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The Christmas Bargain
Iris Newgate's grandfather left behind many things when he died, not the least of which is a condition in his will that states unless Iris finds someone to marry by Christmas day, she will be forced to take as her husband the most dastardly rake in London. Lord James Whitman is well aware of what others say about him. He has heard his name whispered behind closed doors and learned of his character being maligned without cause. But after his unearned reputation causes Iris to decline his marriage proposal, he is determined to show her the truth and win her love! Without her grandfather's guidance, Iris must decide whether to trust the London gossips or the tune of her own heart. Could she possibly love a man who is as horrid as some say he is? Or should she trust her instincts and what the duke tells her to be true? All Iris knows for sure is that Christmas day grows closer with each passing minute!
185 pages, Hardcover
First published October 11, 2010
94 people are currently reading
51 people want to read
About the author
Sarita Leone
49 books138 followersSarita Leone lives in a remote area of New York with her wonderful husband Vito. Their days are filled with laughter and their nights are spent dancing beneath the stars. When she’s not writing, Sarita enjoys hiking, boating, reading and drawing.
Bits and pieces from her daily life are journaled in her blog, called From the Heart. A link to her blog and news of the author’s upcoming releases can be found on her website.
Bits and pieces from her daily life are journaled in her blog, called From the Heart. A link to her blog and news of the author’s upcoming releases can be found on her website.
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Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews
December 6, 2020
I usually don’t read many historical romances; but I enjoy Christmas stories. So, I thought I’d try reading The Christmas Bargain. Ms. Hatfield has changed my mind! This book kept my attention & it was difficult to put down! Luke Granger is the owner of a small bank out West. Mr. Booth is seriously behind in his payments on his farm. He has no money for payment so he offers Up his daughter, Philamena. He threatens to get her involved in a prostitution situation if Luke doesn’t take her. Luke doesn’t want her to end up in that situation; so, he accepts her. He figured she’d be a good help around the house. After taking Philamena to the local Pastor’s home, it was decided Luke should marry her. Philamena’s transition as a banker’s wife is interesting to say the least! A wonderful, humorous relationship starts. You have to read the book for yourself.You won’t be disappointed!
December 4, 2019
The Christmas Bargain by Sarita Leone was a good, lighthearted story about a young woman named Iris who must marry by Christmas day, as per her late grandfather's will. The problem is Iris has no one in mind and the deadline is fast approaching. The will actually states if she doesn't find a suitable husband by Christmas day she'll have to marry Lord James Whitman, who she's only heard horrible rumors and gossip about and really doesn't want anything to do with him. It's a cute Christmas story set in a time when arranged marriages were a normal circumstance. Iris is running out of time and excuses and there are no suitable men for her to marry, she's fearful of marrying a man for reasons other than love. The story revolves around her quest to secure a better future for herself, yet honor her grandfather's will. She's torn! This was a quick read, as most Christmas books are, but it was entertaining and I'm glad to have read it. If you like a cute story with a happy ending then this would be the book for you. It made me laugh and made me mad at times. The thought of having to marry someone you don't choose is something I just can't get my head around, but it works in The Christmas Bargain and found it fun, exciting and even a little mystery is involved. The book had a bit of everything in it! Happy Reading!
December 24, 2018
This could have been cute but it was done so poorly. Each time something exciting was about to happen, the story would break and suddenly it would be the characters talking about the exciting event the next morning. Every. Single. Time. It was so annoying. There was no explanation as to why Iris was making the choices she did and the “murder mystery” aspect was “wrapped up” so poorly at the end it was laughable. In fact the ending was rushed so quickly in comparison to the pacing of the rest of the book that it seemed to be smashed in your face. And this wasn’t really a Christmas story. Except for the New Years deadline that was part of the plot, Christmas wasn’t a part of the story and it wasn’t very festive at all.
April 6, 2020
An okay premise and beginning, but going through the story made me like it less and less.
Iris’s friends are quite annoying and judgmental at the beginning. They didn’t really grow on me at all.
Iris also swings back and forth between sensible and silly, and doesn’t seem to put much effort into understanding her grandfather’s reasons for his conditions. It’s mentioned how much he loved her and had good sense and offered good advice, but yet that opinion is thrown out the window in favor of gossip. Tsk tsk.
The big revelation of James’s profession was a bit anticlimactic and late, in my opinion. And while I understand its being the justification for “testing” Iris, it still seems a bit heavy-handed to keep saying “it was for our country.”
Iris’s friends are quite annoying and judgmental at the beginning. They didn’t really grow on me at all.
Iris also swings back and forth between sensible and silly, and doesn’t seem to put much effort into understanding her grandfather’s reasons for his conditions. It’s mentioned how much he loved her and had good sense and offered good advice, but yet that opinion is thrown out the window in favor of gossip. Tsk tsk.
The big revelation of James’s profession was a bit anticlimactic and late, in my opinion. And while I understand its being the justification for “testing” Iris, it still seems a bit heavy-handed to keep saying “it was for our country.”
