My Favorite Things: A Christmas Collection

by Lynsay Sands

Three classic tales of Christmas and love, together for the first time, from New York Times Bestselling Author Lynsay Sands! All I Want With Lady Prudence's father gambling away the family's savings, all she wants for Christmas is to haul him away from London's most notorious gaming hell. Yet the wickedly handsome proprietor, Lord Stockton, refuses to let a lady enter his establishment. Now Pru needs a Christmas miracle to make her wish come true--and to resist succumbing to Stockton's charms. Three French Hens Brinna's life as a scullery maid changes with the arrival of the castle's newest guest, Lady Joan. Desperate to escape an arranged marriage, Joan suggests that look-alike Brinna take her place at the Christmas festivities. Suddenly, Brinna finds herself being wooed by a true gentleman, and getting the best Christmas present of a new life. The Fairy Godmother Odel is told by her godmother that she must marry by Christmas, and even gives her fairy dust to separate the mice from the men. But Odel has sworn off loveuntil kind and generous Michel catches her eye. He shows Odel how good it can feel to fall in love, but will it be enough to convince Odel to trust her heart?

Genres: Romance, Historical Romance, Christmas, Historical, Anthologies, Audiobook, Holiday

1 pages, Audio CD

First published October 29, 2019

About the author

LYNSAY SANDS is the nationally bestselling author who is known for her hysterical historicals as well as the popular Argeneau/Rogue Hunter vampire series. With her witty and charming personality, Sands describes books as, “Waking dreams or stories, tales to amuse, entertain and distract us from everyday life.” She’s been writing stories since grade school and considers herself incredibly lucky to be able to make a career out of it. Her hope is that readers can get away from their everyday stress through her stories, and if there are occasional uncontrollable fits of laughter, that’s just a big bonus. Visit her official website at www.lynsaysands.net.

Reviews

[Anita · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just what I need to keep me company while I take my morning walks. These novellas are delightful and very sexy little diversions. Wonderful stories.

All I Want: 5-Stars
Lady Prudence is seeing her father drink and gamble the families fortune away in the wake of his grief over the death of his son. Prudence's mother's wish for Christmas is that he stops. Pru is determined to see that he does even if it means crashing a gaming hell to do it. But as much as the owner disapproves, he is also smitten.

Three French Hens: 5-Stars
Brinna is in a bit of a spot. She has been pressed into the service of a Lady Joan, a guest at the castle. But that is the least of her problems, the lady sees a chance to avoid an arranged marriage as Brinna is the exact double of the lady. That is the least of Brinna's problems when she falls in love with the gentleman.

The Fairy Godmother: 5-Stars
Whimsical, magical and with a touch of sarcastic humor. This story is set in 1300 England and is the story of Odel who has just lost her father, actually that was no great loss at all, and has acquired a Fairy Godmother in the for of her deceased aunt who has told Odel she must marry by Christmas. The magic fairy dust has transformed the dreary castle and summoned numerous handsome and wealthy suitors. Odel is not impressed and her poor, kindly neighbor is the only man she has any interest in. But since both Odel and Michel both have sworn off marriage it will indeed take some magic to make them fall in love.

[Hannah B. · Rating 2 out of 5]

@HarperCollins you spent money on this book but you can’t pay your employees a livable wage??? That’s suspicious.

Review will be posted after the HC employee strike ends with a fair contract.

[Lisa (Remarkablylisa) · Rating 2 out of 5]

Honestly---not my faves and it was a mess for the last two stories. Too rushed or didn't make sense. I think one of the stories actually had a man go like "I can't marry her because she doesn't come with a dowry" and only runs after her when her illegitimate father goes "you can have it if you truly love her." Which is???? I was distressed. I need him to just give up the money, find another way to save his town, and marry the woman he loves???

[Blodeuedd Finland · Rating 3 out of 5]

All I want
This one was funny. Prudence is trying to get her father to stop gambling (not funny, that man needs help), but what is funny are her antics trying to get into his club and the chaos she creates. The owner has no idea what he is in for

And then fall in love and her dad is saved

3 French Hens
Brianne, a scullery maid, looks just like Lady Joan. So she goes along pretending to be Joan so that Joan can think of a plan to get out of a marriage. No surprise, Joanne falls for the hubbie to be and he does seem wonderful.

And then they loved happily ever after and it all worked out.

