Book Title: The Heart of Christmas (A Handful of Gold/The Season for Suitors/This Wicked Gift)
Pages: 378
Publisher: Harlequin Historical
Genre: Historical Romance/Christmas
(A Note on this book: This is a collection of three novellas, I will review each one separately.)
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Novella Title: A Handful of Gold
Pages: 125
(Scale Explanation: 1) Meaning awful, 5) Meaning not good, but not bad, equal, 10) Meaning wonderful)
PLOT - 7
CHARACTERS - 8
BEGINNING - 6
ENDING - 9
FLOW - 7
OVERALL - 8
What I liked about this novella: I really liked the female lead character. She was doing what she had to do for her family, that was her focus. She put on another persona entirely. I thought that the situation became slightly comical when she went to the hunters lodge with her male companion. I like how the rake went after her after falling in love with her and found her. It was a sweet romance that started on ugly terms.
What I disliked about this novella: This novella started slow, and stayed pretty slow throughout. It was a good story, it just seemed to take longer to get to the point. The plot was simple, but I don’t believe that the author did a very good job in letting the reader know the past of the rake in this story. He just seemed to be angsty almost, not like he had gone through any horrible things, he was just a spoiled brat almost.
Who I would recommend this novella to: Anyone that likes the author. I shall give something else that she has written a try, because I don’t know if this novella would be the best judge of her talent. Anyone that like historical romance that includes a lot of religion and talk of Christmas cheer.
What I felt the novella was about: Viscount Folingsby is a rake and his family wants him to marry. He gets a letter from his friend inviting him to his hunters box for a week during Christmas. He includes that Folingsby should bring a lovely companion for a long week of debauchery as his friend is bringing his mistress. It is supposed to be the getaway for Folingsby before he is to wed the woman that he would rather throw mud at. Verity is a dancer for the opera theatre and many men have tried to get her to be their mistress. She had never accepted because she would rather marry than be a mistress. But her sister’s illness has forced her into this career choice. With her sisters medical bills adding up, she had no other choice than to accept the next gent’s offer. Viscount Folingsby takes her to dinner and offers her 500 pounds to go with him for the week. She accepts knowing that it is the only way to save her sisters life from the illness. After the first day at the hunters box, Folingsby kisses Verity only to find out that she has never kissed before, so that leads him to conclude that she is a virgin. He is angry and decides to sleep on the floor rather than take this womans innocence. The next few days are filled with activities as Verity makes everyone decorate the house for Christmas and have a jolly time. A reverend and his family crash a few miles away from the lodge and a few of the servants bring them back so as not to be stuck out in the cold. The reverends wife is pregnant and they also have two little boys. They have a jolly good time singing carols and attending a service put on by the Reverend in the sitting room. The Reverends wife goes into labor and Verity has to deliver the baby. After Verity leaves on her own accord, Folingsby figures out that he loves her and searches for her back in London. It takes him a while, but voila happy ending.
Favorite excerpts or quotes from the novella: “”I fancy,” he said, “that some artist must once have mixed his paints with care and used a fine brush in order to produce the particular color of your eyes. It is unusual, if not unique.” – Page 29
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Novella Title: The Season for Suitors
Pages: 114
(Scale Explanation: 1) Meaning awful, 5) Meaning not good, but not bad, equal, 10) Meaning wonderful)
PLOT - 8
CHARACTERS - 9
BEGINNING - 8
ENDING - 8
FLOW - 8
OVERALL - 8
What I liked about this novella: The background story of the rake was very nicely done. I really liked the conversations between the two lead characters, they were very witty. I enjoyed the descriptions of the landscapes. The story ended up being very comical and sweet in the end.
What I disliked about this novella: I don’t know what it was that angered me about reading this novella, but it seemed as though the sentences that described what a person was doing or something in the background was very bland, so I would have to read the sentence a few times over for it to register. I wish I know what made me feel that way.
Who I would recommend this novella to: Anyone that likes the author. I shall give something else that she has written a try, because I don’t know if this novella would be the best judge of her talent. Anyone that likes historical romance that includes Christmas cheer.
