Ella J. Quince

I never want to read about a wedding on Christmas ever again.

I am so so so glad I am FINALLY done with this. The relief! While I actually enjoyed more of the stories than I expected, this went downhill when I read the whole second half over the last week.


THINGS I LEARNED FROM THIS ANTHOLOGY (in categories cause I'm just that sick of everything)
Plot & character things
- All men speak in a rich baritone
- A woman's hair is always long and usually curly
- Every blonde woman is an angel (twice the show more angel if her hair is also blonde & curly)
- Scotsmen are always rugged and we'd forget they're Scottish if they didn't call the heroine "lassie" in at least every second sentence
- Epilogues only exist to show us that the heroine is pregnant
- Isn't it funny to call this heroine in Christmas romance anthology Holly? So original!

Sex things
- "It's called a cock."
- There's always oral sex before the virgin is deflowered (or "claimed", as most stories put it. By his rod.)
- "What was that?!" - "It's called an orgasm."

Actual serious criticism
- People of color didn't exist in 19th century England, not even as servants (except for that one story)
- Neither did queer people
- Beta readers for spelling and grammar? We don't need them cause we're just THAT good. 99% of these mistakes were things spellcheck should've picked up on, what are you even doing?!
- Apparently spanking is so sexy that there's no need to distinguish it from abuse. Hard disagree.


INDIVIDUAL RATINGS (to be taken with a grain of salt, especially those at the beginning - when I wasn't sick of the premise yet - and those at the end, when I was too sick of the premise. I've also got an update with a mini review after every single story for you to enjoy...)
Hell's Wedding Bells - 4 stars
Two Lady Scoundrels and a Duke - 1 star
A Wicked Wedding - 5 stars
The Lady's Guide to Mistletoe and Mayhem - 1 star
The Russian Betrothal - 4 stars
Beautifully Reckless - 2 stars
The Mistletoe Mistress - 3 stars
Deeds Not Words - 2 stars
Holly and the Beast - 3 stars
The Winter Bride - 3 stars
Mistletoe Kisses - 3 stars
The Christmas Countess - 2 stars
Mischief and Mistletoe - 2 stars
Kidnapped With the Knight - 1 star
The Russian Prince's Bride - 4 stars
Christmas Charity - 3 stars
The Angel of an Astronomer - 4 stars
Wassail, Wagers and Weddings - 3 stars
Highland Yule - 1 star
Marrying Miss Bright - 3 stars
Kiss Me, Macrae - 3 stars
Holly and Old Lace - 1 star
Home for Christmas - 2 stars
A Spinster at the Highland Court - 2 stars
The Holiday Hussy - 1 star
December Debauchery - 3 stars
Wedded in Winter - 2 stars show less

Fun follow-on to Pretending to Love a Lyon. In that book, Lord Samuel Clark suffered a life-threatening injury that put him at death's door. His best friend Graham Blakewood moved into Sam's house to help Sam's twin sister, Amelia, care for him. Desperate to save Sam's life, Amelia made a bargain with Mrs. Dove-Lyon - a top-notch surgeon to care for Sam in exchange for Sam marrying a woman of the widow's choice. The twists and turns of that book were fascinating.

As this book opens, Sam show more finally regains consciousness to find his life permanently altered. His sister is married to his best friend, much of society believes he is dead, and he is engaged to an unknown woman. Sam has no intention of carrying through with the marriage, as he wants a woman he can love.

In the meantime, Graham's younger sister, Daisy, has been promised to an earl since childhood. When rumors about her brother's marriage reach her chaperone, Daisy finds herself summarily exiled from her current situation. She takes refuge with her brother at Sam's house, where she renews her acquaintance with him.

I enjoyed the development of Sam and Daisy's relationship. It begins as a simple friendship, with Daisy keeping Sam company as he recovers. She witnesses his frustration with his sister's overprotectiveness and helps him with his secret attempts at rehabilitation. It doesn't take long for stronger feelings to grow between them, but neither is truly free to pursue those feelings. Sam must find a way to win his freedom that will satisfy Mrs. Dove-Lyon, and Daisy must overcome her ingrained need to please everyone else before attending to her own needs.

The resolution is well done as the Black Widow weaves her web and pulls the strings to gain her desired outcome. There were some tense moments as Sam and Daisy each carried out their tasks. Secondary characters Tristan Chase and Miss Smith provide a couple of twists in the plot. I suspect we will see them in a subsequent book. show less

Good brother's best friend/best friend's sister story. Amelia and Graham are very different people. He is stoic and controlled and gives off grumpy vibes. Amelia is impulsive and always optimistic. Amelia lives with her twin brother, Sam, the Earl of Alston, and has no plans to marry. Matters become very complicated when Sam sustains a life-threatening injury. To protect her brother and herself, she must keep his injuries secret. Her only help is Graham, whom she has never gotten along with.
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Amelia has no idea that Graham has been in love with her for years. As her brother's best friend, Graham believes she is off-limits to him and uses his standoffish attitude to keep her at a distance. However, they put their differences aside to work together to care for Sam. It doesn't take long for Amelia to realize she may have misjudged Graham's attitude toward her.

Trouble arises when Amelia's aunt and cousin become suspicious about Sam's lack of public appearances. The cousin is Sam's heir and is eager to step into Sam's shoes. He and his mother scheme to force Amelia to marry him, putting her inheritance under their control. Amelia and Graham's only option seems to be a fake engagement to keep them at bay. As their engagement forces them into frequent public appearances, it becomes obvious that Graham's feelings for Amelia are much stronger than he wants to admit. Nor does Amelia wish to acknowledge her growing attraction and feelings for him.

Amelia seeks help from Mrs. Dove-Lyon in carrying out their plans, putting her in the widow's debt. The terms were quite interesting, and I suspect they will significantly impact the author's next book in the series. One of her people makes several appearances, providing assistance at a critical time. Mrs. Dove-Lyon also steps in when looming disaster makes it imperative that Amelia and Graham marry quickly.

The fast-paced conclusion, from the confrontation with the aunt and cousin to the medical crisis with Sam, broke down the walls that kept Amelia and Graham apart. I loved seeing them admit their feelings and work together to protect and help Sam. There are a couple of twists that bode well for future books. show less

A Wicked Wedding by Laura Trentham: “ . . . her smile and twinkling eyes had him grinning at her like a ninnyhammer." When I read that I knew I was in for a treat. And I was right. If Diana and Cole's story in A Wicked Wedding is any indication, the Once Upon a Christmas Wedding anthology it is part of is going to be one fantastic read. It’s the perfect blend of sweet and spice.

Diana and Cole have known each other since childhood; they grew up together. So the dialogue between them show more fairly snaps. But things are a little different now. Cole is The Earl of Linley. As the third son, he was never supposed to be but tragedy made it happen. Diana is just about marrying age, but with her outspoken manner and standing in the shadow of her sister’s beauty it might not be that easy. When Cole returns home as “My Lord” there is a new tension between them, some undercurrent that wasn’t there before. What’s happening? Diana can’t seem to stop her thoughts, “He would fill the emptiness and she wagered she wouldn’t even need a warming pan. What would happen if they were alone? . . . She pictured herself rubbing Cole’s feet.” I had to laugh out loud. Not sure foot rubbing would be on the agenda.

I always love anything and everything that Laura Trentham writes, and A Wicked Wedding was no exception. Her stories are so sweet, and the heat in this story didn’t hurt either!

I received an advance copy of A Wicked Wedding, thoroughly enjoyed it and recommend it without hesitation. It has everything: a great plot populated by well-developed characters, and is full of humor, love, romance, surprise, suspense, danger, sadness – and LOVE. Read it! show less