Adam Rutledge, Viscount d'Arque, really rather loathes Christmas. The banal cheerfulness. The asinine party games. And, worst of all, the obligatory trip to the countryside. His grandmother, however, loves the holiday—and Adam loves his grandmother, so he'll brave the fiercest snowstorm to please her. But when their carriage wheel snaps, they're forced to seek shelter at the home of the most maddening, infuriating, and utterly beguiling woman he's ever met.

Sarah St. John really rather loathes rakes. The self-satisfied smirks. The sly predatory gazes. Oh, and the constant witty banter rife with double meaning. But in the spirit of the season, she'll welcome this admittedly handsome viscount into her home. But as the snowstorm rages, the Yule log crackles, and the tension rises, Sarah and Adam find themselves locked in a fiery, passionate kiss. If love is the true meaning of Christmas, it's the one gift this mismatched pair can't wait to unwrap.

Title: Once Upon a Christmas Eve
Author: Elizabeth Hoyt
Series: Maiden Lane series
Pages: 90
Genre(s): Historical, Georgian, England, Christmas, Short
Hot Buttons: /

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This is part of the Maiden Lane series but it stands completely alone - you don’t have to have read (or have knowledge of) any of the previous books in the series to read and enjoy this one. Having said that, there is an hint of a story between Dr Manning and Charlotte and I’d be interested to know if that’s a previous Maiden Lane story or perhaps one yet to come.

I can’t resist a couple that hides a deep attraction with bickering and banter and Adam and Sarah certainly do that. I loved them both, believed in them and completely believed the pair’s emotions even with the shortness of the tale (it’s just 90 pages long). Their journey from distrust to friends to love was sweet with hints of hotness. Yes, there’s a little bit of sex in here.

The festive touches were also nicely done in the story. The snow, the gathering of the holly, the warming fires and Christmas games - it all added up to a story that brought the feeling of the Christmas season. It really was the perfect festive tale.

There was an added bonus of a short tale of the Frog Princess at the start of each new chapter. This was a fun addition and I laughed along as I was supposed to.

I had one major irk about this story - and it’s a pet peeve of mine - there was no epilogue. I would have loved an epilogue to just round out the story. I know it couldn’t have worked with the conclusion of the Frog Princess but aargh - I always want an epilogue to see how my couple are working into the future. Still, since the story was so lovely, I’m not letting my personal preferences affect the rating.

If you love a short, Georgian romance to get you into the mood for the long, dark nights at Christmas then I would recommend this to you. 5 stars.

Blogger's note: Yeah, yeah - I know that the cover I have above is the US cover but I just so prefer it to the UK cover. 

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Title: Duke of Desire
Author: Elizabeth Hoyt
Series: Maiden Lane
Pages: 336
Genre(s): Historical, Georgian
Hot Buttons: Child Abuse (flashback)

A LADY OF LIGHT

Refined, kind, and intelligent, Lady Iris Jordan finds herself the unlikely target of a diabolical kidnapping. Her captors are the notoriously evil Lords of Chaos. When one of the masked-and nude!-Lords spirits her away to his carriage, she shoots him . . . only to find she may have been a trifle hasty.

A DUKE IN DEEPEST DARKNESS

Cynical, scarred, and brooding, Raphael de Chartres, the Duke of Dyemore, has made it his personal mission to infiltrate the Lords of Chaos and destroy them. Rescuing Lady Jordan was never in his plans. But now with the Lords out to kill them both, he has but one choice: marry the lady in order to keep her safe.

CAUGHT IN A WEB OF DANGER . . . AND DESIRE

Much to Raphael's irritation, Iris insists on being the sort of duchess who involves herself in his life-and bed. Soon he's drawn both to her quick wit and her fiery passion. But when Iris discovers that Raphael's past may be even more dangerous than the present, she falters. Is their love strong enough to withstand not only the Lords of Chaos but also Raphael's own demons?

This is an intriguing romance with a hint of a mystery and darkness that I really enjoyed. It takes a strong story and compelling characters to grip me as this book did. I found myself sneaking away to read this as I really just wanted to find out what was going to happen next.

I absolutely loved both Raphael and Iris. Who doesn’t love a story of a man who is convinced that he is destined to always be in the dark, finding that through the love of a good woman, he can come into the light and live a happy life he’d thought impossible? Raphael was so damaged - poor man - and he just didn’t think he deserved Iris. Iris just wouldn’t give up on him, or their love, and she was strong and feisty while still being vulnerable. Brilliant character. Their love story was believable and that made me root for them even more.

There was also the ongoing revenge storyline about bringing down the Lords of Chaos. They were a vile group of people! We were kept guessing about the identity of the leader of the group - I kept changing my mind about who I thought it was out of the three characters we had. Having said that, I felt I had to suspend belief that Raphael or Iris wouldn’t have been able to guess at their identity - especially since the first scene of the book saw everybody (except Iris) buck naked. Even with a mask, I think you’d know! ;)

The implications (and reality) of child abuse by the Lords of Chaos made me feel physically sick. I’m not berating the book by saying that, as it was a significant part of Raphael’s back story and his reasons for so many of his actions, it was just uncomfortable to think about despite not being written graphically.

I also didn’t like what happened to Raphael’s servant, Ubertino and didn’t understand the reasoning behind it. It didn’t drive the story forward, and didn’t provide a further motivation for Raphael’s drive towards bringing down the Lords of Chaos. I know that it’s a real life situation but I’m honestly not looking for real life when I read romance.

And oh and for goodness sake - British people call it autumn!!

After reading I realised that this is the 12th (!) book in the Maiden Lane series. I’ve not read any of the other books but having scanned through their blurbs, it seems that this book really only connects to the previous book, Duke of Pleasure. Hugh makes an appearance in this book and there is talk of his first wife (a surprisingly loose woman called Katherine) and his current wife Alf. Did this book make me want to read that one? I’m not sure, to be honest, although I’ll admit to being curious. We’ll see.

I really enjoyed this book and it kept me interested from beginning to end. If you’re looking for a hero who is damaged and in need of the love of a good woman - and a good woman who just won’t give up on him - then I would highly recommend this book to you. So very nearly a 5 star read.


This is nothing to do with the author - or the book - but Raphael is scarred on his face - it’s a huge part of the storyline and his character. I’m not sure why the bloke on the front cover (as lovely as he is) does not show that. Bizarre! Still, it’s better than the horrible cover they used for the British version - so bloody boring!

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* I received this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. *

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