A Christmas Promise

A Christmas Promise is a different sort of romance, at least in the way it progresses. Mary Balogh is an author I've come to appreciate for her unique take on romance and this book was no exception. In this story, the hero and heroine are essentially forced into an arranged marriage by her father. The heroine's father isn't a bad man, just one who is dying and has very little time left. He loves his daughter very much, calling her his precious jewel, and he wants to make an advantageous marriage for her and see her settled with a man he believes he can trust before leaving this mortal plane. He did his research extremely well and chose an earl who has a reputation as an honorable man, then buys up all the man's debts to persuade him to show more marry his daughter. As someone of the merchant class, it was about the only way he could see his daughter married to a titled gentleman in short order. Although neither of them would have been so crass as to say so to his face and mar the man's final days, his actions cause the hero and heroine to basically hate each other at first sight. Then they must find a way to move on from that inauspicious beginning to live amicably with one another, although neither believes that they'll ever fall in love.

Randolph and Eleanor couldn't be more different from each other if they tried. Randolph unexpectedly inherited the title of Earl of Falloden from a cousin who passed on without an heir, and in the process, he also inherited a mountain of debt. His parents died when he was young, so he was raised by his grandparents on the estate that now belongs to him. He's been taught all his life what he can and cannot do as a proper gentleman and has never really deviated from the prescribed rules of polite society. Eleanor is the daughter of a wealthy coal merchant. Her father had her educated as well as any proper lady, but she's still a hated cit who is considered to be crass and vulgar and has never felt like she fits in with polite society. As such she has little use for the ton. It was her father's dream, not hers, to see her married to a gentleman. She wants to marry someone she loves and would be just as happy with a man who has no money or title at all.

When Randolph and Eleanor first come together, they're like oil and water. They're simply two strangers who have no idea who the other person in their relationship is and each of them also bring their preconceived notions of what the other is like into the marriage. She thinks that because her father bought Randolph, he's probably a spendthrift and a profligate gambler who'll lose every penny of her father's money the second he gets his hands on it. He thinks she's rather vulgar and just a cit who was selfishly looking to marry above her station. He also believes that she's cold and unfeeling because she has a tendency to button up her emotions when he's around, when in reality she's simply uncomfortable expressing herself in the presence of a stranger. It all makes for a very awkward situation for both of them in the beginning, but neither has much choice in the matter. Randolph needs the money to restore his estate and avoid debtor's prison through no fault of his own, while Ellie would never dream of going against the wishes of a dying father she adores. At first, Randolph and Ellie seem determined not to like each other and to make each other suffer, but gradually, as they observe the other's behavior and open their hearts to the magic and joy of the holiday season, they manage to work through their anger at the situation and finally see one another for the decent and caring person each of them is.

Normally I wouldn't care much for a romance in which the hero and heroine are at odds for so long, because it doesn't seem to leave a lot of room for actual romance. Initially neither Randolph nor Ellie were particularly interested in pleasing one another. Even the sex is terrible at first, and and for those who abhor cheating of any kind, he keeps his mistress for a short time, visiting her twice, though it's barely a mention. None of this would typically be my cup of tea, but I ended up really liking the story anyway because of how very realistic and genuine it seems. When I took the time to think about how each of these individuals were plucked from their normal lives and essentially forced into a marriage neither of them wanted, it makes sense that they'd both be angry and resentful. Both were also in love (or at least fancied themselves in love) with other people beforehand, which only exacerbated the situation. When taking all this into consideration as well as the fact that they quite suddenly found themselves married to a complete stranger in a matter of a mere week's time, I could totally understand their feelings. Granted their communication could have been better. They often think of things they should say or do, but then their anger gets in the way of them being more pleasant and doing the right thing. They tend to engage in a dance of taking two steps forward then one step back for a large part of the story, but gradually they start to see the other person for who they really are and slowly but surely begin to trust and then fall in love with one another. The only reason I knocked off a half star is because even after Randolph starts to warm up to Ellie and begins treating her with more respect, she can still get a little biting and sarcastic with her comments. I understood where she was coming from, but perhaps it drug on just a tad too long.

Otherwise A Christmas Promise was a wonderful story that perfectly showcased the magic of Christmas. Ellie's family was absolutely delightful. I love how they joyously celebrate the holiday and how all of them get Randolph to come out of his sheltered world a bit. He's quite surprised to find himself enjoying their boisterous antics and even joining in, despite knowing his grandparents would be appalled at their vulgarity. Randolph and Ellie's romance may not have been a grand affair, but I really enjoyed seeing how they grew to care for one another through the quiet subtlety in their shared moments of amity. There are a number of secondary romances brewing in the background as well, which was the icing on the cake. Overall A Christmas Promise was another enjoyable read and a perfect compliment to the holiday season from Mary Balogh, who is masterful at creating very human relationships and flawed but likable characters. show less

I generally don't care for Christmas-related romances, but Mary Balogh overcame all of my prejudices with this one. I'm surprised at myself, but this truly deserves five stars.

