Any Christmas anthology that has a Carla Kelly story can be counted on to be worthwhile. This one did not disappoint. A lovely collection of good well written stories with an emphasis on kindness. Perfect for these times.

With four charming novellas, A hopeful Christmas brings all the feels of the season. There are four stories by four different authors:
A Hopeful Christmas by Anneka R WalkerA
Season of Hope by Sian Ann Bessey
Christmas by the Sea by Carla Kelly
Expectations at Canterwood by Krista Lynne Jensen
These stories have all the elements of Christmas and reading it will keep you charged with holiday spirit. Every story has its magic of captivating the reader with a sweet Christmas twist, with broken ties mending, rekindling of friendship, being kind and compassionate, lending help to the needy, learning to accepting your flaws and believing in miracles. For what is Christmas without miracles!
This book is a celebration of love, kindness, of Christmas, with meaningful messages and sweet romances. Each of these uniquely crafted tales are a must read to get into the mood of the Season!!I loved Christmas by the sea the most. It depicts an ordinary family doing their best to serve others even if their own lives are not perfect. They are honest, sincere and content with what they have. I loved the twist of fate that brought such joy to their lives. It makes me hopeful and believe in miracles.
I recommend this book to everyone who wants to get in the mood of Christmas or are looking for a fun, light read.
Thank you to the authors, Netgalley and Covenant Communications for this e-arc .

I really enjoyed the first story by Walker and I absolutely loved the second story by Bessey! These two stories had such great messages of hope and forgiveness. I really liked the characters and they both had a very Christmas-y feel to them. The third story had a great message of service and the final one of being yourself, but those two stories were harder for me to connect with. Overall it was an enjoyable read!

If you're looking for a sweet and clean collection of novellas to enjoy and help you get in the Christmas spirit, might I recommend this one.

My favorite was Expectations at Canterwood. I really enjoyed the characters and mistaken identity of that one.

I didn't connect with Christmas by the Sea as much as I'd hoped. I think a lot of readers will enjoy it but I didn't quite connect with the characters. They were sweet and there was a fun surprise at the end.

There's plenty of snow, family, friends, reconnecting, finding healing, humor, frustrations, horses, finding lost things, finding new things, and plenty of sweet, sweet romance!

Content: All stories are clean and sweet.

I received a copy from the publisher, Covenant Communications, via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions in the review are my own.

Happy Reading!!!

With a lovely cover and stories by four talented authors, A Hopeful Christmas hit the spot to start getting me in the Christmas spirit. Each novella was well-crafted and delightful with engaging, colorful main characters and a captivating plot packed with adventures and romance.

I enjoy reading Christmas novellas, because I can fit one in when I have an hour or two. This collection was especially appealing since it featured some of my favorite authors. They definitely did not disappoint with their charming tales. I would recommend A Hopeful Christmas to those who enjoy sweet, clean Christmas stories.

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy from Covenant Communications through NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

I throughly enjoyed this collection. I love having the opportunity to read collections because they give me the opportunity to experience authors I have never read before. In this case, I have read other works be Anneka Walker and Sian Ann Bessey, both of whom I enjoy, and so this collection gave me the opportunity to read something from Carla Kelly and Krista Lynn Jensen. I have to say my favorites were Lord Blakely's Gift and Expectations at Canterwood, but I enjoyed the other two almost just as much. I would love to read more stories about each of the characters found in these four novellas! I love the cover and I absolutely love Christmas stories so this wonderful collection of novellas is a MUST add to your collections of books! i received an advanced reader's copy from NetGalley and all opinions are my own.

**I received a free copy of this ebook from the publishers via NetGalley. My opinions are entirely my own, as always.**

Enjoyable Regency era romances here, including some enjoyable twists among the comforting expected resolutions. In a pandemic where little is predictable I appreciate books in this genre. (The humor in the final story made it a favorite.)

A Hopeful Christmas is a great collection of 4 regency romance Christmas stories that will help you get into the holiday spirit. I really enjoyed reading all of these novellas. They were written by 4 different authors and the stories were all different enough to keep my interest.
While all 4 of the stories were fun reads that made you feel warm and cozy inside, my favorite was the last story in the book, Expectations at Canterwood by Krista Lynn Jensen. I loved this story and it's characters from beginning to end! It has some great laugh out loud moments. If I could rate each story individually I would give this one 5 stars. I loved it!
I highly recommend you read this book to start out your Christmas season.

Lord Blakely’s Gift By Anneka R Walker

I loved how Anneka took too flawed but good characters and wrote them a true love story that had them bringing out the best in each other. With a hilarious first meeting and a Romeo and Juliet twist with a happy ending, this was a really fun read.

