A story that will keep you cosy around the winter holidays. A book filled with emotions and beautiful writing. A novel that brings a new flavour to the novels we are used to loving. A great read.

It was easy to fall into these stories and devour them! I loved the theme of hopefulness even in troubling circumstances, and it was inspiring to see how the miracles of the Christmas season came to pass in the lives of the characters. I wouldn't be able to choose a favorite among the stories as I enjoyed them all and it's was a special pleasure to have a collection of stories from a variety of my favorite authors! These novella collections have become something I look forward to reading every year, and they are also perfect for re-reading!

Disclosure statement: A complimentary copy of this book was provided from a tour group, publisher, publicist, or author, including NetGalley, OR was borrowed from the library, including OverDrive, OR borrowed from Kindle Unlimited, OR purchased. A review was not required and all views and opinions expressed are unbiased and my own.

Each of the short stories found in this novel were perfect Christmas regencies. I thoroughly enjoyed each of them for their own unique story. They were full of mystery and sometimes difficult families, but most of all sweet romance.

Thank you NetGalley and Covenant Communications for the eARC!

A Hopeful Christmas is a collection of Regency Romances set during the most wonderful time of the year. The collection includes:
Lord Blakely's Gift by Anneka R Walker
A Season of Hope by Sian Ann Bessey
Christmas by the Sea by Carla Kelly
Expectations at Canterwood by Krista Lynn Jensen
I enjoyed every one of the stories and could not pick one to be a favorite. I am giving the whole collection five stars.

A sweet collection of Christmas novellas set during the Regency area. Each of them were a quick and sweet read.

Some parts were okay. But I honestly think, the stories were predictable. I really wanted to enjoy it because the plots were interesting but I just couldn’t.

This was exactly what it says on the title—a series of Christmas-themed romances full of hope and light. This holiday season was tough, and I appreciated the light escapism these stories offered. Plus, their length was nice because they were easier to read during the business of the holidays.

I tried several times to read this book during the Christmas season. I would open it and start reading but the first chapter never grabbed my attention. After several attempts of doing this, I gave up. I wanted to read it because we were in the holiday season and to bolster some Christmas cheer, but this wasn’t a book for me.

I was given a. Free copy of this book in exchange for my review.

I loved this book so much. I finally had time to sit down and read this book during Christmas week and each of the four stories was wonderfully written. Each author wrote their own story and while they didn't share characters between the stories, the stories blended so well.

This was a collection of four clean romances that take place around the Christmas holiday in a long ago time period and each had a happy ending.

I was given an arc copy of this book and I willingly offer my honest review.

Romance, clean, period; Novella collection
Beautiful Christmas novella collection. This grouping was very well done. The authors were so varied in their perspectives, themes, and story lines. I loved Carla K.'s novella in particular, as it truly was so different from the others, with a family situation that was very different, and so compelling. However that being said, all the novellas were very strong. Oftentimes in a collection, I find a shorter length, one or two of the novellas feels incomplete, or choppy. This collection really was very beautifully done by all of the authors. This is one I know I will re-read in Holiday seasons to come. Plus, beautiful cover!

Da ich großer Fan der Autorin Carla Kelly bin, konnte ich mir auch diese Geschichte nicht entgehen lassen. Es ist keine übliche Liebesnovelle, aber eine schöne Erzählung über eine junge Navy Familie zu Zeiten von Napoleons Kriegen. Sie erleben ein erfüllendes, berührendes Weihnachtswunder. Carla Kelly lässt gelungen die schönen Gefühle dieser festlichen Zeit aufkommen und regt zum Nachdenken über die wahre Bedeutung dieser Tage an.
In der Erzählung von Krista Lynn Jensen dreht sich dann alles um Marina. Ihre Mutter hält sie für unvermittelbar, da sie eine Brille trägt und ihre Eltern haben daher nun eine Beziehung angebahnt. Sie soll den zukünftigen erstmals auf einem vorweihnachtlichen Hausfest kennenlernen. Doch ihr reicht ein Blick auf den vermeintlich ihr zugedachten Mann und sie flüchtet Hals über Kopf aus dem Haus. So alt, übergewichtig und zerzaust hatte sie ihn sich nun doch nicht vorgestellt.
Doch dann stellt sich in einer peinlichen Situation heraus, dass sie Richard Stanhope mit seinem Onkel verwechselt hat. Da er daran nicht ganz unschuldig war, befindet seine Mutter, dass er sich zur Strafe nun besonders um Marina kümmern muss.
Nach diesem schlechten Start hat sie jedoch Schwierigkeiten ihm zu vertrauen und macht es ihm so nicht ganz einfach. Es ergibt sich manch humorvolle Situation. Die Protagonisten sind sehr sympathisch und nachvollziehbar. Die Beschreibungen des Hausfestes zu Weihnachten verbreiten pure Wohlfühlatmosphäre. Die Erzählung fühlt sich voll und rund an, wie ein ganzer längerer Roman und findet ein sehr schönes Ende.

This is a nice collection of Christmas stories. It is a good book to get you in the spirit of the season. I especially loved Kelly's story of the family of the Naval Doctor. Fun stories full of Holiday warmth and miracles.

A Hopeful Christmas is a regency novella collection with stories written by Anneka R. Walker, Sian Ann Bessey, Carla Kelly, and Krista Lynne Jensen.

I enjoyed this collection. The stories were unique and heartwarming, with a Christmas feel and snowy setting.

It’s difficult to pick a favorite. I loved that there was a trouble-making goat in both of the first stories! The third was a rekindled marriage story, a trope I do not read often. The last one has an especially great beginning with a case of mistaken identity.

Through each of the stories, it is easy to root for the characters and want each to have the best Christmas their heart hopes for.

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I received a complimentary copy of this book from NetGalley. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with FTC guidelines.

I love collections - they're always such a mixed bag of common themes but each author always runs in a different direction. I enjoyed each story's charm, specifically Christmas by the Sea for the unusual take of having a married couple instead a meet cute. It got me feeling Christmassy!

A thoroughly enjoyable collection of quick, easy reads that are full of Christmas charm.

LORD BLAKELY’S GIFT
I thought Ivy was a little too trusting and didn't exhibit propriety well (getting into a strange man's carriage and frequently spending time alone with him! Gasp!) but she an admirable character who really does bring out the best in the people around her. She is insightful and can see to the heart of how other people actions (even well intentioned) can have a negative effect. In that respect she is fair. I understood why Lord Blakely was drawn to her. It was a sweet story and had a great theme of generosity of spirit and action.

A SEASON OF HOPE
I related a bit more to Amelia's slightly less charitable nature; it IS hard to be kind toward people who are actively harming you. This story was a sensory delight. Sights, sounds, smells, all of it is described in such vivid imagery that it really came alive for me. I especially appreciated some of the descriptions of things that aren't as commonplace today, such the scents of different things used to "deck the halls" at that time.

CHRISTMAS BY THE SEA
I loved reading a sweet story about a married couple for a change. I loved Megs' strength and kindness. I appreciated the difficult family dynamic and loved the application of scripture. The only thing I didn't like was implied supernatural aspect. Just not my cup of tea. But an otherwise lovely story.

EXPECTATIONS AT CANTERWOOD
The beginning was a bit of a stretch to me. Given the time period, the circumstances should really not have been THAT much of a shock, but even if they were, a lady would have enough decorum not to pour everything out to a random servant. Thankfully, things improved from there. There is a good amount of dry humor shared among the characters, which I thoroughly enjoyed. I got the impression that the vicar Tom and his wife may have been a prior story. I'll have to look into that because I found Tom especially entertaining. Marina was a bit dramatic at times, but Richard, steady and good humored, balanced her out.

I confess that I requested this book because Carla Kelly is one of my all time favourite romance writers; but what I found therein were three new authors whose deft historical voices and warm messages of love made me want to check out more of their work.

That's the brilliance of novella collections and I am so happy that I discovered this one! A perfect treat!

(also shared on instagram and goodreads!)

I thoroughly enjoyed this book of Christmastime short stories. Each story was well written and had a satisfying ending. All of the stories fit in with each other in the sense that they were in the same time period and none felt drastically different from the others. This is a great Regency era book to get you in mood for Christmas.

Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to review this book for my honest opinion.

Such encouraging short stories, each unique but all a reminder of family Christmas and shared .love. Christmas is a challenging time and it's good to be reminded that other families share the same stress. It is great to see how others think and process those challenges.

This collection of Regency Christmas stories was a delight to read. All the stories were very well-written, and it felt as if each were a full-length book and not just a novella. These stories have their own heart-touching moments. I finished the book almost reluctantly, because I enjoyed it so much and didn’t want it to end, Each storyline has its own charm and unique set of circumstances for the featured couple. There’s an element of hope that runs throughout the book that will lift your spirits. I am so glad that I’ll be able to return to this book again at Christmas time each year and enjoy these stories all over again.

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

I never know what I’m going to get when I read a book with multiple authors. I already know I like Sian’s work, and her story did not disappoint. Krista’s story was also really enjoyable. Novellas can frequently seem too rushed, with not nearly enough character development, but these two stories didn’t have that problem at all. I enjoyed getting to know the characters and found myself emotionally invested in their stories.

The other two stories just fell flat for me. I do like Anneka, but this wasn’t her best work. I think this was my first time reading anything of Carla’s, and the story was just too choppy and hard to get in to for me.