Eleanor Transome is a cit, the daughter of a fabulously wealthy coal merchant. Although she has been educated to be a proper lady, she has no desire to elevate her social standing and yearns only to marry her second cousin Wilfred. He, however, is a mere clerk and has told her that he cannot marry her as he has no prospects and refuses to live off of his wife's wealth.

Randolph Pierce has recently succeeded his spendthrift cousin as Earl of Falloden. He is virtually penniless, but he cannot bring himself to sell his beloved ancestral home Grenfell Park. When show more Eleanor's father buys up all of Randolph's debts and offers to forgive them if Randolph marries Eleanor, Randolph is repulsed but tempted. He knows that his true love's father will never let her marry an impoverished earl.

Randolph reluctantly decides to marry Eleanor, and Eleanor agrees to marry Randolph, but only because her father is on the verge of death and she will do anything to make him happy in his final days.

At this point, experienced romance readers may spot a resemblance to Georgette Heyer's [b:A Civil Contract|311132|A Civil Contract|Georgette Heyer|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1328873389s/311132.jpg|3228237], one of her best Regencies. While that book, however, is largely melancholy, this one takes a more optimistic turn.

Neither Randolph nor Eleanor is happy about this marriage, and they get off to a terrible start. When Eleanor's father dies shortly thereafter, Eleanor can't even grieve, and Randolph decides that she is a cold, social-climbing bitch. She thinks him equally an equally cold, wastrel snob.

Things begin to change, however, when they journey to Grenfell Park for Christmas. To spite Randolph and to obey her father's request that she let off mourning and celebrate Christmas, Eleanor invites her entire extended family for the holiday -- twenty loud, boisterous, vulgar aunts, uncles, and cousins. Randolph has already invited four aristocratic friends who have nowhere else to go, thinking that they five will get in a lot of shooting.

At Grenfell Park, Eleanor and Randolph begin to develop an unwilling attraction, but they continue to spar with hurtful words and actions. There is a lot, perhaps too much, internal dialog, as both spouses begin to see one another in a new light. The arrival of Eleanor's family brings in lots of humor; my favorite being their addressing the earl as "Randy."

Balogh sets out an entirely credible story, as Eleanor and Randolph gradually change and eventually fall in love with one another.

This book made me smile. I'll bet you will too. show less

As usual, Ms. Balogh managed to get my emotional buy-in - there were actual tears. Twice. I didn't like Eleanor all the time - she jumped to conclusions and wouldn't TALK to Randolph. Fortunately, Randolph was prepared to compromise - in fact, he was the one who initiated detente almost the whole time. But, other than my occasional annoyance with Ellie, I really enjoyed the book. It's nice to see it back in print!

A Christmas Promise by Mary Balogh is a historical romance story set against the backdrop of Christmas celebrations. Randolph, Earl of Falloden is coerced into marrying the daughter of a wealthy coal merchant in order to clear the debts that the previous Earl left. The daughter. Ellie, agrees to the marriage in order to please her father who is dying. Randolph believes his new wife is a cold fish who only married him in order to have a title and Ellie believes that Randolph is a spendthrift and gambler who wasted his own fortune and now will do the same to her father’s.

One of last things that her father asks of her is to promise not to mourn too deeply and for her and her new husband to celebrate Christmas together. The couple become show more sworn enemies from the moment they meet, but agree to keep the Christmas promise and celebrate the holiday at their country estate. Surrounded by his friends and her family, they start to look at each other with new eyes and could this new unwilling attraction possibly lead to love?

I enjoyed this book and especially loved all the Christmas touches that were included. However, I was uncomfortable reading about the wedding night as the couples’ passion reflected the dislike they each felt for one another. Luckily their feelings toward each other softened and their romantic encounters became more tender and caring. Both Ellie and Randolph make many mistakes but as they get to know one another the distrust and dislike fades away and makes room for the new feelings they are developing for each other. show less

Read this for 12 Tasks of the Festive Season:
Task the Third: The Holiday Party:
- Read a book where a celebration is a big part of the action. Examples would include holiday parties, country house hunting/weekend parties, weddings, etc.

This meets the holiday party criteria, the heroine's family and a couple of the hero's friends gather at their home for a week to celebrate Christmas.

He felt disgust and shame at what he was doing. He was marrying for money.

I had a couple friends tell me they thought pretty highly of this book and I see why. Eleanor's father is dying and he wants to make sure that she is settled so he buys the debts of an Earl and tells him he'll forgive them if he marries his daughter. Randolph inherited the debts show more along with the earldom but sees no way out of it, so he decides to marry who he calls the cit because Eleanor's father made his money in coal. So, our heroine knows she's being married for money and our hero knows he's being married for position in society. This leads to them being very cold to one another.

She had done what she always did when she was afraid or angry or both. She had given as good as she had got.

With her father dying and having had a bad experience with aristocrats Eleanor throws up one heck of a wall and cold shoulder toward Randolph, he eventually ends up calling her "hedgehog". Which is a nickname I never thought I would delight in but oh did I. I think some will be annoyed/angry with how cold Eleanor was but I get her, she was in self-protection mode and not wanting Randolph to see her hurt because that would shame her. I did think their dagger throwing, especially on Eleanor's side went on a tad too long, I think we should have seen a stronger turning about around the 60% mark.

Was it that he wanted the physical closeness to her in the hope that it would bring some emotional closeness too?

This was originally published in 1992 and it has aged very well but it also has a more realistic telling of how people would have acted during this time than a lot of currently published historicals. Don't get me wrong, Eleanor is an extremely strong character but she asks for permission from her husband and acknowledges she has to obey him in certain situations. To me, she is all the better because of this realistic take, her strength is even more evident in how she maintained her sense of self in the face of the "rules" of her time. Thinking back, Randolph was probably a better man than I gave him credit for while reading. He was the one who seemed to want to give them a chance and walked further across the bridge that separated them. However, since I know it is a deal breaker for some, he has a mistress and after he is married to Eleanor and he visits her twice. We never see these two visits, we see one visit before he is married to Eleanor, but they are mentioned.

If you're looking for holiday reading, this needs to be at the top of your list. The wintry and holiday atmosphere is fantastic in this story. They go sledding, picking holly, Christmas carols are sung, Christmas pageants, snowball fights, a family gathering, and etc. The hero and heroine's relationship might be a bit too prickly for some but I loved how real it felt. The wariness of being involved in an arranged marriage, the guarded standoffish of distrustfulness, and the eventual getting to know someone and coming together. This was a moving holiday read.

"Do we like each other?" she asked.
"Yes," he said. "We do." show less

Balogh is often great at creating a believable misunderstanding that moves a plot forward, and this is one of those books. Unfortunately the first half of the book is so bleak and sad that it's hard to enjoy, certainly not what I think of when I imagine a Christmas book. Things do improve around the 75% mark, but then Balogh's religiosity started bugging me. The sex scenes, never her strength, have to be among the worst I've ever read. A well-developed relationship, but not an enjoyable read for me in the end.

Here we have Eleanor Transome who is a single child and her father is wealthy from having made his fortune as a coal merchant. Ellie and her family are considered working class or cits and although they have money they are looked down upon by the ton who are born into their wealth and status.

Randolph Pierce is the Earl of Falloden and he is broke after inheriting his cousin’s estate and gambling debts. The debts are so bad he can’t pay them all off in his lifetime. Ellie’s dad makes Randolph a.k.a Randy a proposition, marry Ellie and his debts are all paid in full. Ellie’s dad is dying of cancer and he wants to make sure his only daughter is taken care of before he passes away and he also wants to see her accepted as part of the show more ton and marrying the Earl will get her in. As part of the marriage agreement, Randy is to consummate the marriage on the wedding night and he is to live with Ellie for at least one full year.

These two dislike each other instantly, Ellie hates that Randy is marrying her for her money and Randy sees Ellie as a cold-hearted woman who just wants to rise up in high society. Both have other love interests but there are issues that won’t allow for marriages with those relationships and Randy has a mistress as well.

Randy takes Ellie to live in his estate in the country for one year and he tells her to invite a few family members over for Christmas which is just around the corner. To spite him, she invites over twenty people. This is when these two finally start to know one another as they let their guards down. This was mainly a story about misconceptions and class status, with some snowball fights, a Christmas play and loud family members mixed in.

However, my main qualm with this book was that the sex scenes were off, all expect for maybe one which was less painful to read. Randy was a jerk in the beginning and this was hard to get past. This happens early on and surprisingly enough Randy redeems himself as the story flows making him a likable character in the end.
I found A Christmas Promise had its good parts and its bad ones. Some of it was very sweet and romantic and this makes me want to try this author again.
My full review can be found here
https://bookwormnai.wordpress.com/2017/12/23/a-christmas-promise-by-mary-balogh/

Disclaimer: This review is my honest opinion. I did not receive any kind of compensation for reading and reviewing this book. I am under no obligation to write a positive review. I purchased my copy of A Christmas Promise by Mary Balogh. show less