A Rogues & Gentlemen Christmas: A Compilation of Christmas Novellas

Rogues & Gentlemen #17.5 - 17.7

by Emma V. Leech

Alternate cover edition can be found here

A compilation of Christmas Stories from the Rogues & Gentlemen Series...

Winter's Wild Melody

Caught in the storm on his way home after a week of overindulgence, Viscount Debdon takes shelter in an abandoned farmhouse, only to realise…

He is not alone.

When his ghostly companion is revealed to be not only an earthly body but a heavenly one too, the temptation to remain lost in the woods is hard to resist.


The Christmas Rose

The youngest son of a Marquess...

Darkly handsome Ludo—universally known as Lascivious Lord Courtney—is the wickedest rake in Christendom. With a reputation that makes nice young ladies swoon, he is just not the marrying kind.

A friend to the rescue...

Unwitting wallflower Felicity Bunting is only trying to protect a friend when she finds herself in a compromising situation with this lusty lord.

An unlikely pairing...

She might not have meant to do it, but Bunty just accidentally trapped Lord Courtney into marriage.

Neither of them is what the other ever expected to have, but perhaps they might be all they ever wanted.


The Winter Bride

Widowed farmer Ned Hardy is facing a bleak winter and a lonely Christmas alone, when a beautiful young woman turns up on his doorstep in the middle of the night, frozen and terrified. Stunned by the arrival of a fine lady who looks like a Christmas angel, all of Ned’s protective instincts flare to life.

Grace Honeyfield is on the run from her abusive brother and the terrifying man he’s forcing her to marry. Escaping into the darkness on a snowy night, she stumbles onto an isolated farm, and into the arms of a handsome farmer. Although not a gentleman by birth, Grace comes to realise Ned deserves the title more than any well-bred man of her acquaintance.

When Ned offers to marry Grace to keep her safe, he dares hope that the future might hold more happiness than the past. To his astonishment Grace agrees to his proposal, and Ned can’t help but wonder if all his Christmases have come at once…

Genres: Christmas, Romance, Historical Romance, Historical, Anthologies, Novella, Regency

386 pages, ebook

Published October 24, 2021

About the author

Bestselling author hiding mostly in 19th-century England, venturing out only for chocolate and tea.

Emma V. Leech is the award-winning author of multiple bestselling series across Regency romance, Regency mystery and paranormal romance. Fall in love with swoon-worthy rogues, bold heroines, witty banter and deeply romantic happily-ever-afters. Follow Emma on BookBub for new releases and exclusive deals.

EMMA’S BOOKS

Rogues And Gentlemen
Regency romance – 17-book series (ongoing)
Sexy, tumultuous and irresistibly romantic. From pirates and smugglers to earls and dukes, these unforgettable rogues will sweep you away!

Winter Rogue
A Regency Christmas romance within the Rogues & Gentlemen world
A scandal-weary earl, a runaway heiress and a crumbling country estate snowed in for Christmas. A sensual, heart-tugging holiday novella about redemption, desire and a love neither of them expects.

A Rogues and Gentlemen Christmas
A standalone Regency Christmas romance
A collection of three romantic holiday stories featuring beloved Rogues & Gentlemen characters. Expect snowstorms, sizzling tension, unexpected proposals, mistletoe moments and heart-melting happily-ever-afters – a cosy festive escape for Regency romance lovers.

The Girl Is Not For Christmas
A standalone Regency Christmas romance
Miss Olivia Penrose is the only thing standing between her family and ruin when a brooding aristocrat crashes into her carefully laid plans. Sparks fly amid family secrets, snowy scandals and irresistible festive longing in this passionate, witty and deeply romantic winter read.

Girls Who Dare
Regency romance – 12-book series
Inside every wallflower is the heart of a lioness. When these overlooked young women make a pact to change their lives, rules are broken, reputations are risked and love becomes the most daring adventure of all.

Daring Daughters
Victorian romance – 19-book series and two compilations
The next generation of the Girls Who Dare. Their mothers risked everything for love – now their daughters are ready to be even bolder. An ongoing series of fiercely romantic stories set in a rapidly changing world.

Wicked Sons
Victorian romance – 12-book series
Their mothers dared all for love. Their sisters did the same. Now it’s the sons’ turn… dangerous, tempting and determined not to fall – until the right woman brings them to their knees.

