Holiday Maiden Lane Novella Out Today!

Maiden Lane Series by Elizabeth Hoyt

Historical Romance

 

Once Upon a Christmas Eve: A Maiden Lane Novella

 

I received a free copy of this book through NetGalley. I decided to share this review because I like this book and think you might too.

Overall Rating: 3.5 (sXe)

Quick & Dirty summary: Adam Rutledge doesn’t particularly like Christmas, but he does like his grandmother. When the Viscount and his mother are stuck on a snowy road near the holidays, Adam resigns himself to spending the holidays as an imposing houseguest. Sarah St. John has an aversion to rakes and there is no one more rakish than Adam. But when the two of them are stuck in the same house, feelings about Christmas and each other change.

The characters in this book really make it a fun read. They are complex and their complexity is revealed, or built, gradually. Adam isn’t the cold-hearted rake that he appears in society, and Sarah isn’t the uptight prude that she acts.

This is a quick read that will help get you into the holiday spirit. This book is a standalone, so you don’t need to have read other books in the series. However, if you have read other books in this series, it’s very much inline with the style and has a few characters you might be curious to hear about again.

Is it worth buying? (Kindle $1.99)

Yes! If you like historical romance and you like the holidays, this is the perfect book for you at a reasonable price.

Something else you might enjoy:

If you’d like to read a full-length Christmas historical romance, try Lisa Kleypas’ Devil in Winter. It has a common theme of rakes, but you’ll find the characters are very different.

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New Release in the Maiden Lane Series

Maiden Lane Series by Elizabeth Hoyt

Historical Romance

 

Once Upon a Maiden Lane (novella)

 

This is a novella in the Maiden Lane Series. I have not read the entire series of books so I can attest to the fact that this can standalone on its own. I received a free copy of this book and decided to review it because I liked it.

 

Overall Rating: 3.5 (sXe)

Quick & Dirty summary: Miss Mary Whitsun is not amused when Henry Collins, Viscount Blackwell mistakes her for his fiancée. She’s even less amused when Henry tries to convince everyone she’s the long lost twin of Lady Johanna Albright. Henry is sure that he’s correct, not only because of the facts, but because he’d much rather marry Mary than Johanna. But when someone begins to shoot at Mary and Henry, they realize there is more at stake than simply a lost child.

This is a fun book to read. There are a lot of twists and turns, and the banter between Henry and Mary is enjoyable. It isn’t exactly a romantic suspense because it’s never really that scary and the central question of the book isn’t, who is out to murder Mary and/or Henry, but rather is Mary really the lost sister of Johanna.

I was totally surprised by the ending. It didn’t turn out the way I thought it would and that’s great on one hand, and unsettling on the other. What made me unsettled is the ending didn’t seem to be quite as believable for the time period the book is set in. Now, even writing this is uncomfortable for me because I hate those kinds of arguments. People behave in all sorts of unexpected ways, regardless of social strictures, so I usually ignore it when people say that. So take what I’ve said with a grain of salt, plus a dash more because I can’t get into specifics without spoiling the end, and go ahead and read the book.

Is it worth buying? (Kindle $1.99)

If you’ve been following this series then I think this is well worth your time and money. If you haven’t been following the series, like me, it’s worth picking up if you like historical romances and you want something a bit shorter. It’s a quick paced book that’s worth two bucks.

Something else you might enjoy:

I don’t read a lot of historical novellas, so I don’t have anything for you here. Like this one, novellas tend to be a part of a series and I don’t want to throw out a recommendation for a novella in the series if you haven’t been reading the entire series.

Spotless Novella

Spotless Series by Camilla Monk

Romantic Suspense

 

Apache Strike Force (book 4.5)

 

I received this book for free because I’m on Camilla Monk’s newsletter list. While you’ve missed your chance at this special gift, you can sign up for Camilla’s newsletter here for future news and surprises. This novella is NOT a standalone and needs to be read in order. To read my review of books 1-4 in this series, click here.

Overall Rating: 4 (sXe)

Quick & Dirty summary: Island and March are trying to settle into their relationship without the threat of death looming over them. Well, at least they were until Island’s dad shows up. There’s nothing quite like an overprotective father to kill any romance.

This little novella is a piece of heaven. Sure, book 4 ended happily, or at least, alive-ly for March and Island. But the ending was rather abrupt, making this novella necessary to my world. March is still March, and Island is still Island, but who they are together gets stronger and clearer throughout this short story.

One of the best things about this book is that we finally, FINALLY, get a better picture of Island’s dad. He is always there in the background, this amazingly flawed guy who anyone would just love as a dad, but we don’t really get a full sense of his personality until now. And it’s worth the wait folks! I laughed, I giggled, I rolled my eyes, and I sighed in commiseration with Island. This is a feel-good gem after all of the highs and lows of the series.

And here’s the #1 best thing about this novella. We are told that there’s a book 5! Yes, a book 5! So get your tinfoil hats on folks, because I’ll be reading Island Chaptal and the Ancient Aliens’ Treasure when it’s released on Dec. 12, 2017.

Is it worth buying? (Kindle $0.99)

If you’ve read all of the books in this series so far, then this book is a MUST!

Something else you might enjoy:

There isn’t anything like this book because it’s a novella attached to the end(ish) of a great series. So obviously, the only thing left to do is read book 5 of the Spotless Series, once it’s out.