A Christmas Seduction by Kristin Vayden, Nadine Millard, Rachel VanDyken

A Christmas Seduction by Rachel Van Dyken
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

War! The three Bright sisters have been at war with the three Ashbury brothers for all their lives. Thrown together for summer and winter holidays, they’ve been battling for as long as they can remember. The stories open three years after their last visit, as the sisters are arriving for a Christmas visit, they’re making plans to finally win the war.

I debated how to review this set, individually or as a whole. I guess I’ll do a little of both. To be honest, all three stories are very similar. Since each story focuses on a different set of relationships, but all happening during the same time/events. I actually read them out of order, which didn’t lessen my enjoyment at all.

I loved the idea for this collection- enemies since childhood, constantly pulling pranks on each other. But, I did feel that the jump from enemies to lovers was a little too quick in each story. I would have liked to see a little more feuding maybe? Some stories transitioned a little better than others. But since they’re short stories it makes sense that relationship move quickly.

Taming the Earl by Kristin Vayden
I ended up reading this one last, but really enjoyed it and it was *almost* my favorite. Probably my favorite couple of the three. Lucas and Meredith have great chemistry and fun banter. It was well written and really pulled me in, even though I knew what was coming, it still kept me engaged. I would have loved this, but the very end pushed the content for me.

Content: Steamy, not clean. Wedding “night”, undressing and nudity, but fades to black.

Christmas Kisses by Nadine Millard
I jumped to this one first because I love Ms. Millard’s books! Louisa and Hugh are a fun couple. When they see their older siblings getting along, they hatch a plan to keep the two apart. Which ends up putting them together more often, causing them to view each other differently. I liked this one, thought it was fun. The cleanest of all three, so if you read any read this one. :)

Content: Clean, mild innuendo and kissing.

Mistletoe for Sara by Rachel VanDyken
I was really looking forward to this one because Sara and Jackson had great chemistry from the previous story. Sparks were flying! Learning their past, I also expected a little more depth to their relationship. It did seem things moved rather quickly, from declaring their feelings to wanting sex basically instantly. Ended up feeling that they fell in lust, not love. My least favorite of the three.

Content: Not clean. Nudity, premarital sex/foreplay (was interrupted before consummated, rest of closed door)


So overall, I really liked the idea for the stories. I liked the banter and tension before they realize their feelings. I wish the concept/plot could be developed into just one full-length novel. While each story/couple was different, they also felt very similar. Similar setting, events and relationship development. I also wish they would have been a cleaner, it would have been a five star otherwise.

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The Hidden Prince by Nadine Millard

The Hidden Prince by Nadine Millard
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

*happy sigh*

I was sucked in from the first page and couldn't put it down. The characters and their chemistry just jumped off the pages. Lydia is a charming character, with a fun personality and has a way to saying what is on her mind. Alex is charming and handsome and keeping a secret from Lydia. As they grow closer he feels guilty for not telling her the truth. Lydia and Alex have great chemistry, fun interactions and witty banter. I also liked his sister Harriett and hope she'll get a story of her own.

I so wish this had been a full-length novel, but even being a novella I still found it to be well developed and a fun escape. Ms. Millard has a way with words and storytelling that really gets you into the story, feeling the romance and loving the characters. This was a great regency and one I will be reading again.

Content
Romance: Pretty Clean- just kissing, some mild innuendo (I really appreciate that Millard keeps her books clean)
Language: Mild
Violence: None

Source: Kindle

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Highway Revenge by Nadine Millard

Highway Revenge by Nadine Millard
My rating: 5 of 5 stars



This has been nominated for a 2016 Swoony Award. Share the love and vote for it here.

4.5

When I saw my friends review of this one awhile back I made a mental note to bump it up my TBR list. It kept popping up and I finally decided to give it a try last night, and I ended up not being able to put it down! I've read a couple of Ms. Millard's other books, but this was by far my favorite of the bunch.

This was a fun read, Evelyn is a likeable heroine. She's had her personality stifled for the past ten years, living with her controlling and unloving Aunt & Uncle. Luckily, she had the love and support of her cousins Abby & Jonathan, even if they didn't quite understand her. It's not until Viscount Andrew Ashdon shows up that she begins to realize she doesn't want to be a quite little country mouse any longer. Evelyn and Andrew had fun chemistry, some of their scenes had me laughing out loud. And others had me swooning.

This was a well written story that moved along nicely, a bit of mystery and intrigue, misunderstandings and a sweet romance. I usually not care for "rakes" very much, they're all to common in regencies, but this is one of those rare cases where I believe that Andrew does love and respect Evelyn enough to change his ways. I would have preferred less innuendo, but appreciate that the author did keep things clean overall.

This definitely rates up there with one of the better regencies I've read and would look forward to reading again. A fun start to a new series! Actually, I have no idea if this is going to be a series or not, but I'm hoping if I send enough positive thoughts out there, then maybe we'll be lucky to get a book for Abby and Jonathan!

Content
Romance: Pretty clean. Some kissing and one scene that gets a little steamy but stays clean. Some lusty thoughts and mild innuendo.
Language: Mild, handful of mild cuss words
Violence: Mild

Source: Amazon

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