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All I Want for Christmas... Is You
Five beloved holiday tales never before presented together in a box set. All I Want for Christmas... Is You features five Regency and Victorian holiday novellas from five beloved authors... available only for a limited time.
Making Merry
There’s no room at the Inn…
Sprightly Victorian spinster, Vanessa Latimer, is stranded for the holidays in the Scottish Highlands by a relentless winter blizzard. She takes refuge at a centuries-old inn where the only available room is haunted by the ghost of a warrior who fell at Culloden Moor. One who refuses to give up his side of the bed
Mischief & Mistletoe
'Twas the Week Before Christmas ...
Suspecting he can never be the man Emma Peters wishes him to be, Lucien Morgen, the fifth duke of Willyngham, decides to break off their long-standing engagement... only to discover the innocent fiancé he set aside for years has unexpectedly blossomed into a passionate, irresistible woman.
My First Noel
Lady Katharine Farnsley has been jilted yet again. Her cold exterior masking a world of hurt, she despairs of ever finding true love. But when a mysterious stranger comes to her, hurt and desperate on a snowy Christmas Eve, she never dreams that opening the door to him will change her life forever ... and show her the true meaning of Christmas. A holiday novella set in the De Montforte world, written by the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of The De Montfortes.
Then In a Twinkling
How far would you go for love? A semi-reformed rake, a lady who’s wary of love, two mischievous horses and a skittish servant who believes in ghosts—how could such a courtship possibly go wrong? Will this mismatched pair lose their chance at love, or will they spend Christmas in each other’s arms?
The Rocking Horse
Jocelyn saw the Christmas holiday invitation to Bayneville Castle, the country estate of the 8th Marquess of Tarkington, as a perfect way to clear her head and consider her future. The house party was to celebrate her friend Lady Mary Bayne's betrothal. When Lady Mary contracted a wicked cold and became bedridden in the hopes of quick recovery before the rest of the guests arrived, Jocelyn found herself thrown more into the Marquess's company.
Please note: This special, limited-time box set, intended to introduce you to new-to-you authors, includes previously published novellas.
Read less
Making Merry
There’s no room at the Inn…
Sprightly Victorian spinster, Vanessa Latimer, is stranded for the holidays in the Scottish Highlands by a relentless winter blizzard. She takes refuge at a centuries-old inn where the only available room is haunted by the ghost of a warrior who fell at Culloden Moor. One who refuses to give up his side of the bed
Mischief & Mistletoe
'Twas the Week Before Christmas ...
Suspecting he can never be the man Emma Peters wishes him to be, Lucien Morgen, the fifth duke of Willyngham, decides to break off their long-standing engagement... only to discover the innocent fiancé he set aside for years has unexpectedly blossomed into a passionate, irresistible woman.
My First Noel
Lady Katharine Farnsley has been jilted yet again. Her cold exterior masking a world of hurt, she despairs of ever finding true love. But when a mysterious stranger comes to her, hurt and desperate on a snowy Christmas Eve, she never dreams that opening the door to him will change her life forever ... and show her the true meaning of Christmas. A holiday novella set in the De Montforte world, written by the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of The De Montfortes.
Then In a Twinkling
How far would you go for love? A semi-reformed rake, a lady who’s wary of love, two mischievous horses and a skittish servant who believes in ghosts—how could such a courtship possibly go wrong? Will this mismatched pair lose their chance at love, or will they spend Christmas in each other’s arms?
The Rocking Horse
Jocelyn saw the Christmas holiday invitation to Bayneville Castle, the country estate of the 8th Marquess of Tarkington, as a perfect way to clear her head and consider her future. The house party was to celebrate her friend Lady Mary Bayne's betrothal. When Lady Mary contracted a wicked cold and became bedridden in the hopes of quick recovery before the rest of the guests arrived, Jocelyn found herself thrown more into the Marquess's company.
Please note: This special, limited-time box set, intended to introduce you to new-to-you authors, includes previously published novellas.
