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Scandals and Seductions #1
A Seduction at Christmas
She never expected it would come to this.
Desperation and an empty stomach forced Fiona Lachlan to agree to a plan that ended up luring the wickedly notorious Duke of Holburn into trouble. Everything went terribly wrong, and now she has found herself posing as his ward. And while she swore nothing could make her desire a scoundrel, even if he was a duke, she is now drawing ever closer to the one man she cannot have.
"Beware of Innocence!"
Beware of innocence: The Duke of Holburn had spent years heeding this warning, and in doing so, managed to avoid the virginal young ladies who had been put in his path. But now his wild ways have gotten him into real danger. There are killers at the door and a temptingly beautiful woman in his arms. He is about to find himself seduced...and he isn't quite sure he wants to resist this time.
Desperation and an empty stomach forced Fiona Lachlan to agree to a plan that ended up luring the wickedly notorious Duke of Holburn into trouble. Everything went terribly wrong, and now she has found herself posing as his ward. And while she swore nothing could make her desire a scoundrel, even if he was a duke, she is now drawing ever closer to the one man she cannot have.
"Beware of Innocence!"
Beware of innocence: The Duke of Holburn had spent years heeding this warning, and in doing so, managed to avoid the virginal young ladies who had been put in his path. But now his wild ways have gotten him into real danger. There are killers at the door and a temptingly beautiful woman in his arms. He is about to find himself seduced...and he isn't quite sure he wants to resist this time.
358 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published October 28, 2008
95 people are currently reading
1237 people want to read
About the author
Cathy Maxwell
71 books2,190 followersCATHY MAXWELL spends hours in front of her computer pondering the question, "Why do people fall in love?" It remains for her the mystery of life and the secret to happiness.
She lives in the Austin, TX area where she is having the time of her life.
Visit her on Instagram, Twitter, FB, and TikTok at maxwellcathy (Yes, some other Cathy Maxwell nabbed the handle. However, she does own www.cathymaxwell.com and she'd love for you to swing by.)
She lives in the Austin, TX area where she is having the time of her life.
Visit her on Instagram, Twitter, FB, and TikTok at maxwellcathy (Yes, some other Cathy Maxwell nabbed the handle. However, she does own www.cathymaxwell.com and she'd love for you to swing by.)
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 108 reviews
January 6, 2024
I liked this! It wasn’t particularly memorable, but I liked their relationship and thought it was quite romantic. It wasn’t super Christmasy and I was a bit confused about some things and the villain definitely needed worse, but overall it’s a pretty solid winter read.
I’m only rounding down to three stars because I just don’t think I need to reread!
⭐️⭐️⭐️.5/5 🌶️🌶️/5
I’m only rounding down to three stars because I just don’t think I need to reread!
⭐️⭐️⭐️.5/5 🌶️🌶️/5
December 1, 2008
Reviewed for queuemyreview.com; book release Nov08
Free will or fate? The arguments regarding which of these guides our lives and loves have likely existed since man (and certainly women) began to speak. Cathy Maxwell’s latest historical romance “A Seduction at Christmas” is the story of a young man who, through a terrible loss, undergoes an eerie experience and receives a cryptic prophecy from an old crone at the Oracle of Delphi. He then seeks to escape what he believes is his fate, but his actions appear to be useless when his fate catches up to him in the form of a beautiful young, innocent woman.
Fiona is desperate. The young Scottish lass has lost her respectable job and needs enough money to keep a roof over the heads of herself and her loyal dog. She accepts a dubious job with trepidation. All she needs to do is pour a potion into the drink of a lord whose jilted lover is looking for a little revenge. Only when she’s assured the potion will just make the lord violently ill, but not dead, does she agree. When she arrives at the inn, the lord she’s supposed to meet isn’t there. Instead, it’s the man she’s dreamed of since before her life became one of penury. And when three men appear trying to kill ‘her’ lord, she saves his life. Now her life is also in danger, but ‘her’ lord has no intention of losing her.
Nick has spent many years trying to redeem himself from a youthful folly. After losing his family’s heirloom ring and receiving a warning/prophecy from a crone at Delphi to ‘beware innocence’, his whole life changed. He uses his cynicism to distance himself from any feelings and avoids innocents like the plague. But when Fiona places herself in danger by helping him, even his jaded senses can’t ignore the way he’s beginning to feel when he’s with her.
