I received an ARC of this book to read through NetGalley in exchange for a fair review. Seduction On A Snowy Night is a Christmas themed collection of 3 historical romance novellas by authors Madeline Hunter, Sabrina Jeffries, and Mary Jo Putney. Two of the novellas are part of series by the authors but I do think this book can be read as a stand-alone, although you will most likely wish to read the series once you read these novellas. The stories include a second chance at love story, one about an heiress who wants to be loved for herself and not her dowry, and one where an older sister hopes to save her younger sister from ruin. I think the stories are perfect to read curled up on a snowy night, a nice escape from the bothers of the day with guaranteed happy endings. Medium Steam Publishing Date September 24, 2019. #SeductionOnASnowyNIght #MaryJoPutney #SabrinaJeffries #MadelineHunter #KensingtonBooks #ChristmasRomanceStories #NetGalley #Bookstagram #HistoricalRomance

“Seduction” is a Christmas present from three esteemed romance novelists. The three novellas that make up this book are all set amidst the snows of midwinter, and involve couples whose paths to love are made rocky by miscommunication and distance. My favorite of the trio was Putney’s “One Wicked Winter’s Night”. I found the characters more likable and less prone to silliness. Both “A Christmas Abduction” and “A Perfect Match” involved abductions that I found somewhat contrived. All in all, though the three short stories were quick and enjoyable reads.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

“A Christmas Abduction” by Madeline Hunter
Caroline Dunham’s family once owned a famous racehorse-breeding farm, but their luck has been spiraling downward for years. It’s the last straw when she learns that Adam Prescott, Baron Thornhill, has done something unforgiveable to a member of her family. What’s a woman to do when she has no options? Abduct the lord in question, of course. Except this supposed villain is nothing like she expected…

“A Christmas Abduction” started out a lot of fun, mostly due to the chemistry between Caroline and Adam. Caroline has had enough and is determined Adam will do right by her family and Adam is anything but your typical hostage. I liked watching Adam start to care for Caroline and her friends, enjoyed seeing him work hard alongside Caroline. As for Caroline, I respected how hard she worked and her loyalty to others, her strength in holding her family afloat. That being said, the romance left me wanting a bit. Given what Caroline believed of Adam, her attraction to him and the way she gave into it made the love story feel a bit stilted and rushed. Added to that, the ending was tied up so neatly that it was not entirely believable. Still, “A Christmas Abduction” is an enjoyable story and Madeline Hunter’s writing keeps things moving along at a quick clip.


“A Perfect Match” (Duke Dynasty, Book 1.5) by Sabrina Jeffries
Colonel Lord Heywood Wolfe has come to a ball to warn his best friend’s sister, Kitty, that one of her suitors is a villainous fortune hunter with a dark past. One thing leads to another and Heywood ends up abducting Kitty and her cousin, Cass, and taking them to his family home for the holidays in order to protect them. Kitty is an heiress and Heywood needs funds to restore the estate he inherited, so she should be the one he’s courting. Except he can’t take his mind off of Cass, the intelligent beauty who is his perfect match in every way…

“A Perfect Match” was my favorite novella of this anthology and the reason I picked it up in the first place. Sabrina Jeffries brings Christmas cheer and charm with her story of a soldier in need of a fortune and a secret heiress who will only marry for love.

Heywood and Cass sparkle, their chemistry wonderful and their back-and-forths made me smile. Cass has sworn her family to secrecy about her being an heiress and she’s been burned in the past by fortune hunters. So even though she’s quickly falling for Heywood she doesn’t want to reveal she has money and risk not finding a man who wants her for herself. I adored Cass and Heywood and was rooting for their happily ever after. The only thing that detracted from the story was a turn in attitude from Heywood at the end, one that was out of character and seemed forced in to add drama. It’s a pity, because otherwise “A Perfect Match” is a fun, aptly-titled story with two protagonists I adored and a cast of supporting characters who made me smile.


“One Wicked Winter Night” (Rogues Redeemed, Book 3.5) by Mary Jo Putney
After exploring the world for years, Lady Diana Lawrence has decided to return home to England. The only thing she’s wary of is running into the man who was the reason she so quickly took to exploring all those years ago. On the night of her cousin’s masquerade ball she meets a dashing corsair who tempts her in a way she hasn’t been tempted in a long time. Of course, it’s none other than Anthony Raines, Duke of Castleton, the man she loved and lost. It’s clear the attraction between them has never died, but is that enough for them to take a risk at opening their hearts for a second chance at love?

