( 2 reviews )
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( 3 of 3 found this review helpful ) Posted: Dec 23 2005
From the back cover: Just in case... Related to a duke? Matty Maxwell doesn't believe a word of that preposterous tale--especially since her unexpected visitor, Davies Preston, insists that he has been sent to reunite Matty with her noble ancestor. She sends the so-called viscount packing--as a woman on her own with two adopted children to take care of, she has no time for such nonsense. But when a scheming minister tries to take her precious Nathan and baby Bess away from her forever, Matty has second thoughts. How far away is London--and when does the next boat leave? Just in time, that's when. Preston has secured passage for all four of them, per the duke's secret instructions. And Miss Maxwell will find out that he is telling the truth when they arrive in England. In the meantime, falling in love with her is turning out to be a most unexpected pleasure... And my review... This book started off really well. I devoured the first half on it in just a couple of hours. There were many things to like about this book: a riveting plot, very likeable characters, and good historical detail woven seemlessly into the story. My main complaint with this book was that the romance between the characters was not quite as compelling as I would have liked. There seemed to be a bit more focus on the sexual attraction between the two than the feelings of tenderness that were supposed to be growing. I want a romance to give me the warm fuzzies, and this one didn't quite do it. Also, there were two children in the book, and while the boy was a fully-developed character, the girl wasn't much more than a plot device. One other minor complaint was that I bought this book thinking that it was a Regency romance, but there was hardly any Regency detail in it. Also, I thought this was a Christmas romance (after all, it's in the title!), but Christmas doesn't make an appearance until the last third of the novel, and even then, it's not much more than a few passing glances. The Christmas aspect of this book felt pretty much tacked on. Also, the author dropped a few threads until right at the end, where she picked them up in the last two pages of the story. It was like she suddenly remembered that she had some loose ends to tie up, and rushed to do it at the end of the book. However, despite all these complaints, this book was very entertaining and enjoyable. Do I recommend giving it a try? Yes. Will I read more books by this author? Probably. Is this book a keeper? Not quite.
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( 6 of 7 found this review helpful ) Posted: Mar 29 2005
For fans of historical romances, this book is an enjoyable read. Matty is an American, the granddaughter of a duke that is a relation to Queen Victoria. Preston's job is to bring her back to England to meet her grandfather before he dies and obtain her inheritance. The characters are interesting, although you do wonder at times why Matty doesn't realize she is not part of a con, but the one getting conned. The romance/sexual tension keeps the story moving. It really gets interesting when Preston's friends and family join the story. It is definitely worth reading.
