'Tis the Season: Regency Yuletide Short Stories

by Jennifer Ashley, Grace Burrowes, Christi Caldwell

'Tis the Season, a unique Regency romance collection is sure to fill your heart with holiday cheer!

You’ll be swept away by some of your favorite heroes and heroines. Delight in meeting old friends from previous books and new ones you’ll meet again in future titles!

The collection includes:


Jennifer Ashley: A First-Footer for Lady Jane (A Scottish Regency Romance)
When Grandfather MacDonald predicts Lady Jane will marry the this year’s First-Footer--the first guest into the house on Hogmany—she laughs. Her childhood sweetheart is fighting on the Peninsula, and she can’t imagine marrying anyone but staid Major Barnett.

But when the clock strikes midnight, and Hogmany begins, a knock at the front door changes Jane’s life forever.

Grace Burrowes: A Knight Before Christmas (A Rogues to Riches Story)
Chloe Thatcher's livelihood is in peril when her late grandfather's bookshop is doomed to be sold at auction just as the Yuletide season arrives. Aidan Ferris is a man of business for the banker most determined to gain ownership of Chloe's property, but Aidan is also decent, honorable, and prone to lingering beneath sprigs of mistletoe. Will Aidan take possession of Chloe's home--or of her heart?

Christi Caldwell: Home for the Holidays (The Brethren story)
Martha and Graham Whitworth are eagerly embracing their first holiday as a new family. But will a summons from Graham’s father, the Duke of Sutton steal their holiday cheer? Or mayhap Christmas might prove a time of forgiveness and new beginnings for all…

Louisa Cornell: (A Many Brides of Lord Creighton story)
Sebastian and Minerva Brightworth are prepared to celebrate a wonderful first Christmas together. Until Minerva accepts an invitation from Sebastian’s estranged brother Will Sebastian and Minerva’s first holiday together be their last?

Eva Devon: Joy to the Duke (The Duke’s Secret story)
When the ghosts of Christmas past come to haunt The Duke of Blackstone, will he and his new duchess be able to put them to rest? In a story that revels in the joy of the holiday, join the characters of The Duke’s Secret for a festive escape.

Janna MacGregor: The Earl's Christmas Bride (The Cavensham Heiresses)
Cameron Dunmore, the Earl of Queensgrace, is determined to win the hand of his true love, Miss Julia Lawson. Julia never forgot Cameron, but she won’t abandon her family, even if she must sacrifice her own happiness. When a Christmas angel in the guise of Julia’s little brother brings these stubborn lovebirds together, only Cam and Julia can decide if Christmas wedding bells are in their future.

Jess Michaels: Silent Night (A 1797 Club story)
Ewan and Charlotte Hoffstead, the Duke and Duchess of Donburrow, are anticipating a wonderful holiday with their children, family and friends. But when Ewan finds out a secret Charlotte has been keeping, they'll have to face a painful past and redefine their love.




NYT and USA Today Bestselling romance authors, Jennifer Ashley, Grace Burrowes, Christi Caldwell, Louisa Cornell, Eva Devon, Janna MacGregor, and Jess Michaels are ringing in the holiday season with this limited edition collection of short stories.

Genres: Historical Romance, Christmas, Romance, Anthologies, Historical, Regency, Short Stories

302 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 23, 2018

About the author

NY Times Bestselling author Jennifer Ashley writes historical, contemporary, and paranormal romance, historical mysteries, and urban fantasy as Jennifer Ashley, Allyson James, and Ashley Gardner.

Jennifer's novels have been translated into many different languages, and earned starred reviews from Booklist and Publisher's Weekly. More about her books at http://www.jenniferashley.com and http://gardnermysteries.com.

Reviews

[Lu · Rating 3 out of 5]

Five stars for Grace Burrowes’s lovely “book store girl” story and four stars for Christi Caldwell “son goes back home with unwanted bride story”.

[🦉Maggie Whitworth · Rating 5 out of 5]

❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
💋💋💋
This is a collection of short stories from some of the best authors around , a sort of Christmas epilogue to their books that were previously released .
You get to meet the characters of some of their best series and enjoy the festivities with them , where problems are solved , relationships progress , marriages are made . But most of all a good time is had by all . After all it is Christmas .


A First Footer for Lady Jane
Jennifer Ashley
❤️❤️❤️❤️
💋
Clean, sweet and wonderful, a beautiful little novella from Jennifer Ashley .
When her soon to be betrothed returns from the wars , Lady Jane is expecting a proposal, but it seems neither of them are keen on the subject, or of the possibility of being married ,at least not to each other .
But with him comes his tall dark comrade , his brother in arms , and also her future, if he want to be .
Loved this sweet romance .

A Knight Before Christmas
Grace Burrows
❤️❤️❤️❤️
💋
Just as you think this book is going one way , a sad and lonely Christmas for all. A miracle happens , and love is found .
What a great little book, loved it.

Home For the Holidays
(The Brethren Story)
Christi Caldwell
❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
💋💋
In this you can see exactly who wears the trousers in the duchy , although this is an extension of Martha and Graham’s story from Christi’s Brethren Lords Series, it says so much more about his parents and I think that that itself then gives you insight into Graham.
The Duchess Caroline is priceless, strong , dominating in the right way , this is where Graham gets his backbone, The Duke Samuel is stubborn , need I say more .
This is a great little novella that gives you a festive addition of a great story and family, of how Bridges can be built and familial relationships recovered .

