I'm trying to catch up on some older books from my TBR that are holiday themed and came across this short novella in the Maiden Lane series (which I confess I haven't yet finished either, I think I've read up to book 7 or 8). I enjoyed it, but I was struck by how much the conversation on consent has changed in the past 4 years since this books was written. Adam just dives into those kisses with Sarah without her consent and though he does back off when she protests, it doesn't stop him from doing the same thing again later. And yet, when Sarah's sister is accosted by a houseguest, Adam is the first to show his displeasure with a punch to the face and helping kick him out. Since Sarah's introduction to society was ruined by a Rake, she rightfully is leery of Adam but at the same time, he does show care and concern for his grandmother and a lot of his bravado is surface things, and not his real character. I just wish he'd asked for her consent to kiss her first. I guess I'm spoiled by books in all the romance genres that deal with this now in a much better way. Anyway, I enjoyed the story overall and the setting and worldbuilding, it's a good reminder that I need to get back to finishing the series!

Delightful short story that picked up with a few characters I was interested in and never heard story.

A short and sweet story in the vein of Hoyt's other Maiden Lane tales.

*I received a review copy from the publisher/author via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.*

I love reading a good Christmas themed story during the holidays. I was super excited to see that one of my favorite historical romance authors had one that I had somehow overlooked. The Maiden Lane series is also a fave so it was a double win for me.

Sarah St. John has a good reason to loathe rakes and Adam Rutledge, Viscount d’Arque, is probably the biggest rake of all (if the society papers are to be believed). Sarah and Adam are thrown together during the holidays when Adam’s carriage is damaged on the way home. He and his grandmother find refuge in the St. John house where sparks fly between Adam and Sarah. While Sarah hates Adam’s rakish reputation, she is inexplicably attracted to the rogue. As the two get to know each other, Sarah begins to wonder if the rumors about Adam are just that, rumors. He’s quick witted and smart and dotes on his grandmother. While he’s never going to be a saint, perhaps he isn’t the devil that Sarah believed him to be.

I am giving Once Upon a Christmas Eve a solid 3 stars. It really takes a lot for me to give a novella 4 stars as it’s quite difficult to really create something truly memorable in such a short word count. This was really cute and I enjoyed it but it’s probably not going to be something that I come back to a lot. It was the perfect quick bite of a read that was fun to read and helped put me in the holiday spirit. It’s not super Christmas-y but had enough holiday elements, like a holly hunt and lots of snow, to put me in the holiday spirit. It features a love/hate relationship, which is one of my favorite romance tropes. I enjoyed the banter between the two as they both fight their attraction to each other.

Adam is definitely the standout character in this story. He’s popped up as a secondary character here and there during the series’ life and I was hoping that he’d get his own HEA. While I am a little bummed that it wasn’t a full length book, I am glad to see him finally find love. Overall I liked Once Upon a Christmas Eve but it doesn’t stand out among Hoyt’s other works.

*I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This in no way affected my review or opinion of the book.

I am a fan of the Maiden Lane series and this won't change anytime soon. This was another great read that has such fun characters. Hoyt does a superb job crafting her characters and bringing them to life on the page.

Adam and his grandmother experience a broken carriage that requires them to stay in the home of their neighbors, the St. Johns. Sarah St. John believes she's utterly impervious to Adam's charms, but after she watches him pet dogs and dote on his grandmother, her heart melts and they begin a brief, yet torrid romance.

"Once Upon a Christmas Eve" is a festive novella with what are presumably already-existing characters in Elizabeth Hoyt's regency-era universe. Loyal readers might recognize some of them, but newcomers to Ms. Hoyt's writing won't get lost.

The story is charming, albeit short, and subtle themes of consent, prejudice and family values make it worthwhile.

such a fun novella to get you into the holiday spirit! This was my introduction to Elizabeth Hoyt, and I will definitely be reading more!

I adore a cranky heroine versus a charming rake. This novella crackles with wit and heat as the heroine and hero banter and call each other out on their BS. Their mutual attraction sizzled and the forced proximity storyline worked for a novella. Shorter stories can feel rushed at times but since the characters had met previously, it was believable that their attractions would take over so quickly. Overall, a fun, sweet holiday treat that I will read again. I hope we get to see the couple again in future stories that feature the heroine's sisters.

