4 I’m in the Holiday Spirit Now Stars!!

I’m a firm believer that it’s never too early to start reading holiday themed books and Kissing Under the Mistletoe was a perfect start to my holiday reading. I loved these quick paced novellas in this book and it’s my first books by each of these authors.

All three books were filled with romance and swoony moments. The couples in each book kept me entertained from beginning to end and I had a huge smile on my face the entire time I was reading this anthology.

In each book there’s a different theme if you will; In Great Scot we’ve got Jane and Brennan who are both somewhat resigned to never finding love. For Jane it’s her first love and Brennan has lost his wife so he doesn’t think there’s a second chance out there for him until he meets Jane that is. Their romance is filled with quiet talks and discovery so many things they have in common and love blooms for this couple proving that love and happiness can be found even when you’re least expecting it!

We meet Isabelle and Gates in Christmas at Dewberry Hollow and how these two met is interesting in that Isabelle shoots one of the Duke of Notsgrave’s guards and she has to face the repercussions of that action. And so Gates enters her world and to say there was an immediate attraction is putting it mildly! However, Isabelle isn’t too keen to admitting her feelings but that changes while they’re on somewhat of a scavenger hunt these feelings intensify resulting in not only admitting her feelings but accepting that Gates is the man for her like he’s been telling her since they met!

Rounding out this book is a wonderful enemies-to-lovers story in My Mistletoe Beau. This couple meet when Eva has decided to take back the pocket watch her father lost while gambling…she thought she was being careful, but Jack catches her and well, he needs a date for the season so in exchange for her father’s watch Eva has to pretend to be engaged to Jack. You can imagine how this sets these two up to spend so much time together while their attraction is simmering right below the surface. I loved their banter. Eva is a handful and doesn’t like to be coddled or talked down to which just makes her that much more attractive to Jack; who wants a simpering woman in their life? NOT Jack that’s for sure!!

Now that I’ve been introduced to these authors I’m definitely going to be reading more of their books and I’m really looking forward to immersing myself in the worlds they’ve created!

The perfect way to begin the holiday season! Most of these authors are auto-buys for me. Novellas are great for when you want a full story, but are short on time or attention span.

As I sit and write this it's raining, dark and pretty miserable outside my window so reminds me that summer is gone and winter not far away so this collection of historical romance set at Christmas certainly fits the bill. Who doesn't enjoy a woman finding her feet and maybe also the man of her dreams ? All three of these stories feature a female who thinks she knows what she wants until life very happily throws her a surprise. If honest I have not read a lot by these authors and I'm guessing that at least one of these romances connects to a series but I found it easy to immerse myself in everything that was going on. Likeable characters, some steamy moments but most of all just engaging and entertaining to read.
This voluntary take is of a copy I requested and my thoughts and comments are honest and I believe fair

Three Regency romance authors came together for this book, a collection of three Christmas novellas.

"Great Scot!" by Suzanne Enoch follows Miss Jane Bansil, a companion for the MacTaggert family, is stuck in Scotland for the holiday and meets a MacTaggert cousin. Even if you haven't read the other books written about the MacTaggert family, it's easy enough to read this companion story. Jane is anxious and continually fears the worst, especially after her own family treated her poorly. Brennan Andrews is a widower and talented architect, so the need to build a new house for the growing MacTaggert family brings him to the estate. The two are fascinated with each other. The family are all supportive of Jane and Brennan together, with no intention of either of them getting left behind when it comes to love.

"Christmas at Dewberry Hollow" by Amelia Gray follows Miss Isabelle Reed, who had no plans to marry when she meets Gate, the Duke of Notsgrave’s grandson. Isabelle had been hurt years ago when a man promised to marry her mother and be her new father, then took off. As a result, she doesn't believe in the promises men make when they come to the inn her mother runs, including Gate. For his part, as a younger relation not destined to inherit the dukedom, he never had to be serious before. The two balance each other out nicely in order to reach their happily ever after.

