Regency Christmas Wishes: A Holiday Regency Historical Romance

By Carla Kelly, Christine Merrill and Janice Preston

Three Regency tales of festive wishes come true…

CAPTAIN GREY’S CHRISTMAS PROPOSAL by Carla Kelly

Captain Grey had been fighting malarial fever in Savannah when he met Theodora Winnings. He proposed by letter—but it’s taken ten years to receive her reply. The answer was “yes!”—but is she still free to become his Christmas bride?

HER CHRISTMAS TEMPTATION by Christine Merrill

Faith Strickland’s plan to marry to save her family backfires when notorious rake James Leggett sets out to break her unhappy engagement. He’ll storm her Twelfth Night celebrations and scorch her into surrender!

AWAKENING HIS SLEEPING BEAUTY by Janice Preston

Lonely Diana Fleming knows handsome knights don’t really exist. But can a festive kiss from the man she loves reawaken her frozen heart?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Harlequin Historical
• Release date: Nov 1, 2017
• ISBN: 9781488021817

Carla Kelly

Carla has always said that she only writes the books that she wants to read, which has made this whole writing business extra fun. She wrote her first book at age six. It was called The Old Mill, and she wrote it on her mother's Olivetti-Underwood typewriter. It had a cover (she spent more time on the cover than the narrative), and consisted of two sentences. But Carla said it had a plot. Carla was always writing something. She admits to going through that awkward, poetry-writing phase. Luckily, it passed. In high school (A.C. Jones High School, Beeville, Texas), she got involved in journalism, which was a great thing, since JHS had an exemplary journalism teacher, Jean Dugat (Miss D), the meanest teacher alive. To show how mean, she insisted that her students learn A LOT. She was the only teacher Carla ever knew who never needed a substitute when she was gone. "We wouldn't have dared not complete what she had assigned us," Carla said. Miss D was a wicked hard taskmaster, but it occurred to Carla that if she did what Miss D said, and paid attention, she'd be a writer someday. Brigham Young University was a great place to go to college. Papers were a breeze (refer to Miss D in the above paragraph), and Carla graduated with a degree in Latin American history. She was married by her senior year, and eventually Martin and Carla had five interesting children. Martin, retired now, was a university professor, teaching theatre courses, English courses and speech, plus directing plays. Carla says she began writing in earnest (i.e. selling stuff) when she lived in Ogden, Utah. She started out with short stories about the Indian Wars, reflecting academic interest, plus several years as a National Park Service ranger at Fort Laramie NHS. Great job. Carla said they paid her every two weeks for what she would have done for free… The result of those short stories were two Spur Awards from Western Writers of America and eventually the anthology Here's to the Ladies: Stories of the Frontier Army, which remains her personal favorite book of those she has written. In 1983 or 1984, Carla wrote her first novel, Daughter of Fortune (she called it Saintmaker), inspired by an incident in New Mexico history. After that, her then-agent suggested she might want to try her hand at Regency romance, which turned out to be a nice fit. Carla had written mainly for Signet and now Harlequin, with occasional academic works and state and Park Service–funded history projects thrown in to keep life interesting. She has two RITA® Awards for regencies, plus a Lifetime Achievement Award from RT Book Reviews. She doesn't belong to any writing groups because they take up too much time, and she's too cheap to pay dues. Carla likes to write, but she does other stuff, too. More years in the Park Service meant a greater understanding of the American fur trade and Indians on the Northern Plains. She likes to read, focusing on police procedurals for her escape reading (John Harvey is her favorite such author) and whatever academic history interests her. She is currently researching coal mine history in Utah, because the Kellys moved to Wellington, Utah, in 2009, after Martin retired. Wellington is in Carbon County, well-known for coal mines. She has plans for a history of one 1900 mine disaster, and probably a novel on the same subject (she's a great one for using research many times—re: the Channel Fleet). Also in the works is a biography of Guy V. Henry, a well-known cavalry officer of the Indian Wars, Carla's primary history field. She's been known to present academic papers here and there, and never misses the Indian Wars Symposia at Fort Robinson, Nebraska. There will always be time for fiction, though. Carla recently sold a novel that reflects her years in southeast Wyoming and her Mormon background to a Utah publishing company. She anticipates more books in this vein, partly because she has always been a bit squeamish about bodice ripping, and she's always up for new ventures. Other than reading, Carla's only bona fide hobby is crocheting baby afghans. She does it while she watches television or rides shotgun in cars, and she's well on her way to making a gazillion. Years ago, one of Carla's friends and fellow authors made the perceptive observation that Carla is only writing herself in her books: someone practical, down-to-earth, not Too Stupid To Live, who solves her own problems. And she writes about stalwart, caring men and women because she personally knows a lot of stalwart, caring people. She was also told by a friend, a certified graphologist (handwriting analyst), that her handwriting indicates she hasn't a creative bone in her whole body. Sigh. So it goes.  

Reviews for Regency Christmas Wishes

[wyvernfriend · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Well as snow falls in Ireland Christmas stories are somewhat apt. The first story is one of a Naval Captain who remembers a woman who nursed him when he fell ill. 10 years later he gets the letter he was waiting for, much of it water damaged, but the gist of the letter is that she says yes. So he goes to find her and finds that things are more complicated than they seem. There's a fair bit of miraclous happenings and literal deus ex going on in this but it's not a bad story overall Her Christmas Temptation by Christine Merrill is an entertaining story of a rake who goes to break an engagement for his beloved cousin and finds that maybe his motives aren't so clear. I really enjoyed this one. Awakening his Sleeping Beauty by Janice Preston the Sleeping Beauty metaphor is stretched a little here but the story is good, an opressed heroine finding love and respect is always good. Overall not bad and quite seasonally based, the last two are set during the 12 days of Christmas.

[scoutmomskf · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

CAPTAIN GREY'S CHRISTMAS PROPOSAL by Carla KellyCaptain Grey had been fighting malarial fever in Savannah when he met Theodora Winnings. He proposed by letter--but it's taken ten years to receive her reply. The answer was "yes!"--but is she still free to become his Christmas bride?Good second chance story. Jem is a captain in the Royal Navy who is currently at loose ends with the end of the war. While visiting a tavern that was used as a contact point during his career, he is given a letter that is more than ten years old, from a woman he had met while fighting a bout of malaria. Teddy had been a regular visitor to the hospital and eventually spent most of her time with Jem. After he had returned to his ship, he wrote and proposed to her, but never heard back. He did his best to move on, going on to have a successful career, but he never quite forgot her. He is stunned to receive the letter from her and discover that she had replied in the affirmative. Unfortunately, most of the rest of the letter is illegible due to damage, though she refers to something that she should have told him. Jem must decide if he wants to return to the United States and see if Teddy is still available.Though Jem knows he should just let it go as a pleasant memory from the past, he can't. Something drives him to pursue his quest to see if he can find her. It isn't easy, and there are moments when he is tempted to give up. Eventually, his persistence pays off and he finds her, but there are huge changes from the woman he remembers. When Jem finds out Teddy's secret, it is a shock, but not one that will keep him from his goal.Teddy has never forgotten Jem either. Her life has not been an easy one, and her memories of her time with him have been the bright spot in her existence. She is stunned by his reappearance and even more so when she discovers that he still wants her.I really enjoyed the progress of the story. Jem's persistence in his search made me hope for his success. I loved the assistance that he received from the mysterious newspaper owner. Teddy's arrival was perfectly timed to just as Jem was ready to give up. It was sweet to see that the memories of their feelings for each other gave a boost to the rekindling of their relationship. I loved that Teddy's secret made no difference to Jem's love for her. I loved seeing Jem risk everything to achieve his dream of having Teddy in his life. How it happened had some interesting twists before they reached their happy ending.I thoroughly enjoyed the mysterious Mr. Hollinsworth and his efforts to help Jem and Teddy. His cheerful and positive attitude was just what they needed at some of the darker moments of their quest to be together. I also liked the connection he appeared to have to Jem's longstanding conversations with "Sir". There were a lot of things that came together at the end, and Mr. Hollinsworth seemed to have a part in each of them.HER CHRISTMAS TEMPTATION by Christine MerrillFaith Strickland's plan to marry to save her family backfires when notorious rake James Leggett sets out to break her unhappy engagement. He'll storm her Twelfth Night celebrations and scorch her into surrender!This one was okay. Faith is desperate to marry as a way to save her family and uses questionable methods to gain a fiancé. The man knows he's been manipulated and isn't happy, for he loves another, but