Stealing Christmas
Louisa Cornell
❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
💋
Feel like I read a whole novel in such a short time , so much happened and it was really well written , a great Christmas story of family reunions , forgiveness and understanding, I need to read more by this author x

Joy To The Duke
Eva Devon
❤️❤️❤️❤️
💋
So nice to revisit the Dukes and see them all together .
A festive reunion, with a few surprises and some heated looks.
But who is it that’s looking ?

The Earls Christmas Bride
( Cavensham Heiresses)
Janna MacGregor
❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
💋
I love stories that make you sigh , and at the end of this one I gave the biggest sigh of all .
What a beautiful, romantic Christmas story .
Told as only Janna can , a perfect balance of , tears , tension and love .
What a gift this lady has , to write stories that give you the shivers, in a good way , and it’s nothing to do with the snow .
Wonderful!

Silent Night
( 1797 Club)
Jess Michaels
❤️❤️❤️❤️
💋💋💋
Slightly hotter Christmas novella from the Silent Duke and his wife Charlotte.
So nice to go back and spend another Christmas with them , as the first one was when we met them originally.
This is a romantic interlude, featuring their two children, and seeing how their lives have developed both romantically and emotionally.
Lovely.

[Maura · Rating 2 out of 5]

Okay - so this does say you get to catch up with some of your favorite characters, but I figured that like plenty of other novellas this would be a related romance and a chance to revisit the characters. Should have read the blurb more carefully… I ended up DNFing (at the 70% mark) this because it is more or less continuation stories and epilogues for characters from various series, none of which I have read.. And since i haven’t read any of them I was super lost and confused for many of them. The Jennifer Ashley one and the Grace Burrowes story do a good job of acting like stand-alones, but the rest of them drop you into the middle of the story with the presumption that you’ve read the previous story and I wasn’t a fan. If you’re looking for samples to try out new authors, look elsewhere. This is a book for readers of already established series. And lord help you if you haven’t read all of them, because some of them rely very, very strongly on the assumption you’ve read the previous story. And honestly what are the chances that you have? So now I think on it, this is kind of a silly concept.

A First-Footer for Lady Jane - Jennifer Ashley - 3/ 5 - Lady Jane is doubtful when her grandfather predicts that she’ll marry the first dark-haired visitor to cross the threshold, especially since she already has an agreement with her childhood friend John Barnett. So she’s pretty surprised when Captain Spencer Ingram crosses the threshold and she instantly feels a connection and attraction to him. She’s equally surprised when Barnett accompanies behind him. Spencer is fascinated iwth Jane and appalled that Barnett neglects her so. He puts it straight to both of them that if Jane were his, things would be different. And Jane is quickly becoming convinced that she likes his way of thinking.

This was a superfast romance. It very much relies on the insta-lust thing and the fall into love is real close behind it with very little opportunity for Jane and Spencer to get to know each other. Setting that aside, this was pretty good. I liked that the grandfather was being sneaky and it was pretty clever that his message, that life is short and to grab hold of every chance you get, is kinda what pushed them into the insta-love stuff...made it seem more understandable.

A Knight Before Christmas - Grace Burrowes - 3 /5 - Chloe and Faith inherited their grandfather’s bookshop, but because of his debt, they’re about to lose it and their home to the mortgager. Aidan Farris is a former street urchin who works for the mysterious Quinn Wentworth who also has an interest the property, and Aidan wants to help the sisters, but mostly Chloe who he’s sort of smitten with, retain their property.

This didn’t feel as much like a romance as it did a novella-like vehicle for Quinn Wentworth’s story. It was still good, as Farris was fairly interesting and he’s really sweet and romantic with Chloe, but Quinn was definitely the highlight here. Super low on the steam level too.

Home for the Holidays - Christi Caldwell - 3/ 5 - The Duchess of Sutton informs her husband, the Duke, that their youngest son Graham, has married most unsuitably against the family’s wishes, but that she wants them to invite their son and his new family to their home for Christmas to embrace them into the family and ease their way into society because they still love him. Graham has resented his family for some time and their attempts to separate him from the love of his life was kind of the last straw, but his wife, Martha insists on going, so that SHE doesn’t keep him apart from his family. This is their story.

So this was definitely good. But it definitely doesn’t work as a standalone. It feels very much like the final chapters of the Graham and Martha’s book...since this contains resolution to their story and family acceptance, which may or may not have been included in that book. I don’t know because I didn’t read it. So where I think I was supposed to know these characters and their previous struggles I didn’t. I definitely want to go read their book now, but then I’d have to re-read this one to get a better sense of what I didn’t fully understand or appreciate. Caldwell is an excellent author, but I’m not sure I like the idea that these characters didn’t actually get their HEA until a second story.

Stealing Christmas - Louisa Cornell - 2 /5 - Sebastian Brightworth’s wife, Minerva isn’t speaking to him since he’s not thrilled with her Christmas gift, an invitation for his half-brother to stay for Christmas. But Sebastian hasn’t told Minerva his reasons and she won’t give up on this - she knows Sebastian has his demons and this confrontation is the only thing that can clear them and allow him to be wholly hers.

Cute story, but boy was I confused about stuff. I got a bit frustrated that this story just drops you into the middle of these characters story, presuming you’d already read it. It took me a bit to catch up and by that time the story was nearly over. Nor did I have the connection to the characters that this story requires. Maybe if I had, I would have felt more chemistry between Sebastian and Minerva...as it was they might just as well have been siblings (except for the mention of some smoldering looks, but in a telling, not showing way).

[Gemma · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bought this because it has some favorite authors in it, and I'm a sucker for Christmas romance, especially historical.

A First-Footer for Lady Jane by Jennifer Ashley, short but sweet. 3 stars

A Knight Before Christmas by Grace Burrowes was lovely, just wish it had been longer. 3.5 stars

Home for the Holidays by Christi Caldwell was my favorite of the collection. Clearly picking up where another book left off, but still worked as a stand-alone (I hadn't read the previous book, but wasn't lost at all). More than just an extended epilogue, as there was conflict in this novella that was later resolved. 4 stars

Stealing Christmas by Louisa Cornell DNF, I got bored.

Joy to the Duke by Eva Devon DNF (it read like a sequel, and if you haven't read the previous book, it's hard to jump in).

The Earl's Christmas Bride by Janna MacGregor was lovely. Short, yet not too short, it still moved my emotions. 4 stars.

Silent Night by Jess Michaels is again a sequel to a previous book, but works as a stand-alone. The hero is mute, hence the title. 4 stars.

[Sheila Melo · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a collection of short stories which are unconnected to one another (although most are connected to a series the author writes).

A FIRST-FOOTER FOR LADY JANE by Jennifer Ashley:  When her grandfather predicts that Jane will merry this year's First-Footer, Jane is disbelieving. She intends to marry the man she has known since childhood. But at midnight, Captain Spencer Ingram walks through the door and turns her expectations upside down. This was a sweet story. There wasn't much to the romance between Jane and Spencer, but Spencer's sincerely made up for that along with the meddling Grandfather. A sweet holiday treat. Rating: 4 stars.

A KNIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS by Grace Burrowes: Chloe Thatcher is in danger of losing her grandfather's bookshop after his death. Aidan Ferris has the job of gaining ownership of the property for the man who saved him from the streets. This is a prequel to the Rogues to Riches series. I really enjoyed the tone and characters in this book although the romance is merely sweet. I liked this one well enough to want to read the next book in the series. Rating: 4 stars.

HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS by Christi Caldwell: Martha and Graham Whitworth (from THE ROGUE WHO RESCUED HER) are getting ready to celebrate their first holiday together after their marriage when they receive a summons from Graham's parents (who tried to separate them) asking for a reconciliation. This book operates an an epilogue to THE ROGUE WHO RESCUED HER. However, I haven't read that book and this story was still perfectly understandable and I immediately got the issues with the parties and the connection between Martha and Graham. I really enjoyed this story and it made me want to read Martha and Graham's story. Rating: 4.5 stars.

STEALING CHRISTMAS by Louisa Cornell: Sebastian and Minerva Brightworth are going to be spending their first Christmas together but their happiness is interrupted when Minerva insists on inviting Sebastian's brother to the festivities and Sebastian doesn't want him there. This story didn't work as well for me. I haven't read the book that this couple is introduced in and I didn't feel that the story seemlessly introduced these characters to me so that I would care about them despite not knowing their story. The story got better as it progressed, but I think this might be better for those familiar with the couple. Rating: 2.5 stars.

JOY TO THE DUKE by Eva Devon:  Robert Deverall and his wife Harriet aka Harry, the Duke and Duchess of Blackstone, celebrate Christmas but there are shadows of the past. This one didn't work for me. There were too many characters that I was not familiar with not having read the other books in the series. I didn't feel connected to the characters because there were obviously stories here between the characters of which I was not aware. Rating: 2 stars.

THE EARL'S CHRISTMAS BRIDE by Janna MacGregor: Cameron Dunmore, the Earl of Queensgrace, wants to win the woman he loves, Julia Lawson. Julia, however, even as she loves Cam has been hurt by his withdrawal from her life. But even if she can forgive him, she is not willing to leave her family to be with him. I liked this story although I had trouble getting into the story because I was not familiar with the characters and it took me a while to orient myself in the characters and the story.  I did, however, end up really liking the story once I was able to sort everything out. Rating: 3.5 stars.

SILENT NIGHT by Jess Michaels: Ewan and Charlotte, the Duke and Duchess of Donburrow, are planning Christmas with their friends and family. Charlotte, however, has a secret that causes Ewan to reexamine where he is in his life. This story is really an epilogue to THE SILENT DUKE from the 1797 Club series. This was my favorite in this collection because I already knew the characters and liked seeing their story advance. Ewan and Charlotte are wonderful together and this story brings something new to their romance. Rating: 4.5 stars.This review was originally posted on Top10RomanceBooks.com

[Pernilla · Rating 2 out of 5]

Individual reviews below. I got this anthology because I like Jennifer Ashley's histroms and historical mysteries. All of the other authors were new to me, and that is part of the problem I had with this book. I also dislike holiday-themed stories, especially when that holiday is Christmas, so perhaps this book was disadvantaged from the start for me, so please keep that in mind. (This was taken into account when I rated it.)

All of the stories except two (Ashley's A First-Footer For Lady Jane and A Knight Before Christmas by Grace Burrowes) were obvious "bonus stories" that relied heavily on previously published novels, and were basically about already established HEAs having wonderful Christmases with their partners and families/friends. If this is what you are looking for, knock yourself out. To me, that mostly just got cloying and annoying. The main purpose of this anthology seems to be to sell readers on the authors' full-length novels rather than to introduce us to new authors, and it does it in a pretty heavy-handed way, since most of the characters and their interactions don't make much sense unless you are already familiar with them and invested in them. It plays very much to the choir. Also there are way too many dukes. I know that sexy young dukes are basically a histrom staple, but collected into one book like this, it got a bit too silly.
None of the stories go beyond kissing except the last one.

A First-Footer For Lady Jane by Jennifer Ashley (***)
This was the only complete standalone. Like I said, I like Ashley's novels, but I think that maybe she does better with the long format. This felt like rushed insta-love, in a Scottish Hogmanay setting. The MC has a loveless "agreement" with an indifferent childhood friend, and her quirky Scottish Grandpa wants to give her a chance at true love. The MC gives us excellent reasons for NOT rushing headlong into marriage with a total stranger, and then does exactly that, because obviusly, there is no middle way.
Go read Ashley's Mackenzies series instead, or her Captain Lacey Mysteries, written as Ashley Gardner.

A Knight Before Christmas by Grace Burrowes (****)
This story stood out among the rest. It isn't exactly standalone, but doesn't rely on any familiarity with previously established characters or HEAs, since it's more of a set-up story. It is well written, has good, likeable main characters and interesting secondary characters (obviously being set up for their own books), and a well-built plot with a satisfying resolution. The romance was credible and the resolution satisfying. It fills the requirements of a Christmas-themed story without falling into a mire of Christmas-flavoured sap. There are also not a duke in sight. This is the only story in the anthology that I really liked, perhaps enough to check out the following books.

Home For the Holidays by Christi Caldwell (*)
This was very obviously one of those bonus stories that relied heavily on already established HEAs. It is basically about a dysfunctional family being magically healed by the magical power of Magical Christmas, completely reversing their already established lifelong antagonisms. Sigh. Also, the writing ws strange with some rather strange word choices. It was either poorly edited, or English is not the author's first language (or both).

Stealing Christmas by Louisa Cornell (*)
Refers heavily to previous story. Two stubborn people who behave immaturely and are unable to communicate despite being Madly In Love. The male MC comes across as whiny and put-upon (although he is revealed to have good cause), and the female as malicious, stubborn and insensitive (although she is revealed to be right). There are also comments about women having to rule everything (and several evil mothers and grandmothers, except for the good one that was, wait for it, fridged). There is a happy ending, which is less sappy and cloying than some of the others in this collection, but I wish the MCs would have been less idiotic about everything.

Joy to the Duke by Eva Devon (*)
Very gushy and sappy story, very heavily reliant on a previous book. The English countryside is littered with dukes. The one who is not a duke is a virtuous, sexy criminal overlord. Yeah.

The Earl's Christmas Bride by Janna McGregor (**)
There is an extremely precocious child in this who talks and thinks like an adult despite being only ten. (And already beginning puberty, it seems.) Aside from that, a proposal with obstacles, nice characters. I would, however, like to point out that a special license may seem terribly romantic but was in fact usually a terrible idea for the woman of those times, since marrying without negotiations and signed settlement agreements left her with no provisions at all in case something happened. A special license was also, generally, pretty hard (and expensive) to obtain. Even if you were eligible, you needed a very good reason beyond "I just can't wait to sex her". (Sorry for ruining your histrom with facts.)

Silent Night by Jess Michaels (***)
This is the only story in the collection that has actual sex. It also has a non-able-bodied MC (with mutism), and a sweet interplay between parents and children, even though it got a little too preachy and on the nose, and very sappy. It relied heavily on a previous story.

[Sharon Coffey · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a fun and sweet book to get you in the mood for the holidays. Tis the Season is collection of 7 short stories from 7 wonderful Regency authors. We get a glimpse into 7 couples and their famlies. In Home for the Holidays by Christi Caldwell. We get to catch up with Graham and Martha and Little Frederick that we met in Rogue Who Rescued Her in the Brethren series. We get to meet the twin daughters Creda And Iris and see a relationship develop between them and their mother and Graham. I so loved seeing their family come together and build a happy ever after together. . I love seeing Graham build back his relationships with his Mother and Brother and the door open with his father, and they settle old wounds. I so enjoy getting a sample what some of my favorite couples are doing from past books.