What I felt the novella was about: Sebastian, the Duke of Fleet is a disgusting vulgar rake and everyone knows it. He has no intention of ever marrying. Clara Davencourt has been in love with Sebastian for two years now even though he rejected her proposal of marriage back then. She assumed that she was over him and needs some advice and help. She is scared that some other fool or rake will find a way to compromise her and force her into marriage. She calls on Sebastian and he agrees to help in a weird way. He is actually in love with Miss Davencourt, but refuses to give in to it. They kiss a few times and constantly have to tell Miss Davencourts older brother that nothing happened. Hilarious. Then, Miss Davencourt is ice skating one morning as Sebastian had just made travel plans to leave the continent. He is riding by when he sees the ice crack underneath her and she falls in. He doesn’t think, he just acts and saves her life. This brought about a lot of sadness for Sebastian because he lost his younger brother many years ago because he wasn’t fast enough to save him from the ice water, the same way that Clara fell in. So, his depression is more understood, he just hasn’t moved on. Clara goes to see him later and he refuses her again. She goes to leave, but the servants urge her to try again because they don’t want to be out of the job if Sebastian is gone. Right on schedule, Sebastian calls his butler to call his carriage to take him to the bar. He goes and gets drunk and Clara gets him from the bar. As they are walking out to the carriage, he confesses exactly how he feels about her and tada happy ending.
Favorite excerpts or quotes from the novella: “Clara glared at him. “You like me-but not enough to marry me.” “You are mistaken. I like you far too much to marry you. I would be the devil of a husband.””– Page 151
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Novella Title: This Wicked Gift
Pages: 121
(Scale Explanation: 1) Meaning awful, 5) Meaning not good, but not bad, equal, 10) Meaning wonderful)
PLOT - 9
CHARACTERS - 10
BEGINNING - 9
ENDING - 10
FLOW - 10
OVERALL - 10
What I liked about this novella: Courtney Milan is an amazing writer. I will always get anything that she writes. She is just so talented. Anyway, other than that, the story was wonderful. It is about William White, a minor character in Courtney’s other book that just came out, Proof by Seduction. I really liked the character of Lavinia, she is very strong and never does anything for herself. She is all about family. She has an adorably bratty younger brother that she takes care of and I really enjoyed their relationship. I love that she had a huge crush on Mr. White before he approaches her for her wicked gift. I love that Gareth Carhart makes an appearance in this story and we got to see how he was before he became the Marquess. I have a mild crush on his character.
What I disliked about this novella: Though, it’s a main part of the story, I don’t like how William bashes himself over what he has done to Lavinia even after she had cleared things up, or at least, they should have been cleared up, but it is essential to the story.
Who I would recommend this novella to: Anyone that likes the author. Anyone that likes historical romance that includes Christmas cheer.
What I felt the novella was about: Lavinia Spencer took over the family Library when her father became ill. He brother goes and does his own thing and gets into a bit of trouble. He has taken her stash of money to buy a nice Christmas dinner and loses it with a scoundrel at the docks. William White has frequented the library for a year now and is secretly in love with Lavinia, or at least he wants her. He could never imagine marrying her because he doesn’t feel as though he is worthy. He over hears Lavinia talking to her brother about the money that he lost. That’s when he decides to take action. He gets Lavinia when she is alone and snatched an address from her hand, the address to the scoundrel that took her brothers money. He tells her that he will take care of it and if she wants to know how he did to meet him at one the next day at his house. She meets him and he has purchased the debt that her brother owes the scoundrel. White doesn’t know that Lavinia’s brother won’t get into trouble for the debt and so he offers to settle the debt if Lavinia gives him her body. She does, but it is of her own accord. He then, bashes himself over and over hoping to get someone to be angry with him over what he had done. Even after Lavinia explains to him that she wanted what happened to have happened. He finally does something good at work for the Marquess of Blakely’s heir, Gareth Carhart. And he gets a new job balancing his accounts. Makes more money and finally realizes that he could afford Lavinia. In the end, Lavinia explains that he wouldn’t have to afford her and that they love each other. But I’m not going to spill the lovely details. Happy ending number three.
Favorite excerpts or quotes from the novella: “”That gesture,” Lavinia said, “must be William Q. White for ‘Dear Lord, she’s given me a rabid compliment! Run away before it bites me!”” - Page 338
