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Snowbound Surrender
Stay snowed in this Christmas…
…with these three Regency short stories!
After he broke her heart when he left for war, dare Lucy give Jack Gascoyne a second chance? Find out in Their Mistletoe Reunion by Christine Merrill. In Louise Allen’s novella, exiled into the countryside following scandal, Julia Chancellor finds herself Snowed in with the Rake! And in Christmas with the Major by Laura Martin, Lady Cecilia is hiding from her controlling guardian when she encounters Major Joseph Crawley…
…with these three Regency short stories!
After he broke her heart when he left for war, dare Lucy give Jack Gascoyne a second chance? Find out in Their Mistletoe Reunion by Christine Merrill. In Louise Allen’s novella, exiled into the countryside following scandal, Julia Chancellor finds herself Snowed in with the Rake! And in Christmas with the Major by Laura Martin, Lady Cecilia is hiding from her controlling guardian when she encounters Major Joseph Crawley…
288 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 1, 2019
14 people are currently reading
42 people want to read
About the author
Christine Merrill
242 books215 followersChristine Merrill has wanted to be an author for as long as she can remember. But one thing stood in her way: touch typing.
Six weeks spent on an IBM Selectric in her Sophomore year of high school proved that she would never be able to produce one readable page of manuscript, much less several hundred.
Twenty years passed, and she found ways to pass the time: marrying her high school sweetheart; having two sons; and taking an assortment of jobs in professional theater costume shops, including a miserable year and a half spent styling wigs for a certain hamburger-selling clown (who shall remain nameless, since I don't want to incur the wrath of a major American corporation) and a couple of weeks working on a TV movie with one of the sexiest men alive (whose name I'm happy to drop: Mark Harmon!).
During that time, someone invented word processing, and a reliable spell checker.
Christine returned to her childhood dream, only to discover that there was more to the whole writing thing than accurate typing. The next years were spent learning to tell stories that people might want to read, and trying to find someone who wanted to buy them. Her chance came when she won the RWA's Golden Heart Competition for unpublished manuscripts. The winning story, soon to be known as THE INCONVENIENT DUCHESS, was bought by the contest judges, the delightful editors at Mills & Boon, in Richmond, Surrey.
Christine is now busy writing her fifth book, and is more than slightly jealous that her manuscripts get to visit England, while she stays home in Wisconsin
Six weeks spent on an IBM Selectric in her Sophomore year of high school proved that she would never be able to produce one readable page of manuscript, much less several hundred.
Twenty years passed, and she found ways to pass the time: marrying her high school sweetheart; having two sons; and taking an assortment of jobs in professional theater costume shops, including a miserable year and a half spent styling wigs for a certain hamburger-selling clown (who shall remain nameless, since I don't want to incur the wrath of a major American corporation) and a couple of weeks working on a TV movie with one of the sexiest men alive (whose name I'm happy to drop: Mark Harmon!).
During that time, someone invented word processing, and a reliable spell checker.
Christine returned to her childhood dream, only to discover that there was more to the whole writing thing than accurate typing. The next years were spent learning to tell stories that people might want to read, and trying to find someone who wanted to buy them. Her chance came when she won the RWA's Golden Heart Competition for unpublished manuscripts. The winning story, soon to be known as THE INCONVENIENT DUCHESS, was bought by the contest judges, the delightful editors at Mills & Boon, in Richmond, Surrey.
Christine is now busy writing her fifth book, and is more than slightly jealous that her manuscripts get to visit England, while she stays home in Wisconsin
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
December 5, 2022
3 nice Christmas novella
October 7, 2019
Snowbound Surrender is an anthology including 3 books: Their Mistletoe Reunion/Snowed in with the Rake/Christmas with the Major.
Their Mistletoe Reunion by Christine Merrill -
This was a beautiful story of a second chance of love for Jack Gascoyne and Lucy Clifton. Before he left for the war they were in love and planning a future together. Lucy was heartbroken when he left without so much as a goodbye especially with how intimate they had been before he left.
When he finally returns from abroad he can't understand why Lucy is so cold to him. She is even on the verge of accepting another man as her husband. Is it too late for Jack to prove to her that he never stopped loving her? Being snowbound at a house party certainly gives him the opportunity to have a captive audience.
I really enjoyed this short story, there were misunderstandings and miscommunications in play and broken hearts that needed to be mended. It was a pleasure to see everything unfold and in such a lovely setting of a snowbound house.