The Fairy Godmother
Odel's godmother shows up and says that she now is a fairy godmother and that she will have her married by Xmas.
A castle filled with suitors, a fairy godmother who does magic, and a stranger who shows up and seems the most sane one.

And then they lived happily ever after.

Sweet stories, and they work as they are.

Narration
I always like Justine Eyre, and I do feel that she is perfect for historical romance. I like the feeling and voices she does.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

All I Want

With Lady Prudence’s father gambling away the family’s savings, all she wants for Christmas is to haul him away from London’s most notorious gaming hell. Yet the wickedly handsome proprietor, Lord Stockton, refuses to let a lady enter his establishment. Now Pru needs a Christmas miracle to make her wish come true—and to resist succumbing to Stockton’s charms.

Good story. Pru's father is drowning his grief over his son's death in alcohol and gambling, to the point where the bill collectors are beating at the door. Desperate to stop him before he lands the family in the poorhouse or debtor's prison, Pru decides to take matters into her own hands by invading the gaming hell. Unfortunately for her, not only are her efforts unsuccessful, they bring her to the attention of the hell's owner. Stephen started his business after his own father beggared the family with his gambling. He's not about to let Pru ruin his business.

I liked both Pru and Stephen. She is determined to protect her family by any method necessary, and her schemes become increasingly wild. There are some hilarious moments as she creates chaos with her attempts. Stephen's charms are an unwanted distraction. Stephen is equally distracted by Pru, who quickly worms her way into his heart. I loved seeing how Pru's determination and her eloquence about the effects on her family eventually make an impression. Stephen is a good man at heart. He tries to protect Pru from the consequences of her action. Their mutual attraction develops rapidly, and the time they spend together deepens their feelings for each other. But Pru makes it clear that she can't give her heart to someone who can cause so much pain for others.

I loved the ending. I loved Stephen's big moment as he finally understands Pru's pain. What he did next wasn't much of a surprise, but solidified his nice guy status. I loved the scene with Pru's father in the kitchen at Pru's house. It was truly satisfying to see her mother blast her husband and watch as the truth of the situation finally makes an impression.


Three French Hens

Brinna’s life as a scullery maid changes with the arrival of the castle’s newest guest, Lady Joan. Desperate to escape an arranged marriage, Joan suggests that look-alike Brinna take her place at the Christmas festivities. Suddenly, Brinna finds herself being wooed by a true gentleman, and getting the best Christmas present of all: a new life.

Good story. Brinna is a scullery maid who is coerced by a castle guest into taking her place. Joan, who is nearly identical to Brinna, is betrothed to Royce, a Scot. Joan has no intention of marrying a heathenish Scot and prevails upon Brinna to take her place while Joan figures out how to get out of it. Brinna is reluctant but consents when offered enough money to take care of her aging foster mother. There was some question as to whether Brinna could learn enough to pass for a noblewoman, but ends up being a quick study.

Royce isn't thrilled to be marrying Joan, who he has heard is a spoiled brat (she was). But she comes with a large dowry, which he needs to restore his estate, beggared by his father. Royce is determined to spend time with Joan and get to know her before the marriage takes place.

The first few days were a mess, as Joan's best friend Sabrina does her best to keep Brinna and Royce apart, preserving the deception. She was quite obnoxious in the process, and Royce's frustration was evident. But when she takes ill, Royce finally has his chance. I loved seeing Brinna and Royce together. She was sympathetic to his dilemma and did her best to convince Joan that Royce was not the barbarian she thought he was. Royce was drawn to Brinna's kindness and humor. The more time they spent together, the closer they became, and the greater Brinna's guilt grew. The arrival of Joan's father precipitated a great many events as things began to unravel. I enjoyed the resolution, though I had already suspected part of the backstory.


The Fairy Godmother

Odel is told by her godmother that she must marry by Christmas, and even gives her fairy dust to separate the mice from the men. But Odel has sworn off love…until kind and generous Michel catches her eye. He shows Odel how good it can feel to fall in love, but will it be enough to convince Odel to trust her heart?

Good story. Odel spent her life under the thumb of her controlling father. The story opens just after his death when Odel realizes that she is now free to do as she wishes. She barely has a chance to think about what she wants when her fairy godmother shows up. In her earthly life, Tildy was Odel's mother's best friend and has now made it her mission to find Odel a husband. However, a husband is the last thing Odel wants. Tildy is determined to have Odel married by Christmas and throws herself and her fairy magic into the process. Odel soon finds herself inundated with handsome, wealthy suitors vying for her hand.