It takes a special author to develop a relationship that feels believable when all the action takes place in a shorter amount of time. Maxwell did a good job of making the circumstances fit the telescoped time frame by forcing the protagonists into closer quarters than would be normal. The action flowed smoothly even with the quick pace, and the supporting cast included some memorable characters that I’d like to read about again. The only drawback would be the rapid turnaround of the hero’s character, but since it IS the holiday season, I’ll just consider that a holiday miracle.
Cathy Maxwell’s regency romance is one that will leave you with a sigh and a smile. Her talented development of the attraction and relationship between the hero and heroine makes this story a kind of Christmas wish come true. Whether their meeting was determined by fate or chance, it was the actions each took and their willingness to trust that determined the course of their romance. “A Seduction at Christmas” is a happy, more light-hearted story that will provide a welcome distraction from the holiday rush.
Free will or fate? The arguments regarding which of these guides our lives and loves have likely existed since man (and certainly women) began to speak. Cathy Maxwell’s latest historical romance “A Seduction at Christmas” is the story of a young man who, through a terrible loss, undergoes an eerie experience and receives a cryptic prophecy from an old crone at the Oracle of Delphi. He then seeks to escape what he believes is his fate, but his actions appear to be useless when his fate catches up to him in the form of a beautiful young, innocent woman.
Fiona is desperate. The young Scottish lass has lost her respectable job and needs enough money to keep a roof over the heads of herself and her loyal dog. She accepts a dubious job with trepidation. All she needs to do is pour a potion into the drink of a lord whose jilted lover is looking for a little revenge. Only when she’s assured the potion will just make the lord violently ill, but not dead, does she agree. When she arrives at the inn, the lord she’s supposed to meet isn’t there. Instead, it’s the man she’s dreamed of since before her life became one of penury. And when three men appear trying to kill ‘her’ lord, she saves his life. Now her life is also in danger, but ‘her’ lord has no intention of losing her.
Nick has spent many years trying to redeem himself from a youthful folly. After losing his family’s heirloom ring and receiving a warning/prophecy from a crone at Delphi to ‘beware innocence’, his whole life changed. He uses his cynicism to distance himself from any feelings and avoids innocents like the plague. But when Fiona places herself in danger by helping him, even his jaded senses can’t ignore the way he’s beginning to feel when he’s with her.
It takes a special author to develop a relationship that feels believable when all the action takes place in a shorter amount of time. Maxwell did a good job of making the circumstances fit the telescoped time frame by forcing the protagonists into closer quarters than would be normal. The action flowed smoothly even with the quick pace, and the supporting cast included some memorable characters that I’d like to read about again. The only drawback would be the rapid turnaround of the hero’s character, but since it IS the holiday season, I’ll just consider that a holiday miracle.
Cathy Maxwell’s regency romance is one that will leave you with a sigh and a smile. Her talented development of the attraction and relationship between the hero and heroine makes this story a kind of Christmas wish come true. Whether their meeting was determined by fate or chance, it was the actions each took and their willingness to trust that determined the course of their romance. “A Seduction at Christmas” is a happy, more light-hearted story that will provide a welcome distraction from the holiday rush.
November 22, 2008
1.5 stars for this tedious and annoying read. What a bad book, a complete waste of money and the time it took to get through it.
This so-called historical is written more in a contemporary language style than in a historical one. You’d think that the author would have done some research into the language of the time before writing. It’s extremely repetitious and in need of some good editing especially when French is used. The characters are superficial and the story doesn’t flow. Every stereotypical romance cliché under the sun is stuffed in whenever possible and they all get the gag reflex going. There’s virtually no steam until the end and all this “love” is too little too late making the “profound relationship” between the h/h totally unbelievable. The h/h are barely together in a romantic way apart from “sensing” that they are destined for each other. The heroine is such a "good" woman you want to slap her. The hero is supposed to be so "feared" but everyone walks all over him. The paranormal element is dumb and just adds to the overall eye rolling “whatever” of the story. The Christmas part is an afterthought and just thrown in to no doubt help sell the book.
How this weak story could have ever been published is beyond me. It’s not a Christmas story, though it tries to dupe the reader into believing otherwise, and it’s an exceptionally poor romance that’s barely worth a skim read.