I really enjoyed Grace Burrowes book A Knight Before Christmas also. Chloe and her sister had a ruff life only got worst after their grandfather died. So sweet seeing Chloe and Aiden relationship develop and him be a honorable man and be there for Chloe was so refreshing. I so love seeing a hero be strong for a heroine.
Jennifer Ashley book A First-Footer for Lady Jane was a cute fun story I love Jane and her grandfather they made me smile and laugh. I wish their was more from them was not ready for their story to end. I so love a sweet , fun story that makes you so warm inside.
Janna MacGregor story The Earls's Christmas Bride was a great story too. I love when family and friends step in to help a couple get together and show them their happy ending and that they deserved and happy life.
All the stories where sweet and made you feel warm and happy inside and ready for the the holiday cheer. Don't miss out on this great collection of holiday stories .

[Mary Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Home for the Holidays - The Brethren Story by Christi Caldwell
Graham, knowing Martha for less than a month, marries her and brings her three children, Frederick, Creda and Iris together again.
Graham's Father and brother Heath are not happy because his Mother invited his family to stay for the annual Christmas house party. Her reason was to save face from the scandal, even though she could care less about that and now brother Heath will have to entertain Amelia.
Frederick meets Heath in the billiard room and they begin to play. Graham enters and after an exchange of frowns, he and Heath make peace the best they could.
Martha and Amelia have a very interesting conversation that is quite a surprise. They then become friends.
Grahams father will also surprise you with a complete turn around.
What an excellent Christmas story with an HEA!!
I recommend this sweet holiday story!!

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

🎄Wonderful Holiday Collection🎄

Not just a gorgeous cover, but inside a memorable collection of wonderfully written holiday stories. What a great lineup of writers, some already on my “favorites” list and others sparking a need to know more about their amazing characters.

Filled with mistletoe, magic, surprise, and romance, this is truly a welcome treat at this or anytime of the year. Experience a sweet Scottish romance, a promise of hope and security from an unimaginable source, forgiveness of past misunderstandings, the reunion and rebuilding of families, a gift of joy and new hope for a Duke and his Duchess, the renewal of true love with the help of a Christmas angel, and so much more. I recommend you step into this wintry world and share in their laughter, tears and joy. Happy Holidays indeed! ❤️📚🎄📚💚

[Anna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Season of Joy, Happiness and New Beginnings

If you enjoy the holidays, and love to read "Tis the Season" is a wonderful way to start. Seven authors pulled together 7 wonderful couples going from past mistakes, losing family businesses, love for a missing friend, family disagreements and new marriages to starting over and New beginnings.
Each couple with their plans going from being planned to being adjusted to ending with pasts being totally erased and start in anew. Family friends not being home for years is coming home for Love and a marriage just starting setting New traditions.
Each author is wonderful in their characters stories that even though you finished this book you will want to get more of their books....Start the season with "Tis the Season"

[HR-ML · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read each Regency short story.

My favorites were by Jennifer Ashley & Grace Burrowes.
Ashley's story involved New Year's Eve & touched on
the concept of don't 'just settle.' Burrowes showed how
the gift of grace @ Christmas made a huge difference.
IMO, Eva Devon's story meandered, had too many
characters & left too many loose threads.

[Dee Deacon Foster · Rating 5 out of 5]

To date I’ve only read one of seven stories by an awesome authors; remaining reviews to follow.
Home for the Holidays by Christi Caldwell
A broken family brought together at Christmas where the spirit of the season helps the healing process begin. Beautifully written story that will have you cheering the determined women, wanting to slap the bullheaded men, and loving them all.

[Diane · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great collection of holiday stories from 7 amazing authors. Each story is a delicious tidbit of romance. This is just the perfect collection filled with Christmas Spirit and plenty of Happily Ever Afters.

[Kari Maass · Rating 4 out of 5]

Awesome

I love Christmas and these special Christmas novellas bring back some old friends. I enjoyed a deeper look into the HEA of some favorite heroes and heroines and what better time then Christmas.

[Penny Black · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rating for Ashley and Burrowes. I did not read the others.

[SidneyKay · Rating 3 out of 5]

Just in time for the holidays!

Oh by the way, most of these authors have upcoming books. This is the second holiday anthology I’ve read this month and much to my surprise I enjoyed almost all the short stories in this book. I will do a very, very, very short run through of all of them. There are 287 pages, seven authors, excerpts from upcoming books and author bios – so you do the math on how long each story is.

First is Jennifer Ashley’s A First Footer for Lady Jane. Get ready to enjoy the Scottish tradition of Hogmanay. Lady Jane is the heroine who is sort of engaged to a take-for-granted guy by the name of John. John is bringing his dark-haired friend, Captain Spencer to the festivities. Read the story and find out the importance of dark hair. Cute Story. Other than being placed in Scotland, this story doesn’t seem to be connected to any of Ms. Ashley’s MacKenzie stories. Oh by the way, The Devilish Lord Will, part of the MacKenzie series, will be out in November. A First Footer for Lady Jane is 41 pages long.

Second is Grace Burrowes, A Knight Before Christmas. While this one feels like the season, I couldn’t get interested in it. There were toooooo many characters being introduced. This one has Aiden Ferris, Chloe, a beloved bookstore, and a bank. It also has a lot of name dropping from what I’m assuming are other books. It mentions Aiden’s background, also assuming that's in another book, and it introduces Quinn Wentworth who has his own book, My One and Only Duke. My One and Only Duke is the new Rogues to Riches series. There were way too many names dropped in this story for me to enjoy it. A Knight Before Christmas has 40 pages.