October 16, 2023
I am ambivalent about this book. I got it because I thought it was a Christmas story but it was not. Iris is a young woman whose grandfather died leaving her comfortable financially but with a very strange provision in his will. She has to marry within 24 months or have an arranged marriage with the man her grandfather selected.
There was a murder mystery which was not satisfactorily explained. Charlotte's fiance seems to be AWOL. That may be a teaser for another book but it was a loose end that bothered me.
My major complaints were the misleading title and the uneven coverage of the story threads. Some were over explained while others were glossed over. I wanted to like it but I can not rate it five stars with all the unevenness within.
There was a murder mystery which was not satisfactorily explained. Charlotte's fiance seems to be AWOL. That may be a teaser for another book but it was a loose end that bothered me.
My major complaints were the misleading title and the uneven coverage of the story threads. Some were over explained while others were glossed over. I wanted to like it but I can not rate it five stars with all the unevenness within.
December 29, 2019
Cute story, but lacked depth and precision. Allowing a stranger to sit next to her and talk without a chaperone or a formal introduction? I don't believe someone as straight-laced as the heroine seems to be would do such a thing. And then, there's the contradiction of her being proper and straight-laced in some situations yet independent and non-compliant with society's rules in others. I think her character could have used a bit more consistency in execution. Also, as others have said, the ending was wrapped up a bit quickly. It could have been fleshed out, with a bit more explanation as to the "murders."
December 19, 2019
A Complicated Decision
Iris, a very sensible and proper young lady of the English upper class has been put to a complicated decision. Her grandfathers’ will gives her 2 years to find a husband and, if she hasn’t, has the option of marrying a man of her grandfathers’ choosing (about whom there are many rumors of his being a rogue and even a murderer), or moving to a cottage on a reduced stipend. It is a conundrum she must resolve within a few weeks when she finally meets James, whom she finds very attractive and personable, but still the doubts persist.
Iris, a very sensible and proper young lady of the English upper class has been put to a complicated decision. Her grandfathers’ will gives her 2 years to find a husband and, if she hasn’t, has the option of marrying a man of her grandfathers’ choosing (about whom there are many rumors of his being a rogue and even a murderer), or moving to a cottage on a reduced stipend. It is a conundrum she must resolve within a few weeks when she finally meets James, whom she finds very attractive and personable, but still the doubts persist.
December 16, 2019
The Christmas Bargain
The love story of Iris and James. After the death of her grandfather, It's learn he want her to marry Lord James Whitmam, the Duke of Willingham.
If she can not find a husband or marry James, she will be give a cottage and a small stipend to I've on. What will her chose be?
James has a big secret, he is known by the ton as being a murder, a womanizer, and a man of low values. Are the rumor true? Good story but the end not so good.
The love story of Iris and James. After the death of her grandfather, It's learn he want her to marry Lord James Whitmam, the Duke of Willingham.
If she can not find a husband or marry James, she will be give a cottage and a small stipend to I've on. What will her chose be?
James has a big secret, he is known by the ton as being a murder, a womanizer, and a man of low values. Are the rumor true? Good story but the end not so good.
February 18, 2020
This book starts off well enough, but quickly loses its appeal. The heroine is constantly referred to as vibrant and intelligent. The heroine talks and behaves like an absolute moron with a common sense of a wet hen. The hero isn't much better, he is sort of a copy of a brooding hero stereotype, but with a cheerier disposition and tendency to think in platitudes.
Lots of hints are dropped and characters are introduced, but with little or no resolution at all. The mystery that the heroine and her dim-witted friends get into their minds to investigate is dropped after barely beginning and because the hero assures the heroine that it's all for the good of the country.
In short, implausible and silly and frankly bordering on unreadable.
Lots of hints are dropped and characters are introduced, but with little or no resolution at all. The mystery that the heroine and her dim-witted friends get into their minds to investigate is dropped after barely beginning and because the hero assures the heroine that it's all for the good of the country.
In short, implausible and silly and frankly bordering on unreadable.
December 10, 2019
I enjoyed this Christmas read, even though it was just more of a setting in December.... I did get lost a few times between sections. I felt as though I had missed something with the jumps. Yet, some jumps in time made sense.
January 25, 2020
Not a favorite
Wayyyyy too much time spent on empty discussions, worrying about time, who else could she marry. I skipped a lot which I almost never do. And how do 2 people who know so little about each other and spend so little time together fall in love????
Wayyyyy too much time spent on empty discussions, worrying about time, who else could she marry. I skipped a lot which I almost never do. And how do 2 people who know so little about each other and spend so little time together fall in love????
December 2, 2019
Romance novel
Interesting characters. Would have liked more detail in the activities of the hero of the story. Would have liked more information on Iris's friend, Catherine
Interesting characters. Would have liked more detail in the activities of the hero of the story. Would have liked more information on Iris's friend, Catherine
Read
December 30, 2019DNF
June 17, 2020
Cute
It is not highbrow literature but it is a fun read that ends happily ever after. Just like you want it to.