The Venturesome Ladies Of Little Valentine
Regency romance – my current series
A quiet seaside village, a wave of scandalous newcomers and local ladies who refuse to be swept aside. A warm, witty Regency series full of secrets, second chances and delicious enemies-to-lovers romance.

The Regency Romance Mysteries
Regency romantic suspense – 3-book series
Dashing heroes, wicked villains, murder, mystery – and heroines who refuse to sit prettily and wait to be rescued. Perfect if you like your Regency romance served with danger and intrigue.

The French Vampire Legend
Paranormal romance – 4-book series
A dark, dramatic and heart-wrenching tale of courage, sacrifice and a love that not even time, war or monsters can destroy. Gothic atmosphere, high stakes and a romance that refuses to die.

The French Fae Legend
Fantasy romance – 4-book series
An award-winning saga with close to sixteen million online reads. Moving between modern-day France and the Fae Lands, these books weave powerful magic, danger and an all-consuming love that proves stronger than any enchantment.

The Book Lover
A standalone paranormal romance novella
A book-obsessed young woman, an infuriatingly charming stranger and the unnerving sense that stories might be bleeding into real life. A short, intensely romantic tale for anyone who has ever fallen in love with books… and perhaps with something not entirely of this world.

Reviews

[ꕥ Ange_Lives_To_Read ꕥ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Christmas 2021 - Nice-ish

This is a new genre for me, regency Christmas porn.

All three stories were short and enjoyable, but so sweet and sappy that the graphic sex scenes, which took up more than half of the running time, seemed especially out of place.

In each of the three stories, a very mismatched couple gets married because they get caught together in a compromising position and otherwise the girl would be ruined. Despite the unpromising start, they all fall deeply in love. My favorite couple was Bunty and Ludo; Ned and Grace second; and I already forgot the first couple.

[Ana Bugalho · Rating 3 out of 5]

A sweet and spicy, easy read, this anthology offers feel-good holiday stories with predictable yet enjoyable plots. While a bit too sappy at times, the charming characters and heartwarming resolutions make it a nice pick for getting into the holiday spirit.

[Ez · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'd rate this collection 3.5 stars but enjoyed it enough to round it up to 4. While the stories in this anthology were pretty run of the mill for this genre and the story lines were predictable, it was an easy read with cute, feelgood stories to put you in the mood for the holiday season. I thought cold weather/winter was more the theme rather than Christmas (just in case anyone is put off by stories revolving around the event in itself - it was more an afterthought towards the end of the stories). I find this author's stories move at a slower pace without too much going on and the main conflicts solved pretty quickly towards the end, but I enjoy her stories and find them a great palate cleanser in the historical romance genre. The collection included three stories which I'll very briefly outline below. They're novellas which I also enjoyed as the stories didn't drag on.

Winter's Wild Melody - An Earl's son, who's also a Waterloo veteran, regretfully and tardily trudges home to meet his arranged-marriage fiancé for the first time and gets delayed even further by the inclement weather. Unbeknownst to him, a French-speaking lady has run away and takes refuge in the same farmstead as him as she's fleeing her cruel uncle. They both have secrets, but the hero is determined to protect his heroine. There's instalove and cheese aplenty and you can figure out where things are heading from the get-go, but it was a nice, light read.

The Christmas Rose - This was probably my favourite of the three stories included. A buxom (her size and weight are brought up throughout the book as she'd been made fun of for her weight by the ton) woman who wants to find love but has been put on the shelf at the ripe old age of twenty-five tries to help a friend being trapped into marriage and unwittingly sets herself up. Her intended is known to be a walking scandal and ne'er-do-well, having being cut off from his aristocratic and horrid family. He longs for love and can't believe someone like the heroine of the story, who he's always admired and thought beautiful, could even look at him as husband material. She goes from a comfortable, wealthy home to his less than reputable abode, but he swears to try and be worthy of her. I really liked this story. It was a heart warmer about two people who didn't fit in just wanting love - perfect for the holiday season.

The Winter Bride - A farmer protects a well-to-do lady running from her abusive brother who's selling her to a man just as horrid. This was another sweet, feel good story about a man marrying out of his tier and the woman who loved him.

[Theresa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just want to say that this whole collection gets better with every story. It was like the author knew all of the kinds of stories that I love most and gave them all wrapped up for Christmas!

Winter's Wild Melody
Chance was coming home to an arranged marriage. He had kicked up his heels long enough, and his father wanted him to get married. So he started home, but a snow storm made him stop in a farmhouse on the far side of his father's land. He doesn't know it at first, but Odette is there too. She ran away from her uncle, who was trying to force her to marry. Can you see where this is going?