This so-called historical is written more in a contemporary language style than in a historical one. You’d think that the author would have done some research into the language of the time before writing. It’s extremely repetitious and in need of some good editing especially when French is used. The characters are superficial and the story doesn’t flow. Every stereotypical romance cliché under the sun is stuffed in whenever possible and they all get the gag reflex going. There’s virtually no steam until the end and all this “love” is too little too late making the “profound relationship” between the h/h totally unbelievable. The h/h are barely together in a romantic way apart from “sensing” that they are destined for each other. The heroine is such a "good" woman you want to slap her. The hero is supposed to be so "feared" but everyone walks all over him. The paranormal element is dumb and just adds to the overall eye rolling “whatever” of the story. The Christmas part is an afterthought and just thrown in to no doubt help sell the book.
How this weak story could have ever been published is beyond me. It’s not a Christmas story, though it tries to dupe the reader into believing otherwise, and it’s an exceptionally poor romance that’s barely worth a skim read.
December 4, 2024
The title is deceiving because this book isn't very Christmas-y. A Seduction at Christmas is about Fiona a woman down on her luck who meets a handsome Duke who she then proceeds to poison. They of course fall in love. I liked this book and not just because of the Romance this book is also a mystery. Someone is trying to kill the Duke and while I did guess who was behind it, I was still very entertained by this aspect....( Should I read Romantic Suspense?)
Overall I really had fun with this book. The last week has been very trying for me and I haven't really felt like reading but I was still always interested in picking this book up.
I'm not a Romance girl but if you are like me, than I think you'll enjoy this one.
Overall I really had fun with this book. The last week has been very trying for me and I haven't really felt like reading but I was still always interested in picking this book up.
I'm not a Romance girl but if you are like me, than I think you'll enjoy this one.
December 17, 2021
Fast paced romance.
Wonderful holiday Regency romance. Lots of intrigue to move the plot along. Well developed characters and a nice “happily ever after”.
Wonderful holiday Regency romance. Lots of intrigue to move the plot along. Well developed characters and a nice “happily ever after”.
December 7, 2025
Intriguing beginning, chaotic middle, insipid ending
I listened to the audiobook for this one~
This isn't my first Maxwell book. I enjoyed A Scandalous Marriage even though it was hard to get into.
I love guardian/ward pairings, so just the mention of it on the blurb was enough to lure me in.
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🕮⋆˚࿔✎𓂃 𝐣𝐨𝐢𝐧 𝐦𝐲 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐦𝐲 𝐟𝐮𝐥𝐥 𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰
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I listened to the audiobook for this one~
This isn't my first Maxwell book. I enjoyed A Scandalous Marriage even though it was hard to get into.
I love guardian/ward pairings, so just the mention of it on the blurb was enough to lure me in.
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🕮⋆˚࿔✎𓂃 𝐣𝐨𝐢𝐧 𝐦𝐲 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐦𝐲 𝐟𝐮𝐥𝐥 𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰
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November 8, 2022
3.5 stars rounded up.
Fiona Lachlan is in dire financial straits and struggling to feed herself after losing her work as a seamstress, so she reluctantly agrees to take her friend’s place in a plan designed to embarrass a nobleman. Unfortunately, said plan attracted a different nobleman, the Duke of Holburn, and everything that could go wrong did, leaving Fiona living in the man’s house as his ward for his own safety. She’s determined to ignore any attraction she may feel for the duke, but she can’t seem to help it as she grows closer to the man even knowing she cannot have him.
Dominic Lynsted, the Duke of Holburn, has spent his adult life trying to live up to his father’s memory and avoiding the prim young misses who are thrown into his path. Despite the fact that he’s grown to be responsible, his wild youth seems to be coming back to haunt him as it becomes apparent that someone is trying to kill him. He also finds himself enchanted by a beautiful woman and, though at first he’s not sure if he can trust her, he can’t help but fall for her anyway.
