A Festive Romance Anthology! --"A Christmas Serenade" by Jennifer Moore, Kasey Stockton, Katie Stewart Stone, and Anneka R. Walker—Review

 My Review:

“A Christmas Serenade" by Jennifer Moore, Kasey Stockton, Katie Stewart Stone, and Anneka R. Walker is a festive, historical romance anthology! These feel-good novellas will get you in the mood for the holiday season. I loved each sweet story. There are plenty of Christmas balls, romances, and house parties to make a person swoon and be swept back to another era. The stories have humor, wit, banter, nods to Dickens and plenty of sparks flying. Several stories have characters from the authors’ other series, that fans will be delighted to see again and see their stories resolved. Each novella can also be read as a standalone. “A Caroling Christmas” by Jennifer Moore has a house party, nods to Dickens and a scatterbrained naturalist meeting an organized party planner. “A Carol So Bright” by Kasey Stockton has a clumsy heroine and a musical hero who were childhood friends. “Christmas at Bellingham” by Katie Stewart Stone has music, a Christmas ball, complicated family relationships, childhood friends, fencing and first kisses. And finally, “Christmas at Amorwich” by Anneka R. Walker is full of a second chance romance, unrequited love, Christmas miracles and legends, dealing with grief, humor and wit, midnight dances, sewing mishaps, and cooking together (with sparks flying). Can the characters find healing and hope and choose to love and forgive? I highly recommend this delightful historical novella collection to lovers of sweet romance that puts you in the Christmas spirit!

Content: I give this book a PG rating. “A Caroling Christmas”: mention of a fortune teller and ghosts; spiders. “A Carol So Bright”: emotional infidelity; mention of alcohol. “Christmas at Bellingham”: rumors of gambling and illegitimate children; terminal illness; someone was drunk in the past. TW: estrangement; a kiss without consent. “Christmas at Amorwich”: loss and grief. TW: A side character has depression.

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book which I received from the author. All views expressed are only my honest opinion.

A Sweet Marriage of Convenience Story--"The Rules of Matrimony" by Anneka Walker—Review

 

My Review:

"The Rules of Matrimony" by Anneka Walker is the fourth book in the addicting “Matchmaking Mamas” series. It can easily be read as a standalone, but there are recurring characters that readers of the series will enjoy seeing in each book. The whole series is simply fabulous and "The Rules of Matrimony" is the perfect ending to the series. It was everything I wanted and more! I was so looking forward to Ian’s story and this did not disappoint. From the hilarious and adorable meet-cute in a graveyard to the perfect ending, Ian and Amie’s story will melt your heart like it did mine. I have loved Ian and his gruff exterior (with the biggest heart) and was so excited for him to get his happily ever after. Amie is perfect for Ian. I love that Ian is determined to use his life to help others and change laws. Ian and Amie enter a marriage of convenience and create “rules” that they then proceed to break, also breaking down the walls each has put around their hearts. Will they find love in their marriage? Their romance made me smile with the nickname “Lord Grumpy” that Amie gives Ian. I appreciated seeing Amie make Ian smile. Tiny the dog was adorable and the way Ian would comfort Amie when she was scared was precious.  The chemistry and the longing between the two were so well done and sparks flew off the pages! The characters learn that even though they cannot choose their scars, they will never stop trying to rise above their circumstances. There are beautiful themes of family and forgiveness. At times laugh-out-loud funny and at other times poignant and tender, "The Rules of Matrimony" by Anneka Walker has quickly become a top read of the year!

Content: I give this a PG rating. Some examples of the content:  someone was unfaithful in the past and has mistresses; mention of madness and someone being drunk; mention of brothels: mention of laudanum.

TW: brief mention of madness; mention of a man trying to take advantage of a woman in the past; anxiety.

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book which I received from the author. All views expressed are only my honest opinion.

