Winter Wedding

by Joan Smith

Clara Christopher had met Lord Allingcote several years previously at a houseparty, when he had chosen her as his flirt. But he'd disappeared from her life, and now reappeared escorting the outrageously beautiful Nel Muldoon to a wedding for his cousin. Though his lordship still had eyes for Clara, she had no intention of ignoring the troublesome Nel. Regency romance by Joan Smith; originally published by Fawcett Crest

Genres: Regency, Romance, Historical Romance, Traditional Regency, Historical, Historical Fiction, Second Chance

Paperback

First published October 29, 1990

About the author

Joan Smith is a graduate of Queen's University in Kingston, Ontario, and the Ontario College of Education. She has taught French and English in high school and English in college. When she began writing, her interest in Jane Austen and Lord Byron led to her first choice of genre, the Regency, which she especially liked for its wit and humor.
Her favorite travel destination is England, where she researches her books. Her hobbies are gardening, painting, sculpture and reading. She is married and has three children. A prolific writer, she is currently working on Regencies and various mysteries at her home in Georgetown, Ontario.
She is also known as Jennie Gallant

Reviews

[Linda (NOT RECEIVING NOTIFICATIONS) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Miss Clara Christopher was a rolling stone. Orphaned ten years earlier and poor as a church mouse, she charted her life amongst relatives and friends. Clara visited only those people whom needed her. At two and twenty, she felt she had roughly three years left before she would have to find work: perhaps, as a paid companion.

At present, she was temporarily residing at the Lucker residence: Branlea. Her cousin, Baron Oglethorpe, was marrying Lady Prissie Lucker. Clara was helping prepare for the wedding.

Two years earlier she had met one of Prissie's relatives, Mr. Ben Allingcote, at a house party. There was an instant attraction; they had formed "a flirtation". Or so Clara had thought, for the night ended abruptly. Later on, Clara was alerted that Ben's father had died and he was made the new Lord Allingcote.

Now she had found out he was to attend the wedding ceremony but with another young woman, Miss Nel Muldoon. Young, pretty Nel whom adored attention. Precocious, flippant Nel whose fits and starts were the bane of Ben's existence. Little did Clara know the various hoops Lord Allingcote had jumped through since their unexpected separation from two years before. She was kept in a state of confusion for a good portion of the story while Ben was on a mission.

WINTER WEDDING was a gentle romance. It started out slowly but like a fine wine, it got better with age. I enjoyed the witty dialog and clever nuances that are not often found in traditional regencies. Just don't overlook the hidden gems of conversation between these two people. Jealousy rears its ugly head in the most unlikely places but it will put a smile on your face. :-)

[Preeti ♥︎ Her Bookshelves · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well, this one's a let down. I saved this much loved book for a rainy day and it didn't do much for me.

The H is an idiot! A blind, dithering, flirtatious beta idiot. The author wants us to believe that he's been long smitten with the h but his push-pull attitude confused not only the h but also the reader.

The ow is spoilt trouble-maker and annoying as hell and he enables, excuses her selfish, ungracious behavior - once too often. How can he let her ruin a wedding for the bride and still feel the ow is being treated unfairly by everyone? She dominates the book and completely ruins it. I am sure I read romances for the h-H interaction, not for a selfish ow's shenanigans.

The h would be more likable if she had more spine and pride but she's a pushover all around. People use her - with her permission. She's a bit of a busybody and a gossip - and that only raises her in my estimation. Anything to escape sainthood.

The wedding background should be romantic but only if the intended couple appear to be in love, not grudgingly going forwards and. Actually, I feel bad for them - to see their happiness decrease as they get closer to the day. First time, I've seen an author be so mean to a couple who are to wed.
And, so much penny-pinching and scrimping by the bride's mother and her happy assistant, the h. Oh God, I've learned at least 1000 ways to stretch my money. Thank you!

The book is a drag for about 80% till the H sees the ow for what she is and the book improves. Still she remains the prima donna but I liked the H from hereon and the ending is nicely done.
Saved in the death throes!

