Blog Tour: Carla Kelly's Christmas Collection by Carla Kelly

Carla Kelly's Christmas Collection, by Carla Kelly
2011, 288p, Clean Romance
My Rating=4.5 Stars
Source: Provided copy by publisher for an honest review

Come explore Regency London with Carla Kelly! This collection features four stories that will warm your heart with Christmas cheer:

The Christmas Ornament: When the father of his now-deceased best friend hints that he should consider his daughter as a potential wife, Lord James Crandall isn’t sure he can get past the fact that he used to tease her mercilessly when she was just a girl. But once he finds out how brilliant her mind is, he’s not sure he can get past the fact that she’s a woman. Add in the fact that her charms have garnered the attentions of other gentlemen, Lord Crandall is in for quite the roller coaster Christmas.

Make a Joyful Noise: Widower Marquis Peter Chard is grateful for his two children, but not so grateful when his mother gives him the chore of recruiting people for the parish Christmas choir competition. When recently widowed and pregnant Rosie Wheatherby turns up with the voice of an angel and the looks to match, Lord Chard isn’t about to let her get away from the choir . . . or his family.

An Object of Charity: Stuck on land while his ship is being repaired, Captain Michael Lynch is approached by his late first mate’s niece and nephew. Learning they are destitute, he decides to take them home with him for the holidays, returning for the first time in 22 years ago. As he spends more time with them and unburdens his heart to the young woman, she replaces his hurt with love in time for a very special Christmas.

The Three Kings: After her brother is shot by the French in Spain, Lady Sarah Comstock is forced to travel across the war-torn countryside with a Spanish Colonel. As Christmas quickly approaches, Sarah learns about the Three Kings giving gifts to the Christ child and finds a gift of her own that she can share—her heart.

Filled with romance and a touch of humor, these stories are sure to find a place in your heart and remind you that Christmas is a time for love.

These are great Regency Christmas stories and I enjoyed them all! My favorite story was Make a Joyful Noise. Peter's mother made the mistake of asking about the Christmas choir and she was drafted into recruiting members. Every year, three parishes had a friendly competition which has now turned into a monster and their choir is lacking. I felt his mother's pain as I have been in the position of recruiting choir members and it's so difficult. She was also fearful that people would run from her (yep). Peter's sister, Bella, suddenly needs their mother's help as her children have the chicken pox, so she asks Peter to take over choir recruitment duties and leaves. He's not thrilled but the opportunity to recruit just might help his social life. I loved Peter's kindness to everyone--his children, his mother and Rosie and her baby. He's accepting of others and willing to help however he can, whether he wants to do it or not. 

This is also the first Carla Kelly novel I've read and I'm wanting to read more! These stories felt so authentic that I took my time reading them so I could enjoy her writing. This is a great addition to my Christmas collection and I look forward to reading it again. I highly recommend it if you enjoy clean Christmas Regency romantic short stories and are ready to get in the Christmas Spirit!

Award-winning author Carla Kelly is a veteran of the New York and international publishing world. The author of more than thirty novels and novellas for Donald I. Fine Co., Signet, and Harlequin, Carla is the recipient of two Rita Awards (think Oscars for romance writing) from Romance Writers of America and two Spur Awards (think Oscars for western fiction) from Western Writers of America. She is also a recipient of a Whitney Award for Borrowed Light and My Loving Vigil Keeping.

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Book Review: Beyond a Doubt by Felicia Rogers

Beyond a Doubt by Felicia Rogers
ebook, 242p, 2013
Content=Clean, My Rating=4 stars
Source: Provided a copy from Astraea Press for an honest review

Bryce Cameron is finally going home. Years spent away have him longing for the craggy landscapes from his childhood.

Lucy Lombard is on a mission. The mantel she carries was never meant for her possession yet it has been passed to her anyway. Alone and in danger, Lucy stumbles onto her greatest find.

Rescuing Bryce is either a blessing or a curse but regardless time is running out. With Bryce's help can Lucy fulfill her mission or will she be too late? (Goodreads)

Bryce Cameron is on his way home to Crissy, the woman of his dreams and he's ready to settle down with her. He's not sure how he'll be received so he decides to stop at the lake to take a quick bath and nearly drowns. Lucille Lombard is traveling through the area and rescues him. As soon as Bryce becomes conscious, they start fighting and he tries to leave but she convinces him to help her on her important mission. He agrees but isn't too happy about it. All he wants is to get home to Crissy and his sheep. 

This is book 4 in the Renaissance Hearts series. This is also the first book I've read in this series (yes, I realize I've done this before). Bryce Cameron is introduced in Book 2, By God's Grace, and this is his story. 

I really felt that this was a good stand alone book. I could tell there were characters that had been introduced in previous stories and if you've read the series from the beginning, it's always fun to check in with those characters to see what they're doing. However, I didn't feel like any of it detracted from Bryce's story and I enjoyed reading about him. He and Lucy had great interactions with each other and I enjoyed how their relationship developed. I thought it was well written and felt that the plot moved along well. Lucy had enough secrets to keep me guessing throughout the book and wanting to learn more about her. 

If you've started this series, you'll definitely want to finish it out by reading this book. If you're looking for clean, historical romance, this is a series worth checking out! I'm looking forward to reading the rest of the books and have included links to them so you can read more about them.