The Object of His Affection

by Marcia Lynn McClure

It was cold-so miserably cold. Athena knew by the numbness in her own fingers and toes that Annabel's, Marta's, and Bronwen's must be frozen stiff. Yet she hoped that their merriment-in singing Christmas carols on the doorsteps or in the parlors of those who opened their doors or invited them inside for a moment-would offset their discomfort. After all, a happy heart warmed many a frigid soul, as well as ice-cold appendages. As a child, Athena had adored caroling. It was with warm fondness that she thought back on all those Christmas seasons of the past when her entire family would carol to their neighbors. Always her mother had made puddings, cakes, and other sweet treats to bring with them, to give as gifts of affection to their kind townsfolk and friends. And once the caroling was at an end, the Monroe family-Athena's father, mother, and sisters Annabel, Marta, and Bronwen-would return to their own home to sit before the fire and enjoy roasted chestnuts and wassail. But this Christmas season-the season that had always been bright and shining, the season that had always been to Athena a time to consider others, to give and serve-this Christmas season was stark in opposition! Never had Athena imagined that she would find herself in such dire, desperate circumstances as she did then. As she followed her younger sisters to the next door on the row of lovely houses-houses so similar to the one in which she and her sisters had spent only the very last Christmas season-she hoped that the next kind family to open the door might offer her sisters (and herself as well) a token of goodwill-a warm mug of wassail, a small butter biscuit, anything for their stomachs...

Genres: Romance, Clean Romance, Christmas, Historical Romance, Regency, Novella, Historical

180 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 21, 2015

About the author

Born in Albuquerque, New Mexico, Marcia Lynn McClure grew up influenced by the reminiscent stories of rugged, rural Colorado farm life fascinatingly recounted to her by her parents, grandparents, uncles and aunts…tales of runaway buckboards, mule-drawn plows and dust pneumonia; verbalized images of stream-flooded meadows, frozen over in winter, where a child could peer through the crystal clear ice in wonder at the small fish, snakes and mice sealed in the meadow grasses beneath; stories of hardship and tragedy, love and loss. But always the stories, and the people telling them, bore evidence of the wonder and worthiness of simpler, yet sometimes brutal, times.

These influential people and the family legends they detailed, coupled with her own life experiences and utterly romantic nature, led Marcia to begin writing novels as Christmas gifts for her closest friends…friends who long for a breath of the past and miss the romance of bygone eras; friends searching for moments of distraction from the stressful, demanding times we live in.

And so, knowing that it is the breath of the past and the "take me in you arms and kiss me" kind of moments that so many women long to relive, Marcia spins her tales of love, life and laughter…adventures woven around those compelling, romantic instances that most appeal to a woman's loving heart. Marcia feels that if her readers close one of her books with a contented sigh and a delighted smile, feeling rejuvenated, cheerful and edified, then she has achieved what she set out to do…shower refreshment and happiness on anyone having experienced the story.

Marcia lives in Rio Rancho, New Mexico. There she writes her stories surrounded by her beloved friends and family...and the beautiful desert landscape of New Mexico!

Reviews

[Kathy * Bookworm Nation · Rating 4 out of 5]

While looking for fun Christmas books to read, I realized that I never left a review for this one. Which is so unlike me! So, I decided it’d be the perfect time to read it again and leave a proper review.

This is a really sweet historical romance. Athena and her sisters are left destitute after the death of her parents and her father’s mismanagement of money. To keep their spirits high Athena takes her younger sisters Christmas caroling. She’s embarrassed when they knock on the door of the family who helped ruin her father’s business ventures. Rafe (I forget his last name) feels responsible for the situation Athena and her sisters are in, even though it had nothing to do with him, but he feels he wants to make things right. So he proposes to Athena and says he’ll help take care of and set up her sisters with dowries, etc.

Overall, this was just a fun escape. I liked the London setting at Christmas, the loving relationship between the sisters and of course the sweet romance. A quick and Christmassy escape.

Content
Romance: Clean, mild kissing and mild innuendo
Language: None
Violence: None
Religious: None
Series: Standalone

[Heidi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sigh*...I adored this little Christmas Novel. I've said it a million times...NO ONE WRITES them LIKE MARCIA. I was definitely needing a Marcia Lynn fix...and to unexpectedly get a Christmas regency was an absolute treat.
Our hero Rafe just may be a new favorite. "Knight in Shining Armour" indeed. He is an absolute gentleman and came to the rescue of sweet Athena and her loveable sisters. I loved every page.

Quick read
Clean romance
Light innuendo
"Marcia Lynn kissing" ;)

[Kathy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Christmas holiday novella

[Tori (Book Chick) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Super cute, clean, sweet romance.... I laughed out loud a couple times and smiled throughout. I gotta agree with Marcia about the neck kisses.... ;)

[Kim · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh Marcia Lynn McClure *swoony sigh*. You do clean romance with steamy sparks so well! Rafe what a perfect hero! This romance was one delicious literary gift tin of Christmas cookies that I binge ate up in one day! (The fact it was a 180 something plus page novella did help too *wink*)

Language: No profanity.

Sensuality content: Steamy clean. Brief nudity where the hero talks to his clothed brother nude in a not premeditated primitive battle technique of intimidation and confrontation with your enemy, that he had read about in school *LOL*. Kisses on the lips and neck only occur on the page. Innuendo of that sex will occur and has occurred between a married couple. When it happens it happens off the page with zero zilch details given.

Source: My personal purchased library.

[Erika B. (SOS BOOKS) · Rating 3 out of 5]

I learned that a naked standoff is a good way to resolve conflict...who knew?! Boom!

