Andrea/Cara here, Ho-Ho-Ho! Now that we spooked you with scary reads on Monday, we’re following up with a sleighful of good cheer. November signals the start (earlier and earlier it seems!) of the end-of-year holiday. And while all the celebrating with family and friends is wonderful, there are times when one simply wants to escape from the hustle and bustle and enjoy a few hours of quiet reading. With that in mind, we decided to showcase the Wenchly Christmas-themed books to spark smiles and good cheer. So get ready to curl up with a cup of hot cocoa and plate of cookies . . .
Pat:
Incomparable Lord Meath (A Novella)
Christmas in Ireland
Penniless spinster Honora Hoyt has carved a safe niche in London society as her noble uncle’s hostess —until an old flame re-enters her life, threatening her hard-earned security.
Evan, Lord Meath, abandoned his pampered life—and Honora—after a reckless gamble left him lame and disillusioned. Now he’s hoping to perform a good deed for once—but here’s Honora again, desirable, maddening, and in the way. It looks like he’s about to wreck his good intentions, and Honora’s too. Again.
In the season of peace, can they resolve their conflicts and find the joy and love that each secretly craves?
Original Novella Rebellious Sons prequel $2.99
Christmas Enchantment anthology
Three heartwarming Regency holiday romances in one joyful book.
Christmas Angel:
Marian had no intention of starting something new. Taking care of family and helping a once prosperous town survive was all she had in mind after the tragic death of her fiancé. Then a stranger with a heavy heart from America unexpectedly arrived. Maybe this will be the Christmas they both need - with a gift that lasts forever.
Christmas Goose
: The spoiled child of a rich baron, Rebecca left that world for love. But, her husband died in the war. Now she finds herself taking care of his young sisters, removed from the grace of her prosperous father. Simon feels his life is a failure. The war took his soul and he longs for a new beginning. Even the battles of war haven't prepared him for the battle for the hand of the feisty woman he's come to love.
Tin Angel
: Jeffrey fought the good fight in the halls of government but comes home exasperated at life, law, family and love. Much to his dismay, the visit from a guardian angel (in whom he does not believe) leads him to question his sanity. Mary’s bright humor and sarcastic jabs give him something he’s never experienced - a way to look beyond himself and into the world again. Could she be the key that opens that last door at Christmas?
(Anthology of stories originally contained in Signet Regency Christmas collections $4.99)
Christmas By Candlelight
Two Regency Holiday novellas celebrating the true meaning of the season
When winter nights are at their darkest, candlelight and the spirit of Christmas can spark light and love in even the most guarded hearts . . .
Lost And Found: A snowstorm strands two travelers at a remote inn. Even though they clash at their first encounter, carriage trouble forces them to join forces in order to make it to London by Christmas. Neither Nicholas nor Anna is happy about the arrangement, but as the journey takes an unexpected turn, they soon discover they have more in common than they think . . .
A Gathering of Gifts: An impetuous riding accident forces a country baron to play holiday host not only to his grieving widowed sister and young nephew but also to the headstrong heiress who lands her on his doorstep. He thinks she’s arrogant and spoiled while she finds him gruff and unfeeling. But as Noel and his family prepare the modest house for a simple Christmas, secrets slowly come unwrapped, revealing that happiness can come in the most unexpected packages.
So come light the candles and celebrate a Regency Christmas—where Love is the greatest gift of all. (The two stories originally appeared in Signet Regency Christmas collections, but have been newly edited and updated, and have never appeared in e-book format before) $2.99
Mary Jo
Christmas Candles:
The Best Husband Money Can Buy: A lonely governess inherits an unexpected fortune that can give her a family, but can it also bring her love?
Mad, Bad, and Dangerous to Know is my one Western and begins when an English born gambler is about to be wrongfully hanged--and yes, it has a happy holiday ending!
Christmas Revels: Five holiday stories including an accidental cuckoo-in-the- nest guest who can't bear to leave, a Victorian beauty and the beast story, and three other Christmas tales where they all live happily ever after.
Mary Jo, Susan and Pat
Christmas Roses
Acclaimed writers Patricia Rice, Mary Jo Putney, and Susan King bring together three classic historical romance novellas in this exclusive anthology of unexpected love discovered at a special time of year.
In Susan King's The Snow Rose, love grows despite a clash of Scottish clans.
Mary Jo Putney's The Black Beast of Belleterre tells of a Victorian marriage of convenience where a beauty and her beast both yearn for more.
Patricia Rice's Regency, The Kissing Bough, spins a poignant tale of a returning soldier and a love once lost and now found..."
Together these tales weave a heartwarming journey through history. Also included are introductions about how the stories came to be written and tasty recipes to add to the joys of the season. $3.99
Susanna
Named of the Dragon
Somewhere in the heart of Legend lies the key to her terrifying dreams
The charm of spending the Christmas holidays in South Wales, with its crumbling castles and ancient myths, seems the perfect distraction from the nightmares that have plagued literary agent Lyn Ravenshaw since the loss of her baby five years ago.
Instead, she meets an emotionally fragile young widow who's convinced that Lyn's recurring dreams have drawn her to Castle Farm for an important purpose--and she's running out of time.
With the help of a reclusive, brooding playwright, Lyn begins to untangle the mystery and is pulled into a world of Celtic legends, dangerous prophecies, and a child destined for greatness. $.9.99
No Wench compendium would be complete without a book from Jo Beverley. We miss our dear friend more than words can say, but we’re all so lucky that her spirit lives on in her incomparable writing.
Christmas Angel
Leander, Lord Charrington has a problem. Raised to be a charming diplomat, women fall in love with him. He, however, seems unable to fall in love with them. For wife, therefore, he wants a woman he can live with on honest terms, and an impoverished widow seems ideal. Judith Rossiter thanks heaven for this escape from disaster. But can she keep to the terms of their agreement and not fall in love with her charming husband? $4.80
And then, of course, there are the Wench Anthologies:
The Last Chance Christmas Ball
Christmas 1815. Upstairs and downstairs, Holbourne Hall is abuzz with preparations for a grand ball to celebrate the year’s most festive—and romantic—holiday. For at the top of each guest’s wish list is a last chance to find true love before the New Year…
A chance meeting beneath the mistletoe, a stolen glance across the dance floor—amid the sumptuous delicacies, glittering decorations, and swell of the orchestra, every duchess and debutante, lord and lackey has a hopeful heart. There’s the headstrong heiress who must win back her beloved by midnight—or be wed to another….the spinster whose fateful choice to relinquish love may hold one more surprise for her…a widow yearning to glimpse her long-lost love for even one sweet, fleeting interlude …a charming rake who finds far more than he bargained for. And many other dazzling, romantic tales in this star-studded collection that will fill your heart and spice up your holidays… $5.99
Mischief and Mistletoe
Christmastime in England—a time for passionate secrets, delicious whispers and wicked-sweet gifts by the fire. From a spirited lady who sets out to save her rakish best friend from an unsuitable engagement to a bold spy who gets the unexpected chance to win the woman he’s always loved, to a feisty young hellion and starchy diplomat who must join forces in order to make it to London by Christmas Eve, these holiday tales will make you curl up in front of the fire for a memorable season of mischief and mistletoe…
$5.99
Now, to get into the spirit of the season, do you have any favorite traditions for the Holidays? A favorite treat you always make? A special ritual? A a story or song that makes your heart sing? One lucky winner will be chosen at random from all those leaving a comment here to receive a trade paperback edition of The Last Chance Christmas Ball!