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A Christmas Bride

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Journey to Regency England in this “wonderful” holiday tale of a desperate nobleman, a forgetful fiancée, and a sweet romance ( Affaire de Coeur ).

Her name is Serenity Adams. She’s Timothy Crawford’s fiancée, and he’s going to present her to his grandfather in less than twenty-four hours. The only problem is, she doesn’t exist. Now the desperate nobleman must find a willing woman to play the role of his affianced or risk being disinherited. Providence steps in when he stumbles across an overturned carriage. The injured beauty he rescues has no memory of the accident—or of who she is.
 
“Serenity” remembers nothing except awaking to the magnificent sight of a dashing, golden-haired stranger. When he asks her to take part in a risky act of deception, she has no choice but to accept. At Timothy’s ancestral estate, she starts to fall for the nobleman who woos her passionately but whom she can never wed. As the truth about her past emerges amid preparations for the annual Christmas Ball, will it cost Serenity her new life—and the man she loves?

From the “truly talented author” featured in One Winter’s A Regency Yuletide , this is a delightful historical romance filled with mystery, adventure, and plenty of Christmas spirit ( Romantic Times ).
 

224 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 1, 2000

171 people are currently reading
205 people want to read

About the author

Jo Ann Ferguson

82 books33 followers
Please note, this author also writes under the name J.A. Ferguson, Jocelyn Kelley and Rebecca North.
"One of my favorite memories is lying on the grass on a knoll on a late summer day and telling my sister stories I was making up," says Jo Ann Ferguson, who also writes as J.A. Ferguson, Joanna Hampton, Jo Ann Brown, and Rebecca North."There's something magical about being able to spend time with people you enjoy in your imagination. As a writer, I get to go with my characters to their time and place so I can share their adventures and falling in love for the first time…all over again."

She has had a few adventures of her own, including a stint as an Army quartermaster officer where she was the first and only woman in her unit. She still enjoys traveling to the locations of her books and learning all about those places and people. Researching her novels is part of the fun. Whether it's ghosts, calling cards, how to fire an antique gun, or traveling to a world that exists only in her imagination, she pays a great deal of attention to the details that delight her reader. She's even learned a bit of Russian, Arabic, Welsh, and a lot of Regency slang.

Her work has been honored with award nominations from Pearl, ROMY, Romantic Times, Rom/Con, and Affaire de Coeur magazine. Amazon Books chose her novels to showcase. And Romance Writers of America bestowed the two ARTemis Awards for Jo Ann's Zebra Regencies: The Counterfeit Count and A Christmas Bride.

Nonfiction also appeals to her, because it's where she got her start, seeing her first byline when she was twelve years old. She contributed to an encyclopedia of the English Regency period published by Garland Press. For all three editions of the New England Chapter's Now That You've Sold Your Book…What Next?, she has served as co-editor.

Believing in giving back, Jo Ann has served Romance Writers of America on both the local and national levels. She has served on the national board as president as well as a director and at term as vice president. For her volunteer work, she was given RWA's highest honor, the Emma Merritt National Service Award. She is also a creative writing instructor. She was awarded a Massachusetts Art Grant to teach creative writing and then established several creative writing courses at Brown University. Many of her students have gone on to publishing careers of their own.

She lives in Massachusetts, where her favorite hero—her husband, Bill—and their children and two cats. She's not sure which is the most spoiled.

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5 stars
216 (29%)
4 stars
262 (35%)
3 stars
209 (28%)
2 stars
40 (5%)
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13 (1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 78 reviews
Profile Image for Cara Bristol.
Author 108 books941 followers
December 21, 2018
I was in the mood to read a light Christmas romance, and this one fit the bill. A Christmas Bride is implausible and contrived, yet charming, sweet and fun. If you like Hallmark holiday movies, you'll enjoy this book.
Profile Image for The Literature Ladies.
204 reviews4 followers
December 29, 2020
The regency love story has all the class and formality of PRIDE & PREJUDICE with the romantic and perhaps underdeveloped plotline of your favorite rom-com. All in all, A CHRISTMAS BRIDE was a simple but heartwarming read.

