I always love a good holiday themed historical romance. This is the first book in the series.

I really liked Jemima's character in this book. She seems to be the odd one out in her family of many daughters and makes known her beliefs about the war. She of course falls for a soldier of all people.

Captain Hugh Rotherham definitely has a lot of emotional baggage from what he has seen at war and lack of confidence from his injury.

It is nice to see Jemima and Hugh form a somewhat secret friendship/romance. This book gets a bit more steamy toward the end too.

I enjoyed this romance and references to 12 drummers, but would have loved some more holiday tie-ins. Nonetheless, this was a good start to the series and I am excited to read the next book!

A new series from awesome author Emily EK Murdoch. I really have enjoyed her books thus far but I will say that this book makes me question the wisdom of doing such a series as this with so many novellas and with characters as these.
In this book, we meet the Fitzroy family with 6 daughters, some are step sisters. Jemima is the only daughter from another mother and has a lot of pent-up emotions. She is truly passionate about the war effort veterans but feels no one listens to her. She literally runs into a wounded soldier in a parade, Captain Hugh Rotherham, and berates him. But he falls instantly for her and loves her bluntness. Can both of them heal their wounds through knowing each other?
Being that this is a novella, things happen quickly which is fine, but be aware that this does end abruptly and unresolved and will hopefully be continued through the next novellas in the series. So this is not a stand alone and I am suspecting the others will not be either. Not a problem for me, but may be for others.
What took me out of loving this as a starter story was how Jemima acted and her attitude. I couldn't stand her, and yes I get that she has a lot of rage and emotions but it was just way out of line then to make her fall for of all things a wounded soldier and hurt him further. The author is a great writer so I did enjoy the story but there were just some aspects that didn't sit right.
I received a complimentary copy and my review is voluntary.

I received a copy of this from Netgalley and this is my freely given opinion.

This is the first book it would appear of a series of Christmas novella's coming from Emily E. K. Murdoch. This one is about the eldest daughter, Jemima Fitzroy, of a blended family. She is the only daughter of Arthur and his first wife. The first wife died when Jemima was quite young, and Arthur remarried a widow who also brought 2 of her own daughters to the family, and then the stepmother and Arthur had three more daughters.

Jemima, despite being the eldest, has a lot of feelings of neglect and resentment towards her family. She looks different from her sisters, and it would seem that she feels that she is not as attractive, liked, or given the attention that she feels the others get, especially as she is rather blunt and prickly in her beliefs and manners. The story opens with her step sister Caroline announcing her engagement to a young doctor, and Jemima's feelings of being jealous over the attention Caroline getting and being disregarded and misunderstood, especially when her stepmother makes some thoughtless statement cementing Jemima's feelings.

This leads to her having a snit and leaving the house angry. While out, she has a collision with a wounded soldier during a parade, and the encounter is fraught with frustration and angry words. Captain Hugh Rotherham is the soldier.

They collide again soon afterwards, and despite their differing beliefs and initial apparent lack of kinship, Hugh and Jemima are attracted to each other, and Hugh appreciates Jemima's intelligence and blunt speech. Jemima cannot believe that Hugh would be attracted to her, since her self esteem is rather poor, considering she feels her family and others like her sisters more.

This was a story set during the Christmas period that had some very prickly, defensive, emotionally complex main characters, that at first glance were not very likeable, but the prickliness hides a lot of hurt and self doubt on both their parts. There were some complex emotions and family relationships, and I felt that the story was not given enough justice in novella form.

3 out of 5 stars

*I received a free ARC from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for my honest review*

I am always a sucker for a good Christmas romance and this delivered on all levels. I will admit that initially Jemima was a little tough to take, but the more I got to know her the more I liked her. Seeing how she was a bit of an afterthought to her family broke my heart a little for her and made me so happy when Hugh saw her for who she really was. The way they literally ran into one another over and over was amusing. The connection to the 12th day of Christmas song didn't hit you over the head and was actually pretty clever. My only complaint with this story is that it ended somewhat abruptly - I wanted more of Jemima and Hugh's story. I'm really hoping we get to see more of them in other books in the series.

Twelve Drummers Drumming is the first of a new Regency Christmas series. Independently minded, different from her sisters, Jemima Fitzroy reminded me a bit of Little Women’s Jo March. After arguing with her family, Jemima storms out of the house and onto the streets of London in the winter cold. It is then that she meets the eyes of Captain Hugh Rotherham, an injured soldier marching in a parade of returning heroes from the war. It was as if their souls recognized each other. Seconds later they literally run into each other and thus begins a journey of emotions as their relationship evolves.

This was an enjoyable read and I am looking forward to the rest of the series which I think will be a keeper on most book shelves.

I received an advanced reader copy of this book from the publisher and NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

It was a very intriguing book all the way to the end and then it just ended. Literally just ended. I don't know if she meant to give a cliffhanger ending but she did. It was kind of disappointing coming from her because usually she gives at least a little more of a definite ending.
I guess we will have to wait until the next book.
I recieved a free copy so that I might tell you what I honestly think. Hope you enjoyed my review. Now go enjoy the book.

Miss Jemima Fitzroy is the eldest of the girls and so very different to the rest. Our heroine feels misunderstood and ignored. There are more important things happening than a pending engagement.
Captain Hugh Rotherham has been injured but still intends to return to France and the War when he is recalled. Our hero is just that. An ordinary man who is paying the price for the freedoms of others.
A steamy historical romance filled with fabulous characters and lots of humour. This is the first book in a series and I'm sure these girls are going to give us lots more giggles as we discover their personalities.
Great fun.

There are three Fitzroy brothers, each with different interests, each the father of daughters, twelve in total. The holiday season of 1813 sees the beginning of romance for the cousins.
Arthur Fitzroy has six daughters. Jemima, the eldest, is the only daughter of his first wife. She is a pacifist and an advocate for the care of soldiers returning from the war. She often feels misunderstood and ignored. Out for a walk to escape the chaos surrounding her sister’s engagement, Jemima comes upon a parade of returning soldiers. Her attention of the parade, she runs into Captain Hugh Rotherham. Both are somewhat annoyed, but feel an instant connection. This won’t be the last time they run into each other. Can a pacifist and an injured soldier find friendship, or something more? I like Jemima and Hugh. She is an outspoken sassy heroine, and he is a calmer counterpart, a perfect blend.
This is the first of a new holiday series that will feature the Fitzroy cousins as they find romance. Jemima is first. She finds her hero when she heard twelve drummers drumming. Cute story and entertaining characters. I look forward to the rest of the series.
I received an ARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley and am voluntarily reviewing it.

There are three Fitzroy brothers who between them have twelve daughters. It’s 1813 & love starts to find the cousins.
Jemima Fitzroy is tired of being ignored by her loud, rambunctious family, especially as she attempts to campaign for returning soldiers in a world that doesn't appreciate them. When she sees soldiers in a parade she literally bumps into Captain Hugh Rotherham.
The start of a new series, which is releasing weekly in the run up to Christmas. I really liked Jemima even though she was outspoken & had a temper & I really liked Hugh who'd been injured. The chemistry between them just grew & grew. A short but charming read, which introduced the Fitzroys, who were a mixed bunch & I look forward to the rest of the series
My honest review is for a special copy I voluntarily read

She feels like an outsider in her family but didn’t realize her father saw more than she thought. She is a pacifist and he is a soldier but they can’t keep from falling on each other, much less falling in love. It is a story that gives the reader a view into the meeting of the minds and heart as the story unfolds.

I received an ARC from NetGalley and leaving my review voluntarily.

This is a quick and easy read introducing Emily EK Murdoch's new series, the Twelve Days of Christmas. Each of twelve female cousins will find love. The FMC here is Jemima, eldest daughter in a blended family with 6 daughters total. She feels alone despite her large family, sensing her step-mother loves her biological daughters in a way she will never love Jemima and feeling ignored by her father. She has adopted a pacifist stance against the war in France and is angered when her family is dismissive of her cause.

The MMC is Captain Hugh Rotherham, returned from the front for a time and nursing an injured leg. The duo run into each other - literally - at a soldiers' march. Hence the 12 drummers drumming. They meet by accident once again and then continue to meet on purpose.

Even though this is a novella, I felt Ms. Murdoch did a good job fleshing out Jemima's character. I did not feel like we got as good a read on Hugh, especially since so little of the story is told from his POV. I am curious to see how the other sisters and cousins' perceptions of Jemima will be portrayed in future books. Like other reviewers, I also felt the ending to this story was a HFN rather than a HEA. I am hoping that the HEA will be better revealed in the future books.

3.75 stars, rounded up to 4. Thank you to NetGalley and Dragonblade for an ARC of this novella. The opinions herein are my own.

Twelve Drummers Drumming is the first book in a new regency romance series, the Twelve Days of Christmas.

Emily E.K. Murdoch is a new to me author so had no idea of style or feel to her writing. It took me a bit to want to care about the two main characters, she is a disenfranchised and at times angry oldest daughter of a blended family and he is an officer in the army who has been struggling to defeat Napoleon.

While technically the novella did end with a happily-ever-after it felt more of a happily-for-now to me. I would have felt more settled to have had an epilogue wrapping up some questions the main characters themselves brought up. Maybe we will get the glittery ribbon and bow added later to this nicely wrapped package in one of the future books.

I look forward to more installments to this family saga in the coming weeks.


Next books in series:
Eleven Pipers Piping-October 14th
Ten Lords a Leaping-October 21st
Nine Ladies Dancing-October 28th


I received this ARC from Dragonblade Publishing & NetGalley in exchange for an honest review, thank you.

