All Hearts Come Home for Christmas by Sarah M. Eden, Anita Stansfield, Esther Hatch, and Joanna Barker, 304 pages. SHORT STORIES
Covenant Communications, 2019. $17.
Language: G (0 swears, 0 “f”); Mature Content: PG; Violence: PG
BUYING ADVISORY: HS - ADVISABLE
AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE
Christmas is about love and joy. In these four stories, the magic of the Christmas season comes to life as charitable characters seek to serve. A time of faith and miracles helps unite and reconcile families -- parents with their children, siblings with each other, and even new lovers.
While I found a couple instances that felt rushed and underdeveloped, the majority of my time spent in these four stories was spent completely enthralled with the characters I was reading about -- I laughed and cried with them, felt their hope and indignation, and pondered the meaning for this season. The four authors of this book have sweetly summed the feelings of Christmas and the joy of the Christmas season, making those feelings a connecting thread that winds through each story and into the heart of the reader.
Reviewer: Carolina Herdegen

Four wonderfully written short stories that will warm your heart and make you long for mistletoe and Christmas as you read from a cozy chair and dream of snowflakes and the scent of pine from a Christmas tree.
I enjoyed all characters from all four books as well as the stories. These authors make you feel as though you are part of the stories, living in the past years ago. So pick up this book and read yourself a wonderful Christmas novel of romance and a heart full of emotions as you “Come Home for Christmas”!
#All Hearts Come Home for Christmas
#NetGalley

Some entertaining yuletide cheer to get you in the mood for the season!

Some enjoyable stories with occasional anachronistic points and overly sentimental moments - but tis the season for sentiment, after all. As is the norm for story collections, the quality varies between stories, but I enjoyed this one more than the usual.

Christmas at Falstone Castle by Sarah Eden
Classic Jonquil-Lancaster story, with Eden's engaging but frequently repetitive writing style. Harriet finds her connection with her son & his family, at last, and marries Vicar Roswell to finally obtain her own wedded happiness. Wonderful emphasis on family though it did feel a little overdone at times

The Heart of Christmas by Anita Stansfield
This one is a Christmas fairytale, nice story but probably my least favorite. Theo Hardwicke seemed unrealistic, & Addie is a marysue, and it's a little on the saccharine side

Tis the Season to be Daring by Esther Hatch
This one is my favorite, I think. Lord Hawthorne & Miss Elizabeth Davenport are a fun pairing and it's pretty entertaining

Christmas Dress by Joanna Barker
Nell and Mr Jacob Hammond in another sweet Christmas fairytale that finishes things up with a warm heart & a desire for hot chocolate with peppermint!

*Clean romance level: sweet kisses

All Hearts Come Home for Christmas is a collection of heart warming novellas.

I have not read any of these authors before, so they were a pretty pleasing collection. Each author took their own spin on Regency England Christmas. The last two stories, Tis the Season to Be Daring by Esther Hatch, and The Christmas Dress by Joanna Barker, were definitely my favorites. Humor, romance and second chances are all about Christmas miracles.

I always enjoy Christmas stories, and this one was definitely a fun book to read.

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book which I received from Net Galley and the publisher. All views expressed are my honest opinion.

All Hearts come home at Christmas:
Christmas at Falstone Castle:
By Sarah Eden, this is a novela that is a spinoff from Persephone the book by Sarah Eden. The story is about the mother of the duke of Kielder (aka the dangerous Duke). They had been estranged for many years but she wanted to amend things between them so she went to visit for the Christmas time. While there she reconnects with the local Vicar. And so the story goes. It has been along time since I read the story of Adam and Persephone. It took a little remembering, but it all started to come back, once I got into the storyline. It was a sweet reunion that Christmas miracles are made of. I love Sarah Edens style of writing and although I’m not a huge fan of novelas this was a nice quick holiday read.