Read more on our blog!
Profile Image for Barbara "Cookie" Serfaty Williams.
2,705 reviews5 followers
December 18, 2017
A Christmas Bride

The Christmas love story of Serenity (Helen) and Timothy. On the road to his home Timothy and Felix come upon a coach accident. Three people ate killed and the young maid has lost her memory. Felix, Timothy's cousin, come up with a idea how to help Timothy with his problem. The maid can be Serenity Adam his made up fiancée. Will it would or will her memory return? Great story.
Profile Image for Nancy.
375 reviews1 follower
December 7, 2017
A great Christmas read! I love that a special needs child was included in the story!
Profile Image for Jacqueline J.
3,565 reviews371 followers
December 25, 2020
The story only barely held together. The plotting was pretty ludicrous.
Profile Image for Pamela.
1,825 reviews40 followers
January 20, 2015
I loved this enchanting book. It had mystery, and romance, and was very sweet. It was a perfect Christmas read. I do not give spoilers. The handsome male character is a working son of of a duke, who has promised his grandfather that he has found the perfect wife, but instead has been working hard on the family projects. Tim, who has had the idea coached into him, by his nefarious cousin Felix, lies to his grandsire to keep him happy. The day though has arrived for a birthday/ Christmas eve ball in honor of his Gradsire, who raised him after his father died. He now has to face the truth, and tell of his lies. Fate steps in, and an over turned carriage reveals the exact duplicate of the girl he had been telling stories about. She has lost her memory, and is dress as an Abigail,or ladies maid. Felix steps in with more ideas, and off to the ball they go. She agrees to take on the name Serinity Adams since she has no clue who she is, and has no idea where her home is. The grandfather meets the young woman who due to injuries, falls in a swoon at his feet. Things take off after that. It is quite adorable, but behind the scenes you know Felix, and his father are planning. I truly liked Timothy and his grandfather, and the little Thadora. I especially loved Serinity..It is a great romance, and mystery at its best. A wonderful story for Christmas.
Profile Image for Kathy * Bookworm Nation.
2,157 reviews702 followers
December 22, 2012
I liked this fun regency Christmas story. Timothy doesn’t want to disappoint his grandfather so he makes up a fake fiancé. Things get a little out of hand when his grandfather insists on meeting her in person. On his way home for the holidays he discovers an overturned carriage in the middle of a horrible storm. This is where Timothy discovers “Serenity” who had been thrown from the carriage and is suffering from amnesia. She agrees to play the part of his fiancé while she recuperates and tries to regain her memory. I liked both Timothy and Serenity and I enjoyed their story. The villain could have been developed a little more and I was expecting a little more drama with Serenity regaining her memory. I thought the ending wrapped up too quickly, and I was disappointed we didn’t get to see Serenity reunited with her family. I would have liked an epilog tying in her past with her future with Timothy. Overall, a fun read. I liked the plot and characters and it’s one I would probably re-read.

Content: Clean. Mild innuendo, just kissing.
Profile Image for Annette.
1,768 reviews10 followers
August 28, 2018
Timothy Crawford loves his Grandfather, the Earl. He has promised that he will present his future bride to his Grandfather over the Christmas holidays. Her name is Serenity, she is beautiful, charming and everything a young man could want in his wife. Unfortunately she is all fiction.

When they come upon a carriage accident with only one survivor, Timothy's cousin Felix, suggests that they take the surviving young lady home and introduce her as Serenity.

Serenity is beautiful and a lady's maid with no memory of her past, her name, or anything. Felix gets a promise from Timothy to pay her 500 pounds for the impersonation. Because there is evidence she has a younger brother and sister who are depending upon her, both Serenity and Timothy agree to the plan.

I enjoyed this story. I liked Serenity and Timothy and his Grandfather. The servants are kind and supportive of Timothy and his Grandfather and subsequently, Serenity. There is a child in the household who is charming and in need of a protector. In short, the main characters drew me into the story.

The plot is an interesting premise.

The characters are well developed. Both Serenity and Timothy are responsible and supportive people. Each of them are intelligent. Serenity comes up with tiny hints of memory which show that she has unusual knowledge. She is also aware of society rules about relationships and reputations. It is easy to wish for a happily ever after for both Serenity and Timothy.

There were things that grated.

The villain was quite obvious to me. It was also evident that his plan had a certain result which would benefit him.

I also felt that at times there were too many pages devoted to what could have been said in many fewer words.

Ms Ferguson is a talented author who writes well. In this particular case, I felt that much of what I was reading was padded to add length.