This is one of those stories that is best read on a rainy afternoon or a three hour plane ride, Chicago to Phoenix, which I did this past week 😉

I have to say I really liked the characters and their chemistry. Both had such strong preconceptions of one another that their dialogue just made me laugh out loud.

This is after all a novella, and therefore too short for any in depth story, however despite it, I really enjoyed sexual tension between these two. And the Christmas theme just made it more romantic and poignant for the hero.

If you’ve read all the books in this series, then I think you’ll like this stand alone novella.

Melanie for b2b

Well I believe it has finally come to an end. The Maiden Lane Series, which so many of us have enjoyed for years has ended, not with a bang, but with a sweet sigh of love and holiday cheer. I knew going in that this was the last of the series, one that I personally have been enthralled by from the very beginning when I stumbled across the first book in a used bookstore and thought it looked promising. Since then I have enjoyed the ups and downs of society maidens, street urchins, sexy gentlemen with secrets and secret societies in need of destroying, but always there was the undeniable passion and sensuality that were hidden but never forgotten in the population of Victorian England. I love Elizabeth Hoyt’s writing and her characters are always so lifelike and full of intrigue that I have yet to read a single chapter that didn’t have me dreading having to put the book down to eat or sleep before I could pick it back up again. This story is one that was unexpected but no less connected to the series. Sarah St. John is the sister of one of the previous heroes in another story and played her part in his story well, but now it is her chance. When Adam Rutledge is traveling with his grandmother to their country home for the holidays and their carriage is damaged, he finds himself begging for refuge from the St. John family in their country home. Sarah and Adam have always shot sparks when they are in the same room, their differences of opinion on so many subjects being the smallest issue, the biggest being that Adam lusts for her while she seems to disdain his very existence. The more time Adam and Sarah spend time together, though, the more they are unable to deny the attraction between them and soon find themselves trying to come to terms with their connection. Adam has obviously been free with his liaisons in the past, but he regrets it now that Sarah won’t give him the time of day because of his indiscretions. He has his work cut out for him, but truly as Sarah gets to know him for herself she comes to know that he is so much more than just his reputation. I liked the fact that Sarah is slowly able to see past the fact that Adam has a reputation with the ladies and gives him a chance to show his true nature. Adam would be a man easily found even in this day, his reputation as a ladies man hiding the fact that he is just afraid to commit to a loving relationship, but once he finds a woman that challenges him he falls and falls hard for her. I enjoyed seeing these two fall together and find a way to forgive one another’s pasts and form a strong relationship together. The passion and lust between these two leads them into a rather quick physical relationship, but just as quickly the emotional longing between them comes to the forefront and their hearts connect on the deepest level possible. I loved seeing this couple find love as the way to wrap up this series, a soft and sweet way to end a series that has been packed full of action, drama, and danger. While I am sad to see the end come, I am looking forward to whatever comes next for Elizabeth and can guarantee that I will be one of the first in line begging to read whatever it happens to be. Thank you for the experience and the magic of this series, Ms. Hoyt.

It’s official. There are no more Maiden Lane books. I’m going to go off and cry in a corner now.

We met Viscount d’Arque a few books ago and I’m quite happy to see him get a short story. I actually love the fact that he hates Christmas. It makes him falling in love, during the holiday, all the more sweeter.

But what’s even more sweeter than that is the fact that Sarah doesn’t like him. But while she’s forced to be a good hostess to him, someone must’ve hidden some mistletoe around the house, cuz she finds herself thoroughly kissed and that makes her question everything she thought of rakes.

This was such a fast story. I wish there was more. But I’m just glad we got his snippet. Plus seeing a few familiar faces always makes me happy.

3.5 stars

I came late to the Maiden Lane series, so I’m still not finished reading it, and I’ve skipped around a bit too. That being said, I believe this couple have been characters others have wanted to see find their HEA. I didn’t recognize them right off the bat, so maybe that’s why I didn’t love it as much as I wanted to?

This begins with Adam and his grandmother in a broken carriage in a terrible snowstorm. He rides ahead hoping to find someplace to stay the night, and the door he knocks on just happens to be that of a man who hates him. Adam may or may not have flirted outrageously with his wife (*whisper* he did). And this man’s sister absolutely hates rakes. And Adam? Most definitely a rake.