I really was not a fan of the way this book started out. The first half of the story and the way the MCs met just didn’t really work to hold my attention or make me care about them. Fiona came off as a naïve, immature idiot and her lack of fear with Nick from the moment she met him didn’t make much sense. I also wasn’t a fan of the fact that circumstances are such that Fiona’s friend sees Nick naked before Fiona does. I’m not sure why that stuck out to me, but I found it super weird and unromantic, plus it combined with her other behaviors to make Fiona seem even more airheaded. The second half of the book was totally different for me. Nick took charge and he and Fiona had lots of on page time together. This was a slow burn but there was a lot of quality conversation between these two, even if that was sometimes stunted or made repetitive by Fiona’s self-doubting inner monologues and dialogues. I actually found that doubt to be rather relatable and the way Nick reassured her was pretty romantic. I liked that we had a bit of suspense here with someone trying to kill Nick and that Fiona refused to leave his side and was determined to help keep him safe. I also liked that he was very clear with her about what he wanted from her and was completely undeterred by all her reasons why they couldn’t be together, and he didn’t let any disapproval from his family stop him from following his heart either. It seemed Nick was made stronger by his feelings and that helped him come into his own as a confident man, embracing his role as duke. The relationship also helped Fiona find the sense of self-worth she lost after all she’d been through, and I liked that aspect. After all, what are relationships for if not to find someone who brings out the best in you and makes you want to be better.
The second half of this book definitely raised it a star for me. Though this book didn’t quite give me all the Christmassy feelings I was looking for, I did like this couple together in the end.
Blog link: https://mustreadalltheromance.blogspo...
Fiona Lachlan is in dire financial straits and struggling to feed herself after losing her work as a seamstress, so she reluctantly agrees to take her friend’s place in a plan designed to embarrass a nobleman. Unfortunately, said plan attracted a different nobleman, the Duke of Holburn, and everything that could go wrong did, leaving Fiona living in the man’s house as his ward for his own safety. She’s determined to ignore any attraction she may feel for the duke, but she can’t seem to help it as she grows closer to the man even knowing she cannot have him.
Dominic Lynsted, the Duke of Holburn, has spent his adult life trying to live up to his father’s memory and avoiding the prim young misses who are thrown into his path. Despite the fact that he’s grown to be responsible, his wild youth seems to be coming back to haunt him as it becomes apparent that someone is trying to kill him. He also finds himself enchanted by a beautiful woman and, though at first he’s not sure if he can trust her, he can’t help but fall for her anyway.
I really was not a fan of the way this book started out. The first half of the story and the way the MCs met just didn’t really work to hold my attention or make me care about them. Fiona came off as a naïve, immature idiot and her lack of fear with Nick from the moment she met him didn’t make much sense. I also wasn’t a fan of the fact that circumstances are such that Fiona’s friend sees Nick naked before Fiona does. I’m not sure why that stuck out to me, but I found it super weird and unromantic, plus it combined with her other behaviors to make Fiona seem even more airheaded. The second half of the book was totally different for me. Nick took charge and he and Fiona had lots of on page time together. This was a slow burn but there was a lot of quality conversation between these two, even if that was sometimes stunted or made repetitive by Fiona’s self-doubting inner monologues and dialogues. I actually found that doubt to be rather relatable and the way Nick reassured her was pretty romantic. I liked that we had a bit of suspense here with someone trying to kill Nick and that Fiona refused to leave his side and was determined to help keep him safe. I also liked that he was very clear with her about what he wanted from her and was completely undeterred by all her reasons why they couldn’t be together, and he didn’t let any disapproval from his family stop him from following his heart either. It seemed Nick was made stronger by his feelings and that helped him come into his own as a confident man, embracing his role as duke. The relationship also helped Fiona find the sense of self-worth she lost after all she’d been through, and I liked that aspect. After all, what are relationships for if not to find someone who brings out the best in you and makes you want to be better.
The second half of this book definitely raised it a star for me. Though this book didn’t quite give me all the Christmassy feelings I was looking for, I did like this couple together in the end.
Blog link: https://mustreadalltheromance.blogspo...
March 18, 2015
3.5 stars
Cathy Maxwell is a pretty tame writer when compared with others I've read in this field. Her stories are mostly plot and relationship centric, with a few tame and "less is more" sex scenes sprinkled in. I've read others by her in the past and it came to no surprise that this one followed the same format. I liked both the main characters, I liked the wide range of secondary characters and I liked the plot even though I knew who was the "bad guy" about halfway through.
Is this book going to win any awards? Probably not. Is it going to be one of those books on the Must Read Romance Novels lists that pop up on my social media sites often? I doubt it. But this book was nice and fun and a good distraction from my busy life. Which is important criteria to me because not every book can do that. So yeah, 3.5 stars. Enjoyable read.