[Lyuda · Rating 5 out of 5]

After reading dark, angst books lately I wanted to re-read one of my “comfort books”. The book is one of my favorite books by one of my favorite regency writer. It takes place in the country estate right after Christmas. The main characters are wonderful, with great chemistry and delightful banter. There are a lot of funny, satirical moments with secondary characters.

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I adored this book. Once I started I was up until 4 am to finish it. So I'm giving it five stars for being awesome and making me happy. Now for the disclaimer - it's not great literature. It's happy fluffly fluff with extra fluff. I highly recommend it if you are interested in well written fluffly fluff.

[Nefise · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was very enjoyable and plain story that I had good time.

[Luli · Rating 4 out of 5]

You can find this review in English below.


Entretenida y tierna historia de amor y de segundas (según el punto de vista) oportunidades entre una chica sin apenas familia ni recursos y un Lord que perdió la cabeza por ella a primera vista.
:)

Me ha encantado Clara, la heroína. Es una mujer paciente, inteligente, amable…y me encanta el mote que Lord Allingcote le pone: tumbleweed. Muy apropiado.

También me ha gustado Lord Allingcote. A pesar de Nell. Me gusta cuando es él que está enamoradito perdido ;)

Pero que poco me ha gustado Nell… casi se carga la historia. Me ha parecido un personaje demasiado OTT. Y de verdad que no quiero pensar que todos los hombres sean tan crédulos y simples como Allingcote ha sido respecto a Nell… en fin, si lo que la autora era crear tensión entre los protagonistas lo ha conseguido. Eso seguro.

El resto de los secundarios son muy interesantes y encantadores. Y realistas y adecuados para la época. La verdad es que ha sido una delicia esta lectura…

Recomendable.


***


This one has been an enjoyable and tender love story (about second chances, depending on the POV) between a penniless woman and the Lord who lost his head over her at first sight.
:)

I loved Clara, the heroine. She is a patient, intelligent and friendly woman… and I loved the sobriquet Lord Allingcote gave her: tumbleweed. So fitting!

I liked Lord Allingcote too. I love when he is the one who is head over heels for her. ;)

But how I have hated intensely disliked Nell…almost, almost ruin the story for me. She was an OTT character. I hope all men aren´t so gullible as Lord Allingcote regarding Nell. The man was utterly blind! But if the author wanted to generate tension between the MC´s, well, she got it, that´s for sure!

The rest of the secondary characters are interesting and realistic and proper. They embellished the story.
It has been a pleasure this read…
Totally recommendable.

[Mela · Rating 4 out of 5]

This time Joan Smith gave me a sweet love story. To be precise, she gave me a hero who made me swoon ;-) His love is so romantic. The novel would have been even more romantic if it had been written in a different way. If it had described chronologically the whole romance, instead of recollections of the first part of the romance. But still, it is hard not to want to be loved in a way like Allingcote loved.

So, for me Allingcote was the most important element of the story. Next to him were other (mostly interesting) characters and witty dialogues.

Thank you Linda for your recommendation.

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Let's start with what I liked about this book. It is completely clean, both in content and language, which is very appreciated by me. There was also no real ow/om drama, and the H was true to the h, even during a long separation . This was a very sweet story.

Now to move on to the things that I didn't entirely enjoy. This was an entirely quiet book. The plot was quiet, the h was calm and, you guessed it, quiet, and even the ending was quiet. Even the angry or joyous moments were subdued and I found myself a little underwhelmed. Under other circumstances, I might have enjoyed this quite a bit more, but as it was, I was in the mood for a more engaging and eventful tale.

When everything was explained, I found myself liking the H a lot more than I did for a good portion of the book. However, the annoying and self absorbed villainess had too much screen time and the amount of plot/dialogue/inner monologue that dealt with her character, or lack thereof, was grating. I also didn't understand the emotional attachment the MCs had for each other. While I'm glad they didn't base their feelings purely on physical attributes, I wasn't able to ascertain what exactly they based them on.