We get to see how Adam is a complex man who adores his grandmother and yet flirts with every woman he meets. Especially Sarah. Sarah, who he’s realizing he’s loved since the moment he met her last year. Being snowed in together only enhances his drive to pursue her, and win her, before the storm lets up.

Sarah has reasons for detesting men like Adam, and they’re good reasons. In fact, I wish we’d had a bit more there, since those reasons are so good. This is where my problem with the novella comes in to play. The pacing was weird. The first 3/4 of the story had a set pacing, that worked with the plot, and the last 1/4 was just BAM! done. The End. See ya.

For such an enjoyable book, and a lovely beginning of Happily Ever After, the abrupt ending kind of kicked me out of the book. I really don’t mind the fact that a novella has limited page time to make them fall in love, truly, but the pacing here made me feel like there would be more. Ms. Hoyt is so talented, and I truly enjoyed the story, but that ending was like smacking into the words The End and then thinking wait, that was it? It can’t be over, they need more pages! If you guys read it, you’ll have to let me know if you felt the same.



***ARC courtesy of Forever Yours

*3.5 stars*

A sweet holiday novella, perfect for those who like historical romance shorts and appropriate for those new to the Maiden Lane series.

Though I own quite a few books in Elizabeth Hoyt's Maiden Lane series, I haven't actually read any (I know, I know!). However, I'm a sucker for a cute Christmas story, so I decided to give this one a whirl.

My struggle with novellas, especially ones where I don't have a ton of backstory, is that they don't have time to really develop feelings. I struggled with the rushed-feeling pace with Once Upon a Christmas Eve. However, despite the fact that the feelings escalated too quickly, I really enjoyed the enemies-to-lovers theme. I love a hate-sexual tension scenario, and with a snowed-in situation to boot, it was especially satisfying.

I have to go back and see if my enjoyment of this one improves by reading the series, but I still thought it was a cute, easy to read novella, especially if holiday stories are your thing. I wish it had been even longer so I could have gone from like to love.

*Copy provided in exchange for an honest review*

Tell me, Miss St. John, are you on the hunt for a husband?”

Once upon a Christmas Eve is the first I’ve ever read by Elizabeth Hoyt. The story is well-written, akin to a fairy tale, and set against a brutal snowy landscape in Upper Hornsfield, England at Christmastime in 1741. Headlining each chapter are excerpts from The Frog Princess which I found highly entertaining. I enjoy Christmas reads year-round, so, when I saw that this festive historical romance from an author I want to read was available, I had to pick it up! This is the story of Adam Rutledge, the Viscount d'Arque, and Sarah St. John.

Adam dislikes Christmas but he dotes on his grandmother, so he braves a fierce snowstorm to accompany her to the countryside where the ton prefer to celebrate the holiday. Unfortunately, on their way, their carriage wheel breaks, forcing them to seek haven at the nearest shelter, which just happens to be the home of Miss Sarah St. John.

Sarah loves Christmas and is looking forward to celebrating it at home with her parents and those they’ve invited to stay with them over Christmas – including a few eligible bachelors that her mother believes may be suitable husbands for Sarah.

Both Adam and Sarah are likeable. They each sport chips on their shoulders. For all that she wants nothing to do with rakes, she’s suitably impressed by how much Adam cares for his frail grandmother. The love he shows for his grandmother serves to break the ice between the couple. Their story is quick, fun, sweet and steamy with many laugh-out-out moments.

Supporting characters are colorful. Adam’s grandmother ranks as my favorite secondary character in the tale. I was pulling for her to recover and feel better quickly. She wanted only the best for Adam and for him to have someone by his side when she eventually leaves him.

Following please find a few of my favorite quotes from Once upon a Christmas Eve:

“I’m afraid I’m rather used to females making themselves shameless for me.”
---

He smelled the scent of roses and it nearly maddened him.
Or perhaps he was already mad.
“Run now,” he whispered.
She stared at him, refusing to move.
“Very well,” he snarled, and took her into his arms.
---

She was lost.
He broke their kiss and laid his forehead against hers. “Make me stop.”
“I can’t,” she whispered.
“Then… we’re doomed,” he said, his voice husky and low.

Once upon a Christmas Eve seems to work well as a standalone even though it’s number 12.6 and, it appears, the final installment in the author’s Maiden Lane series. It may be that, if I had read the previous books, I’d not have felt apprehension at the rush at which the couple’s initial dislike transforms so quickly to sparks of chemistry, morphing lightning-fast into insta-love. I have read that Adam was introduced a few books back in the series. As a newbie to the series, their relationship came across as hurried. It’s possible that I may have rated the story slightly higher if the characters had a prior history which would have partially allowed for their almost insta-love. That said, if that history does exist, it was not divulged in this tale.

Still, I enjoyed their story. I have no doubt that fans of this series would find this novella to be a must-read. This book certainly did not turn me off from reading future books of hers; just the opposite, as my interest has been piqued and I hope to check out more of her books in the future!

Brought to you by OBS Reviewer Daniele

Once Upon a Christmas Eve is a very quick, fluffy read. It is perfect for fans of the Maiden Lane series but can be read as a standalone, too.

Adam would do just about anything for his grandmother, including spending Christmas in the country, but their plans go awry when their carriage breaks down. The two take refuge with the St. Johns, who already have a houseful of guests for the Christmas holiday. Sarah and Adam have crossed paths before, and their dislike for each other was instantaneous at first site. Sarah has no tolerance for rakes, and Adam is among the worst. However, as the week progresses, Sarah sees there is more to Adam than his shallow facade, and they cannot deny the attraction they feel for one another.

There is indeed a fine line between love and hate, and Adam and Sarah’s relationship definitely does not get off to a good start, but, of course they get their happy ending. My favorite aspect of the story is the delicious, witty bickering between the two. As with most novellas, I find this tale too short, lacking in character and plot development. I would rather their love affair to have unfolded over the course of an entire book. Even so, Once Upon a Christmas Eve is a nice little story sure to put readers in the holiday mood.

Elizabeth Hoyt gives us one more Maiden Lane story to love in this short holiday read. The heroine is Sarah St. John (younger sister to Godric for those of your familiar with the series.) At 27, she is a bit old to be an unmarried miss, but a house party courtesy of her mother might find her the perfect husband. Then Adam, Viscount d’Arque, shows up at the front door. His carriage has had an accident with his grandmother inside and they need a place to stay. Of course, the St. John family can’t say no even if Godric would love nothing better than to send the man packing… after all, he flirted shamelessly with Godric’s wife back in the day and the memory is still irksome.

Godric isn’t the only one who wants Adam to get lost. Sarah is no fan either. She loathes rakes and she takes every opportunity to let him know that. Instead of putting him off, though, she intrigues him. Every other woman tends to fall at his feet. Her saltiness only piques his interest. Sarah has plenty of reason to be tart, we learn, and there is more to Adam than his reputation might lead everyone to believe.

The story follows their dance from enemies to lovers and it’s great fun. As a novella, everything moves rather quickly. And though this is the last hurrah for Maiden Lane (and it’s nice to see Godric and Meg) this wasn’t the big closure story you might expect. (You can find that in Once Upon a Maiden Lane.) This is just a sweet romance set in the world of all the characters I’ve grown to love. I actually kind of preferred it this way.

Bittersweet to say goodbye to a series I’ve loved for a long time, but at least it goes out on a high note.

Once Upon a Christmas Eve is Sarah St. John and Adam Rutledge’s story. Adam, Viscount d’Arque, is a renowned womanizer and Sarah hates rogues. So, we have conflict right from the get-go. But what should they do about the attraction they can’t seem to contain? Don’t you just love a couple that can’t resist each other? I do!

I’m a sucker for enemies-to-lovers romances, so this story hit all the right marks. So, if you’re looking for a fast-paced, sexy, historical romance that you can read in a couple of hours between the rush of the holiday season, then this is the book for you.

Adam and Sarah are a fine way to conclude the Maiden Lane series. I've read all of these in order and fall more in love with each book.

Adam and Sarah's story is a little lighter than some of the others, their banter is witty and occasionally made me laugh out loud. And these two have some serious chemistry! I loved the Christmas element. Even in a short time span (in terms of book length), the time of year and setting made this a lovely read.

Elizabeth Hoyt's novellas are some of the only that I truly enjoy because she is able to make me feel close enough to the characters and story to actually care about what's going on. It's often times hard to engage in novellas but not so with this author.

This is very bittersweet because honestly, there are many other characters I'd love to read about in this series but I'm hoping perhaps there will be a spin off series or that future books may have a little overlap.

Highly recommended!