My new favorite hobby is scrolling through my Kindle app looking for free and cheap books that seem promising. The problem with doing this on the app, however, is if you scroll too fast, it’s very easy to hit the “buy now with one click” button… which brings me to today’s reviews. I accidentally bought a collection of THIRTEEN Regency/Victorian romance novellas. Fortunately for me, they were cheap and actually seem pretty interesting. Four of them are Christmas related so I’ll be reviewing those this month. I’m going to split them up and I’m reviewing the first two today. Since they are novellas, I’m going to keep these reviews spoiler free.

Synopsis:

Miss Cecilia Fairfax dreads the upcoming holidays. Between caring for her elderly father and managing a household barely out of mourning, she has no time for the softer things in life.

Liam Barrett, the Earl of Tarrick, is certain he will not accept Marcus Fairfax’s invitation to spend Christmas at the Fairfax family’s estate – and the man’s tales of a family ghost have nothing to do with his decision.

Of all the blessings of the season, sometimes the most unexpected is love…

My Thoughts:

• Rating– ⭐⭐⭐

“A Countess for Christmas” by Anthea Lawson is part of a four novella collection called Noble Holidays; it can also be purchased on its own. This novella is quite short, bordering on a short story, but I still really enjoyed it.

Cecilia Fairfax and Liam Barrett, the Earl of Tarrick, meet under unfortunate circumstances. Cecilia’s brother, Marcus, is temporarily blinded while staying at Liam’s home. This forces Liam to correspond through letters with Cecilia on Marcus’ behalf. Throughout this time, the two become curious about each other and when Marcus invites Liam to his home for Christmas, Liam can’t help but accept so he can meet Cecilia in person. Once there, thanks to a well placed mistletoe and mutual attraction, a relationship blossoms.

This story is just so sweet. The relationship was very rushed and instalove-y but in a story this short, there was really no other option and I can look past it. There was also a ghost storyline that I thought was kind of pointless and just used as a plot device to move certain things forward but I didn’t absolutely hate it. Overall, this was a really cute novella and I’m glad I read it.

Synopsis:

From USA Today bestselling, RITA-nominated author Anthea Lawson comes a brand new Victorian-set holiday novella celebrating the best of the season – Christmas trees, mulled wine, misunderstandings, and, of course, true love~

After a gentleman rescues her from a winter storm, Miss Selene Banning finds herself snowbound with Sir Jared Kendrick, who is not precisely who he claims to be…

My Thoughts:

• Rating– ⭐⭐⭐⭐

“A Duke for Midwinter” by Anthea Lawson is part of a four novella collection called Noble Holidays; it can also be purchased on its own. Of the two novellas that I’m reviewing today, this one is my favorite. It’s a bit lengthier and I just loved the story.

Selene Banning is used to living in her beautiful younger sister’s shadow. She’s not a stereotypical beauty and after a broken engagement, she’s become used to the idea of being a spinster; that is, until she meets Jared Kendrick. He’s everything she wants but she doubts that he would actually choose her, especially once he sees her sister.

I’m actually annoyed that this is a novella and not a full novel. I NEED more! I loved the characters and this novella contained one of my favorite tropes (when done well), miscommunication. I’m happy I read this but sad that it was over so fast.

Final Thoughts:

Anthea Lawson is a new to me author and I’m very glad that I discovered her books. She’s a great historical fiction writer. I definitely didn’t mean to buy thirteen novellas but I’m glad I did. Let me know if these sweet Christmas romances sound like ones you’d enjoy! Thanks for reading and have a great day!