Also, all three stories are sexually explicit

A Christmas Rose
Felicity Bunting who her friends call Bunty ( which I kinda hate) is at a ball when she overhears two girls tallking about trapping a guy into marriage by getting him to come into the library and then they would be "caught" alone together. Felicity goes and warns the gentleman and then goes to tell off the girls. Ludovic called Ludo to get a note signed with a B to meet in the library. He secretly desires her, but she is so different from the usual girl men love. She is tall, thick built, 25, and loves to laugh. So he goes to the library hoping and they get caught. Ludovic is a well-known rake and secretly a bastard. So he's been birsmirching his "family" name because he knows his "family" hates him. Bunty's parents would rather her be ruined than marry Ludo, but she sees the real Ludo. Then he finds out that his mother, who passed away, left him things for when he finally marries.

The Winter Bride
Ned is a widower who owns a sheep farm, a nearly frozen to death woman knocking on his door. Grace has been running from her abusive brother and the horrible man that he has basically sold her in marriage to. Ned says he will keep her safe and then proposes marriage, to which she accepts. She is gently born and doesn't know how to do much, but he loves her so much it doesn't matter. And she loves him too even if she thinks that she can barely replace the wife he loved and lost. They have to wait a week to get married, and the sexual chemistry is so good. Grace has seen two people from a hayloft enjoying each other, and she believes it can be that way with Ned. This is by far my favorite of the three. The sexy build-up. The damsel who wants love more than money, the big hunky farmer willing to spill blood to protect what he loves, oh the whole thing was so swoon worthy.

I seriously must read more by this author!!

[Linda J. · Rating 5 out of 5]

1. WINTER'S WILD MELODY - 5 STARS

This novella didn't feel short because the characters jump off the page. Just a touch of Christmas with an H/h that are made for each other.

Because of a snowstorm both MC's are stranded together. Little do they know the H's father and the h's uncle are planning on them marrying.

A huge secret is revealed that was a shock. Lovemaking within marriage - heat level 4+ out of 5 filled with love and passion.

No cheating for our MC, no cliffhanger, HEA, romantic, Lord's name used in vain, sweet epilogue and story I would recommend.

2. THE CHRISTMAS ROSE - 5 STARS

What a feel-good novella. Packed with emotion and two people who believe what people say about them. Takes awhile for each to believe what people said wasn't true.

I absolutely loved this couple. They were honest with each other; we are treated to great banter and a love that you felt was so heartwarming. Lovemaking within marriage - heat level 5 out of 5 and filled with passion and love.

Some surprises, twists, romantic and an amazing epilogue 5 years in the future. Lords name used in vain a few times. No cheating, HEA, and steam.

3. THE WINTER BRIDE - 4 STARS

Little suspense, some violence, some romance, mostly two people from opposite ends of life making the most of a bad situation.

Lovemaking within marriage - heat level 3+ out of 5. We do get HEA, no cheating, and a sweet ending. Lord's name used in vain once.

I would recommend this bundle. (ljb)

[Candi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good stories but not Christmas

This is a nice collection of mostly predictable outcomes. Enjoyable characters in interesting predicaments that are resolved by getting married despite complications. Unfortunately, I feel that too much time was spent on pages and pages of descriptions of having married sex. I felt it took away from time that could have been better spent, in my opinion, for character development. Other than having to fast forward through all those pages, which I simply find boring, I liked the stories. I do HIGHLY RECOMMEND Emma's Christmas book "The Girl is Not For Christmas". It's a wonderful Christmas based story about family, loyalty, dedication, forgiveness, and determination against all odds to overcome all difficulties. A noble family on the brink of poverty, A friend in need, a nobleman fighting alcohol addiction and the woman and children who help him. It's a book filled with hardship, love, laughter and many heartwarming pages. Since I purchased this book in 2022 I've read it several times and recommended it to my friends. It's a wonderful read, do give it a try.

[Nicole · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Winter Bride

it's such a delightful story that once you read it, it puts an instant smile on your face.. Its a story that devour in on sitting.. Ned and Grace are just such sweet adorable loveable characters.. That you want nothing but the best for them both

Winter's Wild Melody

What a great Christmas story.. Great storyline, I don't know how to explain it.. But it's just of those stories that will just capture you and you instantly fall in love with the characters.. Both characters are adorable..