Into this chaos comes Michel, a neighboring knight who is on the way home with his squire. Caught in a snowstorm with tiring horses and an ill squire, Michel stops at Roswald for shelter. Odel is rather rude at first, believing him to be another unwanted suitor, but once she understands the truth, she is very helpful.

I liked Michel. He is not exceptionally handsome nor wealthy, but he is nice. He treats Odel well and doesn't try to tell her what to do. This is an eye-opener for Odel, who believed that all men were like her father. It was sweet to see the friendship that grew between them over shared conversations at dinner and chess games between evenly matched opponents. I liked seeing their friendship grow into something more and enjoyed seeing the attraction between them explode. Things became complicated when Odel's suspicions ran into Tildy's machinations and Odel pushed Michel away. I liked how Tildy set Odel straight on the difference between magic and true love. I loved Odel's big moment at the end as she made everything right.

[Harisa- EsquiredToRead · Rating 3 out of 5]

The first one was good!

The second one was bad! (I hate the secret identity/swapped identity/mistaken identity thing. Hate it).

The third one was okay! It was very short. Kinda wish it was longer. I like that they both had commitment issues for their two separate reasons though. I appreciate that haha.

[Romanticamente Fantasy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Simo_Mica - per RFS
.


Un desiderio a Natale è una raccolta di tre racconti dell’autrice Lynsay Sands: Lettera di Natale, Le tre fanciulle francesi, La fata madrina.

Il primo è un Regency, che tratta la divertente storia di Lady Prudence Prescott e Stephen Ballard, lord Stockton.

Il racconto inizia poco prima di Natale, mostrandoci la nostra eroina in una situazione finanziaria precaria, causatale dal padre, che passa le sue giornate bevendo e giocando d’azzardo.

Nel tentativo di far avverare il desiderio espresso dalla madre, il giorno della Vigilia, (“Per Natale desidero soltanto che tuo padre smetta di giocare d’azzardo, prima di farci finire tutti nella prigione dei debitori.” Tratto dal libro), Prudence prova a parlare con il padre e ad attirare la sua attenzione, ma a causa dei suoi vizi non riesce mai a trovarlo in casa. È così che, tenendo fede al detto “Aiutati che Dio ti aiuta”, grazie al suo ingegno, tenta di “aiutare Dio a impacchettare il regalo di Natale per sua madre” (Tratto dal libro).

Lord Stockton si incontrerà con Prudence nel momento in cui la giovane farà di tutto per poter accedere alla fiorente casa da gioco di cui è proprietario: si travestirà da uomo, proverà a intossicare il padre nel locale, si scontrerà con il buttafuori, si spaccerà per una cameriera e organizzerà una protesta.

Di questo racconto ho apprezzato sia l’ambientazione, sia i personaggi. Quanto ai protagonisti, li ho trovati entrambi intriganti, anche se devo confessare di essere stata conquistata dall’anticonformismo e dalla grande audacia di Prudence.

Ho amato tantissimo questo racconto, gioendo per ogni sua riga e, proprio per questo, riconosco di essere rimasta un po’ delusa dalla sua brevità. A mio avviso, con qualche ritocco e aggiunta, sarebbe potuto diventare un bel romanzo.

Il secondo racconto, Le tre fanciulle francesi, è ambientato sempre la Vigilia di Natale, in un periodo non precisato dell’Inghilterra medievale e, a essere onesta, non l’ho apprezzato molto, sia per l’ambientazione, che per la storia, a mio parere un po’ inverosimile.

Brinna, che lavora come sguattera nella cucina del castello di Lord Menton, durante una festa organizzata dal padrone di casa, si ritrova a svolgere il ruolo di cameriera di una delle ospiti, Lady Joan. Quest’ultima, approfittando dall’assenza del padre, per evitare di subire le attenzioni del suo promesso sposo, Royce of Thurleah, grazie alla straordinaria somiglianza con Brinna, decide di attuare uno scambio di persona.

La terza fanciulla, cui fa riferimento il titolo, è la cugina di Lady Joan. Ella ha il ruolo di seguire Brinna come un’ombra ed evitare che qualcuno si accorga dell’inganno.