#TwelveDrummersDrumming #NetGalley

4.5 stars

A great start to a new series. Jemina is the eldest of Arthur's daughter. Her Mother died at her birth and three years later he remarried. Her stepmother had two daughters already, Caroline and Arabella and then subsequently three more. So there's 8 in the family. I had an Elizabeth Barrett vibe with so many sisters but Arthur doesn't seem to get the time to have a one to one with Jemima. Jemima is a pacifist and the others in her family don't understand her activism. In such a large family Jemima feels isolated and lonely. and different think Eloise of the Bridgerton's. Caroline becomes engaged and even more focus moves to her. Jemima is angry and leaves the house in a rage. It's at this point she sees the 12 drummers drumming and knocks over a soldier, Hugh. Over the next week or so to avoid the huge fuss over the engagement party Jemima seeks solace in the park and Hugh's budding friendshp. He understands her viewpoint and is sympathetic to her anger and frustration having suffered similar himself. Arthur invites Hugh to the party. At the party a great uncle of Caroline's doctor fiancee dies and I think it looks like there's another story peeling off there....Jemima at last gets to talk to her father and a ray of hope starts to appear and she realises she is valued by Arthur. It's mainly kisses until the end and like other reviewers I did wonder about the full on passion when Hugh was likely to be returning to the battle front.

I'm eager to read others in this series. Lovely start.

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

They were meant to meet!

Jemima was the eldest of the Fitzroy family and always felt that she and her feelings had been ignored. After an argument at her step sisters engagement she stormed out to think. She suddenly heard the sounds of drumming. Some of the soldiers had returned from the war and were marching with the drummers, but she noticed that one person seemed to be set apart from the rest. He had more medals than the others and was walking on crutches.

When their eyes met she felt the sudden pull and explosion of desire. For some reason, she couldn’t move out of his way and he ended up falling on top her in the middle of the street.

Captain Hugh Rotherham had noticed when he first looked into her eyes that he felt something. War had taken a lot from him, his soul was damaged yet when he had looked into her eyes he had seen a kindred spirit much like himself who had suffered a great hurt.

Two broken souls who recognised each other, I loved what kept happening when they bumped into each other, it made me smile and it touched my heart when she realised that her dad did know her as a person and had always looked out for her.

A different take on a love story with a Christmas vibe which I did enjoy, it does seem that it finished quite quickly but if you look into the wording, they had already committed themselves and knew their love would last a lifetime.

I’m looking forward to the next in the series and I hope as with most of Emily’s amazing stories it brings back characters you have already met.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an ARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This book was a joy to read. I laughed out loud several times. The author has a keen wit which is demonstrated in both internal and external dialogue.

A beautiful start to a new regency romance series, the Twelve Days of Christmas. Jemima and Hugh are passionate and their journey to love was enjoyable to read. I was also caught up in the lovely Christmas time setting.

Twelve Drummers Drumming, the first novella of The Twelve Days of Christmas series begins to paint the picture of what's to come as the Fitzroy cousins find love during the holiday season. The story itself was excellent and had so much potential yet the execution didn't work for me as well as I had hoped.

Jemima Fitzroy is a woman with a strong mind and a passion for ending the war in France. When she meets Captain Hugh Rotherham, an injured soldier, he manages to challenge everything she believes in. What begins as love at first sight evolves into a forbidden enemies to lovers story since he represents the war she's against. Discovering the shared pain of loneliness in their hearts, the attraction between them is magnetic.

I had a difficult time connecting with Jemima as her anger and initial unwillingness to have an open mind became frustrating. She wanted her family to pay attention to her and yet she didn't seem to want to listen to them in return. I didn't like how rude and disrespectful she was to Hugh during their unfortunate encounters while out in London even as he tried so hard to spend time with her. I also would have liked to see more character development with Hugh and I know there were so many more layers of him to explore. Furthermore, I was unsettled by all of the exclamation points throughout the thoughts and speech in this book and have never seen this used in Regency romance.

There were other aspects of the story I enjoyed, however. I loved how Hugh saw right into Jemima's soul, knowing her better than she knew herself. I thought his disability was sensitively presented and my heart broke as he let his value and worth become defined by it. I loved how Jemima and Hugh shared their passions and hopes for the future with each other and how Hugh was so gentle through Jemima's first intimate experiences.

The book ended abruptly and I would have liked to see what happens when Hugh returns to war and how that impacts their relationship, if at all. I just think there's so much more to their story and I hope that will be addressed later in the series.

“And no matter what happens, wherever the drums of war may call me, your voice will always call over them louder, calling me home.”

** Special thanks to Dragonblade Publishing and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this ARC. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own. Quotes subject to change at time of publication. Available October 7, 2022. **

Jemima cares about the soldiers returning from the war, but her family just seems to tune her out. She meets and falls in love with Hugh, a soldier who has just returned home. I felt that this story ended too soon. Many questions are left unresolved. Do they marry? Does he go back to war? Does she follow the drum? What income do they live on? I received an ARC from NetGalley and Dragonblade Publishing for my honest review.