It is not highbrow literature but it is a fun read that ends happily ever after. Just like you want it to.
January 17, 2024
A delightful read
The main character, Iris, is well written and the threads of the story are crafted in a way that is engaging & come to a satisfying conclusion.
The main character, Iris, is well written and the threads of the story are crafted in a way that is engaging & come to a satisfying conclusion.
January 17, 2020
October 1812 - "Iris lifted a framed photograph":. Need I say more?
That is only the most egregious of the many historical errors throughout the book. Then too there are countless errors in the characters' actions and such. Not only could this writer not have done any sort of research of the period nor even show much sense of history, period, this person shows no evidence of even having read a Regency romance! The behavioral errors made contradict Regency Period Propriety 101! The writing itself is mediocre at best. I only finished it because I always finish a book I've started reading. Just based on my own reading and sense of history I could write a better book. If you haven't started reading this poor excuse of a book, don't bother. If you have, I hope you too can afford wasting the time. Otherwise, close it, make a note of the author so you don't mistakenly get another book by them, and then delete the e-book or if this has actually seen print and you're holding a hard copy, keep it for kindling or some other productive use so that at least the resources used creating it are not totally wasted.
That is only the most egregious of the many historical errors throughout the book. Then too there are countless errors in the characters' actions and such. Not only could this writer not have done any sort of research of the period nor even show much sense of history, period, this person shows no evidence of even having read a Regency romance! The behavioral errors made contradict Regency Period Propriety 101! The writing itself is mediocre at best. I only finished it because I always finish a book I've started reading. Just based on my own reading and sense of history I could write a better book. If you haven't started reading this poor excuse of a book, don't bother. If you have, I hope you too can afford wasting the time. Otherwise, close it, make a note of the author so you don't mistakenly get another book by them, and then delete the e-book or if this has actually seen print and you're holding a hard copy, keep it for kindling or some other productive use so that at least the resources used creating it are not totally wasted.
December 30, 2011
I don't know why I always pick up these types of books to read!! I end up rolling my eyes the whole time.
This book started out with way to much information on totally pointless things... like the scenery outside the window... or other such things that do nothing to add to the characters of the book, so you are reading and you are bored, and you know nothing of the characters at all (which does not make them particularly likeable) . Then at the end of the book, everything is rushed! It is like, ok lets settle every question in the whole book in the last three pages...
Sigh. I don't know why I do it to myself. lol.
This book started out with way to much information on totally pointless things... like the scenery outside the window... or other such things that do nothing to add to the characters of the book, so you are reading and you are bored, and you know nothing of the characters at all (which does not make them particularly likeable) . Then at the end of the book, everything is rushed! It is like, ok lets settle every question in the whole book in the last three pages...
Sigh. I don't know why I do it to myself. lol.
January 2, 2016
I liked this okay. It is a sweet clean Regency romance with a little mystery that doesn't overpower the story. My problems with the book are minor. Some modern things slip in. Notebook paper really? Even if they had it I sure they called it something else. Something that didn't come from the WalMart. And the heroine was a little too modern for my taste. She, a young single woman lives alone without a companion. She travels all over town without her maid or a footman. And then she is upset about someone discovering she talked to a single man alone. Please. Anyway minor quibbles. Overall a cute story and a quick read
July 31, 2011
A Victorian romance with a victorian topic, but with a heroine with a modern thought (she thinks for herself!)
Iris Newgate's grandfather died nearly two years before the story begins, with a will that leaves her with 2 choices - poverty or marriage. For the marriage, she again has 2 choices - someone of her own choice, or to a worthless rake.
The story unfolds well, but is definitely fluff reading. I enjoyed it but not for someone who only reads slash and dash type murder and mayhem.
Iris Newgate's grandfather died nearly two years before the story begins, with a will that leaves her with 2 choices - poverty or marriage. For the marriage, she again has 2 choices - someone of her own choice, or to a worthless rake.
The story unfolds well, but is definitely fluff reading. I enjoyed it but not for someone who only reads slash and dash type murder and mayhem.
December 20, 2011
This is a nice little mystery/romance. More romance than mystery actually but it was a fun read. Maybe only 3 1/2 stars but I sure liked the little twist ending.
Read
July 12, 2016Time Period: Regency
Location: England
Location: England
January 7, 2012
A quick, fun Christmas read. 3.5 stars
May 31, 2016
Cute romance. First book I read from Sarita Leone and will definitely read others. Easy read
January 5, 2017
Good book
This book kept me in suspense until the end
It was well written and kept me interested all the way through
This book kept me in suspense until the end
It was well written and kept me interested all the way through
December 1, 2022
Fun read, very nice romance.
December 31, 2013
It Was a bit slow, but still okay.
Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews