A sweetly tender romance that breaks down the misperceptions so understanding & acceptance can thrive!

My FAVOURITE so far! This one effortlessly flowed as a rocky bungled first introduction fed a wealth of misperceptions. Before, hope could so delightfully soothe the fear of disappointment to put uncertainties to rest and allow instanteous attraction to breed desire and bloom into a love with the potential to accept all eccentricities and fulfil dreams.

Despite initially being surprised that one of the Fitzroy ladies would have been pushed towards an arranged marriage, I truly loved how this quietly empowering tale unfolded which had the seductive power to truly tangle me up in emotional knots.
Arabella is sent forth alone to meet Nathaniel and his parents, for the first time over Christmas, with only buckets of trepidation and  lingering hope as her companion.
I loved Arabella - her determination to not give up, push herself forward and peel back the layers to reveal a richer, highly intriguing depth to Nathaniel kept me reading. As she worked to crumble the seemingly frustrating walls of aloof silence, disregard and rudeness and grow to truly understand and see the shy, awkward and deeply caring man beneath. As she remained steadfast in her desperation to build connections and see if a loving relationship could be nurtured to flourish with such delicious passion into a happy future.
Whereas, Nathaniel a conundrum of awkward crippling shyness, taciturn directness, scientific curiosity, compassion and a keen need to be seen and liked for who he is had me captivated as each tantalising layer of his character was revealed.
I became so absorbed that tears fell freely as their fears, frustrations and aching yearning to be good enough, understood and not found wanting became interwoven within each encounter. To the point, I was cheering when openess and honesty finally won common ground and allowed them to look deeper beyond those misleading first impressions and into the soul and heart of the other person.

A wonderful addition to the series where the seven swans are swimming theme became such an imaginative and charmingly integral part of the tale, that fed into the romance and represented the kind of union the pair so deserved, to make this a novella that was refreshing in its difference from the rest and all the more enjoyable because of it!!

All It Takes Is One Kiss:
It's Christmas time for the Fitzroy family and Arabella is finally on her journey to
meet her betrothed Nathaniel.
Needless to say, she is disappointed. Away from home she's lonely and bored.
Her only enjoyment spending time watching the swans swimming in the lake.
Will she discover anything positive about her betrothed? She so wants a
love match but will it happen, or will they fail?
This is an emotional experience for both, and Arabella's slow building desirous
attraction is increasing as the story progresses.
She finally breaks though his shyness and love blossoms, but a shocking
surprise has just arrived. Will they find their HEA or not?
This book along with Nine Ladies Dancing are my favorites of the series so far.
Cover: 5 Star
Adult Advisory:
I read and reviewed an advanced copy for an honest review.
All thoughts and opinions are completely my own.

This entry in Emily EK Murdoch's Twelve Days of Christmas series of novellas was a more enjoyable one for me. This story belongs to Arabella, one of the six daughters of Arthur Fitzroy. Arabella has for some reason been betrothed to the son of one her father's close friends since birth. It is left unexplained why, out of six daughters, Arabella is the only one being forced into an arranged marriage. Also unclear is why her father has decided that Arabella must meet and visit her bethrothed and his family NOW, over Christmas, when the majority of the family will be gathering at Chalcroft Estate.

Regardless, dutiful daughter Arabella heads out to meet Nathaniel and his family. Nathaniel's parents are lovely, Nathaniel himself not so much. He is downright rude, and it takes Arabella a great deal of time to break through to him. Once she does, the road to their HEA (HFN?) is fairly smooth, barring one moment of upset that is easily resolved.

I liked how Ms. Murdoch used the swans in this story. In previous installments I have felt like she was reaching a bit to include the particular 12 Days of Christmas motif. I also liked that Arabella is a bit older than many of the other FMCs so far in this series. Nathaniel's parents conspiring to leave the pair unchaperoned was cute but also a stretch. Wouldn't that have just ensured the marriage via compromise? Anyway, once Arabella and Nathaniel start talking, the instalove trope comes out to play. As does the steam. I do love steam, but I do have trouble when *SPOILER* both characters are supposed to be virgins yet somehow they both know exactly what to do with zero awkwardness and total ecstasy. Takes me out of it somewhat. Overall, a nice quick read. 3 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley and Dragonblade for an ARC of this book. The opinions herein are my own.

Swans mate for life! I really liked how nature and animals were a part of this love story.

This book was a little different than the previous books because it involved an arranged marriage. Instead of going to Chalcroft for a family Christmas, Arabella was being sent to get to get to know her betrothed, she definitely was not pleased. Nathaniel was not so sure either and was very quiet, abrupt, and tried to avoid Arabella.

I really liked the characters in this book. Both characters interactions in the beginning were full of conflict, but the unraveling of eachothers layers was nice to see. I liked seeing a male character that had a gentle side, even if hidden at first. This book definitely had some steamy romance too.

I'm loving the variety in this series and this was one of the better ones. I can't wait for the next book.

Thank you to Dragonblade and Netgalley for providing me a copy of this ARC for my honest review.

4.5 stars

A more gentler episode of the Twelve days series. Arabella has been promised to Nathanial in a marriage of convenience. Her father sends her to his friends much to Arabella's annoyance because she'd prefer to be at her cousins Christmas ball. At the beginning of the week Nathanial is rude and his parents disparaging of him. Arabella writes a letter asking for the betrothal to be annulled an begging to come home. Then she realises Nathanial is painfully shy and furstrated because he has been unable to presuade his parents to allow an aristocratic son a career in animal sciences. This is the second novella with innocent hero and it plays out well. A lovely edition to the series.

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

When I received this book I was able to read it from the very beginning to the very end in one day. The story line was very good and the character built up was instrumental to this story in my opinon.

Arabella is sent off to spend Christmas with her betrothed family. She has never met them nor her betrothed, Nathaniel! Arabella is impressed by the family house, but not by her intended. Nathaniel, while good looking, is rude and goes out of his way to avoid her. Eventually they are forced to spend time together and learn to appreciate each other. I received an ARC from NetGalley and Dragonblade Publishing for my honest review.

I was utterly enchanted by Arabella and Nathaniel's story, so much so that I read it in one sitting. I especially adored Nathaniel's shy awkwardness. Emily does such a good job building his character in the time that she has in this book. Arabella is a feisty heroine, but filled with understanding for Nathaniel. I absolutely loved this Christmas romance.