Snowed in with the Rake by Louise Allen -
A misdirection in near blizzard circumstances finds Giles Darrowby, Viscount Missenden pulling a prank at the wrong house! Julia Chancellor gets the shock of her life when she opens the door to him. Not only because of how she finds him, but also because he is the man who ruined her years ago and is the reason she had to leave London. Now she lives on Spinster Row with her cat and her maid. The latter not being there at the moment as she was at the nearest neighbours helping out. Julia is horrified that he is there, and he is mystified about how he had anything to do with her London scandal when he'd never met her before.
Being snowed in gives them plenty of time to find answers and for them to feel a crazy almost immediate attraction to each other. She is determined never to marry, and he has his reputation as a rake and prankster, plus has never thought of settling down. Is there any chance they could perhaps just have some intimate moments with no future promises or maybe they will both change their minds about future plans?
I have to say that this story certainly started with a bang. What a laugh I had. I can't remember a story starting in such a unique way before!! From start to finish I really loved this story.
Christmas with the Major by Laura Martin -
Lady Cecelia is a very wealthy woman. Her guardian knows that at 21, in just a few days time she will come into her money and he will have no say on what she does with it. He wants her to marry his son, and when she says no he starts being quite improper with her. She can stand being around him no more and despite dreadful snowy conditions she escapes the house and makes her way to a friend's house party quite a distance away. She takes her horse and hopes she can make it before the weather turns even worse. She doesn't. Thankfully she finds herself not far from some building which turns out to be a cottage belonging to the Crawley estate. It's to their house party that she was heading to. It's empty so she lets herself in and decides to see out the storm there hoping the Crawleys will understand her need to be there.
Another person also needs to find refuge, not from the storm, but from the house party itself is Joe Crawley. His parents were holding the party and guests would soon be arriving. He had been injured during the war and the last thing he needed was to have all the guests give him pitying looks and making silly small talk. So he escaped the house, fought through the snow and made his way to Rose Cottage, the very cottage that Cecelia is at.
Suffice to say that when they discover each other at the cottage it is a complete surprise, one that was very comical and had me laughing. When everything settled and it was obvious that they were snowed in, they soon started to get to know each other better.
Joe is a changed man since the war, he sees things differently and even though he has been brought up with servants, now he hates for anybody to do anything for him. He surprises Julia when he cooks for her and from then she starts to see him in a new light. The time they spend together sees them falling for each other but not willing to admit it even to themselves. They both feel a very physical pull towards each other but Julia doesn't want to lose her independence when she finally gets it on her 21st. Joe thinks he is worthless because of his war injury and that he couldn't give Cecelia the life she deserves. They know they can't get intimate without a marriage offer so they have to fight that attraction. Can they fight it though?
This was such a lovely story, I felt so much love for Joe for all that he had been through and how he felt so little for himself. Then there was Julia having to suffer her guardian for so long, not to mention suffering men who pretended to want to marry her for her when all they wanted was her money. She and Joe were both jaded and were perfectly matched to help each other overcome their troubles and look to a brighter future.
This story and the other two set in beautiful areas, snowbound at Christmas time, with such lovely characters made for wonderful reading. Each story put me into the festive spirit and their happy endings made me smile. Three great authors, three great novellas in one great book. You can't go wrong. I absolutely recommend it!
Their Mistletoe Reunion by Christine Merrill -
This was a beautiful story of a second chance of love for Jack Gascoyne and Lucy Clifton. Before he left for the war they were in love and planning a future together. Lucy was heartbroken when he left without so much as a goodbye especially with how intimate they had been before he left.
When he finally returns from abroad he can't understand why Lucy is so cold to him. She is even on the verge of accepting another man as her husband. Is it too late for Jack to prove to her that he never stopped loving her? Being snowbound at a house party certainly gives him the opportunity to have a captive audience.
I really enjoyed this short story, there were misunderstandings and miscommunications in play and broken hearts that needed to be mended. It was a pleasure to see everything unfold and in such a lovely setting of a snowbound house.
Snowed in with the Rake by Louise Allen -
A misdirection in near blizzard circumstances finds Giles Darrowby, Viscount Missenden pulling a prank at the wrong house! Julia Chancellor gets the shock of her life when she opens the door to him. Not only because of how she finds him, but also because he is the man who ruined her years ago and is the reason she had to leave London. Now she lives on Spinster Row with her cat and her maid. The latter not being there at the moment as she was at the nearest neighbours helping out. Julia is horrified that he is there, and he is mystified about how he had anything to do with her London scandal when he'd never met her before.