Third is Home for the Holidays, by Christi Caldwell. This is sort of an epilogue to The Rogue Who Rescued Her, which is part of the Brethren series. We get to revisit Martha and Graham, aka Sheldon, to see how their happy ending is working out. For the most part it’s working out, except there are some loose ends which needed to be tied. Graham has a problem with his parents, who seemed to have attempted to break Martha and Graham's relationship apart in their full-length book. So, that is the plot of this little gem – to fix all of those nagging family issues. By the end, all is forgiven. There is a brother, Heath. Heath appears to be hero material, but I don’t know if there are any plans being made for this. This was a nice story and had 42 pages.

Fourth is Stealing Christmas, by Louisa Cornell. Ms. Cornell is a new author for me, but she appears to have been around for a while – at least there seem to be a lot of books in her back-list. This story also appears to be another epilogue in which we get to see how characters are doing with their HEA. When the story begins, it appears that their HEA isn’t going so well, since the heroine isn’t speaking to her husband and has just slammed a door in his face. The main characters are Sebastian and his I’m-mad-at-you-because-I-invited-your-hated-brother-for-Christmas wife, Minerva. Evidently their full length story was in a book called Stealing Minerva. There seems to be a number of crazy animals, conniving servants, bosom buddies – can you say future heroes, and of course the hated brother. This was a decent tale and it is sure to arouse your interest in future stories. This story is 30 pages long.

Fifth is Joy to the Duke, by Eva Devon. Another author I’m not familiar with, but I am interested in maybe checking her out her future books. I’m not really sure what this story is about, except there seem to be a lot of characters who are friends and they are all getting together for a Christmas party. Can you say group hug? We start with Robert Deverall, Duke of Blackstone who is returning home to his depressing home called –wait for it – Blackstone. Along for the ride is his wife Harriet, aka Harry. Evidently Robert had a horrible father, so he has to face his demons and throw a party at the same time. This itsy-bitsy story is jammed packed with people. I shall try to list them, but excuse me if I leave some out. There’s Mary (Robert’s sister). Mary has been in love with Richard Heath. Richard seems to be from the underworld. There is the Duke of Drake. Yes, my little Petunia’s the Duke of Drake – Damian, the Duke of Drake. That’s three Ds in a name. Aaaakkkkk. There is also Royland and Ravernton. I guess they are Robert’s friends. Don’t forget the Duke of Harley – yes Harley. There’s Eglantine – a woman not a bird. Marianne, Edith, and some mothers with no names show up. There are lots of lots of people. A sort of secondary romance which doesn’t go anywhere – probably a future book. This is 34 pages of people saying, “Hi, how ya’ doin’?”

Sixth is The Earl’s Christmas, by Janna MacGregor. It’s part of the Cavendish series. Another group hug!!!???? We have Cameron (our hero), Julia (our heroine), March (a sister), Lara (a sister), Bennett, Dr. Mark, Faith, McCalpin, Maximus (a cat), Ewan (dead husband), Kinnon, Tavis, Dougan, another Ewan, and another Cam. It’s a story of second changes and it’s all crammed into 37 pages. But even with all of those people crowded together it wasn’t a bad story and it was a great set-up to other books in the series.

The seventh book in the series is Silent Night, by Jess Michaels. It is part of her 1797 Club series and it also seems to be an epilogue to a novel about Charlotte and her husband Ewan, The Silent Duke. We revisit them two children and five years into their marriage. Miss Michaels manages to pack humor, great characters and poignancy into just 17 pages. Not only that but she has a pretty hot climanism-orgasamax scene between Charlotte and Ewan. By the way, Ewan is deaf and that adds even more to this very, very short story. Even at 17 pages this is my favorite story in the book.

Overall, I really enjoyed most of these stories and if you like novella/short stories you probably should give this one a try

[Kym · Rating 4 out of 5]

