A Regency Yuletide Collection The snow is falling. The wind is blowing. And four lucky couples are about to discover that miracles really do happen at Christmas. Unexpected developments in their holiday plans bring Christmas magic into the lives of one newly-wed couple and three couples-to-be in this Regency anthology headlined by award-winner Joann Ferguson, “a truly talented author” (Romantic Times).
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.
It is hard to rate this book because the story quality varies so widely. The first story reads like a sequel to something I haven't read. And really, a bunch of people invite themselves to your house for Christmas, get there before you, and walk in without the servants noticing? I thought the second story was going to be better but it went downhill pretty quickly. The writing wasn't great, the character development was minimal, and the hero was only marginally likable. The third story was somewhat better, if predictable. The final story I liked a lot. It was different, interesting, and had a strong heroine, something I always appreciate.
My thanks to NetGalley and BelleBooks for an eARC copy of this book to read and review.
I think this book is a good example of how everyone is different and everyone likes different things. This book did not appeal to me. To be completely honest, I DNF'd two of the four stories in it and the two I did complete did nothing for me.
I love Regency based books, have loved them since I was introduced to them in high school, but this book left me cold. I'm glad it wasn't my first introduction to the genre, because I don't feel it represented the genre very well.
This book wasn't one I enjoyed, but others might. I wouldn't recommend it myself. One star.
This was a nice book of short stories around the Christmas holiday. Some were very good and one not so much. Most had a good story line but just needed some more meat to them. But not a bad book at all.
A great opportunity to reconnect with old acquaintances and meet new ones. Each novella combines mystery and romance, and the third a touch of the paranormal. I shall look for more by these authors.
This book has four different authors and four different stories. It brings lovers together , a soldiers best friend keeps a promise to find his wife and marry her and more love. Read and enjoy.
I totally enjoyed all four books that were in this Christmas compilation. They each were filled with loving and giving characters. The last book, A Season for Giving included magic that made the story so unique and wonderful. The stories were perfect for the Christmas season with their uplifting story lines.
I liked all four author's work and thought the writing was excellent. So glad I was able to read this book.