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Hit 7 - Snowy Night with a Stranger
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List Price: $7.99
Our Price: $7.99
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
Manufacturer: Pocket Star
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Average Customer Rating:   
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Binding: Mass Market Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 813.08508334
EAN: 9781416578222
ISBN: 1416578226
Label: Pocket Star
Manufacturer: Pocket Star
Number Of Items: 1
Number Of Pages: 416
Publication Date: 2008-10-28
Publisher: Pocket Star
Studio: Pocket Star
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Editorial Reviews:
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Warm up on a winter's night with three passionate love stories from three shining New York Times bestselling authors! Jane Feather
leads an unwitting Yuletide traveler down a twisting path.... Edward Vasey, Viscount Allenton, is journeying precariously through a snowstorm when his coach is overtaken by high-waymen! Robbed of his money, Ned takes refuge at Selby Hall, where a spirited beauty with a shocking secret may steal something more -- his heart. Sabrina Jeffries
unlocks the heart of an embittered lord.... When a coach accident strands heiress Elinor Bancroft at the home of the notorious Black Baron, she discovers the Christmas Day heartache that darkened his soul years ago -- and her generous heart brings a festive air to his home and reawakens his spirit to love. Julia London
sends a debutante into the wintry Scottish wilds.... Searching for her rakehell brother, an earl lying low in the wake of a scandalous affair, Fiona Haines is led by a rugged Highlander who obscures his scarred face. As they journey on, Fiona draws closer to her brave, enigmatic protector -- but will fury or passion ignite when he reveals his identity?
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Spotlight customer reviews:
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Customer Rating:
Summary: Get it just for the Jeffries story!
Comment: My favorite story by far in this collection is Sabrina Jeffries' light and funny story, which features Charles Dickens as a little boy! The other stories in the anthology were a bit dark for me, especially for the holiday season.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Jeffries contribution deserves 5 stars
Comment: There's one in every anthology and the stand-out story in this one belongs to Sabrina Jeffries. Her contribution, "When Sparks Fly," deserves 5 stars. I gave the book as a whole 4 stars (actually 3.5, but that's not an option here), because the other two entries lacked the same quality, in my opinion. Despite the fact that there are only three stories in this book, meaning the stories were longer than what we usually see in an anthology, the other two didn't have the character development necessary for me to really enjoy them, particularly in the case of "A Holiday Gamble" by Jane Feather.
Jeffries' contribution is an installment of her School for Heiresses series. It's about heiress Elinor Bancroft, whom fans of the series may remember from "Let Sleeping Rogues Lie." It's Jeffries' own take on "A Christmas Carol" and she actually writes a young Charles Dickens into the story, having him witness what happens between the hero and heroine, presumably inspiring him to write his classic tale.
Elinor is traveling home with her aunt and cousins, along with their classmate Charlie Dickens, when her aunt's carriage runs off the road in foul weather and her aunt is injured. In the nick of time, the surly Lord Thorncliffe arrives to save the day, offering them shelter at his estate until the storm clears. Thorncliffe, punishing himself for a tragedy that occurred years ago, just wants to be alone and forget about Christmas and the painful memories it dredges up. But he quickly finds himself enjoying the life his visitors bring to his gloomy manor. And as for Elinor, he finds he dreads losing her company and has trouble keeping his hands off her body.
"Snowy Night with a Highlander" is Julia London's contribution and it's a light, enjoyable story. Fiona Haines fled her Highland home for London years ago as a debutante after overhearing the man she longed to wed make a cruel joke about her. Now, a search for her rakehell brother brings her back and she finds herself drawn to her mysterious escort, who obscures is scarred face and speaks infrequently. What she doesn't know is that he is the same man who once broke her heart, Duncan, the Laird of Blackwood. Duncan was injured in a fire after Fiona left and, though it disfigured him, it made him a better, more considerate man. He now wants nothing more than to make amends and be forgiven by Fiona.
"A Holiday Gamble" by Jane Feather was the weakest of the stories in my opinion. I liked the heroine, a brave, strong-willed young woman being forced into an unwanted marriage by her guardian. She's making careful plans for her escape when a snow storm brings the hero, Ned Vasey, Viscount Allenton, into her path. He takes refuge at the home of her guardian during a house party. The two are immediately attracted to each other and he decides to aid her in her escape. His character seemed rather flat to me and I thought the story had a weak climax.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Not happy christmas stories at all
Comment: One of my pet peeves is a book marketed as one thing while it's actually something completely different. I collect christmas books and I've noticed that more and more over the years that publishers are pushing books as 'heartwarming gifts of the season' that have little to nothing to do with christmas.
Unfortunately, THIS is one of those books.
I bought the book because of it's great cover and the blurbs in back which made it seem really christmasy, hoping that at least one story would make the purchase worth it. I was VERY frustrated by the middle of the second story.
Okay, so. The first story is Jane Feathers. I think someone asked her to do a christmas story and she really didn't want to so she grabbed a short story she'd written, added a few lines saying it took place at a christmas house party and there you go. There was nothing warm or fuzzy or heartwarming about this story at all. It read like a suspense novel where you kept waiting for the vicious brute to start beating the heroine. The hero I liked well enough, the heroine was okay. The story was one of those that kept your stomach cramped with suspense and impending doom. Okay for the rest of the year, not so great for a christmas story.
The second story was Sabrina Jeffries. This was lighter and had a few more christmas details. The problem was the hero. EVERYONE has had some tragedy in their life-that doesn't excuse someone being rude and mean in my book. I think the author was going for a 'beast into prince' characterization, but the problem for me was that I didn't like the hero's actions from the start and she lost me. The heroine wasn't bad, though she had an annoying habit of receiting quotes, I guess to prove she was 'bookish'. It wasn't a bad story, just forgettable.
The third was Julia London and I dragged myself through it. When it started out with some idiotic story of her brother being accused of sleeping with the royal princess and the prince running after him to accuse him of treason....it was a little too farfetched even for a romance novel. This was another 'beast' story as the hero was physically injured and scarred. There just was not a spark for me here and it didn't bode well when the heroine talked about hating the hero because he was a jerk when she was 19 (which he was. I tend to lose sympathy for a character when they act cruelly toward others).
So, my advice....check out the beautiful cover, rent it at the library if you have to...but I'd skip it if you're looking for a light, happy christmasy read. Or any kind of Christmasy read. I'd see if any of the old Signet christmas anthologies are still available as they always had at least one story that made you smile (except for the last one-christmas magic).
Customer Rating:
Summary: More like 4 1/2 stars....
Comment: Christmas comes alive in three charming historical tales that exemplify the spirit of the season....
Jane Feather starts things off with "A Holiday Gamble". Ned Vasey, Viscount Allenton, is robbed by a group of highwaymen in the midst of a snowstorm while returning to a home he'd left many years ago. He takes refuge in the home of Roger Selby only to find himself in the midst of a raucous celebration featuring the Lord of Misrule. One woman stands out... the Lady Georgiana but she has her own secrets.
What an interesting twist on the Christmas theme! Jane Feather does a beautiful job at showing the vulgarity of the celebrations in Roger Selby's home without crossing the line to being offensive. Georgiana's determination and spirit to withstand such impropriety and crudeness is admirable. Ned is the perfect hero for Georgiana as he has his own brand of spunk as well. Jane Feather demonstrates why she is so popular with "A Holiday Gamble"!
"When Sparks Fly" by Sabrina Jeffries features spirited heiress Ellie Bancroft. When one of her carriages wrecks on the way home, Ellie is left stranded with her aunt and her young cousins. Baron Martin Thorncliff rescues them all, but is the Black Baron truly as prickly as he seems? Can Ellie reignite the Christmas spirit in a man as hardened as Lord Thorncliff?
Oh, what a joy to read such a heartwarming story! Sabrina Jeffries writes such vivid characters that their emotions practically jump off the pages. Martin's story broke my heart as his inner pain and anguish are overwhelming. Ellie is a strong, determined character who clearly knows her own mind. The conclusion is emotionally powerful and ends the story perfectly. Fans of Sabrina Jeffries will note that "When Sparks Fly" is part of her School for Heiresses series although it is easily a stand alone story.
Julia London concludes the anthology with "Snowy Night with a Highlander". Lady Fiona Haines is forced to leave London and search for her brother in Edinburgh to warn him of a possible scandal. Duncan Buchanan finds himself aiding Fiona in her quest, but Fiona is unaware that he is the same man who scorned her in the past. How will she react when his identity is revealed?
"Snowy Night with a Highlander" is perhaps the most traditional tale in SNOWY NIGHT WITH A STRANGER. Duncan is a man scarred by his past, both physically and emotionally. Fiona is a bit too self absorbed at times, but her love and her willingness to sacrifice for her brother help soften her. The ending is sweet and perfect for a Christmas themed anthology.
SNOWY NIGHT WITH A STRANGER contains three stories with a common theme and yet each story takes a different twist. Jane Feather, Sabrina Jeffries, and Julia London each write beautiful stories that are sure to warm the hardest of hearts as they show the beauty of the Christmas spirit. SNOWY NIGHT WITH A STRANGER is easily recommended!
COURTESY OF CK2S KWIPS AND KRITIQUES
Customer Rating:
Summary: three warm Regency holiday romances
Comment: "Holiday Gamble" by Jane Feather. The blizzard forces Lord Ned Vasey to seek shelter at the home of Lord Roger Selby. Ned meets Selby's ward, Georgina, who he believes is hiding something that he plans to uncover.
"When Sparks Fly" by Sabrina Jeffries. The coach accident leaves Lady Eleanor Bancroft and her three young charges with no options except to beg for hospitality from the cranky hermit and are at the mercy of Martin "Black Baron" Thorncliffe. She is not sure he will let them stay. He would prefer to refuse them, but even he cannot. Neither of the adults is prepared for the attraction between them.
"A Snowy Night With a Highlander" by Julia London. Lady Fiona Haines searches for her missing Laird Duncan Buchanan, with an injured arm and a patch over his eye, offers his help. Together they seek her sibling while an attraction between them ignites; However Duncan fears what will happen to their just starting relationship when she learns who he is.
SNOWY NIGHT WITH A STRANGER contains three warm (in spite of the weather) Regency holiday romances that showcase top talent. Fans will enjoy this fine historical collection.
Harriet Klausner
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