A Charming Romance with a Perfect Gentleman! --"The Gentleman's Confession" by Anneka Walker--Review

 My Review:

"The Gentleman's Confession" by Anneka Walker is such a charming romance! I had a smile on my face as I read this wonderful story. Readers will fall in love with this friends-to-lovers romance and even more so with our hero, Miles Jackson.  Jemma Fielding feels she needs to marry to honor her late grandmother’s dying wish and goes to the Matchmaking Mamas Society. Jemma is matched with someone but feels she does not know anything about love. Jemma decides to go to her old friend Miles for advice. Miles is one of the best male protagonists I have read in a long time. He is such a sweet cinnamon roll. The way he loves Jemma, even when his feelings are not returned, is so romantic. He is willing to teach Jemma about love so she can fall in love with and marry someone else, even though he secretly loves her. He is nicknamed “Mr. Romantic” for a reason! There is even a lake scene with a wet shirt! It is very reminiscent of the infamous lake scene from the Colin Firth “Pride and Prejudice” movie! Be prepared with your smelling salts!

Jemma, our headstrong, lovable heroine is a bluestocking and loves fashion. She also loves to support causes. Miles and Jemma have a group of friends called “The Rebels,” many of whom readers will recognize from previous books. You need not have read the previous books to enjoy this one, but I look forward to reading all the rest of the books in the series! The friendship between the Rebels is so fun and heartwarming. It is admirable how they come together for worthy causes and to fight injustice. There are also lots of historical tidbits in the story including cricket, fashion, and the Chios massacre of 1822. The author writes in a witty way and there are several humorous scenes that I enjoyed.

The author calls this book “romantic, witty and uplifting!”  It surely is all those things, and it is also a clean read. I highly recommend this book!

Content: I give this book a G rating. Examples of the content: the word “devil” is used; there is a rumor that someone was drunk; it says that someone almost uttered a swear word; there’s mention of a woman showing too much of her chest.

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book which I received from the author. All views expressed are only my honest opinion.

A Charming Regency Cinderella Retelling! --"The Lady Glass" by Anneka Walker--Review

“The Lady Glass" by Anneka Walker is such a sweet Regency romance! If you know me, you know I love a good retelling. This one absolutely delivers! The author does an excellent job of incorporating the elements of the original “Cinderella” fairy tale into the story in a non-magical way. Ms. Walker gives fun nods to the fairy tale, while also making it a unique story of her own. The love story between the main characters is perfection. I could feel the chemistry and sparks fly between the them every time they met. I love their interactions and banter. There is even a moment similar to Darcy’s hand flex from the 2005 “Pride and Prejudice” movie. Swoon!!  Rolland, our male protagonist, is a good representation of a character dealing with chronic pain. Rolland is a little gruff on the exterior, due to his previous experience as a naval captain, with a heart of gold. Theresia is spunky, brave, and stubborn. Will Rolland and Theresia be able to each achieve their goals together by solving the murder mystery and finding Theresia’s missing glass vase? These two have a bit of an enemies-to-lovers story, which is a trope many readers love! This story is not just a romance, but also a murder mystery, ripe with spies and intrigue! I enjoyed learning more about female violinists of the time, the Congress of Vienna, and the Czech glassblowers. Ms. Walker even incorporates a bit of faith content into the story, which I always love to see. Although “The Lady Glass” is part of a series, it can be read as a standalone. Ms. Walker gives a quick summary of who characters are from other books, so you will not be confused if you only read this book or start here. I want to now go back and read the rest of the books in this series. Fans of “Bridgerton” will love this romance without having to be worried about explicit content. 

Content: I give this story a PG rating. It is clean as far as the romance.  Some examples of the content are: a person wants to keep from being seen as a “light skirt”; there’s mention of the prejudice of the English against the Roma people during this time period; some characters go to a fortune teller; there is talk of a woman being mistaken for someone’s mistress; someone curses, but the words aren’t actually spoken; someone was drunk in the past.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from NetGalley, Anneka Walker, and Covenant Communications and was under no obligation to post a review.