Sia il corteggiamento che i personaggi sono ben pennellati e la scrittura è piacevole e scorrevole. Ciò che non mi ha convinta è l’improbabilità del piano. Considerando l’alto numero fra nobili, cavalieri e inservienti che si muovono all’interno di un castello, infatti, mi sembra impossibile che un tale scambio, per giunta tra persone di ceti tanto differenti, passi inosservato.

Tralasciando questo aspetto, la scrittura è bella e scorrevole e, trattandosi di un racconto natalizio, non posso non sottolineare la nota di romanticismo e il lieto fine molto graditi, che rendono Le tre fanciulle francesi un racconto carino, che fa sognare.

L’ultimo, La fata madrina, è ambientato nell’Inghilterra del 1324, una settimana prima di Natale.

Nel racconto troviamo una fata madrina che va in aiuto di Odel, la figlioccia rimasta orfana Tuttavia, la sua protetta non è una bimba in difficoltà, ma una venticinquenne in età di marito, convinta di non volersi sposare.

Dopo la tirannia del padre, infatti, la giovane ha paura di una possibile tirannia da parte del marito, il quale, insieme a lei, acquisirebbe anche la sua dote e il suo castello di Roswald. Malgrado ciò, in una settimana, Odel si ritroverà catapultata in un mondo caotico e pieno di ricchi pretendenti che aspirano alla sua mano.

Nel frattempo, di ritorno da un lungo viaggio, il suo vicino Michael Suthtun è costretto a chiederle ospitalità e così, in mezzo a tanti personaggi strani, lui spiccherà per la sua normalità e, poco per volta, riuscirà a conquistare il cuore della fanciulla.

Ciò che mi è piaciuto di questa storia d’amore è il contesto fiabesco che la incornicia: la polverina magica, il vischio, un bel paesaggio autunnale, la festa natalizia, il teatro e, alla fine, l’amore.

L’aspetto positivo e il fil rouge di Un desiderio a Natale, sono lo stile dell’autrice, che io apprezzo in tutti i suoi libri, il romanticismo e la magia di questi simpatici racconti.

[Judy & Marianne from Long and Short Reviews · Rating 4 out of 5]

Romance is in the air this Christmas!

All I Want

Prudence and Stephen are such a fun couple to watch! Their tale is the perfect start to this collection. Prudence has so many outlandish schemes and plots to try and stop her father from gambling, and they all go hilariously wrong. While Prudence has good intentions, chaos always seems to follow her. I never knew what she was going to try next. Prudence certainly keeps Stephen on his toes, and I found myself laughing throughout their story.

Despite how much fun it is to watch Prudence and Stephen, her family’s situation is very serious. Ms. Sands perfectly balanced Prudence’s amusing antics with the precarious financial situation of Prudence’s family. My heart broke for her when she finally gave up hope just as she and Stephen realized they were falling in love. I will say the solution to Prudence’s problem was a bit predictable, but was very sweet.

Three French Hens

Brinna and Royce’s story was unusual. When Lady Joan and her best friend Sabrina practically force Brinna to impersonate her, I had serious doubts about Brinna’s ability to learn to successfully impersonate a noble woman. This implausible plot was made a bit more believable by the fact that barely anyone at the party truly knew Lady Joan. Sabrina is especially irritating in her efforts to keep people as far away from Brinna as possible while she is acting as Lady Joan.

Royce is very persistent and makes every effort to get to know Brinna, thinking she is Joan. Brinna and Royce have great chemistry, and I enjoyed watching them fall in love. I really had no idea how the story would end, and I must say that the conclusion was interesting if a bit abrupt. Brinna’s happy ending is well deserved.

The Fairy Godmother

Odel and Michel’s story is my favorite in this anthology. I felt so sorry for Odel. While her father was living, her life had no joy. His passing allowed her to breath and live life on her own terms. Unfortunately, her fairy godmother, Matilda, seems to have other ideas. Matilda seems to think Odel needs a husband. Despite Odel’s protests, Matilda presents Odel with a multitude of suitors, and all of them are completely ridiculous.

Michel is a breath of fresh air. Of all the couples in this anthology, Odel and Michel’s relationship felt the most natural. While they found each other attractive, they didn’t fall in love at first sight. Instead, they grew on each other. I loved watching them spend time together talking and playing chess. With Michel’s help, Odel gradually came out of her shell. Their happy ending is extremely satisfying.

I highly recommend My Favorite Things to fans of historical romance. It is a heartwarming collection of stories sure to get readers in the Christmas spirit!

