Customer Reviews

Christmas Revels

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

 

 

I rarely buy anthologies, precisely because so many of them are hit and miss; for every decent novella by a favourite author, there are two or sometimes three sub-standard stories by writers whose books I would never buy. Occasionally even those stories by favourite authors suffer from anthology-itis: they are too short for good character and plot development.

Here is an excellent idea, however: a collection of Christmas novellas by one of the best authors of the Regency/historical period, Mary Jo Putney. All but one of the novellas are reprints of stories previously published in earlier multiple-author anthologies, but since I hadn't read any of them that wasn't an issue for me. The single new story is a contemporary novella, a sequel to The Spiral Path, Putney's most recent contemporary novel.

A Holiday Fling, the contemporary story, is the first in the collection. Jenny Lyme and Greg Marino were minor characters in The Spiral Path, and we didn't see them interact with each other. In this novella, we discover that they had been lovers more than ten years earlier when working on a movie, but their lives had gone in separate directions. Now Jenny needs Greg's help to save her village's community centre, and so he flies to England to spend Christmas with her. The attraction between them is as strong as ever, and they are unable to stay out of each other's arms. This time, though, is it just another holiday fling, or can they make a future together?

The Christmas Cuckoo is a tale of mistaken identity and belonging. Major Jack Howard has returned from the wars because he has unexpectedly inherited an earldom. Unwilling to comply with his great-aunt the countess's dictates as to how an earl should dress and behave, especially since he knows very well that she resents the fact that he has inherited the title, he jumps on the first stagecoach out of London. En route to its destination, he gets drunk and is mistakenly left behind at a stop... where he is found by a young woman expecting her brother's friend Captain Jack Howard. Meg had high hopes that Captain Jack would fall in love with her sister Phoebe, but finds herself falling in love with Major Jack instead. The mistaken identity ensues since Jack is too drunk to realise that Meg has the wrong Jack Howard, and soon he is in the welcoming warmth of a loving family for the first time in his life. Is it too much to ask to enjoy one happy Christmas?

In Sunshine for Christmas I found a surprise, and very welcome, sequel to The Rake. Ally's former fiancé, and the man who broke her heart and sent her running away from her family, was left lonely and devastated at the end of the book, for he really had loved Ally and he had to live not only with the knowledge that he had lost her through his own fault, but also the guilt of knowing that it was his careless words which had sent her fleeing from her home and into hiding. Miserable and unable to bear the joy of Christmas all around him, Lord Randolph travels to Italy. There, he meets Elizabeth Walker, an unfashionable woman old enough at thirty-something to be considered unmarriageable. Yet she interests him in a way that no-one else has ever before. Can these two lonely people overcome the differences between them to find a future together?

The Christmas Tart is probably the weakest in the collection. Nicole, a French émigrée of good family working as a seamstress is falsely accused of theft by her employer. She is fired, without references, and all her money confiscated. As she contemplates the very few options open to her, she is mistaken for a prostitute by two gentlemen, who buy her as a present for their friend Sir Philip Selbourne. Can Nicole sell herself to survive? Would Philip want a barely-willing sacrifice in any case? What will Nicole do, alone and penniless at Christmas?

Finally, the treat of the anthology is The Black Beast of Belleterre, a Beauty and the Beast fable. James, Lord Falconer, is very ugly. He knows, because his father always told him so, and an accident when he was a child made him even more so. Now that he is an adult and inherited his father's estates, he always wears a hooded cape so that no-one can see him. His neighbour is a gambler and in debt to James. When James hears that Gardsley is about to sell his beautiful daughter to a pox-ridden old man, he offers to take Ariel in cancellation of Gardsley's debt to him. But he cannot bear to allow a young woman as lovely as Ariel to see his ugly face, so he hides himself from her... until Ariel decides that she wants to get to know her husband. Can she get past his scars, mental as well as physical, to make this a marriage of love as well as expediency?

My only complaint about this collection is its price; it's a trade paperback rather than standard size, and thus more expensive. This was bought for me as a surprise, and very welcome, Christmas present, but anyone considering buying it for themselves might want to be sure that they hadn't read any of the novellas before.

In five charming stories, Ms. Putney gives her readers an early Christmas present. The first story is the sole contemporary of the lot, and is a spin off from her previous contemporary release, the SPIRAL PATH. In this one, HOLIDAY FLING, you have the appeal of the old Judy Garland/Mickey Rooney "let's put on a show" theme, though with considerably more steam than the old pictures.

The next four stories are historical. CHRISTMAS CUCKOO mixes romance with a case of mistaken identity with results that are in no ways an error. SUNSHINE FOR CHRISTMAS finds two English folk trapped together in Italy, and love the only way to save a reputation. CHRISTMAS TART gives a young woman who is out of luck a ray of hope when she is saved from a life on the streets by the kindness of a young nobleman. Finally, the best story comes last in BLACK BEAST OF BELLETERRE. A young woman finds herself saved from an unacceptable union to pay off her father's gambling debts by the lord who is said to be a monster incarnate. Yet, she does not find him to be the beast he claims to be at all.

***** All of these touching stories will be a true treat to Ms. Putney's legion of loyal fans everywhere, and perhaps win her new ones, for there is enough variety in the stories to have something for everyone. *****

Reviewed by Amanda Killgore.

As the other reviewers mentioned,four of the historical novella's in this book were previously released, and the contemporary novella, "Holiday Fling" was new. If you haven't read the historicals and bought the book, it's a good buy. Three of the historicals feature a heroine who is in some way not a classic, titled young beauty, and the titled hero manages to see past it and falls in love anyway. They were easy and enjoyable classic holiday romances. I liked the fourth historical, "The Black Beast of Belleterre" the best (Ms. Putney's spin on Beauty and the Beast), as it was the most touching story of the collection. "Holiday Fling", the contemporary novella, featured minor characters from the "The Spiral Path", and it was fun, fast paced and I learned some things about tithe barns and filming a show! The two leads, Jenny and Greg, have convinced themselves they aren't meant to be a lasting couple, and it's a good read to see them discover how right they are for one another. It was also interesting to learn about the customs of the modern English Christmas, as compared to the U.S.

Overall, this anthology is a fast read and delivers a happy escape from holiday stress.

"A Holiday Fling". British actress Jenny Lyme tries to save the "Tithe Barn Community Center" by producing a Christmas show for TV. She asks her former lover cinematographer Greg Marino to help. Both fondly remember about the other and want a second chance together.

"The Christmas Cuckoo". Major Jack Howard heads to his aunt for Christmas, but instead ends up slightly drunk at public coach's inn. Meg Lambert goes to the inn to meet her brother's buddy, Captain Jack Howard, only to find him inebriated. The next morning Jack realizes the mistake, but soberly finds he desires Meg.

"Sunshine for Christmas". Randolph Lennox goes to Italy to escape the loneliness of Britain. However, Naples remains as cold as his heart until he meets Elizabeth Walker whose fluent Italian helps him with a problem. As they tour together, they fall in love, but what happens after Italy?

"The Christmas Tart". Her employer accuses seamstress Nicole Chambord of robbery and fires her. Sir Philip Selbourne settles his late father's estate. His friends decide Nicole could cheer him up but he believes this innocent gift is worth more than just a one-night stand.

"The Black Beast of Belleterre." Baron James Markland wears a cloak to hide his hideous visage. He visits Sir Edwin Hawthorne, whose estate is in ruin due to gambling debts. Sir Edwin plans to sell his daughter Ariel to a lecher, but James buys her instead, promising a marriage in name only. However, Ariel wants a real relationship with her cloaked spouse.

Four reprints and one new story, CHRISTMAS REVELS is a wonderfully warm holiday collection that displays the gift of Mary Jo Putney.

Harriet Klausner

I for one am happy to see this anthology published because I missed four of the stories in it and couldn't find them in used books stores Everything I've read by Ms Putney is wonderful.

I dislike paying so much for a book of reprints just to get one new story. I do like Putney's habit of making brief sequels to her novels in the form of short stories, however, so I may end up purchasing the collection. But her publisher should be informed that an immediate sale was lost because of this strategy.

I appreciate amazon.com and the other reviewers giving me the titles of the stories so that I knew they were reprints. I prefer the publisher or main blurb review to be more honest about that.

For those who have not read these stories, they are highly recommended.

While this book was published a while back it was good to read stories well-written my Ms. Putney. The latest two books written by this author have been disappointing to me, but this collection of short stories were what I have always liked about her books. Meeting characters in some of the tales that we have met in other books finished unanswered questions. The best story Ms. Putney even published was "The Rake". I have read and reread that story and absolutely will not lend the book to anyone for fear it might not be returned. In "Sunshine For Christmas" we find out what happens to Lord Randolph Lennox and in "A Christmas Fling" we get the answer about a character in the book "The Spiral Path". However, these stories stand alone, so even if one has not read the above mentioned books you will enjoy this book. There are three other short stories in the book--all good. I recommend it.

****½ "A Holiday Fling".

Characters from The Spiral Path get their own story--a 30-something British actress and an Oscar-winning American cinematographer get together to film a traditional Christmas production to save a historic building. Very sweet story--they both think so highly of each other that they can't imagine the other would want more than just 'a holiday fling.'


****½ "The Christmas Cuckoo."

New earl, recently an army major, escapes from his aunt's machinations and ends up being mistaken for the heroine's brother's friend who's coming for Christmas: an army captain with the same, common name. I docked it a half star because the Big Secret that the characters is just about to reveal only to have it revealed for them is such a cliche, & rather tedious.


*** "Sunshine for Christmas."

Pretty standard story about an English nobleman with SAD who goes to Italy for Christmas and meets an English governess/artist. It's probably shallow of me, but while I like tormented heroes and deeply flawed heroes, I'm not fond of pitiful ones, or of depressed characters in general.


*** "The Christmas Tart."

Another fairly standard story. Heroine is a destitute, displaced Frenchwoman who's mistaken for a prostitute by the hero's friends, who give her as a gift to him. I really did not buy that they fell in love.


****½ "The Black Beast of Belleterre."

Beauty & the Beast. In fact, reading Beauty & the Beast is what makes the heroine realize how to fix things at the end of the story. Ugly and scarred hero shuts himself away from people. He's made a substantial loan to the heroine's father, who tries to force her to marry a vile old man to get more money, so the hero offers her a marriage of convenience in exchange for doubling and then cancelling the loan.

i 'm getting tired of anthologies that are just a reprinting of previously printed stories.I have Regency Christmas anthologies with at least 3 of these stories, and while I enjoy them, I resent paying twice for them. Perhaps there should be some kind of disclaimer, stating that these are previously printed stories. Also, if you're just going to reprint old stuff, put in "The Best Husband Money Can Buy".