Thoughts on a Yuletide kiss
When we Finally Kiss Goodnight
Sabrina Jeffries
Konrad Junker and Flora Younger
I was really wanting this story since I’d read all the previous books in the series and wondered how Junker would end up. It was quite obvious around the middle of the story how easily Junker’s problems would be resolved. I enjoyed Flora and her little pie making escapade however I didn’t feel like we got a whole lot of character depth or development from her. It seemed like she got over his abandonment of her relatively easily, it was interesting to me that she was the discerning lady in previous books. I did enjoy their Christmas decorating and the discussion of baking and the work involved in living and caring for themselves. I also enjoyed the story of them working together to write a Christmas carol. However there were not enough details, the conflict was too easily resolved. Not enough co backstory of their previous entanglement. Not enough time for me to have real deep feelings about them as a couple. 1 short “romantic” scene and a few kissing/groping scenes. I was slightly disappointed in this story probably because I was more invested in it from the previous books. I just wanted more.

The unexpected gift
Madeline Hunter
Jenna waverly and Lucas Avonwood

I am unfamiliar with Madeline Hunter’s writing but was immediately interested in the sick man and the owner of the inn when I started reading the beginning of A Yuletide Kiss. I always enjoy a caretaker trope. The dedication to healthcare workers at the beginning was lovely. I loved their quick romance and the story involving the scandal with her brother. It was well done and well resolved. I liked both characters and their development and romance as the story unfolded. I didn’t enjoy their romantic scenes as I prefer them to be lengthier and more explicit. Overall a good short story.


When Strangers Meet
Mary Jo Putney
Kate Macleod and Daniel Faringdon

I struggled with this one. It’s very contrived and unrealistic. The writing is awkward and sometimes cringeworthy. The 2 characters are very immature especially Kate. It’s also clean with nothing but a few kisses. I did not like Kate.

Overall the first 2 stories were the most enjoyable of the 3 stories. I wish there would have been a more cohesive ending to the whole book instead of just ending the 3rd story. I know these are short stories but honestly the only one that held my interest and gave me feels was the 2nd one. I was looking forward to Junker’s story but wasn’t happy with the details or length. Not sure I’d re read these. I do think I will give Madeline Hunter a good look since I enjoyed her story most and will continue to read other Sabrina Jeffries and Mary Jo Putney novels. I do have a feeling that these collaborative novels/novellas are just not for me. Thank you very much for the opportunity to read it.

Three delightful romantic stories that are tied together by place and characters. All three have the same characters.
Madeline Hunter, Sabrina Jeffries and Mary Jo Putney write delightful romance stories.
Jenna and Lucas, Flora and Konrad and Kate and Daniel are just the right couples to make this book exciting.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher and NetGalley. This in no way affects my opinion of this book which I read and reviewed voluntarily.

I really enjoyed all three of these stories. Although by 3 different authors they are all based around a group of travellers that are stuck in a closed inn by an ice storm and 3 couples fall in love. Two couples have history but the 3rd are strangers all 3 story's were well worth reading on their own. I would recommend this book to all as I don't often give out 5*.

I received this book in exchange for an honest review.

I'm normally a big big fan of Christmas romance anthologies. I earnestly seek then out each year. Unfortunately, this one just did not work for me. The stories were boring. The characters were lackluster. The setting was meh.

These were new to me authors, and I'm not sure I'll look into them more after this...

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.

This is the first of three Christmas historical romance anthologies that I received ARC's to review. I am determined to find the best one this coming out this year. I really hope this isn't it.

"A Yuletide Kiss" offers three different romances amongst a group of travelers snowed-in at an empty Inn at Christmas together. The first, by Sabrina Jeffries, "When We Finally Kiss Goodnight" is a second-chance romance featuring Konrad Juncker, a minor character in her Duke Dynasty series. Konrad and Flora meet again after dating(?) briefly years ago. She's the one who got away, but he's a man with little means and an embarrassing secret. They write a famous Christmas Carol together and give in to their passion. So far, so good.
THREE STARS

The second romance, "The Unexpected Gift," is by Madeline Hunter and involves the Inn owner who was planning to have a quiet Christmas in her closed-down inn and the mysterious stranger who is found injured in the snow. She nurses him back to health and they have a swift seduction. He saves her from financial ruin by intimidating her awful brother. He's her "unexpected gift." Yay? This one was kind of boring. TWO STARS

In the third and most far-fetched story, "When Strangers Meet" by Mary Jo Putney, the couple have the most complicated backstory to justify their falling in love in two days at this Inn. After ten years, Kate and Daniel (the drunk soldier who bought her at a bar auction in India where her evil Uncle was trying to sell her and then married her and who has now inherited a title) happen to be among the like, eight people who get snowed into this Inn.