The ending was abrupt and there was no epilogue. I would have liked to known if the MCs had their HEA or not. It seemed that luck was not on their side. Overall, this was a fair historical romance.

[Kitcatscratch · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cute as can be...

I really never review a story as cute. In fact "cute" is typically what you say when you don't care to say much. But in this case I felt the story to be a good solid read. Nothing overly stressful or emotionally draining which I confess I sometimes need. But not a shallow story either which leaves you unsatisfied.

The heroine C!are is truly likable. A woman of little to no means she must rely on the charity of re!ations. You don't feel sorry for her because she doesn't feel sorry for herself. In fact, she speaks her mind and conducts herself as she feels fit and you can't help but admire and cheer her on. Even Nel who behaved atrociously throughout. I didn't mind all the men who constantly defended her. As women we may dislike the hero's attitude in constantly excusing her poor behavior because well...she's very beautiful. But the truth is that most men do give more leeway in behavior to beautiful women. And he does stand by Clara where it counts I felt.

Overall a very enjoyable read..

[CatBookMom · Rating 3 out of 5]

Found this to be quite good, very enjoyable. Just squeaks into a 4-star rating.

[Elizajane40 · Rating 5 out of 5]

It’s been years since I read this, but it’s one of the few that’s really stuck with me.

[Judith Hale Everett · Rating 4 out of 5]

Delightful banter between delightful characters. The hero and heroine are made for each other and the spoiled beauty who comes between them is a rare one. Plenty of action and romance to keep the reader entertained and a satisfying happily ever after that wasn’t too easy. My one beef was the absolutely unnecessary mystery kept up by the principal players that conveniently kept the hero and heroine apart. There was also the hero’s inexplicable tenderness toward the spoiled beauty while all the time he apparently couldn’t wait to be rid of her. These things hampered my enjoyment but the whole story was saved by the delightful interactions between the hero and heroine. A fun, light read.

[Maren · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 * A fun, light novel with some good characters and funny lines--a nice diversion for the dead of winter. :) Recommended for anyone who loves Georgette Heyer.

[Elizabeth Lawrence · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very cute and sweet

[Felicitas · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a clean regency romance. Just like good old Georgette Heyer, though not really, because no one is quite like her. Good maybe (though often enough not, if one is honest), but always different ;P
I very much enjoyed reading this book.
Because:
The heroine and hero are very likeable. Clara is very sensible but not dull, self-assured but not pushy, not angsty although her social and economical position depends on her relatives' goodwill, and has a nice sense of humour. (Most of the story is told from her POV, so most of the narrative remarks about events or other people are hers.) Same goes for the hero, Ben. I loved how he travelled through Britain in order to meet Clara again, but always just missed her. And how he rambled when he got nervous, or how he wanted to keep her close to him when he finally found her again. Not to mention the fact that he is not one of those silly suddenly-reformed rakes, or a silent-and-brooding-suddenly-madly-and-passionately-in-love kind of hero, or one of those overbearing bullies, but just a "normal", healthy guy ... as far as regency heros can be considered to be normal ;P
Lots of funny dialogue and humorous remarks about what is happening in the story or about the other characters. (How to be a NICE skinflint, for example. Which brings me to the secondary characters.)
The secondary characters are well-drawn, especially Lady Lucker, it was easy to understand why Clara took a liking to her. But also Prissie (even though she is harder to like - her name says it all), Ben's sister Maggie and even Nel Muldoon. (What a handful. Reminded me a lot of beautiful Amanda form GH's "The Nonesuch".)
I did not give the book five stars because there was one draw-back, which kept it from being perfect in its own way: In the first half, there is quite a bit of introspection on Clara's side. Not too much, just the right amount of whether it is wise to feel for the hero what she feels, and wondering what it is that he feels for her. Then it becomes clear that the hero really likes her - but Clara still feels insecure because of his relationship to Nell. Which is fine, too. But THEN he practically openly declares his love - and suddenly there is hardly any introspection at all on Clara's side. Which is probably the case because their happily ever after would have begun well before the Nell plotline was brought to a satisfactory ending. And of course, being proper a English gentleman and gentlewoman, mutual declarations of love have to wait until this obstacle is safely and irrevocably eliminated.
But otherwise: A very nice read.

[Claire S · Rating 5 out of 5]

The premise of the book is that Ben met Clara at a house party 2 years ago and set up a flirtation with her. Unfortunately, he had to leave the party early due to his father's illness and they kept missing each other after that until Prissy's wedding (Clara is an orphan and poor relation and moves from household to household). Unfortunately, he brings the beautiful (but horrible) Nel Muldoon with him and Clara decides to help to keep her in check to make sure the wedding festivities run smoothly.

This book is by no means a game changer, however, it was so unexpectedly delightful that I fell in love with the characters (especially the H) and this sweet romance. I don't give 5-stars very often and, perhaps it was because the last two Joan Smith's books that I read were not good or because I was expecting some annoying clichés that didn't happen, but I couldn't stop reading it even though I wished I wouldn't get to the end too quickly.

My hesitance in reading this book was because I thought it would be one of those stories where the H is more interested in the pretty but petty beautiful young girl until the end, when he realizes that he actually loves the h. I also thought that, as a poor relation, the h might be meek and afraid/hesitant to confront both the H and the beautiful heiress as well as be browbeaten by her relatives. Well, that's definitely not the case here. The h is strong, resourceful and liked by her relatives and acquaintances. She's level-headed and doesn't become stupid when she falls in love. If anything, I wished she had shown a bit more ardor towards the end but it did fit with her calm personality.

The H is lovely. He knows what he wants and, from the beginning, he shows his appreciation and his intentions to the h even though she still doubts him due to the presence of Nel as well as the restrictions of the time. Even though it was a little annoying when he kept defending Nel, you could see where he was coming from. In fact, it was very interesting how the author showed the different ways men and women view the same person in the guise of Nel and her fortune hunter paramour. My favorite part is when Ben tells the events of the house party until he encounters Clara again from his point of view. What a man! I also love that the H was not a rake and there are no mentions of past lovers.

A story worth a second reading for sure!

[Chamrie Andrews · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have been on the hunt for another good regency novel. Unfortunately, the regency time period is a favorite for trashy authors. It was quite refreshing to come across this cute and sweet little love story. It was clean and fun, and I hope I will like her other books as well.

[neebee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Somewhere between a 3 and 4 ⭐️ rating

I really liked the FMC, she was kind and calm and deserved better. The MC was a little unhinged and annoying with how he kept enabling the OW, (who was such a handicap to the whole story) while giving the FMC mixed signals and then being annoyed with her that she wasn’t reciprocating.
Surprisingly, it was entirely realistic. Everyone knows one of those girls who aren’t girls girls and do everything to flirt with every man ever and men who are complete idiots who think the reason other women don’t like these women is because they’re jealous, and not because they’re assholes. This book honestly felt more like it was about the OW than the love story.
And my vengeful heart was not at all pleased at how she was not put down and the hero still continued making excuses for her.

This had the bones to be really good but it ended up a little lukewarm. I think I was definitely more excited at the beginning than towards the end. The ending was… eh. The whole rigmarole with the OW had run its course and I was bothered with how much screentime (page time?) she got. Every time a male character was introduced I would get more excited because I’d be like yes 🙌 let the mc have to deal with the same emotions and be jealous lol but nope, never came to fruition
I think I’m rounding up to 4 🌟 because of the strong starting, the FMC being a sweetheart and how aggravated I was while reading about the OW who was written too well haha

[Hopefulpuffin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an utter and unexpected delight!

