Publishers Weekly
08/30/2021
Lost loves and first loves come together in this delightfully festive quartet of Regency romances, all brimming with holiday spice and mistletoe mischief. Set against the Duke of Greystoke’s 1815 Christmastide Revelry, each story features strong, mid-20s heroines paired with—and pitted against—equally fascinating male counterparts. James’s opener, “A Mistletoe Kiss,” sets the tone and utterly charms, following Lady Cressida, Greystoke’s youngest daughter and the secret mastermind behind the Revelry, as she trips into love against her father’s wishes. Unconventional Lady Isabelle gets a chance to shine as a playwright—but to do so she must work with a lost love in Christi Caldwell’s “Wishing Under the Mistletoe.” “Compromise Under the Mistletoe” by Janna MacGregor offers a quaint glimpse into the lives of a married couple whose relationship is on the rocks. Erica Ridley’s closing tale, “Mischief & Mistletoe,” hinges on the art of deception as poet Louisa, under pressure to marry soon, searches for a mate who understands her. While lighthearted, each story brings a certain gravitas in highlighting the artistic talents of the heroines. This Christmas confection will be a treat for Regency romance fans. Agent: (for James, Caldwell, and MacGregor) Kim Witherspoon, InkWell Management, (for Ridley) Lauren E. Abramo, Dystel, Goderich & Bourret. (Oct.)
From the Publisher
[A] delightfully festive quartet of Regency romances, all brimming with holiday spice and mistletoe mischief. This Christmas confection will be a treat for Regency romance fans.” — Publishers Weekly
"There is plenty of kissing under the mistletoe in this festive quartet of love stories set at the Duke of Greystoke’s Christmas Revelry." — Booklist
“Nothing gets me to a bookstore faster than a new novel by Eloisa James.” — Julia Quinn
“A Christi Caldwell book never fails to touch the heart.” — Tessa Dare, New York Times bestselling author
“Janna MacGregor writes with intelligence and heart.” — Cathy Maxwell, New York Times bestselling author
“Erica Ridley is a delight!” — Julia Quinn
Julia Quinn
Nothing gets me to a bookstore faster than a new novel by Eloisa James.”
Cathy Maxwell
Janna MacGregor writes with intelligence and heart.”
Booklist
"There is plenty of kissing under the mistletoe in this festive quartet of love stories set at the Duke of Greystoke’s Christmas Revelry."
Booklist
"There is plenty of kissing under the mistletoe in this festive quartet of love stories set at the Duke of Greystoke’s Christmas Revelry."
Library Journal
11/01/2021
It's Christmas 1815, the Duke of Greystoke's infamous Revelry is in full swing, and four couples will come together before the season is over in this story collection. In James's "A Mistletoe Kiss," Lady Cressida is tired of organizing the Revelry for her father, the duke, and longs for a home and marriage of her own. When the sinfully handsome Lord Darcy de Royleston suddenly takes notice of her, she mistrusts his motives. Christi Caldwell's "Wishing Under the Mistletoe" features the duke's granddaughter, Lady Isabelle, who is reunited with her former betrothed when they are unexpectedly paired to direct the Revelry's annual theatrical. Caroline Whitmore, the duke's niece, must pretend to be happily married to her husband even though she left him a year earlier, allowing them time to reconcile in Janna MacGregor's "Compromise Under the Mistletoe." And in Erica Ridley's "Mischief Under the Mistletoe," Louisa Harcourt is forced by her mother to choose a rich husband by the end of the season, only to end up falling for a most unsuitable poet. VERDICT Scandals, secrets, and steamy love scenes make for an engrossing holiday anthology from four acclaimed authors of historical romance.—Kathryn Howe, Saint John Free P.L., NB