The Christmas Rose

I love a rogue who gets redemption.. and a wallflower who gets her happily ever afte

He swore off marriage until he saw her.. she never thought she would be found attractive or find someone to love her until him.. Christmas time has a way of bringing the most unlikely pair together..
This was an incredible read.. I definitely look forward to more Christmas stories from this author..

I highly recommend this collection of beautiful Christmas stories.. you won't regret it..

[Gloria · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had previously read the first novella in this compilation and rated it 5 stars. The second story unfolded nicely, with the reader discovering as the story progressed that the hero supposedly “trapped” into marriage wasn’t the slightest bit unhappy about it. The third story was my favorite, with a lady escaping lifelong cruelty and worse delivering herself to the doorstep of a widowed farmer half-frozen and terrified. They are both immediately smitten, but a wide social gulf must be dealt with, and a villain (or two) vanquished. While intense feelings make the social gulf a moot point, the villainy was eliminated a bit too expeditiously, I thought.

A novella-length romance is an interesting challenge: how to convince the reader in a shorter amount of time and words that a plausible love has occurred. I’ve seen many accomplished authors stumble in this endeavor, but Emma V. Leech is a master of the format.

[Tisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ned &Grace from Protection. respect, admiration to love.
A story of a true gentleman & lady. Ned a widow to a woman who only cared about out beating her step mother in owning property is the reason she married Ned. What a sad awakening for him. When he realizes she only trapped him into marriage by pretending to be pregnant. Ned knowing the moment they got married that this so called lady by society standards didn't want the loyal, loving giant. Just how he could make the farm more profitable & by more land. Sad existence for a hard, working, loyal, gentleman in all the ways it matters. But not in societies eyes because he is not educated. This tall giant was not loved by a woman for a decade with no passion, or desire to give.

Ned has a frightened beauty knock on his door for safety after being sold by her own brother to a brut. Ned offered Ms. Gracie marriage to protect her. But he was in Love with the blonde beauty the moment he settles on the pure lady. Will the gentle giant feel worthy of this lady his junior.
How a man & a woman find true desire from respect, kindness, protection. How that love has the strength to fight one battle from Grace's brother who comes to kidnap her during her honeymoon.
Read the Christmas week courtship.

[Mary Butcher · Rating 5 out of 5]

Emma Leech knows just how to tug at the heart strings and leave that warm and fuzzy feeling we all want around Christmas time. Putting together these three novellas in a seasonal anthology has done the job perfectly.

Each story has you cheering on the damsels in distress and falling in love with the heroes who rescue them. Ms Leech always makes her characters believable, keeping them within the bounds of the era in which they live and not straying into modern manners, which is what too many other authors of historical romances do.

A Viscount, the youngest and distained son of a Marquess and a solid honourable Yeoman farmer all find their own ways in the three stories of saving the ladies who need help and in doing so also find the missing pieces of their hearts.

[Doctor Morbid]

DNF 7%

I can’t read this shit.

It’s overflowing with cringey dialogue, a nonsensical plot, weird scene transitions, and way too much pointless over-elaboration. And let’s not forget what might be the worst main character I’ve ever encountered in a book of this genre. Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you: Chance, the most generic romance protagonist imaginable. There isn’t a single ounce of originality or development to him, unless you count him being an annoying twat who contributes absolutely nothing to the plot.

I wouldn’t recommend this to anyone.

(Also, if the author of this book happens to read this, I have nothing against you personally, but this is the most honest review I can give.)

[Winnifred D. · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lovely collection of novellas that contain some steam. I had previously read each of these individually. The first is good, the third is sweet and heartwarming, a bit more of a "slow burn" romance. The second, "Winter Rose," is the standout. Emma Leech has a knack for creating characters who are memorable and touch your heart. Perfect for Christmas reading, or any time you need a pick-me-up.

Note: these novellas have a steam level of 3 overall. I didn't find the sex graphic or debasing to women in any way; I would hardly call them "porn", as one reviewer did. But if you don't like sex in your Regencies, best to skip this collection in lieu of leaving an unfairly negative review.

[Amy]

Excellent set of stories

These are three quite good stories that could be enhanced by a competent editor and proofreader. There are missing words, wrong words, and French errors. There is an ambiguously written sentence that needs rewriting.
The stories themselves are lovely, peopled with good MC's. The H's and h's are admirable and have strong backbones. I'm fond of the way each chapter is titled. I've only seen this done by a very few authors. Nice touch! The Christmas Rose is my favorite of the three, but all are excellent!
This is truly a 5 star collection brought down to four stars by an unwilling editor.

[Jennifer]

Decent characterizations but I don’t prefer stories that feature men who think mistresses are normal and fine. That was the first story. Second story had the MMC invited three prostitutes that he’d visited in the past make his bachelor rooms presentable for his soon to be wife. I’m sorry but ick. His backstory was very sad but his adult choices made me sad for the heroine who deserved better. The third story was the only one that wasn’t gross but the hero had had plenty of lovers before he married his first wife. And of course she was a sweet virginal flower.

This is just my preference. I also really dislike intimate scenes and there were a lot in these stories. Hence no rating.

[Jeanetta A. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Distinctly Different

Each novel in this series follows a different pattern. One presents an arranged marriage based on blackmail. Another reveals the rakish bastard son who is trapped into marriage by an insecure spinster determined to save a friend from two plotting sisters. Finally a kind farmer protects a Lady from her abusive brother and prospective suitor. Each book is an enjoyable read.

[Debbie West · Rating 1 out of 5]

Full of porn, little plot

This isn't a group of stories. It's just a book of porn. I read the first story, having to quit because the bed scene at the end was full of porn. Didn't even get more than 20 pages into the second story before the porn continued. If they weren't having sex, they were fantasizing about it. Didn't bother with any more stories.

[Joanne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Three Christmas novellas, perfectly good for exactly what they are- easy, upbeat reading with a holiday theme. The author avoids repetitive situations and each one is different enough to keep the reader interested. Good for maintaining a Christmas spirit at a busy and distracting time of the year.

[Barbara "Cookie" Serfaty Williams · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Rogues & Gentlemen Christmas: A Compilation of Christmas Novellas (Rogues and Gentlemen)

Three stand along stories from the Rogues and Gentlemen series. Book 1 - Winter's Wild Melody - the love story of Chance and Odette. Book 2 - The Christmas Rose - the love story of Luck and Felicity. Book 3 - The Winter Bride - the love story of Ned and Grace. Great story.

[Annette Sullivan · Rating 1 out of 5]

crude, vulgarity

The first story stared out pleasantly enough, but quickly descended into crudeness and sexual vulgarity that did not appeal to me at all. Why would I be interested in a man’s musing over a females form or how his vulgar and crude thoughts affected him physically. When I came to that I thought to myself, this is a bit sick and stopped reading.

[Nostalgic · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautiful

Loved all three of these romantic story. Each character was unwanted until they found there match. Each with a sorrowful tale that turns to hope and love. Beautiful read, definitely recommend.

[Debbie Odachowski · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great Christmas reading!

I love Christmas stories all year long. Ms. Leech gives the reader three Christmas takes of love and salvation. One never knows how you may find love. Christmas miracles happen in the most unlikely circumstance. Enjoy!

[Judith · Rating 3 out of 5]

A Rogues and Gentlemen Christmas

3.5 rating. I'm not reviewing stories individually. If you're looking for sweet and clean, this isn't it. There are love making scenes after marriage and some heavy kissing before. The stories were good for me, just not memorable.

[Barbara Walz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very entertaining

I very much enjoyed these stories. The characters were all quite likeable and well developed. Reading them was a very pleasant way to pass the evenings. I hope you enjoy them as well.

[Melissa B. · Rating 5 out of 5]

great collection

This is a great collection of stories for the Christmas season. Each of the stories is different and all have a great ending. The women are all strong and the men in their lives love them to distraction and work to make their lives better

[Pamela · Rating 3 out of 5]

Decent stories barely a 2.5 star

Well...short stories. Decent characters. Some of the choppy, amateurish writing might be due to short story. But the writing here is rather poor. More like a first story written in literature class!

[Becky Adkins · Rating 5 out of 5]

Routes and Gentlemen Christmas collection

A collection of historical Christmas romance. How love is found with unlikely couples. Well written and it will make you root for their HEA.

[MEF · Rating 4 out of 5]

Christmas themed heartwarming romance

❤️ Loved the first book particularly! Bunty and Ludo are a winning couple who pack a few surprises . Ned and Gracie were a little too perfect for me.

[Peni · Rating 4 out of 5]

Please see individual stories for review.

[Anita Sievert · Rating 4 out of 5]

ery enjoyable stories. Good characters. Romantic.

[Evelyn Derenzy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Delightful!

Each story held my interest. Loved the characters and the varied scenes with plenty of action taking place. A fun read!