This is a sweet story which can inspire a feeling of Christmas. That is especially true when the reader focuses on Theodora and her desires as a child at Christmas.
Profile Image for Nicole Normand.
1,956 reviews31 followers
August 18, 2023
I found this book discounted on Amazon via BookBub; this is my honest review
-Categorized as a romance but it's more a mystery with some suspense in it, funny in some places along the way. The romance is slow, steady, and clean - Mrs. Scott, the housekeeper, made sure of that. Everything about Theodora is touching, except when it pertains to Felix and Melanda.
-The story is predictable but you just don't know how the web is spinning. You can mostly predict who the villains are and sometimes you're just not sure about others.
-I really liked how Serenity got along with Grandfather and Theodora.
-The Earl was not born yesterday, yet, I don't think he realized how much someone wanted to be the heir and to what extents he would use to get there. It was like a long con - a lot of premeditation.
-I had to have a bit - not too much - empathy when Timothy and Serenity left the dinner table and the Earl just dismissed Felix and Melanda because the heir was leaving so it was not worth staying around.
-I still don't know who the duchess is. And this sentence makes no sense to me "woman given to à suivie flirtations". I hate it when authors use languages they don't know; it's an insult to the readers who do.
-Would recommend.
-Editing needs another pass. Mispelled names. Wrong names. Too many words. Missing words.
Profile Image for Kristie Leaphart.
472 reviews
November 3, 2021
While the Christmas Season is upon us I started a search for novels that take place at Christmas time. "A Christmas Bride" was perfect. I love a historical Romance and to place it during the Christmas season in England was magical.
Jo Ann Ferguson is an author I haven't had the pleasure of reading but will be looking for in the future.

Timothy Crawford is a desperate nobleman who got himself in a tangled situation. Timothy has been lying to his Grandfather about a fiance named Serenity Adams. Unfortunately Serenity is completely made up and Timothy must come clean at his Grandfather's birthday celebration on Christmas Eve. On the way there Timothy comes across a carriage accident. One servant survives the accident but cannot remember who she is or where she was going. Lucky for Timothy she agrees to become Serenity for a short time so he doesn't spoil his Grandfather's birthday.
Without giving much more away, when they arrive at the estate, "Serenity " is welcomed and Timothy's Grandfather loves her. As Timothy and Serenity get to know one another they begin to fall in love...and as bits of Serenity's memories come back they may bring more questions than answers.

A definite read if you love Historical Romances. It's a light read and very enjoyable.
204 reviews1 follower
September 7, 2025
Was this the BEST story ever written?? No, perhaps not. But as much as I like a good Christmas story- with as many twists and turns as a country road- this one was deliciously wonderful with a most happy ending and the “bad guy” rides off into the east shrieking “curses, foiled again” when true love finds its way once more- gawd- it’s enough to make one’s heart sing and eyes smile and a mouth laugh out loud in triumphant delight!!

Am I going to tell you all about this story?? Nope!! I wouldn’t want to ruin the story for you. Some people are such kill joys when they write reviews- telling the reader details that are best discovered by the books reader.

If Christmas romance stories are not your thing- don’t read it. If they appeal to you- then, I promise you- a sweet, easy whiling away of a lazy afternoon will be your reward!! I enjoyed this read very much- I am sure you will be, too, unless your name is Scrooge.
Profile Image for Liz.
1,970 reviews7 followers
January 10, 2019
I still have my Christmas tree up so I can still read Christmas books without guilt, right?

This was a cute little story chock-full of some of my favorite tropes. I thought Timothy and "Serenity" had some nice banter, romantic and otherwise, but felt like their relationship didn't have much time to develop. The book starts out with them barely knowing each other and all of a sudden they're in love without much in between. The "'twas"'s and "mayhap"'s also got to be a bit much after a while. Overall, this was still a ball of fluff of a book and what I expect from this genre.

Theodora also reminded me a bit of Princess Emily from A Christmas Prince. Just had to mention that.
Profile Image for Tracy.
981 reviews15 followers
December 31, 2018
I have to stop reading these cheap holiday Kindle offerings at the end of the year. They are cheap for a reason. Note to self: no more 99-cent books.

This tale was supposedly set in the Regency era, but the dialog was medieval. The plot combines romance and mystery, but the villain was obvious, and the method of attempted murder was used three times. The plot gets convoluted and makes no sense if you think too hard about it.

I skimmed most of the last half just to find out the heroine's identity.
Profile Image for Linda C.
2,490 reviews3 followers
September 19, 2020
Timothy and his cousin Felix are on their way to their grandfather's home to confess to a lie that Timothy has a fiance which he does not. They come upon a carriage accident and a girl who has lost her memory. Felix convinces Timothy to talk the girl into posing as his fiance until after Christmas and his grandfather's 70th birthday. But guilt and honor on both Timothy and Serenity's part make it hard for them to lie as they develop feelings for each other and try to determine her identity. A crippled young girl is a great side character.
81 reviews11 followers
December 19, 2017
A Christmas Bride

I enjoyed the Christmas setting of this Regency novel, although it was not the focal point of the novel. A case of a carriage accident, a beautiful, intelligent, mysterious woman, suffering from memory loss propels this sweet novel forward. There is the requisite heir and Duke, as much snow on the moors as you would wish for, and clever characters and plot twists. Regency lovers will not be disappointed.
Profile Image for Elysa.
1,920 reviews18 followers
December 15, 2023
"A Christmas Bride" is a holiday romance featuring a future earl, his unfortunate lie to appease his grandfather, and the woman who will help him pull off the ruse by pretending to be his fiancé. The chemistry between this couple was written so well, and I liked them as individual characters. The other characters in the novel were also excellent, especially Theodora. The story is short and sweet and perfect for a cozy holiday read.
150 reviews2 followers
December 26, 2023
A Christmas Bride

The characters were wonderful. The author had me rooting for "Serenity" and Timothy's happiness as well as really disliking the character, Felix. He was a real bad guy in the weasle's clothing! There was lots of excitement and romance throughout the story and a fulfilling happy ending. No off-color language was used or needed to tell this tale . I give this one 5 stars out of 5 stars!
Profile Image for Paula Bothwell.
1,622 reviews44 followers
November 9, 2018
A Christmas Bride - PG/PG13
Violence: none
Language: none
Sex: none. Some descriptive kissing
I LOVED this book. It's perfect for Christmas, or any time. I loved the intrigue and uncertainty over who knows what. The chemistry between the h and H is *sizzling* without anything sex-filled. EXCELLENT book!
Profile Image for Kimberly.
761 reviews5 followers
December 6, 2018
I think I have found a new favorite author. The setup for the story is as old as time (just watched "Christmas Contract" on Lifetime which is a good modern take) and I enjoyed it immensely. This story is laced with longing and attraction, but without the steamy action. Which I thought was perfect. I also liked the author's ability to set the scene and move the characters through it.
314 reviews
December 10, 2018
A mystery with twists and turns that will truly enchant you.

I loved this book. The period dialogue was enjoyable. The characters believable enough to draw you into the story. The mystery plot believable and well written. A good book to read on a snowy day with a cup of not chocolate..
Profile Image for Bridget Love to read Lewis.
2,439 reviews30 followers
January 8, 2019
What is her name

Serenity aka Helen is found in a carriage accident and has lost her memory she is found by Felix and by Timothy. Serenity previously dwelt only in Timothy's imagination. But she fits the description and agrees to the charade of a betrothal to deceive Timothy grandfather! Nothing is as it seems. Suspense, drama and mistletoe kisses! A lovely HEA.
Profile Image for Diane Pope.
688 reviews1 follower
January 21, 2019
Don't be a widgeon

I so much enjoyed this story. The characters and plot was perfect. I distrusted Felix in the beginning. I was hoping that Serenity was a special person, a lady. Timothy was such a gentleman. I loved the interaction between Serenity and Theodora. The sense of family was so warm. The ending was satisfying.
1,230 reviews3 followers
November 16, 2024
Treachery Abounds

Amnesiac Serenity is drawn in to an elaborate deception aimed to ensure Lord Cheney would enjoy his seventy birthday. Unbeknownst to Lord Cheney's grandson Timothy, greedy interlopers were plotting against him. A tale full of drama, danger and romance in the early 1800's. Enjoy!
Profile Image for Kathy.
1,110 reviews4 followers
December 11, 2017
An interesting if convoluted story.

A good story, but a convoluted premise. The story pulls you in from the start and the writing is witty and engaging. The underlying mystery is apparent early, but the rationale is a bit of a stretch.
Profile Image for Sara.
656 reviews15 followers
December 29, 2018
This was a lighthearted holiday romance that kept me entertained. I liked the lead characters Timothy and “Serenity” as well as the side character of Theodora. A couple of the plot lines were a bit unbelievable but I was looking for a light read, so it didn’t matter too much.
47 reviews
January 6, 2019
I loved it!

If you are a romantic at heart this is a good holiday story to help you relax during all the rushing about. It would be good any tme of the year but I recommend it as a Christmas read.
It is heartwarming, has a little mystery and romance.
4 reviews
March 11, 2019
It started out well, a little bit of suspense, ending was a surprise, which was good for I was getting restless. Nothing much was happening but must recommend it for the main characters both Hero and heroine were enchanting.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 78 reviews

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