A Season of Hope by Sian Ann Bessey

Sian Ann tells a beautiful story of friends to more. She weaves in loss and reconciliation in a sweet and graceful way. With a little bit of scrooge and a lot of Christmas hope this was a tender story of not just romantic love, but familial love too.

Christmas by the Sea by Carla Kelly

Most romances start before the couple are married. In this enchanting story however, the couple have been married for many years with three kids and yet the chemistry and tenderness are evident on every page. I loved his internal monologue, his faith in her and his defense of his wife. With deep christian Christmas elements that made a sweet story even lovelier.

Expectations at Canterwood by Krista Lynne Jensen

Krista wrote absolutely darling characters, everyone of them. Though the plot was a little predictable, her characters had depth. I appreciated the delicate way she dealt with both Richard and Marina’s anxiety and post traumatic stress. They were written as a couple that could understand and empathize with each other and it made for a warmhearted and compassionate story.

I love this Christmas collection. The weather has cooled, and my heart was warmed as I read these lovely stories.

Lord Blakely's Gift

Ivy Hunt's grandmother has requested someone from the family to visit her at Amorwich, and Ivy is more than willing to go to evade a betrothal from Mr.. Beale.  When she gets to her grandmother's home, her grandmother is bedridden and not exactly talkative or even welcoming.  On one of her walks she runs into, literally, Lord Blakely and also finds a purse full of coins.  Ivy is determined to find the owner of the purse, as it is Christmas, and she knows that the owner will surely be in need of the coins.  Even though the Hunt and the Blakely families have not gotten along for years, Lord Blakely assists Ivy in her attempts to find the owner of the purse.  In doing so hearts are mended and expanded leading to a very sweet and satisfying ending.  I love this line " A single desire to do good had blossomed into unexpected happiness."


A Season of Hope

 When Amelia's father, the local curate, dies, Amelia's family secures Mr. Cunningham's rundown hunting lodge to live in.  Money is tight, and she sells flowers to help her family get by.

Their pesky goat Lambert keeps on eating Mr. Cunningham's clothes, and Mr. Cunningham sends them the bills for the eaten clothes.  Even though it is Christmas, Mr. Cunningham is a curmudgeon and is demanding payment for the wrecked clothing.

Phillip Cunningham has just recently returned from a five year sojourn in the West Indies working on his uncle's sugar plantation. Phillip was the best friend of the Nesbitt's son Will, who went off of to the West Indies adventure with him, but lost is life because of a fever.  It has been five years since Phillip has seen Amelia, and he is stunned by her appearance.

When Mr. Cunningham becomes involved in a carriage accident outside the Nebitt's home, hearts begin to soften and meld together at Christmastime.


Christmas By the Sea

William Crenshaw is a surgeon in the Royal Navy who came home for a 3 week break coinciding with Christmas, where he connects with his three children that he does not know that well because of his time at sea. They said it was a miracle that his ship made it around the Horn of Africa so quickly, and that is not the only miracle in this delightful book!

William married Margaret, or Megs, though his family thought Megs was beneath him, but Will knows better. Megs is beautiful both inward and outward; she is always reaching out to help others in small ways. Christmas Eve she has invited three guests to their dinner -- three who might not have another place to go. That evening this scripture comes into play;"Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares." I absolutely loved this story -- just perfect for Christmas, the season of miracles.


Expectations at Canterwood

Marina Rowley has come to Canterwood for a Christmas house party honoring Lieutenant Richard Stanhope who has returned from military service. The book opens up with Marina hiding in a hedgerow after she fled the drawing room having spied the elderly man she thought her parents were trying to make a match with.  Her hair gets caught in the tiny branches of the hedgerow and a handsome"gardener or a stablehand" finds her there and offers her assistance.  Little does she know he is Lieutenant Richard Stanhope.  He doesn't tell her who he really is, because after all they have not been introduced.

After Richard's mother heard of this unfortunate debacle, she asks Richard to take on an assignment and keep Miss Rowley entertained at the house party. Marina wears spectacles because of a childhood accident, and had a disastrous London season, as you know women who wear spectacles, are bookish and unappealing and on the shelf.  Because of these experiences, Marina has a hard time trusting people. One of my favorite lines is when Richard tells her, "I do not find you spinsterly."

This is a beautiful story of two souls who find solace, comfort, and direction with each other at the Christmas season.


I received an ARC copy of this book from #NetGalley: the opinions expressed here are my own.

This is a wonderful collection of regency romance Christmas stories all centered around hope. This is not only a cute romance collection, it teaches a lesson as well and I love that!