Orphaned at age 12, Clara is an attractive lady now in her late 20s who goes about Great Britain staying with various relatives, always making herself useful, enjoying herself when she can, and generally accepting her lot in life. She has a plan to become a paid companion (hopefully to an older lady who enjoys travel) in a few years if she doesn’t get a marriage proposal to her liking - she’s had a few, but none that knocked her socks off.

A couple years ago, she met a fella at a house party. The had a great time together, but he was called away unexpectedly as his father was ill. Lo and behold he shows up where she is currently staying and we’re off to the races.

The dialogue is smart, witty, and realistic - it’s the stuff of dreams, really - to include a dash of Regency Seinfeld because the plot basks in the absurdity of the everyday - preparing for a large wedding with a penny-pinching mother of the bride, and a large cast of characters including a literal pinching uncle.

There’s a bit of drama, but nothing heavy and the H/h talk to each other to prevent any major misunderstandings.

The very end is a little rushed, but it’s such a charming book, I think it’ll stand up to a reread.

PG - a couple of kisses and innuendo.

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ok, let me start off by saying that I normally very much enjoy Joan Smith's Regency era stories - the heroines are likable and sure of themselves, the heroes are interesting and not always the same cardboard cutout duke or earl or marquis. And this time around those attributes were all there BUT I was bothered with the way the male and female characters were too informal with each other and how they were ok with being alone together in a carriage or a even dark room, ha. It pulled me out of the story time and again, unfortunately.

I did very much enjoy the banter between Clara and Ben - Ms. Smith can write snappy dialogue like nobody's business! - and was very happy to have a straightforward romance. There was none of the miscommunication that is so often passed off as plot in this genre.

The secondary characters were fun or maddening or a little bit of both and again, the author is sooo good at the irritating uncles, spoiled heiresses, and penny-pinching aunties that you wonder if she had her own irl set of troublesome family members to write about.

Overall a good read but not my favorite of hers. Clean.

[MissKitty · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was pretty cute. More like 3.5 stars.

I liked the heroine, she was cool, calm and collected and generous with her help towards her hostess. She was attracted to the Hero but never acted like a ninny. She also gave as good as she got.

I liked how besotted the Hero was over the heroine, though she was unaware of it. He had been searching for her for 2 years but always missed her, since she moved around a lot among her relatives.

He did pay a lot of attention to the annoying OW, and it took him too long to see her for the nasty piece of work that she was.

SPOILERS:

He was only paying attention to her because he felt responsible for her, more like a guardian protecting her from fortune hunters. She didn’t deserve it. Everyone disliked her, and she acted like an entitled annoying witch. I’m glad the heroine didn’t mince her words when speaking of her to the hero. The Hero should have left her to fend for herself w the fortune hunter. She deserved him.

A very clean and amusing older read. At times I was annoyed by the antics of the OW, and disappointed that in the end she didn’t get any comeuppance but it was a good enough story all around.

[Asaria · Rating 3 out of 5]

3,5 -> 3

Kto by pomyślał, że znajdę romans, który będzie mi się podobał i przy którym nie będę zgrzytać zębami? Nie rozbuchany, pełny namiętności, ale subtelny, w nieco klasycznym stylu nakreślonym przez Georgette Heyer? Minus humor, ponieważ książka Smith traktuje siebie bardziej poważnie

Miłą niespodzianką było przełamanie stereotypu wyszczekanej, łamiącej wszelkie konwenanse heroiny na rzecz cichej, spokojnej kobiety o talentach organizatorskich i obserwatorskich. Jej ukochany też jest szalenie sympatyczny - nieco choleryczny, ale z wdziękiem, i raczej zdecydowanie musiałby walnąć Claire młotkiem, by ta załapała gdzie lokuje on swoje emocje. Z tym, że przyjemnością się ich obserwuje razem. I oni rozmawiają! Ze sobą!

Oczywiście, fabularnie zaczęrpnięte z Heyer, trochę dziur tu i tam, ale czytało mi się szybko i przyjemnie. Ooops, miało być po angielsku wszystko, może przetłumaczę w najbliższym czasie.

