I miss Regencies – even when they weren’t perfect, they had a certain charm. Thankfully Harlequin Historical is still publishing a few of them.
A Countess by Christmas by Annie Burrows
(2010, Regency) 5/25/2013
Grade: 3.5
Helen Forrest has accompanied her aunt to the Christmas house party of the Earl of Bridgemere. Her aunt has lost all of her money and is hoping for help from the Earl, despite his aloof reputation. The Earl finds Helen a breath of fresh air – so different from his grasping, money-hungry relatives – but can he persuade her to give up her plans for an independent life and become his countess?
Although this is a Harlequin Historical, it felt very much like an old school Signet Regency. I always enjoy a good Christmas house party story, and this included all of the usual elements – frost covered lakes, gathering greenery, charming children, kissing under the mistletoe. The problem was there wasn’t much to the story beyond the Christmas background. There was no real reason for the hero and heroine not to be together, so the book had to depend on the characters – and these characters had some flaws. The heroine, in particular, was quick to jump to conclusions and lose her temper for no apparent reason. The hero was more appealing, but he was also quick to jump to conclusions. It seemed like the author couldn’t find a reason to keep the hero and heroine apart, so she threw in a bunch of misunderstandings. This didn’t completely spoil the book – it still had a lot of charm – but it could have been so much better.
I had to read a book on my birthday – too bad it wasn’t a great one.
Karen Wheless
Latest posts by Karen Wheless (see all)
- Love Irresistibly by Julie James - June 18, 2013
- Vacation Reading - June 17, 2013
- The Way Home by Megan Chance - June 1, 2013