His Mistletoe Bride by Vanessa Kelly

When Major Lucas Stanton inherited his earldom, he never dreamed his property would include the previous earl’s granddaughter. Phoebe Linville is a sparkling American beauty, yes, but with a talent for getting into trouble. Witness the compromising position that forced them into wedlock. Whisked away to Mistletoe Manor, his country estate, it isn’t long before she is challenging his rules—and surprising him in and out of bed.
Phoebe has no intention of bowing to Lucas’ stubbornness, even though he offers all that she wants. His kisses and unexpected warmth are enticing, but Phoebe is determined to show the Earl of Merritt what real love is all about. And if that takes twelve nights of delicious seduction by a roaring fire, she’s more than willing to reveal her gifts very slowly…
Type: Historical Romance, England Heat: 3 out of 5 (there's not a ton but what's there it's good) Rating: 5 out of 5
His Mistletoe Bride was one of those books that had me smiling on page one and by the time I reached the last page I was full on grinning. It easily made my top 5 Christmas stories list with it's utterly unique and quirky characters, entertaining storyline and the exciting addition of a bit of mystery and danger. I absolutely loved Phoebe, Lucas and their sort of arranged/forced to marry situation. They're really quite the pair. Phoebe's a Quaker, which was a first for me, that's come to England to live with her Grandfather only to find he's passed away and left her to Lucas, an ex-soldier that's been forced to join the ton after inheriting an earldom he's less than thrilled over. 
The Quaker aspect was really interesting to me and I found Phoebe's little slips into the way Quaker's spoke (for lack of a better way of saying it) when she was flustered or angry really endearing. It provided some fun experiences for her as well since her life as a Quaker in America was so very different from the extravagance of life with the ton in England. And who-boy it was not smooth sailing for them at all, what with their drastically different life philosophies, but I loved how it worked out in the end and that they felt like real people. People who had insecurities. Were passionate and occasionally lost their temper. That struggled with a difficult situation but still found a way to form a life together. They're just fun characters too. They have great inner dialogues and you can just see the chemistry flowing off of them. And the sexy scenes. Oh. My. They're intense. Steamy, passionate, sensual and utterly delicious!

She eyed him silently, biting her lip. Sighing, he folded his lean frame to crouch down before her. He took her hands, lifting first one, then the other to kiss her palms.  

"Love, I'm not an ogre, and I'm not going to eat you." He flashed a glimpse of strong white teeth. "At least not until after the guests have left." 

"Lucas, really!" 

One of the things I liked so much about the book were the character interactions. The secondary characters were completely different than any other set I've met in historicals and I loved them! Everyone acted so familiar with each other. The servants spoke pretty freely and were oh so cheeky, family was casual with one another. There's lots of touching and discussion of scandalously inappropriate topics which I found delightfully refreshing. It was just so fun to be around these men and women who weren't always prim and proper like the rest of the ton. Who rolled their eyes and teased each other and made themselves impossible not to love.

He rolled his eyes. "Hell and damnation, Aunt Georgie. I have no idea what you're talking about."
His oath earned him a glare from a passing matron, the purple plumes of her high-crowned bonnet quivering with indignation. He winked at her, and her mouth dropped open.
"Language, dear." Aunt Georgie admonished.
He grinned. She didn't give a hoot about such things and he knew it.
"Dreadful boy,"she said, her lips twitching.

If you love historicals, sweet holiday romances and something a little new and different with the most endearing lot of characters you'll meet then His Mistletoe Bride is definitely something to try out! 
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Vanessa Kelly is an award-winning author who was named by Booklist, the review journal of the American Library Association, as one of the “New Stars of Historical Romance.”  Her Regency-set historical romances have been nominated for awards in a number of contests, and her second book, Sex and The Single Earl, won the prestigious Maggie Medallion for Best Historical Romance.  Her latest book, My Favorite Countess, was nominated for an RT Reviewers’ Choice Award for Best Regency Historical Romance.

Vanessa spends most of the year in Ottawa, Ontario with her husband, but she’s lucky enough to spend some of the winter near lovely Amelia Island, Florida.  When she’s not dreaming of plots for her next Regency novel, she’s writing contemporary romances with her husband, under the pen name of V.K. Sykes. 

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