[marceline · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really like this one! However, I am kinda annoyed of our heroine’s passiveness till the last chapter. Her man has been yelling out loud how he loves her, wants to be married pronto and is only short of hauling her ass to some church to be hitched, but here she is not giving him an inch, having an ‘i love you’ wretched out from her mouth and saying bullshits like ‘omg the wedding is too soon’ or adding useless talk as he is busy confessing his undying love for her… I kinda expect more loving and affection from our heroine especially when he revealed he has been searching for her for two freaking years after just three days of them being together.

I guess its just me but I would have melted onto the floor when the person I love tell me all this ridiculous and romantic things. But nooo our girl is just too passive and nonchalant, no passion, no heart rendering return of his confession, I kinda feel bad for the hero.

[Flo · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought I had reviewed this wonderful book but apparently not. From start to finish I just loved it. Lord Allingcote is a master at making love to Clara but she lives a strange life moving from one member of her family to another helping them run their lavish homes; he loses her due to his father's death, then follows her from town to town and country to country missing her by a few days until they meet after 2 years at a wedding, but he is with beautiful, spoiled, young Nel Muldoon who is trying to meet up with George Moore, someone described by Allingcote in very negative terms. I was amazed at the sharp, smart banter of this completely batty regency. I think I will reread it as soon as I can. I haven't laughed so much in ages. A fantastic book. Read it.

[ChauDuong · Rating 5 out of 5]

Recently I've been fed up with historical romance books which are full of adult scenes but lack good writing style. Winter wedding is like a spring shower for my desert, my thirst for a well-written witty romance. Why, there is no sex in the book but it keeps me entertained till the end (and I sigh, regretting not having some more juicy epilogue).
While I have a tendency to be annoyed by the heroines of similar genre of novel, the leading girl here totally satisfies my standards: smart, smooth-talking, composed, strong-willed, kind but not oversoft-hearted. That she's pretty is not a hindrance, either.
I may look for more regency novels after this, I'm hooked!

[Bt · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was fine. I enjoyed reading it. I liked the relationship between Clara and Lady Lucker - how she is always helping her do the chores and helping her find ways to save money. It seemed like something I might do if I was staying with someone; I love being useful like that. Overall this book was fine, but it doesn't really stand out in a sea of similar books, and I will probably forget about it. Clara's love interest was nice but didn't have that much personality. A lot of characters were a bit 2D but still fun.

[Here for the reviews · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a low angst book - there are no serious tragedies or painful histories to be overcome. There's not even all that much of a plot. Yet it's the kind of book that makes you smile when you read it. When the book was done, I put it down all happy and satisfied.

I think what it gets absolutely right is the feeling of "Does he like me or does he not?" that most of us have gone through at some point in our lives. It's especially fun to read because we the readers can see clearly that the hero is smitten by the heroine, but she herself doesn't see it all that clearly.

[Flo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pure marvelous froth!

Clara meets Lord Aldingcote at a ball in London and promptly falls in love. But she is penniless and can't believe an earl will be interested in a girl without a dowry. It takes 2 years and ramblings throughout England, a winter wedding, for Clara to find requited love and what a wonderful romp it is. A heady bubbly fairy tale, well written andspicy dialogue. Joan Smith is very good at this.

[Darien · Rating 4 out of 5]

An entertaining comedy of manners with authentic period interactions and great world-building. The protagonists are relatable, and the social constraints they need to act within create the tension and conflict keeping them apart. An interesting look into the way family relationships were key to success in that period, and how women without a male head of household could navigate that world only by maintaining close family ties.

[Laurie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A strange amalgam of half-tropes. A 'cheeseparing' mother putting on a wedding with borrowed food and place cards. A poor relative called to serve as an unpaid wedding planner. A lord who is looking for the mysterious woman he met and then lost track of. A woman so beautiful and self-centered she cannot be tamed. The father of the bride is not interested in anything but coin collecting. It all works out in the end, of course.