Read less
475 pages, Kindle Edition
Published December 20, 2022
128 people are currently reading
70 people want to read
About the author
Kerrigan Byrne
72 books5,032 followersIf you're anything like me, the best night is one spent with a brawny highlander, a mysterious werewolf, a conflicted vampire, or a hot-headed Irishman. My stories span the spectrum of romantic fiction from historical, to paranormal, to romantic suspense. But I can always promise my readers one thing: memorable and sexy Celtic heroes who are guaranteed to heat your blood before they steal your heart. Lose yourself in the enchanted Celtic Isles, you never know who, or what, will find you...
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
January 8, 2023
Good Stories, But Don’t Believe the Inner Subtitle
I absolutely adore Regency romance, and I particularly love holiday books set in that era. So when I saw this multi-author anthology at a good price, I snapped it up. Opening to the first page, I was already anticipating the stories to come when I read the inner subtitle which definitely stated that this was a Regency collection. So imagine my disappointment when I turned their first story and found it to be set in the late Victorian era! I turned to the next story, and that one was set in the early Victorian era. Surely, the next story had to be Regency, reflecting the book’s subtitle. That one, however, took place in the era just before Regency, when Mad King George still sat on the throne (and wasn’t quite full-on mad yet). Finally, the 4th story in this 5-story collection was well and truly set in the Regency era. Authors, whether fiction or nonfiction ones, should be truthful about what they say about a book in the title and subtitle. Don't get us Regency fans excited about a box set of our favorite flavor of romance, then share stories that are predominantly NOT from that era.
That said, I thoroughly enjoyed the first three stories I've now read. A few had some problems and slow starts, but in the end, I enjoyed the stories.
The first one takes place in the late Victorian era, within just a few years of the end of the 1800s. An independent single miss is heading toward Inverness, hoping to capture the Loch Ness monster on her camera. But a horrible winter storm keeps her in a small Scottish town, and the only room left at the inn is one known to be inhabited by a ghost! The story certainly has The Ghost and Mrs. Muir vibe…with a lot of steam. The ghost was a soldier who fell at Culloden, and he reanimates every couple of decades for just a night when certain cosmic placements align. As they get to know each other, the author teases out their backstories. Some parts of the story are funny--imagine finding out that a very real ghost is watching you bathe!--while others are surprisingly poignant. Even though it sounds silly to say, as the story moved along, I wanted them to figure out a way to be together. Their chemistry was sizzling, and both had been through a lot and deserved a happy ending. I was wondering how it was all going to work out, but the author made it work, magically but believably so and had even woven in some foreshadowing about what might happen. It is certainly more in the magical/paranormal realm, but surprisingly realistic. I wish we got a little bit of an epilogue to see how it shaped up for the couple.
The second story was not appealing at first. The heroine seemed a bit vapid, and the hero was cruel. I don't like cruel romantic heroes. But I'm glad I stuck with a story, as it became much better as it moved along. The book is centered on a very uncomfortable couple of days around Christmas when the hero comes to the heroine’s house Christmas week to formally end their engagement. Her brother and his children have other plans! That's when the story became fun. For one thing, the heroine and her brother have an unusual relationship from what is typically seen in Regency romance. They’re a little quirky but get along very well, supportive of each other fully. The brother, despite being the father of three, has quite a mischievous streak--as do his children. His little boy is a delight and brightened every scene he was in. Everyone but the couple can see that they're meant to be together, and the children, with their father's tacit permission, devise clever ways to keep the duke in residence. Part of the middle of the story was laugh-out-loud funny and an utter delight to read because of the tricks the children (and their father) played on the beleaguered duke.
The third story was a surprisingly powerful story of hope and redemption, perfect for the holidays. I don't consider myself Christian, but even I didn't mind the heavy Christian aspect of the story because it was just so well written. The heroine Katharine, in a nod to Katherine in Taming of the Shrew, is known to be a shrew, and as the story opens, she learns of being jilted by her third betrothed! We learn about the prior ones through well-done backstory. As you might imagine, she is hurt and understandably bitter. Her brother calls her out several times on her shrewish nature--which stings more than he realizes--and we see some of it in action. But not all of her heart is frozen, and when a bedraggled young man shows up injured at her door late Christmas Eve, after initially closing the door on him, she soon goes out, apologizes, and asks him to come in from the cold. The interplay between these two was fun to watch. The young man isn't quite what he seems at first glance, and there's something about him that slowly starts to thaw her icy heart. I love a good character growth arc like that. I wish the story went further than it did because I'd like to know what happened to the couple after they rode off into the Christmas dawn.
I haven't yet gotten to the other two stories, but they're queued up and ready to go. So long as you don't expect the stories to be all Regencies, you will most likely enjoy the stories within as much as I did.
I absolutely adore Regency romance, and I particularly love holiday books set in that era. So when I saw this multi-author anthology at a good price, I snapped it up. Opening to the first page, I was already anticipating the stories to come when I read the inner subtitle which definitely stated that this was a Regency collection. So imagine my disappointment when I turned their first story and found it to be set in the late Victorian era! I turned to the next story, and that one was set in the early Victorian era. Surely, the next story had to be Regency, reflecting the book’s subtitle. That one, however, took place in the era just before Regency, when Mad King George still sat on the throne (and wasn’t quite full-on mad yet). Finally, the 4th story in this 5-story collection was well and truly set in the Regency era. Authors, whether fiction or nonfiction ones, should be truthful about what they say about a book in the title and subtitle. Don't get us Regency fans excited about a box set of our favorite flavor of romance, then share stories that are predominantly NOT from that era.
That said, I thoroughly enjoyed the first three stories I've now read. A few had some problems and slow starts, but in the end, I enjoyed the stories.
The first one takes place in the late Victorian era, within just a few years of the end of the 1800s. An independent single miss is heading toward Inverness, hoping to capture the Loch Ness monster on her camera. But a horrible winter storm keeps her in a small Scottish town, and the only room left at the inn is one known to be inhabited by a ghost! The story certainly has The Ghost and Mrs. Muir vibe…with a lot of steam. The ghost was a soldier who fell at Culloden, and he reanimates every couple of decades for just a night when certain cosmic placements align. As they get to know each other, the author teases out their backstories. Some parts of the story are funny--imagine finding out that a very real ghost is watching you bathe!--while others are surprisingly poignant. Even though it sounds silly to say, as the story moved along, I wanted them to figure out a way to be together. Their chemistry was sizzling, and both had been through a lot and deserved a happy ending. I was wondering how it was all going to work out, but the author made it work, magically but believably so and had even woven in some foreshadowing about what might happen. It is certainly more in the magical/paranormal realm, but surprisingly realistic. I wish we got a little bit of an epilogue to see how it shaped up for the couple.
The second story was not appealing at first. The heroine seemed a bit vapid, and the hero was cruel. I don't like cruel romantic heroes. But I'm glad I stuck with a story, as it became much better as it moved along. The book is centered on a very uncomfortable couple of days around Christmas when the hero comes to the heroine’s house Christmas week to formally end their engagement. Her brother and his children have other plans! That's when the story became fun. For one thing, the heroine and her brother have an unusual relationship from what is typically seen in Regency romance. They’re a little quirky but get along very well, supportive of each other fully. The brother, despite being the father of three, has quite a mischievous streak--as do his children. His little boy is a delight and brightened every scene he was in. Everyone but the couple can see that they're meant to be together, and the children, with their father's tacit permission, devise clever ways to keep the duke in residence. Part of the middle of the story was laugh-out-loud funny and an utter delight to read because of the tricks the children (and their father) played on the beleaguered duke.
The third story was a surprisingly powerful story of hope and redemption, perfect for the holidays. I don't consider myself Christian, but even I didn't mind the heavy Christian aspect of the story because it was just so well written. The heroine Katharine, in a nod to Katherine in Taming of the Shrew, is known to be a shrew, and as the story opens, she learns of being jilted by her third betrothed! We learn about the prior ones through well-done backstory. As you might imagine, she is hurt and understandably bitter. Her brother calls her out several times on her shrewish nature--which stings more than he realizes--and we see some of it in action. But not all of her heart is frozen, and when a bedraggled young man shows up injured at her door late Christmas Eve, after initially closing the door on him, she soon goes out, apologizes, and asks him to come in from the cold. The interplay between these two was fun to watch. The young man isn't quite what he seems at first glance, and there's something about him that slowly starts to thaw her icy heart. I love a good character growth arc like that. I wish the story went further than it did because I'd like to know what happened to the couple after they rode off into the Christmas dawn.
I haven't yet gotten to the other two stories, but they're queued up and ready to go. So long as you don't expect the stories to be all Regencies, you will most likely enjoy the stories within as much as I did.
January 13, 2024
This was an OK set of historical romance novellas. As is typical for a set like this, some were better than others. My overall rating for the set was 3.5 stars, rounded down to 3 stars.
Making Merry, by Kerrigan Byrne, 4 stars: This story was good, with a likable couple. I won't give spoilers, but I absolutely loved the surprise ending, and I loved that the heroine fell in love with a ghost. It did have a sex scene, but it was not really explicit.
Mischief and Mistletoe, by Tanya Anne Crosby, 3 stars: This story was okay, but I wasn't crazy about the H. He had strung the h along postponing their wedding for years, then finally decided she deserved better than him -- but when he went to tell her that, he discovered he wanted the older version of her much more than he expected, and ended up falling for her even harder. I did think that her mischievous brother and nieces/nephews were a lot of fun with their pranks to get the couple together. Story did contain a sex scene, but it was not really explicit.
My First Noel, by Danelle Harmon, 2.5 stars: Okay story, but the h was hard to like at first -- she was spoiled, and known to do/say mean things to others. She was the historical version of the "mean" girl. I did like that she realized her behavior was shameful, and let the events of that night help her change. She saved the H's life, which she would not have even considered a few months before, and ended up falling in love with him.
Then in a Twinkling, by Anna Bradley, 3 stars: I have to admit that I already don't remember much about this story, even though I just read it a few days ago. I remember that the H/h were fairly likable, and that the carriage horses often caused trouble, and that the H's servant was terrified of ghosts -- but I really don't remember much else. I guess it just wasn't very memorable.
The Rocking Horse, by Holly Newman, 4 stars: Sweet story, with a likable couple, my favorite of the set. I liked the couple, and liked that she saw something in him that was just what she needed. I also liked that she didn't automatically judge him by society's expectations, but saw that he was a good father and a good man. I did think they fell in love a little too fast to believe, but that didn't really bother me. Clean story, only kisses.
My rating system is below.
1 star -- Hated it, or did not finish. I usually only give this rating if some of the content is truly objectionable to me, like if one of the main characters does something really awful, and gets away with it.
2 stars -- Didn't like it. This rating usually means that I thought the writing wasn't very good, the editing was terrible, I didn't like the characters, or it had other major flaws.
3 stars -- I liked it, but had some minor issues with it. This rating means that there were minor editing issues, the story needed more character development, it was just too unrealistic, or had some other fairly minor issue. The majority of books I read get this rating – I do not consider it a bad rating.
4 stars -- I liked it a lot. This is a high rating for me, and I rarely give a higher one.
5 stars -- I loved it, and will probably read it again. Very few books are good enough to get this rating from me. The ones that do are usually classics.
Making Merry, by Kerrigan Byrne, 4 stars: This story was good, with a likable couple. I won't give spoilers, but I absolutely loved the surprise ending, and I loved that the heroine fell in love with a ghost. It did have a sex scene, but it was not really explicit.
Mischief and Mistletoe, by Tanya Anne Crosby, 3 stars: This story was okay, but I wasn't crazy about the H. He had strung the h along postponing their wedding for years, then finally decided she deserved better than him -- but when he went to tell her that, he discovered he wanted the older version of her much more than he expected, and ended up falling for her even harder. I did think that her mischievous brother and nieces/nephews were a lot of fun with their pranks to get the couple together. Story did contain a sex scene, but it was not really explicit.
My First Noel, by Danelle Harmon, 2.5 stars: Okay story, but the h was hard to like at first -- she was spoiled, and known to do/say mean things to others. She was the historical version of the "mean" girl. I did like that she realized her behavior was shameful, and let the events of that night help her change. She saved the H's life, which she would not have even considered a few months before, and ended up falling in love with him.