I love a good second chance romance so I was eager to dive into this story of a duke who wants to marry for love and the intrepid explorer he never got over. I liked that Diana was older than Anthony, that she was worldly and well-traveled, had an adventurous spirit, and knew her own mind. I also really liked that Anthony accepted and loved Diana for who she was, unreservedly and without any alpha male posturing. The two of them had a lot of promise and their sense of humor charmed me. However, partway through “One Wicked Winter Night” the story took a turn and I was flabbergasted by both Anthony and Diana’s stunning lack of maturity. I won’t spoil the story, but Anthony’s way of securing Diana’s attention was childish and her response to it was reckless and irresponsible. It left a sour taste in my mouth and the two of them didn’t have enough chemistry to overcome it. And because it was so distracting, I must point out that Mary Jo Putney’s overuse of exclamation points did not help her characters seem more mature (truly, the sheer quantity was alarming!). Still, fans of the Rogues Redeemed series (which I have not read) might enjoy this story more than I did. Previous heroes and heroines play strong supporting roles and that will undoubtedly mean more to people invested in the characters.


Seduction on a Snowy Night has its ups and downs with a bit of unevenness in tone in each of the stories. Being snowed in plays a part in each story and close quarters helped with the accelerated falling in love timelines the novella length necessitates. If you’re a fan of any of these authors it’s worth picking up this anthology. I particularly enjoyed Sabrina Jeffries’s “A Perfect Match,” but there’s something for every historical romance lover in Seduction on a Snowy Night.

This book is a treasure, especially with the holiday themes involved. I am a long time fan of Sabrina Jeffries and Madeline Hunter, and will now start following Mary Jo Putney as well. All three stories show what can be accomplished by a determined woman and a willingness to admit mistakes have been made. A true joy!!

Very good, my favorite of the three. Adam falls for a trick and finds himself abducted. He closely observes his surroundings and bit by bit realizes where he is, but cannot guess the reason for his abduction. Caroline is desperately trying to hold on to her horse farm. Most annoying character: her spoiled younger sister, who is also dishonest.

The Perfect Match
OK. An often used trope: H needs to marry for money; h is an heiress, but no one in society knows. My least favorite of the three.

One Wicked Winter Night
Very good. A 2nd chance story with the h being older than the H. Some quick-witted signs of imagination of the characters regarding cat breeds.
I read an advance copy; the thoughts expressed are my own.

A good read for all three stories. If you've read the series these stories are part of, it's a nice dip into details between full novels, but you don't have to know anything from those books to enjoy this book. None of the stories dwell too much on updating a reader on characters from those other novels, which is good.

The first story, by Madeline Hunter - A Christmas Abduction, has an interesting new plot that I haven't read before, where a woman abducts a man she thinks importuned her sister. Her goal is to get him to marry her sister, but of course, love gets in the way! I really enjoyed this story, but my only critique is when they finally are intimate, it appears the woman leaves unsatisfied and the man doesn't seem to notice.

The second story, by Sabrina Jeffries - A Perfect Match, is also very good. A soldier friend of a woman's brother comes to a house party to rescue her from a rake. He thinks to woo her for himself based on his enjoyment of her letters to her brother and because of her fortune, which he needs, but is more intrigued with her cousin, who is maddeningly enticing but poor.

The third story, by Mary Jo Putney - One Wicked Winter Night, is a nice romance. A woman and Duke-in-waiting had fallen in love but separated seven years earlier. They meet again at a masquerade ball after her return from India, and he decides he still loves her and must find out why she left him. Story line is good, but the romance details are glossed over.

Three lovely novella, engrossing and entertaining, with just one issue: they're too short and wanted to read more about this characters.
I love all of them and I discovered two new to me authors and I will surely read other works by them.
i liked the atmosphere, the well described historical background and rooted for the characters.
It was a very pleasant read.
Highly recommended!
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

A CHRISTMAS ABDUCTION by Madeline Hunter
I love it when the rake is not the rake she is looking for…Adam has no qualms in seducing Caroline, but another? I loved his nonchalance about the whole kidnapping and he is not so haughty after all. A very cute story.

A PERFECT MATCH by Sabrina Jeffries
A lovely morsel in the Duke Dynasty world. A little Cyrano (kind of) and a bit of intrigue make this story fun and flirtatious. Loved Heywood – don’t we all love rapscallion son who just says screw it but is really quite honorable. This story had a little different take in that Heywood was mad about something he was not told from the beginning. A little twist and a fun read.

Like most novellas, I wish they could be converted into full novels but alas they cannot. A great anthology to start the Christmas season.

Seduction on a Snowy Night by Madeline HunterA Christmas Abduction by Madeline Hunter
Adam Prescott, Baron Thornhill, is expecting to spend his Christmas at his cousin's house avoiding marriage to an eligible heiress who is after his title. He's not expecting to be kidnapped off the coach and taken to a remote location. He's also surprised that one of the two kidnappers is a woman. A very attractive woman. Either way, he's pretty comfortable because he knows that they are going to be disappointed. No one will pay any sort of ransom for him. Even when he finds out that it's about more than money, he knows that he's innocent of the accusation being leveled at him. At least, he's pretty sure he is...
An okay story. Adam seemed like a decent hero but I wish we had gotten to know Caroline a little bit more.
Three stars

A Perfect Match by Sabrina Jeffries
I have been excited for this short story since I read a preview at the end of Project Duchess. Cass is just trying to protect her young cousin from a rogue, Captain Malet. Several characters try to tell her that she is jealous of her cousin's youth (Cass isn't that old, just poised) and fortune (Cass is also an heiress but doesn't want anyone to know because she's been burned before. At a ball, she is startled to learn that she is not the only one suspicious of her cousin's suitor, Kitty's brother has sent an emissary in the form of Colonel Lord Heywood Wolfe to protect her. When Heywood believes that Malet is going to whisk Kitty away to Gretna Green, he decides to steal both ladies away first.
Like Project Duchess, this story was great for the first 3/4 and then falters. The last Big Misunderstanding didn't need to be there and seemed antithetic to Heywood's character.
Three and a half stars

One Wicked Winter's Night by Mary Jo Putney
Years ago, Anthony fell in love with a woman who was a little bit older than he but when he proposed marriage, she told him he wasn't grown-up enough yet. It didn't quite break his heart but it definitely made him think twice about marriage. And now that he's a duke, women are knocking down doors to get to him. So, while he's sort of thinking about marriage, he is definitely thinking about it once he realizes that the veiled woman dancing an exotic dance at the home of his sister's friend is his long ago love, Diana.
A nice story that built characters nicely considering it was so short.
Four stars

Three and a half stars
This book comes out September 24th
ARC kindly provided by Kensington Books and NetGalley
Opinions are my own

Give me all the wintery compilation books you can find! Absolute sucker for this and with 3 awesome authors, it was always gonna be a win for me!

This was a delightful collection of three novellas. I quite enjoyed all three stories. The only problem with this book is that the stories aren't longer, and that's because I enjoyed the characters in them so much I didn't want my time with them to be over. Because they're shorter they do tend to fall in love quickly, which is why I appreciated Mary Jo Putney's story where they main characters knew each other before. Insta love is a common trope though in romance, so it's not too bothersome when it does happen. I like how much the main character in Madeline Hunter's story stands up for her family and I like how genuine the hero is. In Sabrina Jeffries story I love how they fell in with each other and then fell in love, although I thought the hero didn't do enough groveling after the characters drama. All in all a good collection.

Overall: 4/5⭐️

A Christmas Abduction (Hunter): Adam is abducted by Caroline as she mistakenly believes he seduced her younger sister. A fun romp of mistaken identities, with two likable leads. 4/5⭐️

The Perfect Match (Jeffries): Heywood steps in to save an heiress from a scoundrel and hopes to wed her himself...until he meets her cousin Cass. This one was OK but my least favorite of the three. 3/5⭐️

One Wicked Winter Night (Putney): Anthony and Diana are former lovers who haven’t seen each other for 7 years..can they reconnect? Sweet with lovable felines included. 😊 4/5⭐️

~ ARC provided by NetGalley ~
I used to read these kinds if romances all the time as a teenager. Every now and then I read one again and this definitely reminded me why I love them so much. They're just good easy reads - light hearted and put you in a good mood. ♡

Who does not like a romance with two dukes, one heiress, and one headstrong beauty and a snowy storm. This book has three books: A CHRISTMAS ABDUCTION by Madeline Hunter which is about
Caroline Dunham who has a problem with Baron Thornhill.The next is: A PERFECT MATCH by Sabrina Jeffries which is about Cassandra Isles who has struggled with her feeling for Lord Heywood for awhile, plus she is an heiress.The last one is: ONE WICKED WINTER’S NIGHT by Mary Jo Putney which is about Lady Diana Lawrence who is at a costume ball and is swepted away by the man she loved and lost in the past.
I loved all three of these stories. They are perfect for the holidays coming up. The characters were amazing.

NOVELLA 1: A Christmas Abduction by Madeline Hunter

I had a very hard time getting into this story. It started off well enough, even if kidnapping a Baron at gunpoint and holding him hostage was a bit far-fetched. It continued to be interesting, even when said Baron managed to escape his "prison" (in reality an attic room) and yet decided to remain there any way instead of traveling on to his destination.

I even enjoyed the banter between Caroline and Adam. In fact, I admired both her courage and her loyalty to her sister. Until she allowed Adam to kiss her. This was the man she believed not only ruined her sister and got her with child, yet she allows him to take liberties with her person as well?

I will say that for a novella, this one moved along at a fairly steady pace, although it seemed that all the loose ends were tied up a little too neatly. I would have expected more of a fight from the true father of the child considering what we were led to believe about him.

On the whole, it was an okay read. Maybe not the book I would have put first in the anthology, but it wasn't bad by any means. I would read more both from this author and from this series if she chooses to continue it.

*****************

NOVELLA 2: A Perfect Match by Sabrina Jeffries

This started off as such an enjoyable read. Sure, the fact that Lord Heywood absconded with two unmarried women was a surefire way to ruin their reputations regardless of his well-meaning intentions, however for this story it worked. I enjoyed watching Cass and Kitty as they interacted with Heywood's family as they prepared to enjoy the Christmas season.

However, this story started to fall apart as the ending neared. First, there was Kitty and her "surprise". I find it nearly impossible to believe that not only did no one see it coming, but that she was also able to do what she did without anyone seeing ger. I could have overlooked that. After all, with all the preparations happening around them, perhaps it was possible.

Where I lost all respect for Heywood is when he turned into a raging asshole for no reason. After deciding that he loved Cass enough to marry her, even if it meant not having the funds needed to fix his crumbling estate. He takes her to bed, telling her of his decision. Unbeknownst to him, Cass is an heiress in her own right, however, no one knows of her circumstances as she will only marry for love. Bolstered by the fact that Heywood has just admitted to loving her enough that he wants to marry her, she tells him the truth. They can be married AND he will have the funds he needs.

Instead of being overjoyed, he turns on her. Accusing her of keeping things from him. Of pretending. Of not being who he thought she was. Excuse me? This seemed like just a bunch of unneeded and unnecessary drama to up the word count before the happily ever after was allowed to happen.

Aside from that, this was a cute and enjoyable read. I would read more from this author!

*****************

NOVELLA 3: One Wicked Winter Night by Mary Jo Putney

This one for me, was the best of the three, even if the synopsis is a bit misleading. To begin with, she wasn't a veiled princess tempted away from a costume ball. She had performed a traditional Indian dance in Indian garb and then kissed a man after their dance at a masked ball. Also, they don't exactly become ensconced until near the end of the story, and before that, they had already discovered that passion still burned brightly between them.

Those are things that are fairly easy to overlook, and honestly had this been a full-length novel instead of a novella, I feel like it would have been even better. The potential was definitely there. As for the rest of these characters? I definitely enjoyed reading about his sisters and their husbands, and the made-up species they gave their cats was nothing short of golden. From now on I will be calling my own East Pinelands Devil Chasers.

Overall, I would definitely read more from this author. And I feel like this novella is a perfect addition to the stories already out there about this family.

A CHRISTMAS ABDUCTION by Madeline Hunter - 4 stars

Adam finds himself abducted on the way to his cousin's for Christmas. He has no money, so can't imagine that they want to ransom him. Caroline has a bone to pick with the baron, and has decided to keep him at her home until he gives into what she demands. But what happens when she starts to see a different side to him?

I really enjoyed this quick read. Watching Adam and Caroline's antics had me laughing out loud. A great way to spend a cold winter's night!

A PERFECT MATCH by Sabrina Jeffries - 4 Stars

Cassandra and her cousin are abducted from a ball by Lord Heywood. Although they later learn he did it to protect them from a scoundrel. They both seem to be attracted to each other, but she soon learns that Heywood is looking for an heiress, which everyone believes she is not... Can these two get their HEA?

I really enjoyed this one. I belongs in the Duke Dynasty series (Project Duchess and to be released in 2020, The Bachelor). I really enjoyed revisiting this family! Cassandra wants to marry for love so she doesn't want anyone to know that she is actually an heiress. But when she falls for Heywood and doesn't tell him this fact, it causes all kinds of angst.

ONE WICKED WINTER’S NIGHT by Mary Jo Putney - 5 Stars

Diana and Anthony had fallen in love at an early age, but they were torn apart. In the man time, Diana travels all over the world. When she comes back, she soon runs into Anthony and the spark is still there. She doesn't think their romance can be revived, but Anthony has other plans. Who will win this battle of wills?

I loved this reunion story! The attraction between Diana and Anthony was read hot and kept be devouring the story! An the antics with the cats, LOL!!

Sidenote: I felt like some of the information given about the other couples in the story were very familiar to me and that I had read them at some time, so this might be considered part of a series, or two...

Three wonderful novellas written by Madeline Hunter, Sabrina Jeffries and Mary Jo Putney, that all take place around Christmas time. All three authors have such a magical way of writing their stories and these are no exception.

A CHRISTMAS ABDUCTION by Madeline Hunter: Caroline abducts Adam and plans to make him pay for what he's done to her sister but plans don't always work out the way you want them to! It doesn't take long before the truth comes out and Adam proves himself to be everything Caroline wants for herself. ****

A PERFECT MATCH by Sabrina Jeffries: Cassandra and Heywood are attracted to each other but he must marry a heiress to save the dilapidated estate he was left by his father. Cassandra has hidden the fact that she is indeed a heiress because she wants to marry for love and not to a fortune hunter. It's a good thing Heywood declares his love to her before he discovers she's actually a heiress but all is not easily solved! ****

ONE WICKED WINTER’S NIGHT by Mary Jo Putney: Diana and Anthony have a history and now, years later, they meet up again and discover the mutual attraction is still there. Anthony is determined to find out the truth of why Diana wouldn't marry him all these years ago and I loved how her cat, the Panda, has quite an important role in bringing them back together:) ****

I was given an ARC of this book via NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving an honest review.

“Seduction on a Snowy Night” by Mary Jo Putney Madeline Hunter Sabrina Jeffries
I loved my time with these three authors and their writings in this collection. “The Christmas Abduction” by Madeline Hunter, “A Perfect Match” by Sabrina Jeffires, and, “One Wicked Winter Night” by Mary Jo Putney each one a fun Regency adventure. Madeline Hunter sharing a tale of what a sister will do for her sister. Sabrina Jeffires and the adventure of mistaken beliefs, old fears, and revenge. Mary Jo Putney with her English/India connections and another fun easy read not to be missed tale from the her pen. If you like Regency romance stories, I am sure you will be ever so glad to have read these stories, too. I requested, via NetGalley, and was granted an ARC of this book by the publisher. I have put forth my honest opinion of this book and the stories within in this review. There is so much more I would like to say, but I don’t want to give anything away… Read the blurbs and then read the book. Happy Reading! !

An anthology of novellas by three of my favorite authors! The common theme was abductions and winter storms. Even though these were novellas, you were still able to get a good feel for the characters. Though hard to choose, I did enjoy A Perfect Match the best. This novella is a great connection between Sabrina Jeffries’ first and second book in the Duke Dynasty series. The next book is entitled The Bachelor and comes out in February of 2020. I received an ARC for my honest review.

This is an anthology of three novellas connected only by theme of snow and Christmas holidays.

A CHRISTMAS ABDUCTION by Madeline Hunter: Caroline Dunham abducts Adam Prescott, Baron Thornhill intending to bring the notorious rake to heel for his deeds. But Thornhill turns out to be different than she though. I enjoyed this story especially because of Adam who turns out to be a pretty decent guy. I especially liked that he has made mistakes and this story deals with those issues. It has a nice holiday theme. Rating: 4 stars.

A PERFECT MATCH by Sabrina Jeffries: Cassandra Isles and Colonel Lord Heywood end up spending Christmas together when Cassandra and her cousin are escorted/kidnapped by Heywood in order to protect Cassandra's cousin (and his best friend's sister) from a man with evil intentions toward her. I thought this story was enjoyable as Cassandra is a woman with a fortune who wants to only marry for love and so she hides the existence of her fortune. Of course, Heywood is a man in need of a fortune to rehabilitate the estate he has inherited. That leads to difficulties and definitely enriched the interaction between these two characters. I enjoyed the working out of this story which was well constructed for such a short novella.  Rating: 4.5 stars.

ONE WICKED WINTER NIGHT by Mary Jo Putney: Lady Diana Lawrence returns to England after seven years of traveling the world. She is the guest of honor in a masquerade ball where she unexpectedly encounters the man she loved and fled, Anthony, Duke of Castleton. This book was filled with some of my favorite catnip: older woman/younger man, second chance at love, opposites attract and catnapping. This was my favorite of the anthology because I just loved Anthony. He was in love with Diana and he had never forgotten her. Given a second chance, he has no intention of allowing her to slip through his fingers again. He is so accepting of her and is supportive of her even though she broke his heart in the past. Lots of cats in the book as well. Rating: 4.5 stars.

Review to be posted on September 24th release day on blog, Goodreads and Amazon, et al.