[Catherine Stein · Rating 3 out of 5]

This story collection was reasonably entertaining, but not quite my cup of tea. The stories are all from 20+ years ago, and there were just a few too many old-school consent issues in them (deception, forced kisses). Also, there were a lot of super annoying side characters. (You can have decent women who aren't the heroine! Honest!) But there were still a lot of funny and sweet moments, and each story was a really quick read.

[Eden · Rating 2 out of 5]

2019 bk 427. I have never been disappointed by Lynsay Sands before, but this collection, well, it couldn't hold my interest. I'm not sure if it was myself or the book and I sincerely hope that other folks did enjoy it. I didn't. Not a keeper.

[Elley Murray]

Just couldn't get into this one, abandoned. Note to self: maybe try again another time.

[Mephala · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was pleasantly surprised by this bundle; the stories were not overly long, but still engaging and quite entertaining. It was my first time reading Lynsay Sands’s book and I’m thoroughly enjoyed her light and smooth prose.

I enjoyed reading all three novellas, but if I had to choose the least engaging for me, it’d be the last one - Three French Hens . I just couldn’t fully connect to the characters or the plot.

My favorite was definitely The Fairy Godmother , even though I didn’t expect a full blown fantasy/fairy tale themed plot, the story was so charming and fun I read it one go.

The least memorable, albeit so wonderfully wacky, was the first novella - All I Want . It honestly reminded me of good old romantic comedies, where mayhem and chaos just follows the main heroine wherever she goes.

The other thing I enjoyed about this bundle (anthology?) was that the Holiday/Christmas theme was very subtle. The festivities are just there in the background, so even if you – like me – didn’t actually finish this one during Christmas, it doesn’t feel “weird” going back long after Holidays.
Pretty nice set of stories!

3/5 Stars

[Elaine · Rating 4 out of 5]

3 good stories in this Christmas Collection. 4☆ second reading 7/9/22

All I Want: this was my favourite of the three stories. Oh so funny. I couldn't stop laughing at the antics of Prudence, especially when her breeches fell down - she just couldn't help herself. Such a lovely HEA.

Three French Hens: Brinna works in the kitchen, but has been asked to help out as a maid to Lady Joan. However, Joan has asked Brinna to take her place, as she looks quite a lot like her - and in doing so Joan would not suffer the man whom her father is determined to marry her off to.
(I could see where this was going 😀)

The Fairy Godmother: I liked this story too, which was set in 1324. This story was a bit magical. Odel has just lost her father. Her Godmother, Aunt Matilda, appears and is going to help Odel to find a husband. Matilda casts spells to help Odel to get a husband. It all gets out of hand and some chaos ensues.

[Romance · Rating 3 out of 5]

Three short Christmas romances. About 2.5 stars

First one - cute. Has some antics that made me smile. Overall it was ok. Heorine keeps coming up with schemes to talk to her dad at a gaming hell so they don’t end up destitute. She can’t catch him at home so she goes where he’s gambling and keeps running into the owner and she accidentally causes him headaches over and over...kinda an I love Lucy take. Sorta cute but I feel like everything wrapped too quickly in the end. Dad was saved too fast and it was troublesome that the hero jumped in and saved the whole family. I feel like he will be doing that a lot.

Second one - serious plot manipulation to get HEA. The heroine is a scullery maid who looks just like the daughter of a wealthy high born gentleman. They switch places and the hero falls in love with the scullery maid. He is so happy because it was an arrangement for marriage so he could save his people but finds her delightful. While the hero loved the poor scullery maid and she loves him, he rejected her at the alter when he realized she couldn’t provide a dowry. She’s finally comes clean and she’s so kind. She even tried to give him the money she got for switching places so he can help his people. Then boom every one learns she’s the long lost daughter of the wealthy nobleman (ie she’s a half sister to the woman she looks like and switched places with...hmmm that’s convenient). So now the hero can marry her. And she now gains a family. It felt like a force fit and a not so happy Cinderella remake because the hero isn’t willing to marry her until he gets the dowry.

Third and final story was just odd. Heroines father dies and her dead relative..a cousin...is her fairy godmother who manipulates heorine and the neighboring nobleman into situations so they can fall in love. No chemistry on this one. Not very good either.