The heart at Christmas: By Anita Stansfield, I love the way this book started out. But through the middle there just wasn’t much substance. I continued reading and toward the end it picked up again. Maybe it was just me. I struggled through most of the book, because I thought Theo was a much older man. When she started having feelings for him, I was a bit turned off. I went back and read when they first met, and since it never said how old either of them are, I had just assumed there was a bigger gap. But they probably were closer in age. If I had that in mind when I read it the first time, it might have been more enjoyable. Overall it was a nice read with a sweet Christmas message.


‘‘Tis the season to be daring: By Esther Hatch,
Oh this is definitely a 5 star story in my opinion!! From the first paragraph to the last I could not put this book down. Wonderful love story, and I loved the characters! That they were able to break the mold ( rules of society) and have fun doing it! Well done Esther Hatch!

The Christmas dress by Joanna Barker
This is a lovely sweet romance. Beautifully written. It drew me in at the very beginning and kept me engaged though out. The characters were real and honest. A wonderful holiday happily

Each story in this book is simply lovely. These stories are about ladies that lived in the Regency era. Not all are of the same station in life, but their stories all involve a sweet romance. These authors did a fabulous job with the pace of these stories and allowing us to get to know the characters. I especially loved Sarah Eden’s story, since some familiar characters from her other books were in this story. The other authors are new to me, but I’ll be watching for more of their books to read. If you love clean, sweet regency books with no foul language or inappropriate scenes, you will love these Christmas-themed stories.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher. All opinions are my own.

This was a surprise to have four excellent books to read. I cannot say which one I enjoyed the most. They had good story lines and interesting characters. Read them if you can.

This was definitely a 5 Star Collection! I loved every single story! I loved that it had each of these authors! Sarah is a must have in every season of my life. Anita is an all time favorite! Esther and Joanna are relatively new on the market and they have hit the mark! I enjoyed all the characters and each of the storylines that wove them all together at Christmastime! What a treat! Go and read with some hot chocolate and a cosy blanket! Enjoy!

Oh, what a sweet book, I always try to read at least 3 to 4 Christmas books around this time of year just to put me in the Christmas mood and this one certainly stepped up to the plate. This is a book of 4 short stories, I think the first one was my favorite, but they were all good.
This is a light hearted, easy, enjoyable read with lots of holiday spirit, love, hardship, humor and good tidings. They all are set in the 1800’s, with the time periods well portrayed. I highly recommend if you enjoy a bit of Christmas cheer.
I received this book from Covenant Communications through NetGalley just for my unbiased review and I’m giving this one a high 5 stars.

All Hearts Come Home for Christmas is a collection of four Christmas stories. These stories include:
Christmas at Falstone Castle by Sarah M. Eden
The Heart of Christmas by Anita Stansfield
’Tis the Season to Be Daring by Esther Hatch
The Christmas Dress by Joanna Barker
I loved these sweet reads. I highly recommend this book for readers to add it to their Christmas reading.
5 stars.

This was a quick set of Christmas stories to read I know I will be reading them again, they are well written and held my interest throughout. I received an Arc through Netgalley, and I am leaving a voluntary review.

I loved each of the four stories in All Hearts Come Home for Christmas! When I read collections like this, I'm always sad and a little bit wary when I end one and begin another. I'm so afraid that the next story will let me down. I am usually wrong, and I end up loving them all. And I was wrong for being wary while reading these stories too. They are all wonderfully written, and they will make your heart smile.

Each story has characters whom which you'll fall in love. The love stories are so sweet, and they don't feel rushed in spite of the fact that they're in novellas.

I really don't have a favorite among these because they're all so good, but I REALLY wanted ’Tis the Season to Be Daring to be a full length novel. I think because it had the most humor, it lightened my heart. Love stories with a lot of friendly banter between characters who are falling in love are delightful to read. You should fall in love with someone who makes you laugh...someone who gets your sense of humor.

