A Christmas Bride (Regency Romance, Signet) [Paperback]

Mary Balogh (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 1, 1997 | Series: Regency Romance, Signet

A wealthy man makes a promise to his aging father that he will wed a titled and proper young lady by Christmas, but it is a beautiful widow who ends up capturing his undivided attention. Caught up in an irresistible passion and scandalous liaison, the two believe they are destined to remain apart. This is the season, however, when miracles do occur. A Regency romance original.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Wealthy businessman Edgar Downes comes to London seeking a young, well-born wife, having promised his aging father a daughter-in-law by Christmas Day. Instead of the youthful miss he seeks, Edgar finds himself under the spell of Lady Helena Stapleton, a beautiful and sensuous widow his own age with whom he shares an irresistible night of passion. Their liaison surprises the straight-laced Edgar but wounds Helena to the core. Fearing she can only bring destruction to those she loves, she has lived her life on the edge of respectability, deftly avoiding any entanglements. Now that Edgar has breached her protective battlements, she must face her growing love for him. When, to their mutual surprise, Helena discovers she is pregnant, Edgar takes her as his Christmas bride over her protestations of disinterest and unworthiness. They retire to Edgar's country house for a family Christmas, and Helena is thrust among kind, loving people. Despite her best efforts, she finds herself warming to them and to the man who has become her husband--a man determined to find the reason for his bride's pain and bring about the healing necessary for her to accept his love.

From Library Journal

Feeling in need of marrying and setting up a nursery, Edgar Downs, an attorney and son of a wealthy tradesman, heads for London, determined to find a wife?with a title?before Christmas. But the eligible girls are far too young, and Edgar finds himself irresistibly attracted to the flamboyant Lady Helena Stapleton, an independent but not quite improper widow of his own age. As always, Balogh leads the way in unconventional Regencies, serving up her classic combination of slightly scandalous characters and beautifully done sensuality?all within the boundaries of the subgenre. Balogh (Silent Melody, Berkley, 1997) lives in Saskatchewan, Canada.
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: Signet; First Edition edition (November 1, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0451191447
• ISBN-13: 978-0451191441
• Product Dimensions: 6.6 x 4.4 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #911,480 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Mary Balogh is the New York Times bestselling author of the acclaimed Slightly novels: Slightly Married, Slightly Wicked, Slightly Scandalous, Slightly Tempted, Slightly Sinful, and Slightly Dangerous, as well as the romances No Man's Mistress, More than a Mistress, and One Night for Love. She is also the author of Simply Love, Simply Unforgettable, Simply Magic, and Simply Perfect, her dazzling quartet of novels set at Miss Martin's School for Girls. A former teacher herself, she grew up in Wales and now lives in Canada.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Christmas Bride, December 29, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: A Christmas Bride (Regency Romance, Signet) (Paperback)

If you check out Mary Balogh's Web site, you will find that she has written an end to the great story. This is a follow up to A Precious Jewel which is also a great book. I recommend it highly.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars one of my all-time favorites, May 29, 2006

By 

The Literary Assassin "writer and critic" (Kansas City, MO United States) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: A Christmas Bride (Regency Romance, Signet) (Paperback)

If you want the comfortable refined romp of a Regency romance, then this book is not for you. The heroine, Helena, is troubled and like many people who feel guilty and unworthy, she pushes away those who would be close to her, out of a combined fear of hurting someone else, and the fear of having her own shame uncovered. I lived for a long time with a family member who did just this sort of thing, so I found Helena's behavior highly credible. Nevertheless, Helena IS capable of loving and being loved, she understands that her past behavior was wrong and she wants to be forgiven for it--she just doesn't believe that forgiveness is possible. Edgar is a headstrong and rather blunt and yet patient and compassionate man who helps her to find peace. The story suggests he would behave just as honorably and compassionately toward a near-stranger: for instance, the subplot involves a young girl whose parents hope to marry her to the wealthy Edgar; she, of course, has an "ineligible attachment." (Helena implies that her own marriage to the older man was a similar arrangement, which was not uncommon for her time and social status.) Edgar takes steps to help the young couple be together, partly because it's the right thing to do, but partly just because he can. He takes similar steps to help Helena, despite her protestations, because again, it's the right thing to do. For Edgar, "love" is a verb, as well as a noun. He comes from a loving and supportive family very different from Helena's experience. Because he has committed to caring for Helena and comes to love her, his help and support are tremendously moving and dare I say, heartwarming. Their relationship isn't perfect, and Edgar acknowledges that it may not be an easy marriage, but he comes to believe he has made the right marriage, for various reasons that are clearly explained in the text, if you pay attention.

It's pretty much a cliche in romance novels, action movies and sitcoms that the two characters who bicker and snipe at each other are going to sleep together during the February sweeps. The thing I like about this book is that the characters don't spend all their time bickering and fighting. They have their on and off moments together. They are fiercely attracted to each other, physically and mentally, although it is acknowledged that they are both used to being independent and stubborn. They're just REAL. I'll admit, it's a bit of a roller-coaster ride, as Helena keeps lashing out and Edgar keeps elbowing his way into her psyche--in this as in many Balough's better books I found myself wondering whether she'd manage to patch these two together or not. But she always does, and I still get misty-eyed when Helena finally lets down her defenses. She finds the grace to say "I'm sorry," and the courage to say, "I love you." Balough doesn't usually leave the reader with happily ever after, but she always leaves the impression that the characters will be better off for the trials they went through to get together.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful - not your usual romance, November 4, 1999

By 

Denise R Denler ([e-mail]) (Camas, WA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Christmas Bride (Regency Romance, Signet) (Paperback)

This is my first book by this author, and I'm hooked. My heart went out to Lady Helena, whose torment was heartbreaking. Its unusual for the heroine to carry such torment with the hero as the mender. A must read. In Helena's own words--Damm you Edgar.