Two books in one.Christmas Bride is about a wealthy merchant-class man, Edgar Downes, who promised his father to wed--or be engaged to--a lady to bring home for Christmas. The problem is his wealth will only buy him so much in place of his birth, and the girls whose families are poor enough to take him on seem very young and nowhere near as tempting as the widow Lady Stapleton.The characters struck me at times as a little overwrought and melodramatic--dire secrets hinted at that once revealed, don't seem worth the fuss. And some events are a little too convenient. Though predictable, the story is sweet.Christmas Beau is about the widow Judith Easton, fresh out of her year of mourning, who runs into the man she jilted--the Marquess of Denbigh. He's still unmarried, and the people who see how he watches her think he still loves Judith. Judith, who fear him when they were engaged, worries he is only punishing her for breaking the engagement. He's still hard to read, however, and she doesn't know what to trust.A typical story about a man too stoic to be understood by the woman he cares for, with the added danger of revenge. Some of the Marquess' thought processes seemed ridiculous, but perhaps in the right circumstances possible. The ending feels a little rushed, but still funny and endearing. These two books were wonderful but unusual romances, each featuring a character who needed the healing of some Christmas magic. Heavy on the Christmas elements as you might expect from the title: if you don't like the holiday or appeals to a Christmas spirit, back away now.Also, if you have trouble with characters who bring a lot of baggage along with their romance, this pair of stories isn't for you. Helena in the first and Max in the second have both a lot of anger and bitterness darkening their spirits. Edgar is the hero who helps to heal Helena in the first story, "A Christmas Bride". He's a wealthy businessman who comes a-courting in London but ends up entangled with Helena, a widow who prizes her unencumbered existence. But she hides some secrets, the least of which is that her one night of dalliance with Edgar has left her pregnant. Edgar marries her but that's only the first step in unraveling the lady's many mysteries. Of course, as Balogh's introduction to the volume alerts you, Christmas forms a large part of the solution as does Edgar's family and friends who join in the festive season at Mobley Abbey.In the second book, Max, the Marquess of Denbigh, is shadowing the widowed Mrs. Judith Easton, who once was betrothed to him before she ran away with her first, unlamented husband. Judith, her two children and her sweet, scarred sister-in-law are in London with the prospect of a lonely Christmas when Max intervenes. He not only seeks out Judith at ton parties, he takes the household to the Frost Fair on the Thames and to the Tower. Then he extends an invitation to join his part at his country estate where more surprises await.Again, there is darkness. Max may be greatly unlikeable to some readers. I struggled with his clearly expressed desire for revenge against Judith, who had broken his youthful heart. The impulse was understandable but, as he grew to know Judith, he ignored, time and again, the revelations that she wasn't evil and that his revenge would be unwise. Similarly, Helena in "A Christmas Bride" is bitter, bitter, bitter - she might read to some as sarcastic and brittle while others find her flawed to the point they cannot read on.
What do You think about A Christmas Bride / Christmas Beau (2012)?
I was wondering how the second story would be resolved, but it was all good. A good read.
—Nadin
