#1 New York Times Best Selling Author Rachel Van Dyken joins forces with Regencies hottest names to bring you a Regency Holiday Box Set of "Forbidden Love"
A Winter Wish-By Nadine Millard Mariah Bolton is as headstrong as she is clever, as strong-willed as she is beautiful. She enjoys her life and, apart from a rather snobbish mama, she is happy with her lot. Imagine her consternation then when her world is turned upside down by the brooding and aloof Mr. Brandon Haverton! Mariah and Brandon are forced to endure each other’s company more than either wants to when a snowstorm traps them in the same house. They argue, they bang heads and they drive each other insane. But something precious is blooming beneath the surface of all that ice. Something neither looks for but both need. Can love melt the snow around Brandon’s cold heart? Can Mariah be brave enough to take a leap of faith? And can a Winter Wish help bring two souls together forever?
For the Love of a Lady-By Kristin Vayden Lady Esther Flanguard is all of the above… but that’s all about to change soon. Because, Essie has a plan. And it’s sure to work brilliantly. The only thing standing in her way is trying to convince Cross—her best friend’s brother—to go along with it.
Lord Crossby, Cross to those who know him well, knows that Essie’s plan is not a good idea. What Essie doesn’t know, is that he’s been in love with her for years. He refuses to leave this second chance left to fate. He lost her once, and plans to never lose her again.
So, knowing he’ll risk his heart, he agrees to play along with her disastrous plan. Silently vowing, that though Essie might be pretending…he isn’t, and this time he’s playing for keeps.
Cloaked in Shattered Fairy Tale-By Kelly Martin Frederick Dodsworth has no desire to find love at Anthony Wexley's Christmas gathering. Yet when he lays his eyes on the beautiful Rebecca for the first time, he is beyond smitten. Lust turns to love. Love turns to jealousy. Jealousy turns to betrayal. How did Frederick Dodsworth become the most evil man in Darenset? Simple. It started with a kiss.
The Devil Duke Takes a Bride-By Rachel Van Dyken Who said being bad wasn't oh so good? Benedict Devlyn, Duke of Banbury, has one thing on his mind and it isn't marriage. But things take a turn for the worse when his menacing aunt throws a hitch in his plans to remain the most sinful and talked about man in the ton. After all, a man cannot keep the reputation of being The Devil Duke when he is leg-shackled to some simpering spinster. But his aunt, bless her heart, thinks she's dying, and believes her nephew's behavior is the only thing standing in the way between her entrance to heaven or hell. So she very lovingly and selflessly sets him up. With his childhood nemesis. A young woman who, though she claims it was an accident, has nearly killed him thrice through her lack of grace and manners. It matters not that the minute he sets eyes on her at the Christmas ball, his blood boils with lust. He refuses to allow himself to fall prey to his aunt's ministrations. That is, until he is compromised and stuck in an engagement to a girl who claims she'd rather jump from a moving carriage than marry him. Funny thing that, for the very minute she says no, he finds his heart very much wants to say yes. When she doesn't leap at the chance to marry him, he sets about to not only prove that he's worthy of her favor, but also worthy of her heart.
A wonderful box set - I have read most of Kelly Martin's books but I hadn't read anything by the other authors before but will now after enjoying them in this set.
A Winter Wish-By Nadine Millard
Mariah is generally happy with her lot in life but her life is set to change when she accepts a job cataloguing books at the new home of Mr. Brandon Haverton. The pair bump heads but sparks also fly between them. Will a winter storm bring them together or force them apart.
For the Love of a Lady -By Kristin Vayden
Essie and Cross have been friends all their lives but what Essie doesn't know is that Cross is in love her. So when Essie convinces Cross to court her that he is playing for keeps. A lovely tale of how love can often be right under your know if you just open your eyes
Cloaked in Red:A Shattered Fairy Tale-By Kelly Martin
A prequel to the beautifully written Betraying Ever After showing how Frederick Dodsworth became the dark and twisted man. While none of the character behaved honourable in this story. Shows how easily love can become hate and that secrets can cause all kinds of problems.
The Devil Duke Takes a Bride-By Rachel Van Dyken
Benedict Devlyn has never been one to care what other think and did what ever he wanted that was until Aunt Agatha who is dying decides now is the time to start meddling in his life - his love life to be more precise. Benedict can't think of anything worse especially when the women turns out the be the beautiful but his eyes deadly Katherine. The last three encounters with Katherine have nearly killed him but when he accidentally gets caught in a compromising position with her, he is left with no choice but to court her. Will Katherine lower the wall's around her heart and let the man who is her perfect match in. Will Benedict be able to convince her of his love when past indiscretion come back to haunt him.
If you love Romance and Regency books this definitely a must read
Honest? The descriptive blurbs for the first two reads were more interesting and better written than the stories themselves. I just could not connect with these stories. The cover (beautiful) and a the read in the Renwick House series by Rachel Van Dyken is what made me do it. I really was hoping that the title held some truly interesting and FORBIDDEN tales. And my rating has nothing to do with it being identified as a "clean" historical romance. I have enjoyed MANY reads over the years that there isn't even a chaste kiss...read Austen? Nope. That wasn't it. Those first two were just epically boring. Sorry not sorry. What saved my rating from a 2 star or DNF or demanding Nook to refund my money? Well, the Kelly Martin read had finally peeked my interest...enuf to want to put the Shattered Fairy Tales series on my TBR. But all that inner dialog *sigh* (if you have read my reviews before, you know that over done inner dialog is a deal breaker for me LOL). And that "evil" dude really, really, really had a lot of evil thoughts rolling around in his "dark and tormented" gray cells. But at least that made for a story. So that was something. I'll have to read the series to determine if Dodsworth really is the most evil man in Darenset LOL - 3 stars 3.5 stars for the Devil Duke Takes a Bride. RVD's historical stories keep improving in character dialog and development, so I'll keep following her ;)
Great book except for the story about the red cloak. That one was an awful story. Did not belong in a romance anthology. If you get this book, skip this one story....
A Lovely Winter Collection A Winter Wish Brandon and Mariah's story was that of instant passion and true faith for one another.Connected from the moment they set eyes on eachother...the rest was history!Such a sweet story that warms the heart! For the love of a Lady A beautiful story where one man, Cross, would go to any amount of trouble to win the heart of the woman he has loved in secret his entire life - Essie.Loved these two sexy yet oooh so feisty characters!!! Cloaked in Red A twisted tale of an obsessed man who had no grasp on the reality around him.Fredrick saw what he wanted and understood things in a demented way. He lived a life of hatred,plotting revenge to people who never caused him any harm.He would stop at nothing to get his way-no matter how horrible it was.A story that truly gave me the shivers!!! The Devil Duke Takes a Bride He lived his life scandalously,changing lovers every so often.But what happens when a rake meets the only woman he wishes to have nothing to do with...and falls madly in love?He simply realizes how much he had been missing all those years in the beds of various mistresses when he gave his heart to Katherine.A funny yet very beautiful story of love and coming to terms with it.
I love historical romance, Rachel Van Dyken and these Regency Authors. All of these stories are well written, smart, witty and packed with emotion. This box set has an intriguing mix of characters and story lines, but I enjoyed them all!
Good except for the 2nd (I believe) story...you'll know it when you read it. Very much about jealousy and not love. Ended up reading a lot of the other authors' books. So it served it's purpose as an intro to new, to me, authors.
I enjoyed the first, second and fourth stories. I didn't even try the third story as I heard it was very dark and I don't like those types of stories. The second one was my favorite as it was more lighthearted.
I enjoyed these stories but I do much prefer a novel to a short story. But as a short story goes I did enjoy and this has reawaken my interest in regency novels