is honorable. Cyril is present during the family Christmas party, but obviously unhappy. Faith isn't any happier, but determined to do what she must.Enter James. He is well known as a rake and has even participated in several duels. His cousin Bea is the woman who Cyril truly loves. Though James is willing to marry Bea himself, he'd much rather find a way to untangle Cyril from his present circumstances. As he knows Faith's grandmother, he wangles an invite to the Christmas party, determined to break up the engagement.The development of the relationship between James and Faith is interesting. Neither one comes across as a very nice person. James is a rake and he intends to use that reputation to gain his objective. He fully intends to behave in such a way toward Faith that she will look bad in front of Cyril and others, causing Cyril to break the engagement. He doesn't expect to be attracted and intrigued by Faith. Faith is bothered by James from the moment he arrived. He arouses feelings in her that make her realize just how much will be missing from her marriage to Cyril, but she stubbornly refuses to look at other options. It was fun to see James retain his intention, but also experience some guilt over what the results would likely be. He also unwillingly found himself contemplating the notion of marrying her himself; something that surprised and worried him. Faith did redeem herself somewhat at the end when she found out about Bea. The attraction between James and Faith comes to a head, amazing them both and leaving each in shock. There is some miscommunication that pulls them apart before they finally set things straight and realize that they belong together.AWAKENING HIS SLEEPING BEAUTY by Janice PrestonLonely Diana Fleming knows handsome knights don't really exist. But can a festive kiss from the man she loves reawaken her frozen heart?Good story. Diana's life is pretty dreary, especially around Christmas time. Her younger brother died eight years ago, and since then her father hides out in his study and her mother dwells on her grief. Her mother has Diana bowing to her every demand. Neither Diana nor her mother is happy to hear that her father invited his cousin and her seven children to spend the holidays. Lavenham insists however, because the oldest son, Aaron, is now heir to the estate and it's time for him to become familiar with it.Aaron isn't happy with the change to the usual Fleming family Christmas. He is used to coming home to his family and the same traditions, and doesn't want anyone changing things. Besides, he doesn't have that great an opinion of Diana, who he recalled as a mouse of a girl. But his mother insists, and off they all go. Neither Aaron nor Diana know that Sally and Lavenham plotted the whole visit with an eye to encouraging a match between them.Now I will admit that neither Diana nor Aaron made the best first impression on me or each other. Diana doesn't seem to have any backbone at all when it comes to her mother. Yes, the woman is grieving, but she is sucking all the life out of Diana as well. Aaron just came across as a bit spoiled. He's been out of the army for several years and spends most of his time hanging out with his friends. To complain about his mother's plans seems selfish, especially since he will inherit that estate someday. When the Flemings arrive, Aaron thinks that Diana is still stiff and quiet, and Diana things that Aaron is arrogant and overbearing.I enjoyed both the development of the relationship and the whole visit. Thanks to Diana's mother's excessive mourning, Diana had never experienced the usual Christmas traditions. After a bit of a rough start, Aaron gets into the Christmas spirit along with his brothers and sisters, and drags Diana right along with them. Besides all the fun of the traditions, there are also sparks between Aaron and Diana. I especially enjoyed the protectiveness he showed whenever Diana's mother would start in on her. I also liked the way that Diana started showing more spirit under Aaron's attention and the friendship with her other cousins. There were some sweet scenes as the sparks between them grew brighter. The only dark spot came when first Diana discovered the matchmaking plot and didn't know how to tell Aaron. Then he found out about it and was furious because of an earlier betrayal by a friend. Aaron behaved like a jerk, but fortunately came to his senses pretty quickly. Overall, a good story. I'd like to eventually see stories for Aaron's brothers and sisters too.