Cathy Maxwell is a pretty tame writer when compared with others I've read in this field. Her stories are mostly plot and relationship centric, with a few tame and "less is more" sex scenes sprinkled in. I've read others by her in the past and it came to no surprise that this one followed the same format. I liked both the main characters, I liked the wide range of secondary characters and I liked the plot even though I knew who was the "bad guy" about halfway through.
Is this book going to win any awards? Probably not. Is it going to be one of those books on the Must Read Romance Novels lists that pop up on my social media sites often? I doubt it. But this book was nice and fun and a good distraction from my busy life. Which is important criteria to me because not every book can do that. So yeah, 3.5 stars. Enjoyable read.
September 28, 2010
Nice, sweet romantic story.
REVIEWER’S OPINION:
At first I was annoyed when Fiona did a couple of stupid things, up through page 65. The next 100 pages had some very funny moments. I was laughing out loud. There was some silliness, funniness and cleverness. After that, the story proceeded like a nice, typical, formula romance novel, almost too predictable but ok. Some bad guys are trying to kill Dominic.
STORY BRIEF:
Dominic is a wealthy Duke. Andres, a new drinking buddy steals his family ring and disappears. Dominic has had investigators trying to find Andres for nine years with no luck. Fiona came from a wealthy Scottish family, but is currently poor, working as a seamstress after the murder of her parents. Their paths cross while three Irish thugs try to kill Dominic. She helps him by taking him to her flat. He realizes she is smart and he takes her to his home to have her help him figure out who is trying to kill him. Other characters are Dominic’s mother Daisy, who is spoiled, rude and dislikes Fiona. Dominic’s two uncles disapprove of Dominic and will inherit his wealth and title if he dies.
DATA:
Story length: 358 pages. Sexual language: mild. Number of sex scenes: 1. Length of sex scene: 9 pages. Setting: 1800 Greece and 1809 England. Copyright: 2008. Genre: historical romance.
REVIEWER’S OPINION:
At first I was annoyed when Fiona did a couple of stupid things, up through page 65. The next 100 pages had some very funny moments. I was laughing out loud. There was some silliness, funniness and cleverness. After that, the story proceeded like a nice, typical, formula romance novel, almost too predictable but ok. Some bad guys are trying to kill Dominic.
STORY BRIEF:
Dominic is a wealthy Duke. Andres, a new drinking buddy steals his family ring and disappears. Dominic has had investigators trying to find Andres for nine years with no luck. Fiona came from a wealthy Scottish family, but is currently poor, working as a seamstress after the murder of her parents. Their paths cross while three Irish thugs try to kill Dominic. She helps him by taking him to her flat. He realizes she is smart and he takes her to his home to have her help him figure out who is trying to kill him. Other characters are Dominic’s mother Daisy, who is spoiled, rude and dislikes Fiona. Dominic’s two uncles disapprove of Dominic and will inherit his wealth and title if he dies.
DATA:
Story length: 358 pages. Sexual language: mild. Number of sex scenes: 1. Length of sex scene: 9 pages. Setting: 1800 Greece and 1809 England. Copyright: 2008. Genre: historical romance.
February 3, 2024
I read #4 in the series first, so I knew Andres and his sexy purple eyes weren't actually bad news. That one was also a bit more entertaining. A Seduction at Christmas had a high body count for a romance novel, and not in the good way. Some Irishmen are trying to kill Nick and then Fi gets involved because she is well-raised but impoverished and twenty quid without prostitution is twenty quid. Fi tries to kidnap Nick for a bit but that was never going to be a good idea and he doesn't hold it against her, he just brings her to his magical ducal estate where everyone likes him and they work out the attempted murder and get married. This was okay. I didn't mind it, but it's nothing against Andres sexy eyes and imaginary horses.
December 11, 2023
This was closer to a 4 1/2 stars
For a Christmas romance this had to much adventure, drama and attempted murder.
Nick had a lot of fun in his youth. So much so that while on a grand tour he got so wastey that he thought he saw an Oracle who told him where to find a family ring he lost. Years later and he is still looking for it.
Fiona needs money so she agrees to help a woman poison a man (it’s not real poison). She ends up meeting Nick who believes Fiona is the oracle from his past. They then go on an adventure to find the ring and figure out who is trying to kill Nick.
For a Christmas romance this had to much adventure, drama and attempted murder.
Nick had a lot of fun in his youth. So much so that while on a grand tour he got so wastey that he thought he saw an Oracle who told him where to find a family ring he lost. Years later and he is still looking for it.
Fiona needs money so she agrees to help a woman poison a man (it’s not real poison). She ends up meeting Nick who believes Fiona is the oracle from his past. They then go on an adventure to find the ring and figure out who is trying to kill Nick.
December 31, 2024
3.5 rounded up to 4
December 12, 2012
A Seduction at Christmas was a bargain ebook buy for me and I ended up really loving it! Set in Regency England, we have a Duke with a bad reputation and a young woman of good breeding that has fallen on hard times. The relationship between Holburn and Fiona definitely had sparks, but it was also very sweet. Both main characters had their pasts to contend with and within the common construct of a Regency Romance, I found an emotional story that really drew me in. I definitely recommend this one for lovers of this sub-genre.
December 13, 2022
I typically dont rate without completing but this book can get an exception. I was really looking forward to the "ice princess" heroine, but oh wow was this super "not like other girls". After while I cant overlook the internalized misogyny for the sake of romance.
January 8, 2009
Yea! There were many characters in this book, many locations, and interesting dialog. The writing was spritely and fun.
September 24, 2014
Pretty good for a Christmas-themed story. Not too heavy on the sugar plums, thank God.
December 27, 2017
The story was flat and one dimensional and unfortunately the characters were as well.
January 10, 2021
Adventure filled romance
4 stars
Down on her luck and desperate to earn some money, Fiona Lachlan finds herself agreeing to help with a plan that ends with her luring the notorious Duke of Holburn, Nick Lynsted, into trouble. When the plan goes terribly wrong, Fiona and Nick soon find themselves on the run from a murderous gang of men.
In order to protect themselves and stay alive, Fiona finds herself posing as Nick's ward. But with a missing family ring, old friends turned enemies, a disapproving family and someone intent on murder - there is little time for anything else. Except maybe seduction.
Despite being a book that easily stands alone, this book features Fiona Lachlan, the sister of the hero from Maxwell's previous book, In the Highlander's Bed. It's also the start of a new series, Scandals and Seductions.
From the start, the book was filled with excitement, action, adventure and lust. Fiona is a flawed but feisty character whose character suits the slightly intense yet rougishly loveable Nick. The pair have good chemistry and a love you can believe in, even if their own romance sometimes seemed to take a back seat to the action/mystery.
Overall, this book was an interesting read that definitely kept you turning the pages. I felt that it wasn't as strong emotionally as many of Cathy Maxwell's previous novels yet it was still an enjoyable read and one I would recommend. 4 stars.
July 16, 2020
Cathy Maxwell is a real hit or miss author for me. I either LOVE her books (5 stars!) or HATE them. This, sadly, was a hate read.
This book was a mish-mash of half finished plot points (ideas) that tried to pull this book together & failed.
It starts off with a "prophecy" (is it really though?) from an Oracle in Greece. Nick looses his family signet ring (=it gets stolen) and he vows to find it again and make the thief pay! Dun dun. About a second later Nick and Fiona meet and (dun dun!) Fiona is the splitting image of the Oracle Nick met in Greece! What are the odds! And Fiona has seen and lusted after Nick, the Duke of Holburn before, at a ball where she wore the very same gown she is wearing now (what are the odds!). But also, it is her last gown, because she is destitute! (...odds, etc.)
But in order to build the romantic tension & chemistry Cathy Maxwell has Nick force himself on Fiona: "Nick wasn't about to let her go. He took her by both arms, turning his head, forcing the kiss, willing her to bend to him. She resisted, she held- and then she opened." (pg. 40)
Can we please get a PSA out to all Romance writers: Consent is sexy!
And starting off on this foot... No, this is not sexy.
(Oh, and also Fiona admits to another female character that she's been raped in the first chapter, so that's going to be a plot device. No thanks!)
DNF in Chapter Two.
This book was a mish-mash of half finished plot points (ideas) that tried to pull this book together & failed.
It starts off with a "prophecy" (is it really though?) from an Oracle in Greece. Nick looses his family signet ring (=it gets stolen) and he vows to find it again and make the thief pay! Dun dun. About a second later Nick and Fiona meet and (dun dun!) Fiona is the splitting image of the Oracle Nick met in Greece! What are the odds! And Fiona has seen and lusted after Nick, the Duke of Holburn before, at a ball where she wore the very same gown she is wearing now (what are the odds!). But also, it is her last gown, because she is destitute! (...odds, etc.)
But in order to build the romantic tension & chemistry Cathy Maxwell has Nick force himself on Fiona: "Nick wasn't about to let her go. He took her by both arms, turning his head, forcing the kiss, willing her to bend to him. She resisted, she held- and then she opened." (pg. 40)
Can we please get a PSA out to all Romance writers: Consent is sexy!
And starting off on this foot... No, this is not sexy.
(Oh, and also Fiona admits to another female character that she's been raped in the first chapter, so that's going to be a plot device. No thanks!)
DNF in Chapter Two.
September 27, 2024
Plot was slow and meandering, never really resolved the Robin Hood Highwayman situation, which kinda petered out when a big family reveal happened. My main problem was with lack of main character consistency - the nice, kind, cute, secretly crusading minister Will became a not so great man of the cloth as soon as the Lady shows up. He stumbles over his sermons and such when she's around - falling in love shouldn't make one incompetent at yoir job, it should make you better. Quite soon they get together sexually, numerous times, without benefit of marriage or engagement, and without much anguish or guilt, or not as much as expected for a good clergyman.
FMC Corinne was a bit aimless, inconsistent and odd, although she had the guts to try to dump her Philandering Fiance Freddie before meeting Will. Would like to see Freddie really learn his lesson and get a real comeuppance in future books in this series. Loss of status in the end of book didn't do it for me - he's been annoying or just bad to several women in this series, so let's see him get his just punishment, or learn his lessons & change for better.
FMC Corinne was a bit aimless, inconsistent and odd, although she had the guts to try to dump her Philandering Fiance Freddie before meeting Will. Would like to see Freddie really learn his lesson and get a real comeuppance in future books in this series. Loss of status in the end of book didn't do it for me - he's been annoying or just bad to several women in this series, so let's see him get his just punishment, or learn his lessons & change for better.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 13, 2024
I rate this one with 3 stars.
I do not give books 5 stars unless the book changes something in me, so why not 4 stars for this one? Well it left me with some questions, what is the link between the oracle and what she said and the ending of the book? And did the duke's luck change after he got his ring back? The punishment for what his mother did, is it enough? What if she goes off again and starts trouble? The uncles' arc feels lacking too.
Now it's 3 stars because it was really fun!! I liked Fee and Nick as leads although their relationship was as fast paced as they come, but I think hardships bringing ppl together and all that.
I was pleasantly surprised with the adventure and the action and the fact that the "hot" part of the story was well placed and actually served a purpose in the couple's relationship other than just them being into each other.
I do not usually write reviews but this book was pleasantly diverting and I wanted to share the information.
I do not give books 5 stars unless the book changes something in me, so why not 4 stars for this one? Well it left me with some questions, what is the link between the oracle and what she said and the ending of the book? And did the duke's luck change after he got his ring back? The punishment for what his mother did, is it enough? What if she goes off again and starts trouble? The uncles' arc feels lacking too.
Now it's 3 stars because it was really fun!! I liked Fee and Nick as leads although their relationship was as fast paced as they come, but I think hardships bringing ppl together and all that.
I was pleasantly surprised with the adventure and the action and the fact that the "hot" part of the story was well placed and actually served a purpose in the couple's relationship other than just them being into each other.
I do not usually write reviews but this book was pleasantly diverting and I wanted to share the information.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 24, 2025
My second favorite of the Scandals and Seductions series by Maxwell. I already liked Fiona from “In the Highlander’s Bed” so it was nice to see her story arc conclude. I thought the “prophecy” and Holburns luck with gambling and bad luck with investing a little contrived/confusing, but as it didn’t affect the central story too much, it didn’t get in the way. I also found the mystery aspect of this story a little convoluted, but again, it was easy to not pay much attention to that part of the story. Overall, it was a fun read.
Not really a Christmasy story, despite the title, but that was fine by me.
I’ve noticed Maxwell isn’t the steamiest of romance writers I’ve experienced—she kind of breezes through her sex scenes—but I haven’t minded because her character building and romantic tension is pretty strong. Still, she isn’t afraid to get sexy, which I appreciate.