She's like, "Yo! Aren't you that guy who married me to save me from my evil Uncle and then shipped me off to England the next minute? Yeah, that marriage was actually legal! Surprise! And I'm kinda seeing this other guy..." and he's like "Oh yeah? Well, I guess we should just consummate it and stay married then."

Huuuuuh?! I guess you would call this one a "reverse romance" because they got married first and then decide they like each other? They help cook meals. They play with a kitten. I was bored to tears after wading through their complicated emotional baggage. ONE STAR

A nice collection of Christmas themed stories with some unexpected twists. I particularly liked Mary Jo Putney's story. An enjoyable read for the Holidays.

This one was hard to rate since it's a connected collection, meaning the three authors wrote unique short stories about a small group of characters who end up at an inn over Christmas. This is a cool idea but means you have to take both the individual stories and how they're interconnected into account when giving a rating.

To start, I think the authors did a great job connecting the stories. The details seemed pretty consistent and the characterizations made sense across the board. The effectiveness of how they wove the stories together is honestly what earned this collection a two-star because I didn't really connect with any of the individual stories.

When We Finally Kiss Good Night by Sabrina Jeffries

This is the story that kicks off the collection, which I think was a poor choice. Apparently, at least one of these characters has appeared in prior work by Jeffries, so it set the collection off on a confusing note. Like, are all these characters pre-existing? What do I need to read to understand this collection? Ultimately, it's a regency romance so I understood what was happening - these novels usually aren't enjoyed for their convoluted plots. That said, I didn't feel like this story stood on its own well enough to be included in a multi-author collection, let alone to kick it off.

The Unexpected Gift by Madeline Hunter

I enjoyed this story the most as Hunter has a clear and engaging writing style. Unfortunately, I just didn't feel the chemistry between the two MCs, which is kind of an important thing with romance.

When Strangers Meet by Mary Jo Putney

I'm not particularly familiar with Putney's writings, but I'm guessing she works more with novels than short stories. Her characters were engaging and likable, but there was a ton of exposition, particularly in regards to the back story. Since her writing was clear otherwise, I'm guessing she was trying to include a novel's worth of backstory and character arc into the far more limited space of a short story and it just didn't work. That said, I do plan to check out more of her individual works as I saw a lot of potential here.

This was a very fun read, three stories by three authors in the same setting. My favorite was by Sabrina Jeffries but that is also because I've read all of her Duke Dynasty books - and this novella is part of that series where we really learn the story behind Junker. The authors did a great job of tying these stories together. I only found one inconsistency - where in the story, I got the impression that Mrs. Waverly, Alice and Peter were the only ones present, but then there are references to saving food for the other servants. Overall great read and I enjoyed the variety. 4.5 out of 5 stars.

We Wish You a Merry Christmas

Three wonderful romance authors Sabrina Jeffries, Madeline Hunter, and Mary Jo Putney, team up to add some Christmas spirit to the holidays. All of these short stories feel like a full romance book. Filled with interesting characters, misunderstandings, deep conversations, Christmas cheer, and a lot of romance. There are some overlapping, as all three stories happen at the same time. For example, the dialog in the beginning of the first two stories are the same, but told in two different perspectives. Despite this, all three stories are refreshingly different, with their own backstories and romantic conflict.

Sabrina Jeffries adds to her previous book, Who Wants to Marry a Duke, by introducing Konrad Juncker to the snowy White Rose Inn, reuniting with the lovely Flora Younger. It doesn’t take long for confessions of past hurt to dissolve into improper kissing. Konrad is kind and patient as he struggles with reveling his secret, while taking responsibility for his actions toward Flora. Flora struggles to find the truth and whether she can trust him again. The conversations create a great light drama to this story, accumulating into a passionate Christmas Eve night.

Madeline Hunter continues the underlining narrative with The White Rose Inn’s owner Jenna Waverly. Jenna is used to managing the inn on her own, and this Christmas she wanted some time to rest. When an unexpected snow storm brings unexpected guests, she finds Christmas doesn’t have to be spent alone. Jenna is serious, and deeply needs the kindness she often shares with others. When not being a poor patient, Lucas is charming and wants nothing more than to protect the good women he knows. This story is a bit melancholy, with a bit of a mystery, but Jenna and Lucas really do deserve the happiness they find in each other.

Mary Jo Putney ends the trio of stories with the firecracker Kate McLeod who is shocked to find her long missing husband in the very inn she is snowbound. Realizing that the girl he met so long ago in India is now a woman, Daniel proposes to give marriage a chance. They are both quick witted, terrible at lying, and equally matched in honest conversation. With plenty of charming shenanigans, Kate and Daniel measure each other up before their light flirtations becomes light kissing. They are true equals in all ways, and their happiness is a satisfying romantic ending to this collection of short stories.

3.5 stars - These are three of my favorite historical romance writers, so I was so excited to read A Yuletide Kiss. The stories all included the authors’ nice character development and descriptive language. The heroines were the sort of women you admire. They weren’t silly pushovers or foolish women who blindly walk into danger. The heroes were strong, handsome, and loyal. Some much was done well and yet, somehow each of the stories seemed less than they could be. Maybe because I know what these authors are capable of, I set my standards very high. Maybe novellas don’t give them enough room to really make their characters sizzle. I’m not sure where the fault lies. I gave the collection 3.5 stars, because they are perfectly nice stories, but lack the intensity, smolder and sizzle I expect from these obviously talented authors.

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

Entertaining holiday trio. I enjoyed reading all of these stories. Author's did a pretty good and seamless job of continuation of the Inn scenario without overdoing but complimenting one another's lead while their unique love interest folly is shared and shined. All very lovable characters, a bit of humor and steam as these independent woman add sparkle, temptingly challenging the life plans of their "regency" men. Short and on point ploy focus, love that!!

. Ms. Jenna Waverly owns the inn as she bought it with her inheritance so she would also have a home. Guests are treated as family which gives the inn a reputation of hospitality and generosity. Normally she closes the inn at Christmas so the staff can spend it with family. This year howevere, Christmas snow, and ice have stranded seven unexpected travelers at the White Rose Inn in northern England.

Konrad Junker is known as the playwrights for the Felix plays, but there is a secret behind those plays he does not want out. Right years ago he met his one true love and was abruptly taken away from her. Having seen her recently in London, he is conveniences he will have to confess his secret in order to have her. Miss Flora Younger works now as companion to Lady Hortensia Whitmarsh. After Long as left her in Bath, her family felt she disgraced them and demand she marry the cousin, which Flora refused. Now she is a maid companion and secretly does work on the side, which Lady Whitmarsh approves. Now with being stranded they both hope to resolve their issues and move on. But feelings of want, desire, and love get in the way.

As Jenna and Peter, the head groomsman, are securing everything for the storm when Peter finds a wounded sick traveler. With the help of Konrad, the first stranded traveler, the get him to a side room to make sure he will not get anyone else sick. Lucas Avonwood, works for the Home Office and was doing a favor for his sister. He was hunting a thief. After gathering enough information, he found a pattern but didn't have the final puzzle piece to bring said thief to justice. His search told him he would find the thief, Steven Wickersham was headed to that inn. Now recovered Lucas watch's and searched for the evidence he needs. With Jenna waiting and hoping her brother, Selwyn, shows so he can explain why he mortgaged the inn and her security of a home, she nurses Lucas back to health and starts to dream of more. As the puzzle pieces become clear to Lucas, he worries how much Jenna is involved or if she even knows. He also finds that he would be in agreement of keeping Jenna in his life. When Selwyn finally arrives, catches them in an intimate embrace, and confessions and accusations start to come out, Lucas takes Selwyn aside to give him two options.

Miss Kate Macleod is on her way to visit Edmund and his family. It is expected the two would marry. However, Kate was forced to married while in Bombay after her parents died. Her Uncle auctioned her off to support his drinking.
Daniel Faringdon, while drunk arrives at the start of the auction and wind Late so he can rescue her. As Daniel learns of the legality of the wedding, about Edmond, and what Kate wants, he realizes what he also wants and needs. As his friend and confidant Robert Matthews tells him he will need to go slow to make sure he does what is best for Kate and himself.

So come along as these intrepid travelers intend the secrets, mysteries, and legal issues as they try to have a festive Christmas, work together to stay safe, and find what they really want this Christmas.

I'm a sucker for this kind of anthology where each author tells a different story in a common setting. I read A Yuletide Kiss more or less in a single sitting and enjoyed all three stories. I thought Sabrina Jeffries' contribution was the best of the three tales. Madeline Hunter's story required more than the usual suspension of disbelief and didn't quite earn its HEA. I enjoyed Mary Jo Putney's story, but I think it could have been a full-length novel and would have benefitted from the expansion. Overall, A Yuletide Kiss is a quick, fun read and with interesting characters.

I really enjoyed Junker’s story, although there was an awful lot of assumptions and butting in and feelings hurt when (in my opinion) there shouldn’t have been. Still, I’ve enjoyed reading about Junker in the other Sabrina Jeffries books so it was great to see him get his HEA. 4 stars

I really enjoyed the beginning and middle of Jenna and Lucas’ story, it was interesting and engaging and super sweet…until he settled his business without ever letting her know what had happened. She didn’t even know he HAD business. Much less that is was with her brother. It felt really patronizing to not explain to her what her brother had been doing, especially with him utilizing her inn, AND having her inn in jeopardy. 3 stars

Kate and Daniel’s story was lovely! I really enjoyed their history and the surprising fact that the marriage seven years ago (a lifetime ago) was valid. I also really enjoyed watching them get reacquainted. I don’t know if this is too picky but the name of the cat threw me completely out of the story. It’s really hard to believe a regency heroine would name a cat Princess Flufferbella. Maybe they would but it sounded more like a name a modern four year old would give her cat and annoyed me every time I read it (although I did, of course, love the cat herself). But overall the story was great and I loved the strength and ingenuity of Kate! 5 stars

This is a perfect trio of connected Regency era Christmas novellas. All three stories take place at a country inn when various travelers are caught in a snowstorm at Christmastime. Each author tells the story of one couple. Not only see the stories all enjoyable, but they shared some scenes and were smoothly connected. Be sure to pick this up if you tend to enjoy historical Christmastime novellas.

A Yuletide Kiss is a linked anthology which means that each of the stories in this anthology are connected. The connecting device? A group of holiday travelers are trapped at an inn which has been closed down for the Christmas holiday because of inclement weather. While at the inn, acquaintances are rekindled, the holidays are celebrated, and romance is most definitely in the air.

As with all anthologies, I'll be reviewing and rating each story individually and then averaging the scores together for my final rating. I also need to give some blanket trigger warnings that you need to be aware of... period appropriate sexism, period appropriate misogyny, prostitution, sexual auction, parental death, alcoholism, depression, and PTSD and possibly others that I missed. Let's go, shall we?

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When We Finally Kiss Goodnight by Sabrina Jeffries
Konrad Juncker has a secret. For the last several years he's been the public face of the Duke of Thornstock's plays. It's been quite a successful endeavor. He's been able to focus on things like his poetry and staging the elaborate comedic plays. But due to a change of circumstances that life is about to come to an end. And while he's been able to save up a bit of a nest egg, it's not enough to support a wife and family on. Flora Younger has been serving as a companion to an older widow for years. Too poor to have a full season, she had a mini-season in Bath years ago, and there she met the young playwright and poet, Konrad Juncker. She fell in love with him, and she thought he loved her.... but he abandoned her. And now that they're stuck in an abandoned inn due to the weather, can they rekindle the flame that burned between them so long ago.

This is a fun second chance romance. The story was hinted at in a few book of Sabrina Jeffries 'Duke Dynasty" series and there's a lot of Easter eggs related to that series in this book. I will say, the experience of reading this story would be improved by reading that series and I'm not sure how people who haven't read the series will take this story. That said, I really liked Konrad's and Flora's second chance romance. I loved that they had the chance to get to know each other and find connections. I believed the romance. There is a lovely open door sex scene in this that I really liked. I liked Konrad. I liked Flora. This was a fun novella.

Five Stars

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The Unexpected Gift by Madeline Hunter
Innkeeper Jenna Waverly was looking forward to a quiet Christmas holiday. Unfortunately the weather has other plans. First, one of her employees finds an nearly frozen and ill man while out hunting for game, and then her empty inn is suddenly filled with travelers seeking shelter from a horrendous ice storm. But Jenna's got even greater concerns. First, someone must care for a traveler who is sick and may even be contagious. Second, her brother, who co-owns the inn with her, has taken out a mortgage without her permission, leaving her scrambling to find funds to pay the loan. But as she cares for the ill Lucas Avonwood, she discovers that there is something greater than money... love.

This is a nice little novella with a hint of a mystery in it. In a weird way, there were almost too many conflicts in this novella. There's a lot going on here and the pace is a weird combo of too fast and too slow. I did like Jenna and Lucas as characters and I found their internal narration well done. I loved hat Jenna was both capable and compassionate and fully cognizant of the disparity that's present in society at the time. Lucas's plot seemed almost overly complex but they were resolved satisfactorily. I did believe the romance, but I was less impressed with the sex scenes. They straddled the line between open door and closed door and were almost too literary to my taste. In all, I did like this novella, but I felt it was the weakest of the selections.

Four stars.

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When Strangers Meet by Mary Jo Putney
Years ago Kate Macleod met Daniel Faringdon. Well, that's not quite accurate. When Kate was a teen in India, her uncle auctioned her off to the highest bidder after the deaths of her parents. But to give the auction the veneer of civility, Kate's uncle insisted that the winner marry her, even going so far as to provide the vicar. Deep in his cups but determined to save this young woman, Daniel wins the auction but immediate sends her to someone to send her back home to her family in England. They definitely never consummated the marriage. Heck, they barely even had time to exchange names before they exchanged vows. Now, years later, they reconnect at a snowed in inn. Kate's been trying to declare Daniel dead so she's free to marry another. While Daniel, has returned from India to claim his inheritance. He needs a wife and he finds that he already has one. Can Daniel convince Kate to give him a second chance?

This was my favorite story in this collection. I really loved the plot -- previously married protagonists discover that they're still married and decide to give it a go. I found Kate delightfully competent and awesome, and I really loved Daniel who seemed to celebrate his wife's ability. Daniel was such a good doobie. I wanted to cuddle him to my chest and give him all the hugs. I loved that he acknowledged his failures and made strides to improve. I also loved that the book acknowledged that red hair was not considered fashionable or attractive at this time. There's also an adorable cat in this book. So that's a plus. My one complaint is that there isn't any sex in this book, but it fit with the theme of this novella... that passion isn't a basis for a marriage. Ultimately I really loved this entry so it gets..

Five stars.
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So averaging everything together this anthology gets 4.67 stars. which I'll round up to...

Five stars

I received an ARC of this book via NetGalley

Absolutely fun Christmas anthology by 3 fun authors.

Ms. Jeffries’ character the pseudo playwrite gets his own romance when he is stranded on his way to spend Christmas with the Duke siblings family at an almost deserted inn.

Ms. Hunters story is about the owner of the inn Mrs Waverly and an injured guest, who is actually a spy on A mission to track illegal activités which leads him to the inn.

Finally Ms. Putneys Christmas story us about 2 strangers married 7 years ago having met 1 night in India ans running into each other.

All 3 stories fully Loaded with Christmas spirit, adventures of being stranded in a storm and the good tidings towards the end of course.

Enjoyable read.

4.5 stars for each one of the book.

In this book, you'll find 3 short novellas written by the 3 authors. The 3 stories happens just before Christmas during a snowstorm. I'm not a great fan of short novella, but these 3 are well written and the links are well made and I really appreciated the last one, from Mary Jo Putney.

Mini Review: This was a wonderful Christmas romance short story collection! I loved how all three of the stories tied together. The characters were all great. And I loved all three, but I think my favorite was An Unexpected Christmas Gift! Overall, I would definitely recommend reading this festive collection of Christmas stories!

I received an e-ARC from the publisher.

Thank you so much to Kensington Books for kindly sending me an ARC via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

A Yuletide Kiss is a great Christmas collection with not one, not two, but three warm and cozy holiday historical romances that made me wish it was time to decorate my house and celebrate my favorite month of the year! I’ll definitely reread this book in December!

When We Finally Kiss Good Night by Sabrina Jeffries is the long awaited second chance for our star-crossed lovers, Flora Younger and Konrad Juncker. Replete of half-truths and misunderstandings, this story brings a sweet, passionate and well deserving Christmas present to our main characters. I loved their relationship and development, I swear I could feel their angst coming out of the pages. Sabrina’s writing is so good! This was my first contact with her work and I can't wait to read more of her stories.

The Unexpected Gift by Madeline Hunter is a mature and intimate love story that begins with our male main character, Lucas Avonwood, knocked down by a disease, and our heroine, Jenna Waverly, the innkeeper, in charge of taking care of his health. I was so excited to read this story because I love this nurse-and-patient trope and I can assure you that their dynamic didn't disappoint. I simply couldn't stop reading! I wanted to see how their happily ever after would unfold. The pacing and the writing was perfect, and every scene was beautifully executed.

When Strangers Meet by Mary Jo Putney is the second meeting of Kate Macleod and Daniel Faringdon, and although they were bound together seven years ago, they are nothing but strangers. Their story it’s moving, sweet and graceful, and I loved every second of it! I was most definitely NOT expecting that plot twist to happen so fast in the first chapter, I really didn’t see it coming at all. But I LOVED IT SO MUCH!!!