Customer Reviews

A Christmas Baby (Zebra Historical Romance)

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Ashford "Ash" Edward Blackburne, Fifth Earl of Blackburne, wanted nothing more than to clear all his debts (and his late father's) and save Blackburne Chase, the family estate. To do so, he must bow to his grandfather's will. (Grandfather is alive in this story.) By Christmas, Ash must have married and his wife must be pregnant with his first child. Otherwise, Ash will lose everything. If Ash succeeds, his grandfather will go ahead and give a huge amount of cash up front, to pay all debts. The story begins in March, 1818. Ash has nine months. So disgusted with the situation, Ash cares not where he plants his seed. An innkeeper offers him a game of chance. If Ash wins, he gets to own the inn. If Ash loses, he must pay a cash price; however, as a consolation prize, Ash would get to wed his daughter. Either way, Ash wins.

Ash had no idea what he was getting himself into when he accepted the game. He lost the game and found himself marrying the innkeeper's daughter at gunpoint. She looked and smelled something AWFUL! Once he got her to the estate, cleaning her was a fight to the death - almost. He seceded at getting her clean, but when he tried to consummate the marriage with the she-cat, she shot him in the butt!

Larkin "Lark" Rose McAdams was furious at her situation! Yet, decided it could work. After all, she had been fond of the earl for several years already and if she did what he wanted he might agree to let her bring Micah, her deceased sister's son, to live with them. But Micah was not the only surprise for the new couple. By Christmas, their house will swell with people and the newly married couple will teach each other the true meaning of Love.

***** OMG! This story could not possibly have been any better! I could not stop myself from reading AT ALL. I read the entire thing in a single day. Yes, it is THAT good. This story is not one to be missed! BRAVA! *****

Reviewed by Detra Fitch of Huntress Reviews.

Annette Blair knows how to create characters that you never forget. From the Reluctant Hero and the Guttersnipe Bride to the myriad of extended family and friends, each character is delightful, well developed and endearing. Ms Blair must really know how to love people to be able to write such lovable characters.

The story is a robust and exciting read that kept me laughing all night. (I just could not put it down!) I am partial to Christmas Romances and this one just hit all the right notes. I plan on making it a permanent part of my annual holiday reading list.

I enthusiastically recomend this fourth book in the Rogue Series by Annette Blair. Once you've read it go back and read the first three! You can't miss.

Her rogue series of which this is the fourth and final is off
the shelf AWESOME. They are on my KEEPER shelf and it seems
that everyone else is keeping them too as they are hard to find
but, if you can find them....BUY IT. You will not be disappointed.

Wow!

A CHRISTMAS BABY is, quite simply, terrific...

With a sensational romantic couple, gobs of humor, some touching moments, and loads of sizzling sexual tension (I'll never forget the tree scene), A CHRISTMAS BABY sparkles with a warmth that's impossible to resist.

This story, the fourth in Ms. Blair's Rogue series, oozes charm with a romantic pair I quickly dubbed the "dynamic duo". Ashford Blackburne, the Earl of Blackburne, and Larkin McAdams, the daughter of a sleazy tavern owner, might be social worlds apart but this couple connect on all levels.

Ash and Larkin are the heart and soul of this fast-paced story. Boldly sketched, these two vivid characters are magnetic together. Ash is great hero material. His lazy, roguish charm combined with his patience and kindness toward Larkin packs quite a potent punch. Larkin, a marvelously complex character, is Ash's equal in the punch department. Despite her lowly origins, this former pickpocket is gentle, hopelessly innocent and decidely feisty.

From the hilarious opening scenes to the touching conclusion, A CHRISTMAS BABY lures you in and never lets go. This story's Cinderella quality is captivating and what romantic fiction should aspire to.

A fascinating couple. A delicious romance.

I look forward to Myles and Hunter's (the last two unattached rogues) stories.

Debbie Jett, reviewer
Romance Reader At Heart

I've heard it said recently that Annette Blair is a master artist in the world of romantic fiction and I have to agree with that, especially after reading this book. A Christmas Baby is quite simply superb. Don't let the title fool you; this is an awesome story any time of the year.