Setting: Regency era. England
Genre: Holiday romance anthology

First-Footer for Lady Jane by Jennifer Ashley.
Set on December 31, 1810, it is the story of Lady Jane Randolph whose Scottish grandfather has predicted that she will marry the first-footer on Hogmanay. She has an understanding (though not a betrothal) with Major John Barnett, her childhood friend and neighbor who is serving on the Peninsula. Unbeknownst to her, John has come home for the holiday, bringing his friend Captain Spencer Ingram with him. John is fair haired, so, because a dark-haired first-footer brings luck to the household, he lets Spencer go through the door ahead of him. And so the first-footer and Lady Jane make one another’s acquaintance and attraction follows. As with any Jennifer Ashley story, the premise is unique and the plot is tight. The character and dialogue are in keeping with her skills as an author. Five stars.
~~~~~~~~~~~
A Knight Before Christmas by Grace Burrowes
Chloe Thatcher and her young sister Faith run the bookstore they inherited from the grandfather who raised them. Unfortunately, he also left them in deep debt and the bank is about to foreclose and auction off the property, leaving them destitute and homeless. Aiden Harris is a solicitor who works for a competing bank that has interest in purchasing the property. This is a well-written tale of the miracles holiday spirit can bring about. While the premise is not unique, the plot and characters keep it interesting. Four stars.
~~~~~~~~~~
Home for the Holidays by Christi Caldwell
No rating/did not read. Features the HEA couple from The Rogue Who Rescued Her, which I have not read either. I have read Ms Caldwell’s work and it is generally passing fair.
~~~~~~~~~
Stealing Christmas by Louisa Cornell
No rating/did not read. Features the HEA coupl=e from Stealing Minerva, which I have not read. I haven’t read this author.
~~~~~~~~~
Joy to the Duke by Eva Devon
No rating/did not read. Features the HEA couple from A Duke for the Road. I have never read this author so cannot speak to her skills.
~~~~~~~~~
The Earl’s Christmas Bride by Janna MacGregor
Six months ago, Cameron Dunmore, the Earl of Queensgrace, had to abandon his courtship of Miss Julia Lawson due to the death of his brother-in-law and illness of his sister. Now he is trying to woo her again, but she is resistant due to her heartbreak and promise not to leave her 10 year old brother Bennett, Viscount Lawson (if her brother is a Viscount, why does she not have a courtesy title?). This has stupid-as-a-plot-device, which had me coming close to throwing my device across the room. However, I am not as stupid as the heroine. Any grown woman who allows her 10 year old brother to determine her future does not deserve happiness. I did manage to finish - barely. And barely 3 stars
~~~~~~~~~
Silent Night by Jess Michaels
No rating/did not read. Based on the HEA of The Silent Duke, which I have nor read. Ms Michaels has a reputation of being an excellent writer, so I’ve no doubt this falls in that spectrum.
~~~~~~~~~~
Conclusion: I cannot give a full rating for this collection, given that I read only the 3 stand-alone novellas. I am disappointed that so few of these authors chose to provide original stories. I feel as though I was cheated. However, if you have read and enjoyed the novels on which 4 of these stories are based, I’m sure you’ll enjoy revisiting the characters.

[Lisa C · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a wonderful collection of short stories by these authors. An enjoyable way to start the winter/Christmas season, and as they are additions to existing books and series, its a great way to find some books to add to you TBR list.
A First-Footer For Jane by Jennifer Ashley shows us how the love of a grandfather helps his family find their true love.
A Knight for Christmas by Grace Burrowes shows us how a neighbourhood can rally together and help those in need. This short story introduces us to the hero of her upcoming book My One and Only Duke, and I can't wait to start reading that one.
Home for the Holidays by Christie Caldwell is a very satisfying addition to her book The Rogue Who Rescued Her. It was great to see how Martha and Graham and their family were doing.
Louisa Cornell was a new author for me, but since reading Stealing Christmas, an epilogue for her novel Stealing Minerva, I will be reading more of her books - starting with the Many Brides of Lord Creighton series.
Eva Devon's short story Joy to the Duke is an extension of her book the Duke's Secret. Robert and Harriet are coming home for the holidays, but the past is there as well, and may get in the way of the celebration.
The Earl's Christmas Bride is Janna MacGregor's continuing story of the Lawson family from The Luck of the Bride. Can all the Lawson sisters find their HEA?
And last but definitely not least, Jess Michael's Silent Night is a much anticipated glimpse into Ewan and Charlotte's life from the 1797 Club's The Silent Duke. if you haven't read this series, I highly recommend.

[Amanda · Rating 2 out of 5]

I had such high hopes for this anthology as it combines two of my favorite things in Christmas and historical romance. Unfortunately, I only ended up liking three out of the seven stories. The stories I ended up liking were from Jennifer Ashley, Janna MacGregor, and Jess Michaels. The main problem I experienced with the four stories I didn't like is that those stories essentially required you to read the previous books in each series in order to understand what was happening in each of the four stories. There was no introduction to the characters in these stories as if readers should already know this information and the previous events that led up to this short story. A lesser problem, but one that still bothered me nonetheless, is that the four stories I didn't like didn't seem to have a point to the story and a lot of the time didn't even mention Christmas much. I felt as if these stories were forgotten scenes out of a former book where the actual ending happens much further along than the the end of the story. Overall, I feel ripped off because this anthology was a bit pricey and the majority of the stories were random snippets that had no place in a short story anthology. For the three stories I thought were worth reading, I would recommend readers wait for the authors to release them individually rather than waste time and money on this whole anthology.

[Amanda Hopeless.Book.Romantic · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Books aren’t simply printed words. They are companionship for the lonely, enlightenment for the curious mind, diversion from life’s hardships. Books are wisdom and inspiration and how we ensure each generation can learn from previous ones, and each nation from others.”

A Knight Before Christmas is part of the ‘Tis the Season Novella Compilation and a prequel to the Rogues to Riches series by Grace Burrowes ( @graceburrowesauthor ).This novella introduces the readers to characters in the new series and provides a little Christmas romance. Christmas for giving, even for a supposedly cold-hearted banker. I thought this was a great little teaser and I’m looking forward to reading the rest of this series.