"My Mistletoe Beau" by Anna Bennet follows Miss Eva Tiding, who breaks into the Earl of Frostbough's home to steal back her father's pocket watch and must pose as his fiancée to get it when she's caught. Jack was standoffish in Town but loves his grandmother, who kept pushing him to get married. He and Eva have great snark and chemistry as well as physical attraction. This makes him reconsider staying single, and the two have to move from opponents to friendly rivals to lovers over the course of the novel.

I enjoyed books by these three authors separately, so reading this book was absolutely a no-brainer! They're short happily ever after stories, with love winning out over anxiety, suspicion, and loneliness. It's a perfect read if you enjoy Regency romance novels.

This is a delightful group of Christmas stories by some very good historical romance authors. If you are looking for fun Christmas stories that are short and fun, then this is the book for you!

I enjoyed this Christmas anthology. Inside this book you will find three novella length reads from three different authors. I thought these stories were fun and the couples likable. These stories offer up feels and emotions with hefty additions of sweetness, heart and charm. These are heartfelt reads that are short, cute and a bit funny.

Great Scot by Suzanne Enoch
I just loved this story and particularly the characters of Jane Bansil and Brennan Andrews. I did feel sorry for Jane, the poor relation and having to work for others. I enjoyed seeing her become braver and more confident. Brennan was an architect and enjoyed many of the same activities as Jane did. They had an instant attraction but their time together was limited. There were also the characters from previous books but it was essentially the story of Jane and Brennan. It was a very satisfying read and left me with a warm glow.
Christmas in Dewberry Hollow by Amelia Grey
Isabelle Reed was a very capable lady who helped run the inn with her mother. The inn was not the normal type but more of a Manor House with paying guests. Isabelle has a very caring nature but is also capable of using a shotgun. She is wary of gentlemen as she has been let down before. Mr. Gatestone (Gate) has come to the inn with a quest for his grandfather, the duke. They have an instant attractions but can Isabelle get over her past feelings. Will Gate miss the attractions of London to live in the country. I enjoyed their romance as they were two very likeable characters.
My Mistletoe Beau by Anna Bennet
I enjoyed the humour in this story and the banter between Eva and Jack. Eva was a determined lady and cared deeply about her father. Jack had a different experience with his father, who had became a recluse. Jack has quite a bad reputation of being a rake. This was an entertaining read.
This is a lovely selection of stories, from well loved authors, that aren’t related to each other apart from being around Christmas.
I received a copy and have voluntarily reviewed it. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I received this book thanks to Netgalley & the publisher.

Really cute collection of regency novellas - these will be PERFECT for the holiday season. The first one is part of a larger series (I recommend those as well), I'm not sure about the others...

Romance and Mistletoe________3.5

Three Christmas novellas, complete with Mistletoe, and romance.

Great Scott by Suzanne Enoch
I couldn’t help thinking of the line from the Abba song, “Take a chance on me…” throughout this read. Although it seems the early morning bagpipes should drive everything from one’s head, including mine.
Taking chances! That’s what’s asked here, for both Miss Jane Bansil and Brennan Andrews in this “last chance” romance. Widower, architect and cousin to the MacTaggerts, Brennan finds himself drawn to the quiet, yet intelligent and direct Jane. Jane who has hidden depths. Interesting and tight writing made this an enjoyable read, building on the Wild Wicked Highlander series. This was a five star read, my favorite of the collection!

Christmas at Dewberry Hollow by Amelia Grey
I’m not sure why this didn’t grab me. It had all the right ingredients. A very sure of himself Lord seeking to grant his grandfather’s dying wish. Simple? Not when, over the years, the forest has grown up around the object being sought, obliterating all evidence. Then there’s the feisty female lead, Isabelle Reed. The beginning was a masterful stroke. Unfortunately the rest of the story didn’t maintain the tension. I found Gate, the Duke of Notsgrove’s grandson a bit flat.

My Mistletoe Beau by Anna Bennett
When you decide to rob an Earl’s home be sure you know what you’re about. Miss Eva Tiding wants an object won at cards by Jack Hardwick, Earl of Frostbough. Jack needs a possible fiancé so as not to disappoint his grandmother. Amusing interactions lead to even more racey interludes but the question of anything more has huge hurdles. An enjoyable read!

A St. Martin's Press ARC via NetGalley
(Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.)

A heartwarming collection of Christmas romance with characters that you will fall head over heels for, KISSING UNDER THE MISTLETOE is the perfect book to melt your heart and get you into a festive mood.

​Historical romance set at Christmas is one of my favourite genres so when I got the opportunity to read this book, I was so excited. I loved the three main heroines in each story and while they are all very different in their own right, they have some wonderful qualities in common too: they are all intelligent, honest, strong, and willing to do what has to be done for those they love. As each of these three women encounter the men that are made for them, it was enjoyable to watch them go after what they want and open up their hearts to love and passion. Sizzling tension, Christmas traditions, and true love blooms in each story but I have to say that my favourite was My Mistletoe Beau by Anna Bennett, simply because Eva and Jack just spoke to my heart and I felt more connected to them. As always with these authors, the setting and time period flares to life and with a sprinkle of Christmas magic, painted the picture even that more vividly.

KISSING UNDER THE MISTLETOE is everything you could look for in festive historical romance and I don't know about you, but I'm ready for Christmas so bring it on!

A delightfully entertaining read, rich with romance, passion, attraction and lush details that truly captures the spirit of the season and the era. From sweet to heartbreakingly real these fantastic stories were honest, heartwarming, captivating storytelling at its best. These authors will have you spellbound from the beginning to the end. Filled with page after page of heart pumping drama and an emotional journey that you will re-read again and again. Every single page was filled with perfection.

Great Scot by Suzanne Enoch
If you were a fan of Wild Wicked Highlanders series and the MacTaggert brothers you do not want to miss what happens when they go back to Scotland for Christmas in this story. A delightful story about Jane Bansil who is Lady Aldriss’s companion. Who at the age of thirty-three is content with the peace and quiet that her position brings, until she meets Brennan Andrews the architect for the MacTaggerts’. These two will make your heart close to…bursting with their attraction and chemistry.

Christmas At Dewberry Hollow by Amelia Grey
Isabelle Reed is not happy that guests will be coming at Christmas time. Especially the old Duke who was remembered as a thoroughly commanding, obstinate and difficult to please grump. But when she meets his grandson, she has never had a man make her feel the immediate, intense and sensual sensations that spun so easily through her. But John Cabot Gatestone is there to find a tree with a heart carved in it, that his grandfather had carved long ago. Will these find true love? Or will he leave like all the other guests that have come and gone before? Can these two find a love worthy of a carving in a tree? You don’t want to miss this one!

My Mistletoe Beau by Anna Bennett
Eva Tiding is on a secret mission to steal back her father’s watch from the disreputable rogue, Jack Hardwick the Earl of Frostbough. But she didn’t count on being caught red handed in his apartment. When he refuses to hand over the watch he came up with a deal. Spend three evenings as his fiancé when his grandmother came into town and he would give her the watch. But what starts as pretend soon turns into so much more. Filled with delightful, swoon-worthy dates and laughs, this sizzling romance is perfect for cozying up on a cold winter’s night.

Kissing Under the Mistletoe is a delightful trio of Christmas historical romance stories that will surely bring you joy in the quickly approaching holiday season. They were sweet, steamy and full of the magic of Christmas. I greatly enjoyed all three...plus they reminded me I best get my fanny in gear and start Christmas shopping! (My mother is already starting her weekly countdown to December 25, lest I forget.)

Great Scot! by Suzanne Enoch was my favorite of the lot, due to the fact that it concerned the MacTaggert family from her Wild Wicked Highlanders series. Jane Bansil is a companion to the matriarch of the MacTaggert clan. Bookish and quiet, at age 33 she thought she was firmly on the shelf...until she meets Brennan Andrews, an architect and cousin to the MacTaggert lads. Brennan lost his young wife to a fever years ago, and he never even thought he'd find or want romance, until Jane came along. I'm a book lover, and when Jane told Brennan about her dream library and he drew a beautiful sketch depicting that wish, it just about made me swoon! I can't resist a Scotsman. Or a whole passel of them, and MacTaggerts to boot!

Christmas at Dewberry Hollow by Amelia Grey was the story that had the tears flowing. Isabelle Reed and her mother have a popular inn at Dewberry Hollow. The grumpy Duke of Notsgrave arrives at the inn with Gate, his grandson. Gate wants to find a memento that was very special to the Duke and his late wife, but fears he won't find it in time to have his ill grandfather back in London for Christmas dinner as promised. Isabelle agrees to help him look, and the two are obviously meant for each other. But Gate must bring his grandfather home...will he leave with Isabelle's heart, never to return? Besides making me cry (yes, that's a good thing), this one had the best meeting between the hero and heroine - Isabelle shot Gate's guard, thinking he was a deer!

And last, but not least, we have My Mistletoe Beau by Anna Bennett. Eva Tiding wants to retrieve her father's watch that was given to him by his beloved late wife but that he lost to Jack Hardwick, the Earl of Frostbough, in a card game. She writes to the Earl asking for the watch back, but he ignores her. What's a girl to do? Why, break into his home to retrieve it, of course! Except she's caught. So Jack proposes a deal: he will give her the watch in return for Eva pretending to be the woman he's courting to please his grandmother. Though there's animosity between the two, there's fire between them. Will past hurts on both sides ruin what happiness they can find? I loved the bantering in this story; it was clever and made me laugh. I also loved that other couples found their HEA's, as well.

This collection will definitely put you in the Christmas spirit, with all the love the holiday brings.

I received an ARC of this book courtesy of the publisher and NetGalley. I received no compensation for my review, and all thoughts and opinions expressed are entirely my own.

Kissing Under the Mistletoe includes three swoon-worthy novellas from three wonderful novelists. I was hooked from the start with all three stories that are set during the holiday season. Each story is filled with charm, wit, and lovely romances with handsome and virile men waiting to ring in the holiday season with smart and intelligent women who capture their hearts. Kissing Under the Mistletoe is sure to sweep you off your feet this holiday season.

Kissing Under the Mistletoe contains a trio of Christmas-themed romances set in Scotland. The three novellas complemented each other with the perfect balance of steam based on your steaminess threshold.

The first novella, Great Scot! spinster Jane falls for a Scottish Architect. This was a tame and sedate romance for a tame and sedate couple. It was clear that this is a spin off of other romance books involving the MacTaggerts. Because I hadn’t read the series, I felt I missed some of the connections between the family members.

The second novella, Christmas at Dewberry Hollow, started out with a bang and grabbed my attention immediately. The heroine, Isabelle, the daughter of an inn owner, runs into Gates, a Duke’s grandson, after she accidentally shoots one of his guards. I enjoyed this livelier story with moderate steamy scenes.

The third novella was my favorite, My Mistletoe Beau. This story had the most dynamic hero and heroine, witty banter, enemies to lovers and fake dating tropes, and some scenes on the steamier side.

All in all, I believe this is the perfect book to get you in the mood for Christmas romances.

Kissing Under the Mistletoe is a highly enjoyable selection of three novellas that are perfect to get readers into the mood for the holidays! The three short stories were the perfect length when you don't have the time to devour three full length stories at one time.

It was great fun seeing the MacTaggert brothers again and being introduced to their cousin, Brennan. Suzanne knows how to write a perfect Scottish tale! Highly enjoyed this story.

Christmas at Dewberry Hollow by Amelia Grey had Gate and Isabelle meeting up after she accidentally shoots one of his attendants. What followed was an entertaining story of Gate trying to win over Isabelle's guarded heart. This story was lighter on the love scenes which aren't always necessary, I think, and a heartwarming HEA.

My Mistletoe Beau by Anna Bennett is the first read I've done of her stories and it was a delightful read. A fake relationship/enemies to lovers type story, I very much enjoyed the banter and wit between Jack and Eva. As these two grew closer, can they overcome the hurts of their pasts to find a way forward together and make this fake relationship a reality?

As with any anthology, I loved some stories more than others, but overall, all three stories were very enjoyable and I highly recommend this book to everyone!

Many thanks to St. Martin's Press and Netgalley for providing me with an advanced review copy of this book in exchange for my honest and unbiased opinion.

Three for the price of one is always a great start. This one is a Christmas anthology and I grabbed it up because I love these authors. My only complaint is that the couple didn’t get full length novels…I needed more.

We’ll start at the end, with the worst story. While Anna Bennett’s “My Mistletoe Beau” starts out with a very promising premise—a woman has broken into a man’s home to steal something—the plot goes downhill quickly because of a gaping hole: that no one along the way thinks to tell her about the history of her family. This would render the entire story useless, of course, but when one can ride a bicycle through a plot hole, you know that something is wrong with your writing.

In the middle, and second-best, is Amelia Grey’s “Christmas at Dewberry Hollow.” This story is charming, and contains sufficient drama to keep the reader engaged. As a bonus for readers who prefer less sex in their historicals, the intimate scenes here are nice, civilized, and brief. Grey’s biggest failing is one that may seem trivial, but from a writer’s standpoint is at best annoying and at worst sloppy. She employs the verb “caused” several times throughout this short story, rendering the usage obvious, and it is a weak verb that shows the characters being acted upon instead of acting, which is unfair to the characters. Should Grey choose to branch out with her verbs, it will make her stories more lively.

Finally, we come to the beginning of the book and Suzanne Enoch’s aptly-named “Great Scot!” about a proper Englishwoman and a surprisingly proper Scotsman. He is spectacular in his own way, as is she. They are so well-matched that the ending feels inevitable, yet they are so alike that they both run into the same dilemmas. Do they overcome these issues? Of course they do, and the reader is genuinely happy for them.

This anthology was such a delight! I enjoyed reading about these women who were not aristocrats. Love finds them unexpectedly. These stories brought the winter season to life and wrapped it love. Suzanne Enoch, Amelia Grey, and Anna Bennett are marvelous writers who's styles make for wonderful stories. I highly recommend this book!

I received an advanced reader copy through NetGalley. These are my own opinions voluntarily given.

I was a bit let down by this anthology. Every year I anticipate new historical holiday romance anthologies. They put you in the holiday spirit and are quick reads during a busy time of year.
I was so excited about this because of that. I've never reach any of these authors works before so I was curious to get a sample of their work. While I enjoyed the Enoch's and Bennet's stories, I was a little disappointed by Grey's. There was just something missing to give it that extra sparkle.
Thank you again to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the eArc. All opinions and thoughts are my own.

When I received an invitation to read this ARC I immediately read Suzanne Enoch/MacTaggert and couldn't download it soon enough as it's my favorite historical romance series.
Great Scot takes place after the brother married and is the story of Jane, an olde maiden (at the ripe age of 33) who is emplyed as Lady MacTaggert companion. She doesn't expect love in her future but things will not work as she thinks and there's a HEA in store for her.
The humour, the quirky characters and the excellent storytelling made me love this novella and I was glad to catch with the boisterous family. I hope to meet them again.
Christmas at Dewberry Hollow by Amelia Grey is the story of another woman who doesn't think about love but destiny has other plans. I found it enjoyable and well written, a good romance.
I never read Anna Bennet before but I'm happy I read her novella as it was a lot of fun and well told.
An excellent anthology set at Christmas time, I thoroughly enjoyed it.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine