This was a cute book. None of the characters in the story are really related to each other, but somehow each couple ends up at the same Christmas ball at Hartwell House.The first story was probably my least favorite, but was still pretty good. It was about a young woman who lives in the household of her father, but she is his bastard child, and is serving as a member of staff. She actually looks a great deal like his legitimate daughter, and is pressed into service to masquerade as her half sister at the ball. Which doesn't exactly sit well with her suitor, Ian, the head groom . . . The Jennifer Ashley story was a Nvengarian tale. The heroine was Mary Cameron, the sister of Egan MacDonald who is featured in earlier Ashley works, including his own story, Highlander Ever After. Mary had previously met Valentin, a Nvengarian shapeshifter (actually called a logosh in Ashley's mythology) at her brother's Castle MacDonald, and they had shared an attraction. And it flares ever more hot in this novella!The third author, Alissa Johnson, is new to me but I quite enjoyed her tale of a young woman named Patience who is a poor gentlewoman, dependent on friends for financial support, and desperately trying to hide the fact that her father is mad. She meets William Renwick, a man who loves order in his life, and always has a plan for all aspects of his life. Patience turns his well-ordered world on its heels. Ah, the power of love. This Regency Christmas anthology was, predictably, predictable on many levels, but did break some conventions. The first story is really a "below stairs" romance. The second story is the most conventional. The third is my favorite with an unconventional, endearing hero and a heroine who wears glasses, but, in fact, is not a "bluestocking."I've noticed over the years that romances do keep pace with current societal issues. In the 70's there was a focus on "woman power," in the 90's a focus on tolerance towards disease, lately I've read a lot of stories that are about woman who are caregivers to relatives with Alzheimer's. Not sure how I feel about that, but there it is.I think I might look for more romances by Alissa Johnson (the author of the 3rd story). Not sure about the others.
What do You think about A Christmas Ball (2009)?
I couldn't finish either Jennifer Ashley's or Alissa Johnson's story. Not recommended.
—life42