If you're in the mood for some sweet, clean Christmas novellas, pick this one up ASAP! It'll get you in the Christmas mood and leave you with a smile on your face.

I initially sought out this title for review because I adore Sarah Eden's works -- and enjoy reading pretty much anything that includes the Duke of Kielder. That story does not disappoint, but the others are outstanding as well. In fact, "'Tis the Season to be Daring" ended up being my favorite of the four! All of these are in my "re-read" category and I look forward to enjoying them again and again. The writing sparkles. That sounds goofy, but it's true. Reading these lovely short stories left me with a smile on my face. They are uplifting, engaging, and beautifully written. In all four cases, I intended to only read part of the story in one sitting, but ended up staying put until the end.

"Christmas at Falstone Castle"
What can I say? We get to see a new side of "The Dangerous Duke", Adam Boyce -- and the man now tugs at my heart even more than before! He's such a curmudgeon - but he's a curmudgeon with heart. There were so many fantastic quotes in this story -- and I found myself laughing frequently at the Duke's one liners. I also appreciated learning more about his mother, Harriet, and hearing her inner thoughts. The story gives her character much needed depth. I did find the overall story a little schmaltzy, but hey. It's a Christmas story! It happens. And, let's just say ... Adam offsets the schmaltz quite nicely.
"Will you be including Harry in your invitations?" Adam asked, eying her sidelong. "Of course." "That's my Christmas ruined, then."
The story was well-paced and complete.

"The Heart of Christmas"
Of the four, this one was my least favorite, but only because I tend to stay far away from stories centered on recovering from intense grief. The story itself is beautiful. It's a tale of hurt and healing, and I loved the gifts at the end. This story would be best enjoyed with a steaming cup of hot cocoa, a fuzzy blanket, a Christmas tree, and a light dusting of snow outside. It's Christmas-in-a-book. This is a story of hope, of love in many forms (romantic, familial, and friendship), and of perseverance beyond agonizing grief.

"'Tis the Season to be Daring"
Oh. My. Goodness. I was laughing so hard at parts of this story that my neighbors probably wondered what was up! Elizabeth decides she has had enough of her mother's matchmaking schemes, so when she learns of a gentleman who disregards societal conventions, well .. she simply HAS to speak to him (without an introduction - gasp!) and convince him to take part in her scheme. What is that scheme, you ask? She wants to get out of the rest of her social commitments for the season, and she's certain that she and Charles can cause juuuust the right amount of scandal to scare her mother away from attempting to marry her off. For a while, at least. But, then ... the inevitable happens. These two individuals bond over their mutual disdain of society ... and it's a glorious thing. I LOVE these characters, and I LOVE Esther Hatch's writing style -- so much that I immediately went in search of more titles as soon as I finished this one. Romance + humor + a teensy bit of cynicism or snark = my most favorite literary combination, and she nails it.

The Christmas Dress
And what a beautiful story to end on. There were some lovely quotes in this story, and some powerful mini-messages.
"You are so much more than your position in life, Nell. You mustn't ever limit your happiness based on what you think you are worth." and "...just because you recognize your blessings does not mean your trials hurt any less."
Beautiful. I appreciated that the romance was slowly burning in the background as we made our way through the story. This one has a touch of in-story angst, courtesy a Regency Mean Girl -- but most of the sadness was born out of loss/death and poor choices that impacted the lives of those still living. The story resolves nicely, and ends the collection on a sweet note.

Thank you, authors, for this gem - I look forward to re-reading it around Christmastime!

This delightful set of Christmas novellas set in the Regency era will provide hours of sweet romance and Christmas spirit. Each story can be read quickly and will be thoroughly enjoyed. Merry Christmas!

This is a collection of 4 novellas. All are sweet and clean romances.