Not really a Christmasy story, despite the title, but that was fine by me.
I’ve noticed Maxwell isn’t the steamiest of romance writers I’ve experienced—she kind of breezes through her sex scenes—but I haven’t minded because her character building and romantic tension is pretty strong. Still, she isn’t afraid to get sexy, which I appreciate.
December 18, 2021
i think all historical romances should be set during the winter or christmas bc this vibes are always immaculate. and i just love a ghosty gothicy wintery love story so i had the best time reading this 🥰
i always liked how clearly and easily any misunderstanding between the hero and heroine were resolved and how the hero refused to let his family get in the way of his love for fiona,,!! and while the whole mystery bit was very cliche and predictable i think it worked for the story and the kind of campyness of it all and didn’t devalue the beautiful romance in any way which is what matters to me
i always liked how clearly and easily any misunderstanding between the hero and heroine were resolved and how the hero refused to let his family get in the way of his love for fiona,,!! and while the whole mystery bit was very cliche and predictable i think it worked for the story and the kind of campyness of it all and didn’t devalue the beautiful romance in any way which is what matters to me
December 29, 2022
Fiona & Nick
I picked this up because I wanted a sweet Christmas read. It wasn't what I was hoping for.
I think I would have liked this a lot more if the heroine hadn't been raped prior to the novel beginning.
There's a lot of baggage there, and it isn't acknowledged to the hero until after they have sex which is way into the book, and yet the same trauma is way in the reader's face, like every other page. Icky.
And don't even get me started about Nick's mother. Very obvious but also pretty sick.
Trigger: rape victim
I picked this up because I wanted a sweet Christmas read. It wasn't what I was hoping for.
I think I would have liked this a lot more if the heroine hadn't been raped prior to the novel beginning.
There's a lot of baggage there, and it isn't acknowledged to the hero until after they have sex which is way into the book, and yet the same trauma is way in the reader's face, like every other page. Icky.
And don't even get me started about Nick's mother. Very obvious but also pretty sick.
Trigger: rape victim
October 16, 2022
A wonderful historic romance!
A good book is a joy, and this one is a wonderful joy. The characters are just right for each other, and the humorous part a joy to behold. Sadly a mental problem discovered also shows how life is complicated, but we use love to survive, thank you, Jack.
A good book is a joy, and this one is a wonderful joy. The characters are just right for each other, and the humorous part a joy to behold. Sadly a mental problem discovered also shows how life is complicated, but we use love to survive, thank you, Jack.
December 2, 2024
Quite Trite.
I listened to the audiobook version of this title, well read by Anne Flisnick. This really was a confused and contrived story. It didn’t appeal to me at all!
I was fortunate enough to obtain this from the Audible Plus Catalogue. There are more in the series to purchase, but I certainly wouldn’t bother.
I listened to the audiobook version of this title, well read by Anne Flisnick. This really was a confused and contrived story. It didn’t appeal to me at all!
I was fortunate enough to obtain this from the Audible Plus Catalogue. There are more in the series to purchase, but I certainly wouldn’t bother.
October 26, 2017
Everything was stuffed in this story...
1) Rape
2) crazy families
3) Insecurities
4) Betrayal
5) Murder
6) Lame sexual content
7) Drama
I enjoy a good read, but over stuffing a story just to fill the gap for me is a NO GO..
1) Rape
2) crazy families
3) Insecurities
4) Betrayal
5) Murder
6) Lame sexual content
7) Drama
I enjoy a good read, but over stuffing a story just to fill the gap for me is a NO GO..
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 5, 2020
Just a bit too much Christmas cheer
Started well, but meandered through sorrow and heartbreak, dastardly deeds and misunderstandings. Usually all is well that ends well but in this case there was Just a bit too much Christmas cheer.
Started well, but meandered through sorrow and heartbreak, dastardly deeds and misunderstandings. Usually all is well that ends well but in this case there was Just a bit too much Christmas cheer.
dnf
December 14, 202550 pages in DNF - Fiona was gang raped by a group of soldiers (not on page) and that's pretty heavy for a Christmas book. Her actions with the duke upon first meeting him, despite her caution toward men doesn't make sense. The weird oracle vision in the intro was also a bit weird.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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