[Sissy's Romance Book Review · Rating 5 out of 5]

My Favorite Things by Lynsay Sands is A Christmas Collection with 3 books and totaling about 384 pages. This box set has Ms. Sands Christmas themed historical Romances that are sold separately but with this set can be found together. Ms. Sands is all time favorite author of mine and I can highly recommend her books. Ms. Sands takes you into her stories that bring you through the characters emotions. The books that you are getting are as follows:

All I Want
With Lady Prudence’s father gambling away the family’s savings, all she wants for Christmas is to haul him away from London’s most notorious gaming hell. Yet the wickedly handsome proprietor, Lord Stockton, refuses to let a lady enter his establishment. Now Pru needs a Christmas miracle to make her wish come true—and to resist succumbing to Stockton’s charms.

Three French Hens
Brinna’s life as a scullery maid changes with the arrival of the castle’s newest guest, Lady Joan. Desperate to escape an arranged marriage, Joan suggests that look-alike Brinna take her place at the Christmas festivities. Suddenly, Brinna finds herself being wooed by a true gentleman, and getting the best Christmas present of all: a new life.

The Fairy Godmother
Odel is told by her godmother that she must marry by Christmas, and even gives her fairy dust to separate the mice from the men. But Odel has sworn off love…until kind and generous Michel catches her eye. He shows Odel how good it can feel to fall in love, but will it be enough to convince Odel to trust her heart?

[Cerian · Rating 4 out of 5]

All I Want: 4.5 ⭐️
This was so much fun and had me cackling! Prudence is on a mission to stop her dad from gambling away the last of the family’s money, something that brings her into direct contact with gambling club owner, Stephen.
Prudence engages in ever more elaborate ways to keep her father from gambling, each of them hilariously backfiring and entangling her more with Stephen. They had a fun and flirty chemistry that naturally grew in steaminess and emotion.

Three French Hens: 3 ⭐️
This was a cute little medieval Christmas story. Brinna, a scullery maid, is convinced to switch places with Lady Joan when Joan’s betrothed comes to visit so Joan has time to come up with a plan to avoid the marriage. Of course, Brinna starts to fall in love with the handsome and kind Lord Royce who needs to marry a girl with a dower to support his people.
I think the false identity switcheroo went on a bit too long and made things a bit uncomfortable as Brinna and Royce’s relationship steams up. But they were a really sweet and well-matched couple.

The Fairy Godmother: 4 ⭐️
This was slightly mad, but a lot of fun! Odel’s miserable, controlling father has died and when her Aunt Tildy - her dead Aunt Tildy - turns up after the funeral and informs Odel that she’s her fairy godmother, Odel thinks she’s losing her marbles. But Tildy works her magic, with the aim of seeing Odel happily married by Christmas.
I loved Odel and Michel’s whirlwind romance - neither of them wanted to marry when they met, but as they spend more time together they fall in love and had a really great chemistry. The magical shenanigans made me chuckle and it was just really cute.

[Sandy Frediani · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved all three stories. Characters engaging and storylines flowed nicely. I do love some humor with my romance and these delivered both. I laughed and chuckled all the way through. A couple of quibbles, though -

All I Want - mentions of a horse emetic. An emetic is something that induces nausea and vomiting. Horse cannot vomit. What goes in one end, must come out the other.

The Fairy Godmother - it's retch, not wretch. I don't know how many times I catch this error in so many books. Retch is a verb and means to vomit or eject the contents of one's stomach. Wretch is a noun and is someone you feel sorry for. The difference between a verb and a noun should be enough to know when to use which one.

Neither of these was enough to really throw me out of the stories, but they were 'tripping' spots.
Otherwise, well done.

[Alisa Jenkins · Rating 5 out of 5]

All I Want:
Enjoyed, loved Prudence's actions
The chemistry between Lord Stockton and Prudence was great. This was more of a comedy romance.

Three French Hens:
Good story, but you get the feeling you've read this story before.
I do like the ending, but I did get a little worried for Brinna for a while there.

The Fairy Godmother:
Wow, what a whirlwind! That was a crazy story. I started to figure things out right before Odel thought she had-she hadn't though.
I did enjoy this story.

Overall, I enjoyed all 3 stories very much. I have been wanting to read them for a long time,. each book has been on my wish list for awhile and I put off buying them. But I'm glad I did and could get them all in one collection to read a one time.

[Elspeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed the first two stories, but the last one wasn't as strong.

In the first story, Prudence tries to convince her father to stop gambling away their money. She meets the gaming hell owner and ultimately convinces him to find a better way to make money.