"Christmas at Falstone Castle" is a continuation of the Duke of Kielder and family story. I would recommend reading the books in this series up until this point if you do not want spoilers or if you want to know the various characters in the book. The protagonists, however, are relatively new and you would be able to read their story without needing to know everyone else's stories first. It was a sweet story, and it was fun to "visit" the Boyce family again. 5/5

"The Heart of Christmas" I do not like Anita Stansfield books and I did not care for this one. It was too much telling and not enough showing. In addition, the characters continually worry about the same things over and over. If you like other books by this author, I'm sure you'll like this short story. But if you don't like her books, know that this one follows similar patterns as the others. 1/5 stars

"'Tis the Season to be Daring" I really enjoyed this sweet, happy, quick-paced story. It was rather predicatble, but I enoyed it all the same. It definitely made me want to read more by Esther Hatch. 5/5

"The Christmas Dress" I enjoyed this story as well. The relationship seemed a little rushed between the two, despite they're having been aquantances before. That being said, it was a novella. Not my favorite of the 4, but it was an enjoyale read. 3/5

Overall, this collection is exactly as presented: heartwarming. Each story has it’s own quirks and themes, all with a historical, seasonal backdrop. There is nothing objectionable in the content – just a bundle of emotion- stirring, feel good reads to get you in a holiday mood. You’ll need some hot chocolate to round out the experience.

Publication Date: September 1, 2019

Publisher: Covenant Communications

I was provided with a complimentary copy of this title via NetGalley, with thanks to the publisher. All opinions expressed are my own.

This book was worth reading Sarah Eden's tale, Christmas at Falstone Castle. The author wrapped her Lancaster series in the novella! Loved it!

Put the kettle on, make some hot chocolate and sit in front of the fire and get ready for some Christmas Cheer this holiday season!
This holiday collection will make you in the mood for Christmas!

Christmas at Falstone Castle

Get ready for a dose of your favorite Duke, Adam, the Duke of Kielder His wife Persephone is expecting their second child and Harriet, Adam’s mom, the Dowager Duchess is planning and impromptu house surprise party, inviting all of Persephone’s family to Falstone Castle at Christmas. Love is in the air for Harriet, you will be delighted with this gathering of the Lancaster family, and the Christmas love story.

The only caveat I have, is that it helps to have read Sarah’s Eden’s other books about the Lancaster’s as the horde of them (as Adam says) will descend upon Falstone Castle.

The Seamstress

The Seamstress by Anita Stansfield is a sweet and heartwarming tale set at Christmas. Addy Moore is a seamstress at the Glade Dress Shop, where she does the most menial of sewing tasks and receives room and board for her wages, and sleeps on the floor. One day, Theo Hardwicke comes into the shop to have a button sewed on. He is also in need of a housekeeper as his aunt who served as housekeeper after his wife died giving birth to his daughter Becky has fallen ill. He offers her employment and Addy jumps at the chance to have better working conditions, a room to her own and wages. Addy brings light to the whole family as hearts are mended and given during this Christmas Season in this sweet Christmas story.

''Tis the Season to be Daring

Elizabeth’s mother is determined that she marry a man of rank, and her mother has set her eyes on Lord Fagerlund, a bachelor of 40. Rose, who is 18, Elizabeth is no fan of the London season, and she would rather be home. In her desperation, she approaches Lord Hawthorne, an Earl with a reputation, and asks him to pay attention to her so she may slightly damage her reputation and reputation to a small degree, hoping that she can be finished for the season. Elizabeth steps out of her mother's shadow, and her life changes, oh so much for the better!

This was just a really fun read! I enjoyed Lord Hawthorne out-manipulating Elizabeth’s mother! Baby booties a stuffed lion (oh my goodness this scene made me laugh) and antics, clever banter. Lord Hawthorne was so charming and delightful. Of course, the only problem was that it was not long enough!! I have read Esther Hatch’s books before, and she is just my kind of author! This was my favorite novella in the collection.