Who wouldn't want to read about a sexy rogue who loses a card game and ends up with the booby prize, though in regency speak, Blair calls her a consolation prize. When she's introduced, Lark is a hellcat, she stinks, she fights, she bites, and she kicks her new husband where it hurts most. But under the dirt, Ash finds that he has quite the wife.

The entire point of the story, besides getting past the heroine's shortcomings, is for the hero to get a bride and to get her with child by Christmas. What fun. It's hot, hot, hot, and from that first necessary bath, it's a roller coaster ride full of steamy sex everywhere. I couldn't put it down; read it all night, and wished it didn't end.

As if all that's not enough, there are surprises along the way, heartwarming moments, big laughs, plus all of Blair's rogues come together for a huge Christmas House Party, a la Mary Balogh at her finest. Don't miss it, A Christmas Baby is one of the best Christmas stories you'll ever read. You'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll want more.

Blair ranks right up there with the stars of Regency Romance, Mary Balogh herself, Eloisa James, Teresa Medeiros, Stephanie Laurens, and more.

Ash and Lark heat up the pages in this Regency Historical twist on the Pygmalion story. Ash needs a wife and Lark needs a bath, but he's drunk as a skunk and her father is aiming a gun at him, and well, he does need a wife.

This is one of the most hilarious and sexy of Blair's Rogues and that's saying something. You'll never know where she's going to take you, and I can only say, that sex in a tree, and the trip through the root cellar for a look at parsnips held me captive.

The Christmas house party with all the rogues from the previous three books, An Undeniable Rogue, An Unforgettable Rogue, and An Unmistakable Rogue is not to be mised. It's magic. Christmas Magic. Love and life and an ending that will have you spellbound. Kudos Ms. Blair. But I want more Rogues!

Also Highly Recommended: The Kitchen Witch, My Favorite Witch, and any other Witches or Rogues Blair has planned for us.

This story started off very slowly, and I found it very hard to get into, but I''m glad I stuck with it, because it defintiely picked up as I went along. The Victorian dialect and slang used was much harder to understand compared to other Victorian Romances I've read.

The story is very reminiscent of "My Fair Lady". The Earl takes a lowly wife and teaches her to be a lady, while she teaches him lessons of her own about love and family. (I learned a lesson or two about what's important in life too!)

The two protagonists are extremely likable, and by the end, I found myself wishing they were my own friends!!

A Christmas Baby by Annette Blair nice afternoon historical romance novel. Ashford "Ash" Edward Blackburne, Fifth Earl of Blackburne needs to marry and get his wife pregnant before Christmas. The books starts with him being left at the alter for the second time. He goes to the local tavern and get drunk and start gambling. The tavern owner makes a bet with him if Ash wins he gets the tavern and if he looses he get the tavern's daughter. He looses and get a pig chasing, pickpocket women who trys to shoot him on his wedding night. The romance is funny and very sweet. The end adds in all the characters from the series which is interesting but a little overwhelming. Check out the whole series:An Undeniable Rogue (1) , An Unforgettable Rogue (2) An Unmistakable Rogue (3)and A Christmas Baby (4).

You'll appreciate Christmas more after you read this book. And if you've read An Undeniable Rogue, An Unforgettable Rogue, and An Unmistakable Rogue, you have to read this book where all the couples come together. This one is about Ash, an aristocrat, and Lark, a guttersnipe. It's My Fair Lady with a laugh out loud bite, good sex and a Father Christmas who brings amazing gifts. Read it. You won't be sorry. No wonder it won so many awards. Try Blair's Witch series while you're at it. Those books are award winners too.

I bought this book on impulse, because what I read on the back cover made it sound like something I would enjoy. By the time I'd read the first few chapters, I was beginning to wonder if it had been a waste of money. Halfway through, I decided that it was. In spite of some endearing moments and a sufficiently happy (if unlikely) resolution, I still found myself regretting this purchase.

A little more consistency might have helped, but not much. One detail that I just couldn't get past was the way Larkin (who was supposedly an uneducated "guttersnipe", raised in a rough tavern by an ignorant and indifferent father,) spoke like the commoner she was in one moment, yet sounded like a born-and-bred lady in the next.

I could write a long and detailed list of all the things I didn't like about this book, but that would take up too much time and space. Simply put, my advice to prospective buyers is this: Don't bother.