In the second story, a scullery maid looks almost identical to a lady who is betrothed to the local gentry. Lady Joan doesn't want to marry him, so she convinces Brenna (?) to pose as her for the length of a garden party. The ending was somewhat to be expected, but how they got there was a fun story.

The 3rd story has a ghost/fairy godmother. Odiile's father dies and her dead aunt comes back as her fairy godmother to marry her off. I liked the characters but the magical storyline was pretty lame.

[Karen Griffin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved every moment.

You can't go wrong with L. Sands. Her books are always a pleasure. This collection was excellent. Truly sprung from Christmas magic. The stories make me laugh out loud and forget my cares and woes. These are beautiful fairy tales of love and magic. She can spin a tale like no one else, and she's so outrageous that she just makes me cackle right out loud as I picture the predicament she portrays. A true talent to combine love and humor for an uproarious good time. Full of holiday spirit and laughter. Enjoy.

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Three enjoyable short stories. All I Want is about a young woman trying to fulfill her mother’s Christmas wish of getting her husband to stop drinking and gambling before the family ends up in debtor’s prison. Three French Hens is about a kitchen maid changing places with a lady of society who does not want to marry the man chosen by her family. The Fairy Godmother is about a young lady’s deceased godmother who comes back as an angel-in-training and helps her find a suitable husband.

[Lys Reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

Story 1: All I Want - 4 stars
Story 2: Three French Hens - 3 stars
Story 3: The Fairy Godmother - 4 stars

I think this collection is worth picking up if you are looking a short story regency romance collection. Even though these stories are set over Christmas, it wasn't overly Christmas-y. But I've heard that in that era they didn't celebrate the holidays like we do now a days, so that might be why.

[Jennifer Goudeau · Rating 4 out of 5]

Things I did not want:
-lots of conflict
-heavy plot

Things I did want:
-Happy endings
-sweet, fluffy romance
-a feel-good Christmas story

I received everything I wanted and nothing I didn't. I wasn't even mad about the complete lack of historical accuracy throughout the entire thing. If you're looking for a warm, fuzzy collection featuring a tiny bit of spice and a little Christmas spirit, this is a perfect read.

[Nikki · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely delightful. If you like Sands work, then you’ll appreciate this collection. A great quick read, and not too heavy on the holiday themes (aside from the first story) so if you pick it up during another season it’s still enjoyable.

Really enjoyed the first story but the third one was incredible. Please tell me there’s a whole genre of magical highland stories like The Fairy Godmother because that was such a fun, silly world to fall into.

[Meg · Rating 4 out of 5]

3 charming and Sands-bonkers Christmas shorts.

ALL I WANT - Lady Prudence tries to solve her father’s gambling problem and falls in love with the gaming hell proprieter... 4⭐️

THREE FRENCH HENS - Brinna, a scullery maid and a lady swap places so Lady Joan doesn't have to marry against her will. Brinna finds true love in an unexpected place. 4.5⭐️

THE FAIRY GODMOTHER - the wildest of the three, fairy godmother Tilda insists that Odel must marry. 4⭐️

[Jennifer Wheeler · Rating 1 out of 5]

Well, this was pretty dang awful. The stories were only very loosely related to Christmas. Admittedly, I’m really not much of a contemporary romance reader, but I’m usually able to tolerate it when it comes to holiday romances. This just wasn’t it for me, but I’m kind of glad to have read it, because this author has popped up on my radar a few times, and now I know to steer away from her.

[Amanda · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was OK for me. I struggled with the pacing of the stories: they moved so slow in the beginning and then all of the sudden were rushed to an ending. I had a hard time connecting with the first two stories, but really enjoyed the third one.

[Becky Schwartz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lynsay Sands always does me right. All three stories were great. The first was funny and both characters were likable. The second had some secret keeping- not ideal. The third had magic, which was absurd but fun. I’d read it again probably. Don’t love the novella style, otherwise I loved it.

[Amber Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

These Christmas romance short stories were so good. I laughed so hard at All I want. Three French Hens has Princess and the Pauper vibes. I loved the Magic in Fairy Godmother. Im loving all the Christmas stories!

[Gisela · Rating 3 out of 5]

Three historical romance novellas. They have silly unrealistic situations but they are funny. In one of them there is even magic with a godmother. If you want to read something light, funny and cute, if you have your hallmark mood out this season...then, maybe this is for you.3⭐️