“Sometimes the only thing worse than believing a horrible lie was to finally hear the truth.”

Stealing Christmas is part of the ‘Tis the Season Novella Collection and an epilogue to Stealing Minerva by Louisa Cornell. This short story made me very intrigued to read the original novel and it’s on my reading list. Sebastian is very in love with his wife Minerva, and also very annoyed with her. Her idea of a Christmas present is not something he’s ever wanted, but it might just be something he needs. A woman knows best.

Bookstagram: @hopeless.book.romantic

[Sandy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought this was a romance collection and it isn't strictly that. Also, most of these stories feature characters from other authors' books. I haven't read any of those books, which were full-length novels so these short stories - about characters I was already supposed to be familiar with - were a bit disappointing. First Footer I believe was the only story that didn't have it's own book. It was a cute story but very quick.

The writing was very well done and two stories did stand out and make me want to go and read their full stories.
A Knight Before Christmas - Grace Burrowes. Cute story. Fleeting romance but very interesting with Quinn makes me want to read his story

Home for the Holidays - Christi Caldwell - I thought the story would ultimately be about Emelia and Heath but it was kind of a wrap up Graham and Martha - who have their own story in another book. I know most romances end in HEAs but so much of Graham’s and Martha’s story was in this novella that I don’t feel the need to ever read their full-length story. However, I will read about Emelia and Heath

So I would strongly recommend you read the books about these characters before reading this anthology - you will get more enjoyment out of it that way.

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was a nice collection of Christmas romances that were easily readable in a single setting. Although it was quite obvious that most, if not all, of these stories were set in already well established worlds and characters. Several of them read like an epilogue of an already completed love story which left the reader a little unsettled as they only seemed to get a taste of the story already told. Kind of like the stories were teasers to get you to buy the main book. That I was not so enamored of, but the stories with new or at least new to each other characters were excellent and I really enjoyed them. The one exceptional "epilogue" story was the one with the family determined to accept their youngest son and his new wife (widow with her children) even though they tried to destroy it (apparently, again not exactly part of this story so I am not sure what the situation was) previously. The whole thing was very well written and other than feeling like there was a whole story I was missing, it was an enchanting look into their family life and romance. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

[Betty Strohecker · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a very enjoyable group of seven regency short stories, all completely different. Five of them I liked immensely and would have given them 5 star ratings for interesting characters and complete plots, even in such short literature. It's very seldom that I find that in short stories or novellas, but these kept me interested and wanting to read more by these authors. Two stories were only average, hence my rating, which probably should have been a 4.5 overall. I do recommend this collection for quick, satisfying reading if you enjoy the regency romance genre.

[Gaby · Rating 2 out of 5]

Overall a 2 - 2.5. I didn't like that the majority of the stories were like "epilogues" to others, so I didn't understand fully them. It would have been nice it all of them were really short independent stories.

3: A First-Footer for Lady Jane - Jennifer Ashley.
3: A Knight Before Christmas - Grace Burrowes.
2: Home for the Holidays - Christi Caldwell.
1.5: A Many Brides of Lord Creighton story - Louisa Cornell
1.5: Joy to the Duke - Eva Devon
1: The Earl's Christmas Bride - Janna MacGregor
1.5: Silent Night - Jess Michaels.

[Christine Woinich · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was given as a gift one of these stories. The Earl's Christmas Bride by Janna MacGregor. I enjoyed this story. Julia and Cameron got a second chance at love after a hateful and hurtful separation, with misunderstandings. Both want to do right by their siblings and may give up that love. I loved the loyalty both Julia and Cameron showed until others pointed out that their happiness was also important. I have yet to read the other stories in this anthology so this rating is strictly for Janna MacGregor's story.

I received the story as a gift, and this is my unsolicited review.

[N.W. Moors · Rating 4 out of 5]

As far as anthologies go, you often get a mixed bag, but I thought this collection of short stories was pretty good overall. Some of my favorite authors (Burrowes, MacGregor, Michaels, Ashley, Devon) participated with stories about characters I know and some with stories about characters I've been waiting for.
I also like the story by Caldwell who I don't think I've read before, but will definitely read some of her books. All in all, this is a great Christmas short story collection.

[Cheryl · Rating 5 out of 5]

These were all very enjoyable stories written by very good authors. The characters are connected to previous books and even though I hadn’t read them all it didn’t spoil my enjoyment. The stories included reconciliation, forgiveness, new understandings and new found romance, a good mix of stories all centred around Christmas. They certainly left me with a good feeling.

[Sharon · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great collection of holiday Christmas stories. I've read some of the authors before but many were new to me. Some stories worked better than others for me, but I enjoyed all of them. Several are epilogue style, so if that bugs you to have not read the main story first, be aware. I expect this will be a holiday re-read every year.

[Sherri Lupton Hollister · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not just for Christmas

This holiday varsity pack gives so much in small bites! I have laughed, cried and fallen in love. I have discovered new authors and become reacquainted with others, Tis the Season embraces the holidays and invites the reader to believe in the magic of the season.

[Marianne · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read a couple of the stories in this anthology; they had good moments, but overall two stars is the best fit. A number of the stories were epilogues or codas for established couples from previously published full-length novels which did have an impact on my enjoyment. Still, as I said, there were moments.