The Christmas Dress

Nell Addington is a vicar’s daughter, and a seamstress. Her father has recently died, and she helps her family by sewing for the local seamstress. Jacob Hammond, recently has come to town to run his estate; his father has also recently passed away. Jacob has a sister named Nell who needs to replace her wardrobe, as she has been wearing mourning clothes because of her father’s death.

Nell works at the shop Jacob has employed to redo his sister’s wardrobe. Jacob is attracted to Nell, and has opportunities to see her as Nell comes for frequent fitting to the Hammond home as Nell works on Alice’s new wardrobe. On one of these fitting appointments, Nell gets snowed in, at the Hammond home,, further fueling their attraction for one another.. Christmas is approaching, and Jacob has decided to hold a Christmas Eve Dinner; Nell is invited. Who or what tries to keep them apart on Christmas Eve?

This is a very sweet story of bringing two very likable characters together around Christmas time. I like stories that include a snowed-in time period and snowball fights and snowman. Ha Ha, Jacob pretends he has not built a snowman before!

The thoughts and opinion are my own. I received an ARC copy via #NetGaslley

I love Christmas Regencies and this book had much to enjoy. There are many reviews that summarize the stories so I am just going to give my impressions.

“Christmas at Falstone Castle” by Sarah M. Eden brought back the major characters from “Seeking Persephone” which I read several years ago. I enjoyed seeing how happy Adam and Persephone were—their home includes a delightful son and they are awaiting a new arrival around Christmas. I thought that the way Adam and his estranged mother repaired their relationship was very moving. I definitely want to reread “Seeking Persephone” and the Lancaster stories I missed.

“The Heart of Christmas” by Anita Stansfield was a sweet story about seamstress, Addie, who is hired by a kind widower, Theo, to help in their home. Addie becomes a housekeeper, cook, and also confident to his daughter Becky and his late wife’s aunt, Marla, and to Theo too. Addie brings her Christmas traditions to this unhappy home, and in the process wins the heart of all of them. I thought it was a little strange that there were no other servants since Theo seemed very well-to-do. Also, there was more “telling” than “showing” than I like, with limited dialogue, but the story fit well with the theme.

My favorite was the story by Esther Hatch, “Tis the Season to be Daring.” The characters were delightful and I laughed out loud several times. What begins as a plot by Elizabeth to evade the social season her mother is insisting on evolves into true love with her co-conspirator Charles. Wonderful dialogue and well-drawn minor characters too. This was the first story I have read by Esther Hatch and I look forward to reading more books by her. I noticed she has a book about Rose, Elizabeth’s younger sister, called “The Roses of Feldstone” so I will definitely pick that one up.

The final story was “The Christmas Dress” by Joanna Barker. I enjoyed seeing Nell and Jacob renew their relationship after several years and many changes in both of their lives. Although Nell is still grieving the loss of her father she is able to reach out to Jacob and his younger sister Alice to help them both through the magic of Christmas. This brings joy to Nell too, and a sweet romance between her and Jacob developed during this time.

Thanks to the publisher Covenant Communications and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.

Oh my goodness. What a wonderful and delightful collection of novellas. Please don't ask me to name a favorite, there is no one I could pick just one. I will say, I wanted to read All Hearts Come Home For Christmas first because I love reading this type of collections. It's a great way to be introduced to, new to me authors. The other reason, Sarah M. Eden has resonantly become one of my favorite people to read. When I saw that she was one of the writers featured, I couldn't wait to get started. I was very excited to realize I enjoyed Anita Stansfield, Esther Hatch, and Joanna Barker as well. These are some of the most endearing stories I have had the privilege of reading. You will fall in love with the characters, they are the type of people you want for your good friend or neighbor. You will not want the stories to end, getting so wrapped up in the expertly described locations. The only thing that made it a little easier for me was, I knew I still had one more to read. In case I wasn't clear, I Loved this book. I need to say thank you, I received a copy of this book from Covenant Communications through NetGalleys. The opinions expressed in this book are my own.