Yall know I love me some Christmas books. And Christmas-ish novellas. <3 So I had to pick these two up since I love the series they come from. And they were a good time.Once Upon a Christmas Eve (Maiden Lane #12.6) by Elizabeth Hoyt
Christmas and Elizabeth Hoyt. I was in!
The Gist: Well, In Adam's opinion Christmas sucks. As does having a carriage break down on a snowy night and your only option being to seek refuge at a festive Christmas house party. *hangs head*
I liked Adam and Sarah and that they're both a little growly. She may not be all that impressed with him there at first, yall. But he totally melts a girl's heart with how he dotes on his grandmom and, yeah, he got to Sarah bit by bit. I love house parties, too, so that was fun. It was a good mix of funny, sweet and a little steamy, too.
Overall, Once Upon a Christmas Eve was fairly cute but it did feel rushed at the end and not as satisfying an ending to the series as I'd hoped. It just needed a bit more to fleshing things out. But, still, not bad.
Adam Rutledge, Viscount d'Arque, really rather loathes Christmas. The banal cheerfulness. The asinine party games. And, worst of all, the obligatory trip to the countryside. His grandmother, however, loves the holiday—and Adam loves his grandmother, so he'll brave the fiercest snowstorm to please her. But when their carriage wheel snaps, they're forced to seek shelter at the home of the most maddening, infuriating, and utterly beguiling woman he's ever met.
Sarah St. John really rather loathes rakes. The self-satisfied smirks. The sly predatory gazes. Oh, and the constant witty banter rife with double meaning. But in the spirit of the season, she'll welcome this admittedly handsome viscount into her home. But as the snowstorm rages, the Yule log crackles, and the tension rises, Sarah and Adam find themselves locked in a fiery, passionate kiss. If love is the true meaning of Christmas, it's the one gift this mismatched pair can't wait to unwrap.
The Lady in Red was full of artsy goodness.
The Gist: Two artists--one in disguise--working on a mural for the church. And both struggling with their art in different ways.
Charlotte and Flynn were solid characters. I liked their chemistry and seeing them work together on the murals even when they were bickering and how the project changed them both. He'd lost his artistic inspiration after becoming jaded with the art community. And Charlotte is trying to break into the community as a serious artist even if she has to hide the fact she's a woman.
A little heat, a little drama, a big gesture. The two definitely had me in their corner and rooting for them both. All in all, a nice evening read, though, surprisingly Christmas free.
Lady Charlotte Beaumont has spent her whole life being ignored. By her parents, her brother, even the servants. So she was secretly able to develop her talent for painting well beyond the usual watercolors. Too bad no one will let her actually use it—women are rarely accepted into the Royal Academy. But when a connection at the Haverhall School for Young Ladies gets Charlotte her dream commission, she'll do whatever it takes to make it work. Including disguising herself as "Charlie."
Flynn Rutledge has something to prove. His lowly upbringing is not going to stop him from achieving his artistic dreams. This commission is the key to his future, and his partner, an unknown youth in oversized clothes who is barely old enough to shave, doesn't exactly inspire confidence. But Charlie does inspire Flynn's artistic passion—something he worried he might have lost forever. For all his street smarts, nothing can prepare Flynn for the shock of Charlie's true identity. He doesn't care that she's a woman, but a lady of the ton is a different matter altogether.
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