A Christmas Abduction by Madeline Hunter
Caroline Dunham has a bone to pick with notorious rake
Baron Thornhill—and a creative plan to insure his undivided attention. Yet once
in close quarters, she finds herself beholden to their smoldering connection .
. .
Good story. Adam is on his way to his cousin's house for
Christmas. He's not enthused about it as he is expected to announce his
engagement to a woman he doesn't particularly like. However, it is an alliance
thing, and he'll take one for the family. He doesn't expect to get kidnapped on
his way there. As he is not wealthy, he has no idea what his captor wants. Caro
is not interested in Adam's fortune or lack of it. She has far more personal
plans for him.
I liked both Adam and Caro. He is a decent guy at heart.
He's made mistakes, admits to them, and wants to change. He takes his abduction
in stride and is more amused than angered by it. Once he figures out who she
is, he believes he knows the why. He is impressed by Caro's efforts to keep
things running and, drawn to her, finds himself wanting to help. For her part,
Caro is determined to make the notorious rake do the right thing. But the more
time she spends with him, the less rakish he appears to be.
There are sparks between Adam and Caro from the start.
Besides the attraction, Adam finds himself feeling protective of Caro,
especially after the incident at the pond. He's stunned when she finally tells
him why he's there and vehemently denies the charge. Caro can't believe she's
attracted to Adam after what he did, but she can't deny what is between them. I
liked seeing them talk and get to know each other. The more I learned about Caro's
reasons for having Adam there, the more I suspected that there was additional
information that she was unaware of. I was not surprised by the truth when it
came out. I loved Adam's actions to fix the situation. I loved the ending, as
Adam finally found his purpose in life, and Caro found the support that she
needed.
A Perfect Match by Sabrina Jeffries
Series: Duke Dynasty (Book 1.5)
Whisked away from a wintry ball by the officer she knew
only through letters, Cassandra Isles struggles with her feelings for the
commanding Colonel Lord Heywood. For he, secretly a fortune-hunter, must marry
for money to save his estate—and Cass, secretly an heiress, will accept nothing
less than love . . .
Good story. Cass and her cousin Kitty are at a winter
ball where Cass does her best to keep Kitty out of the clutches of an
unsuitable man. Though he presents well, there is something about him that Cass
doesn't trust. Her suspicions are reinforced by the arrival of Colonel Heywood,
who brings a message from Kitty's brother with news of the man's perfidy.
Heywood arrives in time to overhear plans to abduct Kitty to Gretna Green, so he
kidnaps Kitty and Cass first.
I liked both Cass and Heywood. Cass is independent,
smart, and protective of her young cousin. She is also cynical about men,
having been courted for her fortune in the past. Now she puts out that she is
the poor relation, wanting to be courted for herself. Heywood is an honorable
man who has spent many years as a soldier, but he longs for peace and a family
of his own. His father left him some property, but it is in poor repair, which
means Heywood must marry a woman who has money.
I liked the development of the relationship between Cass
and Heywood. It begins with a bit of mistaken identity, as Cass has been
writing letters to Kitty's brother in Kitty's name. Douglas shares those
letters with Heywood, who has fallen in love with the writer, whom he believes
is Kitty. This is convenient because Kitty is an heiress. It doesn't take long
for him to realize that Kitty is not what he thought and that it is her poor
cousin Cass who won his heart. Cass is equally drawn to him, but having been
burned once she is wary. I loved seeing them spend time together, matching wits
in some excellent banter. As their feelings for each other deepen, Heywood
realizes that he'd rather give up his land than Cass. As Cass realizes her
feelings for Heywood, she feels guilty about keeping the truth from him.
Heywood disappointed me with his reaction when she confessed, his injured pride
causing him to say some terrible things. Fortunately he sees the light in time
to save her from near disaster and is properly contrite. Cass takes her share
of the blame, too, which was nice to see. I liked the epilogue also.
Heywood's family was terrific, and I look forward to
seeing more of them. His mother led an intriguing life, and it affected each of
her children. I loved the closeness of the family and the lovingly done teasing
among them all.
My only quibble in the story was the frequent insertion
of lines from modern Christmas carols as parts of conversations. I found myself
rolling my eyes each time it happened, as it would pull me out of the story.
One Wicked Winter Night by Mary Jo Putney
Series: Rogues Redeemed (Book 3.5)
Dressed as a veiled princess, Lady Diana Lawrence is
shocked to discover that the mysterious corsair who tempts her away from the
costume ball is the duke she once loved and lost. Now snowed in with Castleton
at a remote lodge, will she surrender to the passion still burning hotly
between them?
Good second chance love story. I loved that this was
Diana's tale, who was part of Rory's story in Once a Scoundrel. Diana left
England seven years earlier, fleeing the memories of a love gone wrong. She
became an independent woman of means thanks to an import/export business she
owns with a friend. The story opens as Diana receives a letter from Rory,
inviting her back to England for a visit. Diana realizes that she is homesick
and makes the decision to return home to stay. The only downside is the chance
that she will run into the man she loved.
Anthony recently inherited the dukedom from his late,
unlamented father. The previous duke had been a cruel man, and Anthony worked
hard to be nothing like him. He is a quiet, kind man who loves his two sisters.
He avoids social events whenever possible, as he has become the target of every
eligible miss and her mother since becoming the duke. His sisters convince him
that attending a costume ball will be fun as he can maintain anonymity while
there.
I loved the meeting between Diana and Anthony. She and
Rory dressed as Indian dancers and performed for the ball's attendees. Anthony
was intrigued by the veiled dancer and requested a dance. The sparks between
them led to an explosive kiss. To say they were shocked to discover who was
behind the masks was putting it mildly. Though Anthony let Diana get away once,
he is now determined not to let it happen again. Diana is still insistent that
there is no chance of anything between them. I loved Anthony's spur-of-the-moment
plan to get Diana to himself long enough to get to the bottom of her resistance,
though Diana took a rather stupid risk to get there quickly. Once they were
together, Anthony's patience and understanding broke through the guilt that had
driven her away and kept her away. Those moments between them were emotional
and heartwarming. Their happy ending was great. I loved their arrival at his
sister's house and how Diana was embraced by them.
One of my favorite things in the story that had me in
giggles was the creativity of the names they had for the cats' species. I also
liked seeing Will and Athena again (loved their costumes for the masquerade
ball) and Rory and Gabriel. I loved the fun that Rory and Diana had planning
and doing their dance.
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