Erika's Amazon Link

[Teya Teya · Rating 5 out of 5]

I LOVED IT!! Sure it was a fast read and could have been longer, but it was deep and loving and yummy. It did hit the boarder of clean. However, it was worded just right as to give the imagination something to go with and yet remain in good standards. I was pulled right in to the story and couldn't put it down. GREAT JOB MARCIA!!

I love Rafe and Athena's short sweet romance whirlwind. Marcia claims it's cliche but I don't. Even if it is I don't care. I love Rafe's mother. That part about the tribal dominance thing, I die every time. I love Athena's innocence and Rafe's immense love for her.

[TJ · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very quick, easy read perfect for those evenings when you just want a smile and a sigh before bed.

[Katie (hiding in the pages) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Marcia weaves a tale, especially her historicals, like no other, and this one is pure Christmas fun. There's not a lot to the plot--Athena is struggling to make ends meet and care for her younger sisters, but she's doing what she can. When Rafe, bound by duty, comes to the rescue, a marriage of convenience (of sorts) results. There is a little conflict, but it's mostly a sweet romance with inner conflict and emotion.

Marcia is the queen of kissing and writes some great, clean scenes, but this one skirted the edges a little. Granted, the couple is married, but not much is left to the imagination in a place or two.

Content: technically clean, as it's not graphic, but not squeaky clean. Kissing, innuendo.

[Richelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

This story was an absolute delight to read from beginning to end. What's not to love about our charmingly handsome Rafe and the sweet and beautiful Athena. ❤❤ I'm not going to give spoilers, but DANG, the scene between Fenton and Rafe where Rafe employs a certain native american means of intimidation against an enemy, I'll admit that was HOT🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥
Romance - Clean 💋💕
Language - None
Violence - None

[Heather · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm a huge fan of this author but.... this started off good but just became repetitive and got worse as it went. I quit reading 3/4 of the way through. I just couldn't do it anymore! The characters are not developed. The MC mother in law actually asks her if her son pleased her in their marriage bed... huh?! That's when I finally gave up on the book. It felt like the author just threw the story together with no effort. Very disappointing read.

[Amy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Super cheesy and but I liked it

[Sherri · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very cute!

This story is very cute! It is short, and sweet. My favorite books by Marcia are in these time settings. It is just what I needed. One of the reviews says that it isn't as clean as her other books, and I beg to differ. I am pretty sure I know the part that they were referring to and it had nothing to do with love making. In fact I thought it was pretty awesome! You'll see, it makes me laugh to think about it. So thanks Marcia for another fun, sweet book! The only thing I'm disappointed about is that I didn't read it sooner, and maybe that I wish it was a little longer so I could see a few things play out. Very cute!! I'm sure I will read it again:)

[Annabel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Let me just start of by saying that I read this holiday romance in May. A bit of a weird choice even for me. But I just love the books by Marcia Lynn McClure and I had this on my wish-list for a long time before I could finally get my hands on it.
I don't know what it is with her books but I just love them. I don't mind that they are a bit cliche, that they usually have a bad case of insta-love or that they move at an astonishing speed. I just love them. What I hate in other books I love in hers.
If you are looking for a nice, short and sweet romance you should definitely check out her book. Even if it's to read a Christmas story during summer.

[Susanne · Rating 5 out of 5]

The perfect quick little read during the holidays! Always love a good MLM book! Wish she would have written this as a full novel but I won't complain. A little escape on a rainy weekend was just what I needed.

[Kristen · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a quick and fluffy read by MLM...she said in the end she wrote it for fun and it was that. Nothing too deep to it, just a classic romance.

Moral Note: Some talk of intimacy in marriage, some passionate kisses, and talk of nakedness. Some innuendos. No language, no violence.

[Chesney · Rating 4 out of 5]

Marcia is amazing!!! This book was the perfect afternoon read!! And I love novellas too!

[Nanette · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book! Such a sweet, fun read.

[Carisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book. Such a sweet read. Sometimes life is crazy and we need a nice novella like this that is filled with love and compassion.

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. So great to read a book that I can share with any friend. Life gets busy and being able to escape into a good book is a blessing.

[Elaina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very short but wonderful romantic sweet book.

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it!!!

[Tabitha · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun reread. I like reading this author's books when I need just something short that doesn't take too much effort. It's a quick pick me up, has all the good feelings, and just a warm clean romance with a happy ending. It makes me smile. And if you need that kind of book sometimes, any of Marcia's books are like that. Maybe they are not the books with deep meaning, but her characters have standards and are kind, and they may giggle a lot, but the humor is worth reading. I know I haven't reviewed them all but as I reread them now I'm working my way back through them all. Oooh, and bonus, this is a cute Christmas book.

[NefariousButterfly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Life's simple pleasures

It might be short and cliche just as Marcia admits but there is something about such stories that can give you that simple happiness that life can be missing at times. It brings a smile to your face and makes your troubles dissipate while your focused on something else.

[Stephanie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Needed a quick FLUFF read. This fit the bill. Super duper cheesy, predictable - all the stuff that take your mind off of heavy books - like Lilac Girls (which is what I needed a break from).

[Michelle Sampson · Rating 2 out of 5]

Read on Kindle and didn't realize it was a novella. No wonder the speed of the story and its resolution bothered me! I would have liked it to have lasted much longer, but for what it was it was enjoyable.

[Megan Evertsen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fun reading

Thanks for the wonderful story. I enjoyed the period that rivaled even Jane Austin.
I have no problem with having the men in the stories so strong and yet venerable. Women are also strong but both complaint each other as they work together.

[Louise · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute book - a little short. I was wishing there was more to the story.

[Noe · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 ☆ almost 4 ☆.

[Angie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice christmas story.