Being snowed in gives them plenty of time to find answers and for them to feel a crazy almost immediate attraction to each other. She is determined never to marry, and he has his reputation as a rake and prankster, plus has never thought of settling down. Is there any chance they could perhaps just have some intimate moments with no future promises or maybe they will both change their minds about future plans?
I have to say that this story certainly started with a bang. What a laugh I had. I can't remember a story starting in such a unique way before!! From start to finish I really loved this story.
Christmas with the Major by Laura Martin -
Lady Cecelia is a very wealthy woman. Her guardian knows that at 21, in just a few days time she will come into her money and he will have no say on what she does with it. He wants her to marry his son, and when she says no he starts being quite improper with her. She can stand being around him no more and despite dreadful snowy conditions she escapes the house and makes her way to a friend's house party quite a distance away. She takes her horse and hopes she can make it before the weather turns even worse. She doesn't. Thankfully she finds herself not far from some building which turns out to be a cottage belonging to the Crawley estate. It's to their house party that she was heading to. It's empty so she lets herself in and decides to see out the storm there hoping the Crawleys will understand her need to be there.
Another person also needs to find refuge, not from the storm, but from the house party itself is Joe Crawley. His parents were holding the party and guests would soon be arriving. He had been injured during the war and the last thing he needed was to have all the guests give him pitying looks and making silly small talk. So he escaped the house, fought through the snow and made his way to Rose Cottage, the very cottage that Cecelia is at.
Suffice to say that when they discover each other at the cottage it is a complete surprise, one that was very comical and had me laughing. When everything settled and it was obvious that they were snowed in, they soon started to get to know each other better.
Joe is a changed man since the war, he sees things differently and even though he has been brought up with servants, now he hates for anybody to do anything for him. He surprises Julia when he cooks for her and from then she starts to see him in a new light. The time they spend together sees them falling for each other but not willing to admit it even to themselves. They both feel a very physical pull towards each other but Julia doesn't want to lose her independence when she finally gets it on her 21st. Joe thinks he is worthless because of his war injury and that he couldn't give Cecelia the life she deserves. They know they can't get intimate without a marriage offer so they have to fight that attraction. Can they fight it though?
This was such a lovely story, I felt so much love for Joe for all that he had been through and how he felt so little for himself. Then there was Julia having to suffer her guardian for so long, not to mention suffering men who pretended to want to marry her for her when all they wanted was her money. She and Joe were both jaded and were perfectly matched to help each other overcome their troubles and look to a brighter future.
This story and the other two set in beautiful areas, snowbound at Christmas time, with such lovely characters made for wonderful reading. Each story put me into the festive spirit and their happy endings made me smile. Three great authors, three great novellas in one great book. You can't go wrong. I absolutely recommend it!
December 30, 2019
As reviewed at Roses Are Blue: https://wp.me/p3QRh4-14G
A collection of three well written and warm novellas, with three different romances, all with the theme of finding love while sheltering from blustery winter weather.
Their Mistletoe Reunion by Christine Merrill
Five years ago, Lucy Clifton and Jack Gascoyne were in love. Jack asked Lucy’s brother, Fred, his friend, for permission to marry her. Fred, believing his friend to be too wild and without prospects, refused the match. Heartbroken, Jack wrote to Lucy, and immediately enlisted to become a soldier. Unbeknownst to him, Fred never gave that letter to Lucy, and she believes that Jack simply left her without explanation. Five years pass, and a battle weary Jack has come home a much different man. He feels unworthy of Lucy now, and suffers from the effects of the battles he’s fought. Even so, it appears Lucy is about to become engaged to another man. Will the truth come out, and can a young love be rekindled?
3.5, warm
Snowed in With the Rake by Louise Allen
Julia Chancellor’s season was not very successful to begin with, but when she became unknowingly involved in an elopement plot, the scandal ruined her. Now living in exile, she answers a knock on her door during some horrible weather, only to find a gentleman there, showing off rather more of himself than a gentleman should. Giles Darrowby, Viscount Missenden, was the lucky one chosen among his cronies to pull the prank of flashing himself. Only, he found his way to the wrong house! And flashed the wrong person! As fate would have it, the carriage Giles was in has departed, and the weather is a disaster. Julia has no choice but to offer the scantily clad man shelter. What happens when it’s discovered that Giles was also the unintentional cause of Julia’s ruin? Will their new found camaraderie survive their shaky beginning?
4, kisses
Christmas With the Major by Laura Martin
Cecilia is a wealthy heiress, who is unfortunately under the guardianship of an unscrupulous man who is determined to have her fortune for himself. It doesn’t matter to him if she marries his son or himself, just so he doesn’t lose her wealth. Cecilia is only days away from becoming of age to control her own fortune, and her guardian’s advances are becoming more pronounced. Cecilia sneaks out, intending to seek refuge with her friend, who is having a house party. The weather turns so bad, that Cecilia only makes it as far as a cottage on her friend’s family estate, where she’s forced to stop and seek shelter. Cecilia didn’t realize that her friend’s brother, Joe, snuck out of the house, and sought to hide in the cottage to avoid the party. Joe is a former major, with an injured leg, and an injured heart from the rejection of his former fiancée. These two strangers find some common ground as they shelter from the weather, but is the attraction they feel just a fleeting thing, or the beginning of a forever love?
4, warm
A collection of three well written and warm novellas, with three different romances, all with the theme of finding love while sheltering from blustery winter weather.
Their Mistletoe Reunion by Christine Merrill
Five years ago, Lucy Clifton and Jack Gascoyne were in love. Jack asked Lucy’s brother, Fred, his friend, for permission to marry her. Fred, believing his friend to be too wild and without prospects, refused the match. Heartbroken, Jack wrote to Lucy, and immediately enlisted to become a soldier. Unbeknownst to him, Fred never gave that letter to Lucy, and she believes that Jack simply left her without explanation. Five years pass, and a battle weary Jack has come home a much different man. He feels unworthy of Lucy now, and suffers from the effects of the battles he’s fought. Even so, it appears Lucy is about to become engaged to another man. Will the truth come out, and can a young love be rekindled?
3.5, warm
Snowed in With the Rake by Louise Allen
Julia Chancellor’s season was not very successful to begin with, but when she became unknowingly involved in an elopement plot, the scandal ruined her. Now living in exile, she answers a knock on her door during some horrible weather, only to find a gentleman there, showing off rather more of himself than a gentleman should. Giles Darrowby, Viscount Missenden, was the lucky one chosen among his cronies to pull the prank of flashing himself. Only, he found his way to the wrong house! And flashed the wrong person! As fate would have it, the carriage Giles was in has departed, and the weather is a disaster. Julia has no choice but to offer the scantily clad man shelter. What happens when it’s discovered that Giles was also the unintentional cause of Julia’s ruin? Will their new found camaraderie survive their shaky beginning?
4, kisses
Christmas With the Major by Laura Martin
Cecilia is a wealthy heiress, who is unfortunately under the guardianship of an unscrupulous man who is determined to have her fortune for himself. It doesn’t matter to him if she marries his son or himself, just so he doesn’t lose her wealth. Cecilia is only days away from becoming of age to control her own fortune, and her guardian’s advances are becoming more pronounced. Cecilia sneaks out, intending to seek refuge with her friend, who is having a house party. The weather turns so bad, that Cecilia only makes it as far as a cottage on her friend’s family estate, where she’s forced to stop and seek shelter. Cecilia didn’t realize that her friend’s brother, Joe, snuck out of the house, and sought to hide in the cottage to avoid the party. Joe is a former major, with an injured leg, and an injured heart from the rejection of his former fiancée. These two strangers find some common ground as they shelter from the weather, but is the attraction they feel just a fleeting thing, or the beginning of a forever love?
4, warm
November 29, 2019
A collection of three Regency Era romances that take place around Christmas.
Martin's story blends elements from: Goldilocks and the Steadfast tin Solider.
Martin's story blends elements from: Goldilocks and the Steadfast tin Solider.
December 31, 2020
A decent collection of holiday historicals, but the plots are too similar and by the end I was skimming.
January 11, 2020
Mediocre
The first story never engaged me. Just meh. I can’t remember the second but that I liked it better than the first. I liked the last one until the tacked on, completely unnecessary sex scene
The first story never engaged me. Just meh. I can’t remember the second but that I liked it better than the first. I liked the last one until the tacked on, completely unnecessary sex scene
December 29, 2021
Three good Christmas shirt stories
November 19, 2019
Loved these Regency Christmas novellas, especially Louise Allen's - wonderful!
January 8, 2020
I read the Louise Allen story and enjoyed it. Always a Louise Allen fan.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews