The first story in this collection is, Meet me under the kissing bough, by Josi S Kilpack. A sweet second time around romance. It is refreshing to read about a couple that has loved and lost. But it doesn’t make it any easier. Deborah had always pleased those around her, but it was time for her to learn how to please herself. Lovely characters and story tied up in its Christmas finery.
The second story, Healing Hearts for the Holidays by Anneka Walker is a beautiful story of love and faith. A feud has torn two families apart. When Julia and Edmond discover hidden love letters. They work to put an end to the feud and a beginning to happiness.
A Christmas Correspondence by Sarah L McConkie
Another wonderful story. Caroline had endured her father’s belligerent mood since her Mother’s passing. Unfortunately she had become as her father, thinking herself well above others and belittling those around her. When a young, shabbily dressed man came to her home to deliver a letter. The letter that could upend her life. The characters are well thought out and engaging, love Aunt Ebby! The story is has a lovely message of treating others as we would like to be treated ourselves!
All three stories are lovely Christmas time romances, with wonderful messages.
I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

This is a nice collection of Christmas themed regency romances!

Meet me Under the Kissing Bough-JK
This novella was well-written and the characters were likeable. I wasn't sure how this would play out once I started reading it, but I really enjoyed it!

Healing Hearts for the Holidays- AW
This is a sequel to a story Walker has in A Hopeful Christmas (another regency Christmas anthology that I highly recommend reading). I was very glad I read the previous book since it added more depth to the story. I really liked our main characters in this novella as well and loved the ending.

A Christmas Correspondence SM
This was a regency spin on Charles Dickens' Christmas Carol and I really enjoyed the author's creativity and thought she did a great job! Lady Caroline is not a pleasant character for most of the novella, but I enjoyed seeing her change at the end of the novella. I would have loved to have read an epilogue for this story.

Overall a great Christmas collection!

Three separate romance stories by three separate, competent authors. Each story is fashioned around the Christmas season in the 1800's and addresses social issues of classic upper and lower classes and the norms of "keeping to your station in life" and not upsetting the apple cart. Love will not adhere to such conventions.

In the first story, Deborah and Phillip must figure it out. Their happiness vs relatives' and societys' acceptance. Will they ever be able to openly utilize the Christmas Kissing Bough?

In the second story, a family feud fueled by some unknown catalyst perpetuates its continuance to the present. A divide keeping loved ones and a budding romance at bay. The hopefuls, Julia and Esmond, trust that where there's a will there's a way to bridge the gap, especially when they discover some intriquing letters. It seems hopeless though...even with Christmas kissing boughs hanging about.

In the third scenario, the reader will wonder if Lady Caroline, queen of arrogance, and Mr. Charleston of tattered clothes but of dignified integrity, will even want to overcome the class divide despite the pull of attraction which strengthens. One of them will have to mend their ways but will it be enough? Sarah McConkie, the third author, spins her yarn well, creating a read with great potential to while away an afternoon in pleasant repose; my favorite of the three.

~Eunice C., Reviewer/Blogger~

August 2021

Disclaimer: This is my honest opinion based on the review copy sent by the publisher.

<img src="https://www.netgalley.com/badge/f6fd624ce81465997ca2d103ff9975a629a8a04c" width="80" height="80" alt="25 Book Reviews" title="25 Book Reviews"/>

<img src="https://www.netgalley.com/badge/04b37ae7f3ff846e213a00a515d0a1f507bf1833" width="80" height="80" alt="Reviews Published" title="Reviews Published"/>

I was entertained by these short stories set during the Christmas season.  Each was unique and had many good points!  I enjoyed Kilpack's heroine's strength to stand on her own, I appreciated the connections to an earlier Christmas anthology entry as well as the conflict and it's resolution in Walker's story, and I loved the nods to Dickens in McConkie's entry. 

I received a complimentary copy of this book. All opinions expressed are completely my own.

2.5

-Meet Me Under the Kissing Bough
Deborah's situation is less common as she is an older woman with children that are nearly grown. I appreciated that as a mother, it was not as simple as choosing for herself; she had to consider the effects on her children and their futures. Her relationship with her mother was complicated as well. Phillip... bugged me. He was not patient with her, but it was like he expected an immediate public commitment. What was worse, he accused her of using him, not trusting him, being fickle. He tried to beg off instead of working through the problems. I didn't think Deborah did anything wrong. This was brand new, of course she was still taking it slow, exploring her feelings and weighing them against her responsibilities. They did not have an agreement in place, and again it was BRAND NEW - she didn't owe him an explanation regarding someone else's action. And while I wouldn't have handled it publicly as she did, I didn't think he could possibly find fault with her for that. I really wanted to give him a piece of my mind.

-Healing Hearts for the Holidays
It was really sad to see things had regressed since we had last seen these characters. There was some awkwardness, a fair amount of tension and a lot of rehashing things I thought had already been dealt with.

-A Christmas Correspondence
I could not stomach Caroline. She was not just rude, but relentless malicious. I have read my fair share of unlikeable characters, which are actually some of my favorite stories, but this was something else entirely. It wasn't misguided, or sticking your foot in your mouth, or like the veiled barbs of the arrogant, usually wrapped up in deceptively sweet demeanor. It wasn't absurd and humorously done. It didn't even really make sense based on the prologue. Caroline seems to tolerate her father words, not invite them into her very being. She is hurting and silently obeys to escape. He dies not long after that opening scene, so how in the world did she become such a harpy?! I also did not understand the whole letter situation. It seems like her father expected them to be delivered to her fairly soon. Why would a child need to be threatened with their inheritance? I don't know. The changes of heart for both Caroline and her father were too abrupt to be believed.

These are usually some of my favorite authors. Unfortunately I just did not connect with these stories.

Meet Me Under the Kissing Bough is a wonderful collection of holiday stories that are sure to warm your heart and spread the spirit of Christmas to all who read it. Although each story is centered around the Christmas season, the talented authors each crafted unique stories with endearing storylines and lovable and memorable characters. Whether someone is finding love for the second time, discovering it for themselves for the first time, or learning to find love, peace and forgiveness from within, this book has it all. There is something special about the Christmas season that allows hearts to open and wounds to heal and the chance to start anew. There is much to be found within these pages that will leave you with a smile on your face and a hope for better things. I highly recommend this collection and can't help but wish that the spirit of Christmas could be felt all year round.

This is a collection of sweet well written novellas that will put you in the Christmas spirit. If you're a fan of Regency romance you don't want to miss this collection. It was an absolute joy to read.
I received a complimentary copy from Covenant Communications via NetGalley and was not required to write a review. All opinions expressed are my own.

I’d consider myself a pretty odd person when it comes to Christmas things. I love Christmas but can only stand listening to Christmas music during December. (though the last few years that has changed since we begin rehearsals for our Christmas musical in September so I’m usually listening to them from then on). But, I love watching Christmas movies and reading Christmas books any time of the year. So I had no problem at all enjoying this book in August.

Meet Me Under The Kissing Bough is a great collection of Christmas regency novellas. Each story is a sweet regency romance set at Christmas time. There are second chance romances, classic adaptions, forbidden romances and more great tropes.

Although all three stories were great, my favourite was healing Hearts for the Holidays. A great story of reconciliation with the forbidden love trope included.

This is a great collection you do not want to miss.

A lovely trio of Christmas novellas that warm the heart and spirit, which is exactly what I’ve come to expect from Covenant Communications. Josi S. Kilpack’s story is about a second chance at love; Anneka Walker’s is a Romeo and Juliet inspired tale (with a much happier ending); and Sarah McConkie’s is a gender-swapped retelling of A Christmas Carol. Each story stands beautifully on its own, but makes for a lovely packaged set.

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

This collection of Christmas romances was a romantic read. All three stories followed the same theme of Christmas love. They do all happen within a short time frame and the love is quick to come. The authors wove in the Christmas traditions of the time in a way that was made me want to join in the fun.

Each of these stories is unique. Sarah McConkie wrote a great feminine retelling of Dickin's A Christmas Carol. While being a classics retelling, it wasn't obvious at first. The miserly Miss Caroline had a beautiful upbringing until her mother passed away. The following years are what broke her. Her character development is so vast for such a short story. Miss Caroline's change for good was the best part of the happily ever after.

Thank you net galley for the advance reader copy of this novel. This was a collection of three regency era shirt stories by different authors set at Christmas time. These were sweet and clean. I enjoyed the variety of characters and writing styles. My favorite was the middle story about somewhat star crossed lovers in a family feud over land. The last read was kind of a Christmas Carol retelling. Great reads each!

Meet me under the Kissing Bough was not my favorite. There were parts I liked and parts I didn't like. Novellas are difficult because they skip alot of details that I would like to read. The first story skipped right to the romance and it seemed like too soon. The second story kept suggesting things that had happened before. And I wasn't able to follow the storyline well. This could be a novella that follows another book? The last story was a spinoff of a Christmas Carol and I don't like that story. But this was a creative spinoff so I give the author props for that.

I received a free copy of this book from Netgally. The opinions expressed are my own.

This anthology makes me so excited for Christmas. Each story is unique and beautifully written. The first story is about two people who have lost their spouses and the beauty of finding love again. The second story is a forbidden love because of feuding families. The third is a fun tale based on A Christmas Carol. Each story involves the joy of the season, love and of course the miracles of Christmas. I would highly recommend this book.

There are a lot of different Christmas collections that I have read in the past. There was something different about this one however. Each of the stories seemed longer than normal novella, and that was a treat for me. I have read books from Josi S. Kilpack and Anneka Walker before, but Sarah L. McConkie was a new author for me.

Josi's Meet Me Under the Kissing Bough was a cute, second chance at love, story. The concept of both of them being widowers was sweet. The chance to open yourself after a loss of a spouse is a special one and one that was nice to read about.

Aneeka brought a great story for me in Healing Hearts for the Holiday. When I started reading it there was something really familiar to me about the setting, and the feuding families. It made me think of another Christmas story I head read before. And I was right. Aneeka wrote Lord Blakely's Gift in the Christmas collection, A Hopeful Christmas. I loved the continuation of the Hunt and Blakely family. It was one of those novellas where I would have loved to have read it as a full novel, but finished reading it knowing it was concluded. Seeing Julia, the peacemaker in her family, take a stand for what she wanted was one of those moments that you cheered.

With Sarah being a new author for me, I had no expectations. I was greatly rewarded though. I made the connection to A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens but not directly. It wasn't until it was quoted that I knew I was right. I loved that the part of Ebenezer Scrooge was played by Lady Caroline. My heart broke for her the more she come to find her happiness because it brought her so much pain along the way. I appreciated the story very much and it was a wonderful way to finish the collection.

Over all a 4 star rating for me. I look forward to reading this again closer to Christmas.

Thank you Netgalley for the eARC and the opportunity to review this lovely collection.

A Christmas anthology with three proper romance novellas. Each story is entertaining, wholesome and contains a love for Christmas and its traditions. All three stories are enjoyable, and as for me I would rate the first by Jose S. Kilpack as my favorite. It is a story of a widow opening her eyes to the love interest of a kind friend and neighbor. It also contains a little lesson on consent that I appreciate. The second story has a daughter trying to be a peacemaker between two families. And along the way she uncovers an old romance and finds a new one. The third story is a reimagined telling of A Christmas Carol. I had a harder time warming up to the main character in that novella.

These stories are a great way to enjoy a quick reads and put yourself in a Christmas mind set. Thank you to Covenant Communications and NetGalley for an ARC ebook in exchange for an honest review.

This collection of 3 short stories begins relatively strong, with Josi S Kilpack's Meet Me Under the Kissing Bough. Though it was difficult to swallow how codependent Deborah was with her mother (who has apparently been involved in *every* major decision of her life, despite Deborah being in her 30s with a teenage daughter and two sons of her own to raise), it was good to see Deborah grow in independence, if only a little. Both main characters were likeable and somewhat relatable, and it was easy to be drawn into the story. The ending I was less than satisfied with because it felt like Deborah had learned nothing about boundaries. So four stars for this one.

Healing Hearts for the Holidays was a sweet story that would have done better as a full length novel. The younger sister was entertaining and reminds me of the youngest sister in Sense and Sensibility. The story between the older characters was wrapped up a bit too quickly and conveniently, and would have benefited from being explored and told more thoroughly. So four stars again.

The third story,  A Christmas Correspondence, I struggled to get through. Honestly, I found the characters ridiculously unbelievable and it made the whole story drag for me. The aunt was the only character I found remotely believable. Caroline, we are expected to believe, goes from a sweet 13 year old to a hard hearted shrew in the space of 5 years, the only influence causing this being her father (I'm still not clear at what point he died though), yet she spends as little time with him as possible. Then she magically has a change of heart and does an about-face in less than two weeks, all because of a man that she ridicules and despises when they first meet.
John, on the other hand, can't stand Caroline, witnesses her being brutally horrible to a poverty stricken woman, yet is completely flabbergasted when he overhears some acquaintances swapping stories about Caroline's awfulness. "Tell me it isn't true!", he pleads. Seriously? What reason on earth makes a supposedly intelligent man disbelieve such things, when he has every reason - and proof - to believe that they *are* true?
Perhaps if we hadn't been privy to Caroline's internal monologue, it would have been easier to swallow the giant plot holes. But in the space of a few pages I went from feeling sympathetic to the 13 year old who had an abusive father, to utter disbelief and dislike for the woman she supposedly became. I can't give this one more than two stars.

All three stories in this collection were sweet and fun reads. I loved the Christmas theme running through them, and how varied the stories were. From a widow who is ready to move on in her life, to two families with a feuding past that keeps love apart, and finishing up with a fun twist on A Christmas Carol that involved old letters and one very persistent gentleman, they each drew me in. By the end I was ready to turn my calendar to December and start decorating the halls with our own 'kissing boughs'. I can't wait to go back and reread these books over the holidays!

Meet me under the Kissing Bough is an adorable collection of Regency romances set at Christmas time. I enjoyed reading all three of these Novellas. They were each very different from each other but had a similar feel. The characters were fun and relatable. They were all a quick easy read that will get you in the Christmas spirit!

This was a triple dose of awesomeness!!! I love all three of these authors and it was a perfect combination to complete this beautiful set of novellas. All three of these stories were heart felt and sweetly written. Definitely recommend!!!

#MeetMeUnderTheKissingBough #NetGalley

Meet Me Under the Kissing Bough by Josi Kilpack, Healing Hearts for the Holidays by Anneka Walker and A Christmas Correspondence by Sarah McConkie
I enjoyed each story in this collection. about healing broken relationships and finding forgiveness. All three stories were well written and I couldn't read them fast enough. Meet Me Under the Kissing Brough was a story about finding love after loss. Healing Hearts for the Holidays was about finding healing through forgiveness. This was my first time reading anything by Sarah McConkie-her book was a retelling of the Christmas Carol. Such a fun collection.