To usher in the holiday season, The Armitage Authors Network is happy to introduce two Christmas tales written by Saralee Etter, who has been a fan of Richard’s since 2011.
What will it take to heal two damaged souls and bring them together? A Christmas miracle, along with the charming writing of Saralee Etter. This sweet Regency novel tells the story of two people who have suffered loss who find solace in each other over the Christmas holiday. Major Harry Joslin, injured and disfigured in the war, has had a baronetcy he did not anticipate or want thrust on him upon the death of his cousin Tristram. He comes to Churston Hall a stranger, alienated from all around him save his loyal groom. Tristram’s widow Rosalind has recently lost her husband and the country she called home; coming from India with no family of her own, she is forced to live with her husband’s grandfather and other relatives who regard her as a foreigner and treat her as an afterthought.
Harry and Rosalind grow to know and care for each other, even though there are matchmaking mammas, pouting debutants, and irascible grandfathers to deal with. The love story is spiced by the customs and trappings of a Regency Christmas, and comes to a quite satisfactory ending on Christmas day after a smashing plum pudding. If you enjoy Regency novels that capture the spirit and spice of the time, you will quickly devour this novel.
— Review by Nancy Klein, author of How Far the World Will Bend and Grant What I Wish.
It’s almost Christmas Eve and all the guests at Bellingham Manor expect the announcement of Lydia’s engagement to Lord Danville. Lydia’s father is satisfied with the arrangement, but Lydia is not at all content to marry someone whose heart belongs to someone else. When Lord Danville’s loyal friend tries to smooth over Lydia’s ruffled concerns, he initiates much more in the realm of love and match-making than he ever bargained for.
Saralee’s story is a brief romp through a few troubled days. It’s no easy task to create engaging characters in such a short space, but I could relate to Lydia’s honest confusion and her desire for self-determination and I loved the hero’s bold wit and easy candor. I enjoyed discovering how their destiny as a love match would unfold.
Sprinkled throughout the story are the historical details that set the story in the elegant Regency era. This is a sweet romance that can be read in one evening.
— Review by Trudy Brasure, author of A Heart for Milton and In Consequence.
The Armitage Authors Network 