Then in a Twinkling, by Anna Bradley, 3 stars: I have to admit that I already don't remember much about this story, even though I just read it a few days ago. I remember that the H/h were fairly likable, and that the carriage horses often caused trouble, and that the H's servant was terrified of ghosts -- but I really don't remember much else. I guess it just wasn't very memorable.
The Rocking Horse, by Holly Newman, 4 stars: Sweet story, with a likable couple, my favorite of the set. I liked the couple, and liked that she saw something in him that was just what she needed. I also liked that she didn't automatically judge him by society's expectations, but saw that he was a good father and a good man. I did think they fell in love a little too fast to believe, but that didn't really bother me. Clean story, only kisses.
My rating system is below.
1 star -- Hated it, or did not finish. I usually only give this rating if some of the content is truly objectionable to me, like if one of the main characters does something really awful, and gets away with it.
2 stars -- Didn't like it. This rating usually means that I thought the writing wasn't very good, the editing was terrible, I didn't like the characters, or it had other major flaws.
3 stars -- I liked it, but had some minor issues with it. This rating means that there were minor editing issues, the story needed more character development, it was just too unrealistic, or had some other fairly minor issue. The majority of books I read get this rating – I do not consider it a bad rating.
4 stars -- I liked it a lot. This is a high rating for me, and I rarely give a higher one.
5 stars -- I loved it, and will probably read it again. Very few books are good enough to get this rating from me. The ones that do are usually classics.
December 23, 2024
Great collection of short stories centered around the Christmas holidays. Most of them take place during the 1800's and are romance stories but the Christmas spirit and descriptions' of holiday activities will put you in the mood for reading by the fireplace, wrapped in a blanket with a cup of your favorite hot drink.
I would love to comment on each story individually but once you start a story on Kindle going back to the title page is so difficult, so what I will do is highly recommend the novel to all romance readers. There was only one story that was a disappointment. It was way too short and should have been fully developed. It had great potential. The title was "Noel" something, big let down when I realized we would never find out what happened to Noel and his rescuer and her brother. Shame on it's author for not expanding on this story.
I would love to comment on each story individually but once you start a story on Kindle going back to the title page is so difficult, so what I will do is highly recommend the novel to all romance readers. There was only one story that was a disappointment. It was way too short and should have been fully developed. It had great potential. The title was "Noel" something, big let down when I realized we would never find out what happened to Noel and his rescuer and her brother. Shame on it's author for not expanding on this story.
January 22, 2024
This set each story contained a cliffhanger and no real hea's. I felt like I read half a story each time, sad part when I tried to get the book it self hoping it was more complete Nope still the same incomplete story. ( I only tried "The First Noel").
Then in a Twinkling is probably the only one I might give a 3.5 or 4* to, it still needs more of a complete hea.
Ama- but not keeping it
Then in a Twinkling is probably the only one I might give a 3.5 or 4* to, it still needs more of a complete hea.
Ama- but not keeping it
January 9, 2024
First storyline was interesting but I’m not into graphic sexual content. Started in the 2nd book, same thing. I deleted this book.
I was simply looking for sweet Christmas historical romance books, these are not them.
I was simply looking for sweet Christmas historical romance books, these are not them.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 7, 2026
This historical romance anthology was a pleasure to read. The stories were a combination of sweet and slightly spicy but they all captured the spirit of the Christmas season and made me smile; a perfect gift for the holiday.
January 20, 2023
thoroughly enjoyed
The stories were lighthearted, yet real. The characters had good depth development. Any of the stories were standalone’s and enjoyable. I could’ve read more.
The stories were lighthearted, yet real. The characters had good depth development. Any of the stories were standalone’s and enjoyable. I could’ve read more.
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January 30, 2023I brought this book because it has a story that continues a series I am reading, but I was very happy with all the stories in the book.
June 28, 2023
Other than the first story I wasn't into the other ones.
November 11, 2024
This is an entertaining collection of romantic short stories
by different authors. The stories take place around Christmas time.
by different authors. The stories take place around Christmas time.
December 8, 2024
I slogged my way through it.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews