Bethrothed by Christmas was a delightful duet I couldn't put down. I absolutely fell in love with the characters and thier heroes! The storylines were told with imagination, the dialogue was realistic and the romance had spice. This is everything I look for in a great romance novel! Great job to the authors on delivering an amazing duo! I would recommend!

Two of my favorite authors. Christmas novellas are a favorite of mine. Excellent recipe that include hot heroes and fierce heroines. Delish!

This was a delightful Christmas time read in one of my favorite genres. I enjoyed these two novellas and look forward to reading more by the authors.

Betrothed by Christmas contains two novellas, A Lady’s Gift for Seduction by Jess Michaels and A Lady’s Gift for Scandal by Elizabeth Essex. Two ladies have a plan to avoid marriages to men they don’t want and to find a husband among the “masculine wallflowers.” The idea of two ladies hunting for “masculine wallflowers” like the men who hunt for biddable wives amongst the wallflowers was brilliant! A spin on the normal way to find a husband. The wallflowers turn out to be not as biddable as the ladies think they will be, and the ladies are in for some fun. These stories were delightful to read and had wonderful characters and plots.
A Lady’s Gift for Seduction by Jess Michaels
Lady Evangeline hides behind her cool, controlling façade and allows no one close. She can’t be hurt by others if she doesn’t let them in her heart. She wanted to control her future and find a man who would allow her to live her life the way she wants. Henry Killam life is dedicated to his studies. He has always admired Evangeline but knew he didn’t have a chance as a third son. He knew something was up when Evangeline starts to pay him attention. Can the scheme Evangeline has come up with give her what she wants plus more?

A Lady’s Gift for Scandal by Elizabeth Essex
Miss Tamsin Lesley wants to be a spinster and pursue intellectual activities. She has no interest in marry any gentleman of society. She plots to be “lightly ruined.” Society has nicknamed Simon Cathcart as “Simple Simon” after his return from the war. He was content with the name because it game him peace and quiet and a reason to avoid society. The idea of “lightly ruining” Tamsin delighted Simon, who had lately become bored. How can Tamsin not fall in love with his sunny smile?

Of course the book was magical. It was romantic, well written and Christmassy... I liked the plot and main leads. Tipical romance but during holiday season.

I love these historical romances - I use to think when you read one you read them all but lately that has not been the case. The love story was so romantic and the love interests really showed how the felt about each other - with the appropriate amount of angst.
Thank you to the publisher and author for the opportunity to read such a nice book.

Two wonderful holiday season romances that can be read in one sitting.
Very enjoyable!
I received an ARC of this book from Netgalley.
All opinions are my own.

Amazing book! A must read for the holiday season! This book is anthology of three stories. One do my favorite authors is Jess Michaels whom is an amazing author.

Nice premise two stories by great authors set at Christmas - featuring beautiful and far from empty headedregency ladies trying to secure their own futures and. a measure of independence by choosing ‘male wallflowers’ to achieve their ends.

In the first Novella, by Jess Michaels, Lady Evangeline is beautiful, intelligent and secretly very kind. Incredibly competent she manages those around her constantly. Having seen how her mother and close female relatives were diminished and treated badly by their husbands when wed, she is determined to stay in control and find a compliant husband. When trying to assist fellow debutante Tamsin to her ruination, by introducing her to a suitable male wallflower, she find herself very possessive of the intelligent and reserved Henry Killiam, third son of an Earl. Worried that her father might be ready to marry her off, she decides to arrange things so she can marry academic Henry, who is a passionate scientist with a great interest in astronomy. Henry is about to be cut off by his father if he doesn’t give up his studies, so he has a vested interest in this scheme too. He has always been attracted to Evangeline but thinks he has no chance with her, as they work to get the dukemto agree to a marriage between them, can Henry teach Evangeline to trust him enough to relax her desire to be in control, and can Evangeline, arrange matters so she can secure her fortune to support Henry’s academic studies and her own desires, and can they admit their feelings for each other.

Lady Tamsin would love to be a bluestocking like her beloved Aunt Dahlia. A secret passionate writer and academic, she is not keen to be married despite her beauty, trying to fend off a determined and marriage minded mama, she arranged for the indolent, and some say addled ex soldier Simon Cathcart to ruin her in her mother’s eyes, so she can be left alone. Simons indolence and air of dim amiability, are a front to cover up his scars from the wars he fought in, suffering from ennui and PTSD, he uses this front to allow him to escape to the library at functions, whilst still fulfilling his obligations to squire his aunt to entertainments. This was such a charming tale, Simon was entranced by Tamsin obvious cleverness and naïveté, and her spectacles! As they try and try to ruin Tamsin, they start to develop sincere feelings for each other. Tamsin accepts Simon as he appears and doesn’t judge him, and soon comes to realise he is not all he seems.

Both delightful.

I voluntarily reviewed an advance reader copy of this book and all opinions are my own

Also on goodreads

The holiday season seems to start a little earlier every year, and I don’t mind one bit. I love the music and the decorations and the snow, and most importantly the time spent with my family and friends. Needless to say, I was very excited about the opportunity to read this new historical romance anthology.

The two novellas share the same which I thought was a fun worldbuilding element. They also take place during the Christmas season, but the plots are not overwhelmed by the holiday, which works well because the emphasis falls on the characterization rather than relying on the holiday to carry the plots.

In A Lady’s Gift for Seduction, Lady Evangeline decides to help her friend Miss Lesley ruin herself, but when considering the gentlemen of her acquaintance who would be best suited for this task, she eliminates her childhood friend Henry Killam. There’s nothing wrong with Henry, and Evangeline soon realizes it’s because she wants to marry him. She doesn’t particularly want to marry, but if she marries Henry, she won’t have to marry someone her father chooses.

Henry has his own predicament: his aristocrat father has told him that his pursuit of science is unbecoming, and that he’ll be cut off if he doesn’t stop experimenting.

It’s seems as though they’ll both get what they want with a marriage of convenience, but can it really be that easy? What would happen if they acknowledged their mutual attraction?

This was an utterly delightful story of a well-intentioned schemer and a sweet and kind cinnamon roll hero. There’s some minor conflict, but this story is basically two people completely in love with each other finally waking up and realizing that the person they love has been there all along.

In A Lady’s Gift for Scandal, the aforementioned Miss Thomasina “Tamsin” Lesley sets about laying her plan for ruination. She doesn’t particularly like London, and she has concluded (with Lady Evangeline’s help) that if she gets caught in a compromising position, she’ll be left with no option than to return home in disgrace which is just fine with her, thank you very much.

Simon Cathcart seems like the amicable sort of gentleman to enlist in her scheme, but being ruined is harder than it seems. So Tamsin and Simon keep trying….

Again and again

And then Tamsin starts to catch feelings for her kissing partner.

I liked this novella because it subverted many of the usual tropes and expectations. Most notably, Simon is a bit of a wallflower; shy heroes are growing in popularity, but they’re still not the norm.

This novella was lighter in tone, but still managed to convey a sense of gravity when appropriate. Simon is not taken seriously by those around him, and he is assumed to be generally shiftless, but of course, appearances are deceiving and Simon is much more complicated than he lets on.

I would recommend Betrothed by Christmas. These two novellas complement each other nicely. I have read some of Michaels’ books in the past, but this is my first experience with Essex. I’m certainly looking forward to reading more from both authors in the future.

I received a copy of this book from Netgalley/the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

What is not to like? Betrothed by Christmas delivers two thoroughly enjoyable Christmas stories that get you in the mood for the holidays and romance!
Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and author for this ARC.

Betrothed by Christmas is a interesting take on the problems of women who must wed by their choice or their families. Jess Michaels and Elizabeth Essex do an interesting take on the usual story. Their two heroines are independent bluestockings who do not wish to be saddled with overbearing husbands who will control their actions. So, they decide to do what a man in the same situation would do - they look for male "wallflowers" who would not be adverse to a marriage for money or for ruining a miss to keep her unmarried.
Jess Micahels story has a rich heiress who decides that her friend would be the perfect biddable husband, His father is threatening to cut him off for his astronomy publishing. What starts as a plan for a marriage of conveneniece toruns out to be an actual love match. My one complaint about this story is that there is a bit of a spoiler for the second story.
In Elizabeth Essex's story the miss isn't up for marriage, she just wants to be slightly ruined. Just enough for her mother to give up on her hopes of a marriage. Her selected man is known as Simple Simon - a war hero who can alway be found napping on a couch when he escorts his aunt to a ball. No matter how many times, they try to get caught her mother refuses to fall for it. As the two struggle for ruin, it turns out that Simon isn't as simple as he lets on to be and what starts as a silly plan, turns into a love match.
I received an advnaced copy of this book.

I absolutely loved this book. Both novellas revolve around two friends who are trying to escape marriage to boorish men, so they hatch plans to get male wallflowers to help them make their own marriage choices. Each author tackles one of the heroine's stories, and both stories intertwine at some points.
The first novella is Lady Evangeline's story. She decides to get married to someone of her choosing before her father chooses for her, and she picks her friend, Henry, as her future groom. Henry is an astronomer and a nerd, and although he's always had a thing for Lady Evangeline, she's so far out of his orbit (see what I did there?) that he never dreams that she would give him the time of day. To his surprise, Evangeline starts pursuing him, and the two decide that a marriage would give both of them their independence. But of course, feelings get in the way, and they realize that they could have more than a logical marriage of convenience.
The second novella is Tamsin's story, and what she wishes for most is to be a bluestocking. She decides to get herself ruined by "Simple Simon", a colonel who is seemingly simpleminded, but who is actually just playing up being stupid so that he can be left alone (amen). So Simon ruins Tamsin, quite a bit, and she realizes that there's nothing simple about him.
Both of these authors were new to me, and I'll be trying more books by them. What a fun holiday concept. Loved it!

Lady Evangeline and Thomasina meet at a ball, and discover they share some untypical views of marriage. As Christmas approaches, they each come up with a scheme which will hopefully allow them to avoid wedding unwanted suitors, a scheme that involves wallflowers of the male variety.

A LADY’S GIFT FOR SEDUCTION by Jess Michaels
4, hot
Lady Evangeline is the daughter of a duke, and her father has been hinting that it’s time for her to marry. Knowing that the duke may well make the choice for her, Evangeline decides to propose marriage to her longtime friend, Henry. For seven years, Evangeline and Henry have hid their mutual attraction behind their friendship. Henry is studious, an astronomer, and the third son of a viscount. Unfortunately, Henry’s father finds that Henry’s published work smacks of “trade” and orders Henry to abandon it, or he’ll be cut off. Astronomy is a genuine passion of Henry’s, so Evangeline’s proposal seems like it’s a way for him to continue after the marriage is a done deal. He only has to promise Evangeline to temporarily halt his studies, which he does. But, sometimes, things happen. Henry unwittingly breaks his promise, and seriously damages the fragile trust that had been developing between them. Will Henry be able to regain the ground he lost with Evangeline? Will she even go forward with the marriage? Can they build a future on their long time friendship and the newly discovered passion that has flared? A LADY’S GIFT FOR SEDUCTION has a lovable, glasses-wearing, sexy, wallflower hero, and a determined and wary heiress who fumble their way to genuine love in this steamy and satisfying story.

A LADY’S GIFT FOR SCANDAL by Elizabeth Essex
5, hot
Thomasina, also known as Tamsin, has been forced to come to London by her mother, who hopes that she’ll snag a husband. If that doesn’t happen, she’ll be coerced into marrying her dreadful cousin. Tamsin’s only desire is to be a bluestocking, remain unmarried, and enjoy intellectual pursuits with like minded people. Tamsin comes up with a plan to be “sort of” ruined, meaning she’ll be considered ruined, but won’t actually be. She selects Simon as her potential ruiner, and confides her scheme to him. Simon is a former soldier, who was injured, and came home a pacifist. Now, he dutifully escorts his aunt to society events, then disappears to a quiet room to nap or read. Simon created the persona of “Simple Simon,” giving the impression of having been injured enough to have suffered some mental damage, thus avoiding dancing, socializing, gambling, and marriage minded ladies. He is amiable enough to want to help Tamsin, and their encounters lead to some steamy kisses, surprising both of them with their intensity. Can two people with no interest in marriage make this attraction a forever romance? I fell in love with Simon, this charming, kind, and, yes, sneaky, man, who only wanted a peaceful existence, but found love instead with a passionate would-be bluestocking. A LADY’S GIFT FOR SCANDAL is another steamy story that is a pure delight to read.

Two women meet at a party and each for their own reasons decide a male "wallflower" is the solution to their problem. In the first story, Evangeline fears her father is near to choosing a husband for her without caring about her wishes. She decides to woo astronomer Henry thinking at least she would have a husband on her terms. In the second story, Tamsin has no desire to marry. She'd rather be free to write her book and converse with other intellectuals. She wants Simon to lightly ruin her so no one would wish to marry her. Simon returned from battle only to want quiet and peace with no expectations made of him. He pretends to be dim witted so that he will be left alone. Here is where the story drove me crazy. To show that he's an idiot, he ended EVERY sentence he spoke with "what?" It was enough to make me want to stop reading but I continued.

I enjoyed the role reversal of the popular women seeking the male wallflowers. The theme of the powerlessness the women felt to choose their own lives was very well-done. I would give the first story four stars but the second story brings my overall rating of the book down to 3 stars.

4.5 stars.

Two terrific entwined stories. Lady Evangeline and Miss Tamsin Lesley meet at a party. Both are frustrated with the confines of the marriage mart and resolve to take their lives into their own hands by finding biddable husbands. Instead of looking in the ballroom they search for the dullest guys around -- the ones hanging out in the library.

A Lady's Gift for Seduction - Jess Michaels
Evangeline sees her friend, Henry Killam, in the library. She has always liked him and decided to pursue that direction. Henry has had a secret crush on Evangeline for years, but she is rich and popular, and he is only a younger son and a scientist to boot.

I love a geeky guy and Henry is just delightful. Evangeline definitely got more that she bargained for with him!

A Lady's Gift for Scandal - Elizabeth Essex
Tamsin is persuaded by Evangline to pursue Simon Cathcart, a retired soldier and seemingly a dullard. She enlists his help in getting her "slightly ruined" so that he mother will send her away in disgrace so she can live an independent life. Simon Cathcart is willing to go along with the scheme since his life is in limbo after being disillusioned with the military life.

Simon was such fun! He played the part of the dullard to keep people from bothering him, but he actually had a lot to offer. It was so cute how Tamsin sensed that other side of Simon, but couldn't quite figure things out. I loved the surprise ending about Simon!

These two stories was fun to read with charming characters and bright, clever writing. A Christmas treat!

ARC provided by Netgalley.

A Lady’s Gift for Seduction by Jess Michaels

I follow the author on twitter, and I was beyond excited at the hints she was given for this book. I loved the idea of the hero being the wallflower and couldn't wait to get my hands on it.

Lady Evangeline isn't my favourite heroine; there was just something about her that I didn't connect with. I could see why she made the decisions she did, but she was almost too controlling, and I didn't like that she became so upset that Henry helped his friend with his scientific problem even though he had promised to give up his pursuits until after the wedding.

The sex scenes are as steamy as I have come to expect from Jess Michaels and definitely added to the plot. I hate when an author just throws in explicit scenes that add nothing to the plot. With this author, the sex scenes are a continuation of the romance and have a natural flow that adds to the story.

overall this is an enjoyable read.

A Lady’s Gift for Scandal by Elizabeth Essex

This was my favourite of the two novellas.

I think Simon is one of my favourite heroes; he has cultivated the reputation as a bumbling idiot injured in the war. There is more depth to him and complexity than initially portrayed. I particularly like the fact that he liked Tamsin for who she was not for her looks.

Tamsin with her dry wit was a fun heroine, and her interactions with her mother had me laugh out loud on a couple of occasions.

My only issue with the book was when Tamsin ran from home and stayed in Simon's house. She had no care for the worry that her flight would bring only that her mother thinks she was ruined.

These two books are a great read that will keep you entertained. I highly recommend any fans of historical romance give this a read.

I received an arc of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

An Excellent set of historical holiday romances. Nice storytelling and splendid romance. I really truly enjoyed them both.

Betrothed by Christmas contains two delightful romances set around the Christmas season. The Christmas setting sets the state for two ladies who are not comfortable with marriage. Lady Evangeline and Tamsin Lesley concoct a plot to prevent Tamsin from having to marry. Both ladies are at risk from being married to men of their parent’s choice if they don’t do something first. The first is Evangeline’s romance.

I love that Jess Michaels and Elizabeth Essex brought these strong female characters together to plot taking control of their futures at a ball. The interwoven romances help you to love the characters even more.

A Lady’s Gift for Seduction by Jess Michaels has Lady Evangeline taking a different route toward marriage. She wants one of convenience without romantic connection and based solely on friendship. Evangeline has even picked out long term friendly acquaintance Henry Killam, a nerd of his time interested in planets and science.

Evangeline begins to circle around Henry to the point he cannot help but notice before she goes in for the romantic kill. Henry is such a gentleman, finally just asking her what she wants. As Evangeline explains, he just takes it in. He gives her everything she requests, including physical intimacy, but makes that one mistake that breaks her heart.

A Lady’s Gift for Scandal by Elizabeth Essex has Thomasina/Tamsin Lesley completing her part of the hatched plot of ‘light’ ruination so as not to have to marry her cousin Edward. She and Evangeline selected Simple Simon as the gentleman who will help with the ruination. He is considered simple during most of the book due to a war injury, although Tamsin gets little views into the real Simon before finding out the truth.

Tamsin’s mother is pressuring her to become engaged before Christmas or marry the odious cousin. Tamsin wants to be like her aunt, living independently and being free to do as she pleases. Tamsin does not find it right or fair for her mother to saddle her with making sure the family is in a good financial position in case her father dies while out at sea. So, she goes to the extreme to get herself ruined. But she falls in love with Simon in the process.

This is a sweet duet that all will enjoy.

This is a duet of two stories which are separate but take place at the same time and the characters do meet.

A LADY'S GIFT FOR SEDUCTION by Jess Michaels: Lady Evangeline doesn't intend to submit to her father's plans for her. If she doesn't find a man to marry quickly, he intends to marry her off to someone "appropriate". Evangeline is having nothing of that and intends to take her future into her own hands by marrying a "biddable" man who will allow her to control her own life. Evangeline sets her eyes on her friend Henry Killam. Henry has his own problems as his father has forbidden him to do his "work" as an astronomer and threatened to cut him off. Marriage to Evangeline might solve his own problems but things become complicated. I enjoyed this book as a reversal of the typical historical romance. Here, the heroine is the aggressive one and the hero is the wallflower. I liked both Evangeline who wanted control of her life and Henry, who was sweet and only wanted to do his scientific work in a world that would have respected him more if he was a drunken womanizer. This story works well in the novella format. Rating: 4 stars.

A LADY'S GIFT FOR SCANDAL by Elizabeth Essex: Tamsin Lesley wants only to be a bluestocking but she fears being married off to her father's heir. She decides to get herself "slightly" ruined in order to avoid an unwanted marriage. And the perfect man to accomplish her goal is wallflower Colonel Simon Cathcart. Simon has his own secrets and the face that he puts on with the public does not fully represent the man. This story wasn't quite as good as the other story, but it was a nice easy read. I liked Tamsin, but never felt that Simon's situation and thoughts were as well developed. This was a story that could have been longer with the themes that were trying to be addressed. It was a nice read. Rating: 3.5 stars.