LORD BLAKELY'S GIFT by Anneka R Walker
I need to get my hands on more of Anneka Walker's books because this one was so much fun. Miss Ivy Hunt and Lord Curtis Blakely come from families that do not like each other. They are both different personalities, different opinions on life, different approaches to people. All these differences though cannot stop the magic of the holiday and a little something called love, to transform their story into something even greater. I love each one of these characters, they are relatable in so many ways and I think that helped me connect to their stories even more. With the help of a lost purse they are brought together and the bond that forms is just delightful.

A SEASON OF HOPE by Sian Ann Bessey
Sian Ann Bessey's books are always fun to read, and this one was a joy. Different time setting than her other books I've read, but I still loved it. Amelia and her family are living a different life that they have in years past. They've never been wealthy by any means, but they always had just what they needed. This year is a little more lean, a little colder and a little more difficult with a certain neighbor and a goat. If you enjoy stories of childhood friends falling in love years later, this is a good one to pick up. Plus it has Christmas, new friendships, hope and goats. Beautiful new story from Bessey, and a great addition to the collection.

CHRISTMAS BY THE SEA by Carla Kelly
I did not expect to enjoy this one, but in the end I did. I had not read Carla Kelly before, but I enjoyed this story. I was worried at the start when I discovered that our hero and heroine were already married. Now that isn't a bad thing, but I usually enjoy the books more if I'm reading their story of how they came together. This one surprised me though and I loved watching Royal Navy surgeon Will Crenshaw reconnect with his wife and lovely children after being gone at war for a few years. Home for a few weeks to enjoy the holidays with his family, Will and his wife are thrown back and forth with worry over a new home for the family. There is the perfect home, but it is pulled out of their reach by extended family. With the help of the miracle of the holiday the family find the help they need and discovers a greater and truer meaning of the Christmas holiday. I cannot tell you how much I loved the ending of this story, the faith building, hope filled ending that it was.

EXPECTATIONS AT CANTERWOOD by Krista Lynne Jensen
I have to start off by saying that I love Krista Lynne Jensen's books! This was a first for me in reading her regency romance writing and I have to say that I loved it just as much. I'll read anything that she writes. "Expectations at Canterwood" was a great way to finish of this collection. The spinster and weary military hero are thrown together unexpectedly at a house party for the holidays. They form a friendship that leads through much more as they help each other navigate through society to discover who they both really are and what they want in life. I loved this charming story filled with strong characters, fun banter and just good old falling in love over the holidays. Jensen did a wonderful job delivering a regency romance with the perfect amount of holiday spirit and hope.

This is a great one to pick up not only during the holidays, but any time of the year. I thoroughly enjoyed this collection of stories and the different takes on the message that they brought. If you want a fun, calming, peaceful regency romance to read pick up this one because you get four in one!

*I received a copy from the publisher via NetGalley and this is my honest opinion.

I really enjoyed all of the stories in this anthology. Occasionally I get anthologies and one or more of the stories aren’t as well written as others but I enjoyed each of these and they were very engaging and I was rooting for each couple very quickly.

*I received a complimentary ARC of this book and voluntarily chose to review it.

A Hopeful Christmas is a sweet romance anthology perfect for introducing readers to the Christmas season. Also, as the title suggests, all four of these stories are weaved together by the Hope(ful) theme, as well as some mischievous little sibling or furry friend ;).

Lord Blakely's Gift by Anneka R. Walker: Sweet, romantic, with a Romeo and Juliet flare, as well as a quest to find the owner of a purse full of coins, Ms. Ivy Hunt and Lord Curtis Blakely's story was the perfect charming introduction to this anthology. While the feuding families easily provided the obstacles these two would have to surmount, their helping each other, as well as others, laid the foundation for their future relationship. Loved their banter, as well as certain characters like Chester, but I think this story would have been perfect if the parents had acted a bit more like their age. ~ 4 stars.

A Season of Hope by Sian Ann Bessey: I've yet to meet a story (be it novel or novella) from this author that I don't like, and this one was no exception! I loved everything about it, from the main characters (Mr. Philip Cunningham and Miss Amelia "Mia" Nesbitt) to the supporting cast (Amelia's brother was hilarious, and Lambert? He was just perfect for setting this novella off 😂👌), to the handling of difficult/stranged relations, to the sweet romance 😍 this story hooked me from the first page and never let go! ~ 5 stars and completely recommended!!

Christmas by the Sea by Carla Kelly: It's been forever and a day since I last read a Carla Kelly story, but after reading the first few lines I remembered how good her writing skills are. I was completely hooked! There were so many things I thoroughly enjoyed in this novella, like the sole male POV of William Crenshaw, his being a Navy surgeon married to a wonderful Irish woman (formerly Margaret Murphy) and what both these things would entail for their family, as well as the love and humor that leaped from every page, to name a few. However, the use of "surrealism", even though it added to the humor and sweetness of the story, didn't end up convincing me, especially as to the explanation of who it had been. So, notwithstanding the latter, I'd say this story was beautiful and that epilogue made it even sweeter. ~ 4.5 stars

Expectations at Canterwood by Krista Lynne Jensen: I don't even know where to start. I absolutely loved pretty much every detail from this beautiful novella. Fun fact is, this author was the only one new to me from this set, yet I think I may have well found a new favorite one 🙌 I honestly loved the characters of both Lt. Richard Stanhope and Ms. Marina Rowley, their hilarious meet-cute, their slowly getting to know each other as well as opening up to the other. Oh, and the romance? It was so tender and achingly sweet I didn't want their story to end. However, the ending was just perfect, and again, so sweet, that I seriously can't complain. This is by far one of the easiest 5-star ratings I've ever given (though I seriously wish I could give it more!). Oh, and despite this being part of a series, it definitely reads as a standalone. Enjoy! ~ All the stars in the world + I'm off to check the rest of the series :)

The formatting made it really hard to read this book, so I can’t give it a fair review. The stories were sweet, but the formatting was really distracting. Paragraphing was off and it was hard to see who was speaking at any given time.

Each year I try to read several Christmas books, they always put me in the start of the holiday season. This year I started my season early with this one and it was a great choice. A medley of four different stories with four different authors and I enjoyed each one of them.
It is so nice to read about the old time Christmas season, each of these authors gives a wonderful depiction of the time period, the decorations, the happy times with the families and a great heartfelt storyline. All are worth the time to read. I highly recommend.
I want to thank Covenant Communications and NetGalley for allowing me the opportunity to read and review this book for my honest unbiased opinion. This is a 5-star review. Highly recommend!

A Hopeful Christmas is a collection of four regency romance Christmas stories that will warm your heart! It doesn't seem like we're only two months away from Christmas, but these stories will definitely get you in the holiday spirit.

In Lord Blakely's Gift, Miss Ivy Hunt goes to visit her sick grandmother and finds a lost coin purse. She joins with the mysterious Lord B. to find the owner---and finds herself losing her heart to the surprisingly sweet Lord B. A story of old wounds and new beginnings.

In A Season of Hope, Amelia's family is dealing with the loss of their father and brother. Christmas is just around the corner and they have no money for the holiday. But when Philip returns home from abroad, he brings the Christmas spirit with him. I really enjoyed this tender love story!

Christmas By the Sea is a true Carla Kelly storytelling. This author just has a way with words that sucks you in and makes you feel as if you were right there with the characters! I love how real all of her characters seem and this story is so tender.

In Expectations at Canterwood, we have a case of mistaken identity that makes for a charming story! I loved how Richard and Marina really complemented each other and their love story was so sigh-worthy. I really enjoyed this one. Some really great laugh out loud moments!

All four of these heartwarming stories make great additions to your holiday reading. Don't miss this collection!

I love these anthologies, and this one was truly enjoyable. They leave you feeling warm and cozy inside. I have read Sian Bessy before, but the other authors were new to me. I will look for more of their work.

These are 4 very sweet novella stories, perfect for a quiet, Christmas time evening by the fire.

The first story is a little west side story with two feuding families whose children fall in love. Ivy is a genuinely good person who helps Curtis to become a better man and together they help heal the rift between the two families.

A season of hope is the story of Amelia and Giles who were childhood friends. Returning after several years and finding Amelia's family in reduced circumstances they rebuild their friendship and fall in love.

Christmas by the Sea was a different approach bebe ir was not a new romance. It was a sweet story about Will send Megs who are married with children but Will serves in the navy and is often away from home. It's a sweet Christmas for their family and really more of a story about enduring love, not new love.

Finally, Expectations at Canterwood which was my personal favorite of the 4 stories. Sweet Marina who has very little faith in others because of having often been mistreated meets Richard who sees her for who she really is and teaches her to trust again at a Christmas house party.

Squeaky clean reading.

Loved these stories by such sweet authors. This is the perfect read for the upcoming holiday season. Can't wait to sit with my girls and reread them all.

This book contained one of my favorite authors: Carla Kelly. And her story did not disappoint. Ms. Kelly writes lovely historical romance usually of non-titled characters which is a welcomed change from all those Dukes out there! This story is of a married couple, the return of the husband from a long stint with the navy during the war with France. Their getting to know each other again and reconnecting with his growing children was very sweet. There was a bit of drama with overbearing relatives and a little Christmas magic.