard of the Twelve Days of Christmas, but in A Rare Nativity we have the opposite--this guy is leaving more or less just bits of trash as "gifts" for his enemy each day.  For example, he gives him four old potatoes, broken glass, stuff like that.

But how the enemy responds is what makes this book different.

Powerful.

Just the perfect message for the Christmas season in its beauty and simplicity.

It's a hardback Christmas book and well worth the read. I know my family will be reading it again and again and I think everyone should own this one.

Here's the back copy:

We have all heard the song The Twelve Days of Christmas, and we have all seen the traditional Christmas crèche. Now, author Sam Beeson and photographers Nina and Terral Cochran combine these two classic Christmas icons to create A Rare Nativity.

Upon reading the first lines of the book, it is clear the narrator holds a bitter grudge as he sends his enemy crude and discarded gifts: On the first night of Christmas I gave my enemy a briar from a tanglewood tree. On the second night of Christmas I gave my enemy two rotten eggs.

Night after night the gifts pile up shards of glass, rusty nails, gnarled twigs, and more. What the narrator s enemy decides to do with each of these odious gifts is nothing less than a Christmas miracle. The photographic creation of the rare nativity at the end of the book is both a work of art and a wonder to behold.

You can get your copy for $15.68 (although you get 30% off if you use the promo code HOLIDAY30 on Amazon books) by clicking here 

Book Review: Heir to Edenbrooke

Edenbrooke by Julianne Donaldson is one of my all-time favorite books. You know, one of the ones you go to on your keeper shelf when you need the rainy day comfort of characters you love. Well, Ms. Donaldson has put out a companion novella to Edenbrooke called Heir to Edenbrooke and it's from Philip's perspective. Yeah, I couldn't wait to get my hands on it!

Philip is such a great hero it was fun to see some of the events we are familiar with from Edenbrooke from his perspective. For example, when he runs away from his responsibilities made so much more sense when we experience what was going on in his life with him.  Or when he ends up at an inn and meets Marianne was just as fun to read from his point of view as it was to read from hers in Edenbrooke. I truly enjoyed it.

Philip is one of my all time favorite characters and this novella only cements that. Seeing Marianne through his eyes brought an entirely new dimension to the story and made me want to read Edenbrooke. Again. My only complaint is that it was only 53 pages. I hope that Ms. Donaldson would consider doing the entire book in Philip's perspective or giving us more. I know I'd be first in line to buy it!

Here's the back copy:

Philip Wyndham has never envied his older brother for being the heir to Edenbrooke. He would much rather carve out his own destiny than live under the constraints of that position. But when his older brother dies unexpectedly, Philip's life is turned upside down as duty requires him to give up the life he planned. Philip takes on his new role as the most sought-after bachelor in London with alternating reluctance, boredom, and resentment. But all that changes the night fate leads him to an inn, where he meets the incomparable Marianne Daventry.

You can buy your copy here for $3.99 (Price set by publisher).

Freebie Friday!

Today's Freebie Friday sounds like a cute YA romance from E.M. Tippetts called Someone Else's Fairytale. Just what I needed for a relaxing Thanksgiving holiday weekend!

Here's the back copy: (which was a little lacking, but the premise sounds good and the reviews were solid so I'm going to give it a try!)

Jason Vanderholt, Hollywood's hottest actor, falls head over heels for everygirl, Chloe Winters, who hasn't gotten around to watching most of his movies. She becomes the woman every other woman in America is dying to be, but it just isn't her fairytale.

Download your free Kindle copy here