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12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
What a Diversion!, November 1, 2006
This review is from: Mistletoe Kisses: A Soldier's Tale\A Winter Night's Tale\A Twelfth Night Tale (Harlequin Historical) (Mass Market Paperback)
Christmas is the time of year when the days are (sigh) a bit overwhelming and dreadfully hurried. So what's the remedy? Grab a cup of cocoa, drag the lazy-boy chair by the fire, and drift away to wintry Regency England with MISTLETOE KISSES. This seasonal anthology is a great diversion, for all three stories are romantic, touching, and wonderfully joyful.
Book 1 -
"A Soldier's Tale" by Elizabeth Rolls -
He could no longer avoid the inevitability. Dominic Martindale had to go home. His older brother was dead and he was the new Viscount Alderley. It was time to claim the title, start the duties, and show his family the ruthlessness of war. Certainly, his appearance would shock them . . . save for Pippa. Little sensible Pippa was she still at Alderley Hall? If she were, a tiny ray of sunlight would remain in his heart.
*** Comments:
Elizabeth Rolls delivers a seasonal winner. A SOLDIER'S TALE is a lovely story filled with the warmth, the magic, and the happily-ever-afters every Christmas story needs. Truly, I must hunt down more from this author!
Book 2 -
"A Winter Night's Tale" by Deborah Hale -
Six years ago, Christabel was an utterly foolish young woman! She had chosen another man over the steadfast Jonathan Frost! Now, the shadows of Christmas loomed, for Christabel and her young son did not have much to celebrate. Then Jonathan Frost knocked on her cottage door and a slim flicker of hope took form. Or was Christabel being foolish again . . . was there more to Jonathan's concern than simple generosity?
*** Comments:
A WINTER NIGHT'S TALE is very sweet and very romantic. The heroine's regret was palpable, the hero's forgiveness was acceptable, and the secondary characters were "capital." Deborah Hale creates two very likeable characters in Jonathan and Christabel and this reader cheered for their continual happiness.
Book 3 -
"A Twelfth Night Tale" by Diane Gaston -
After ten years, Elizabeth Arrington still strived to put Captain Zachary Weston out of her heart. Yet, fate intervened. A second chance is a rare and priceless gift and this time Zachary vowed he would not fail Elizabeth. This time he would be worthy . . . yet could he earn Elizabeth's respect and love?
*** Comments:
Her fantastic "The Mysterious Miss M" placed me in Diana Gaston's corner some time ago. In A TWELFTH NIGHT TALE Ms. Gaston grants two lovers a second chance. And although, overheard conversations and misinterpreted situations created the notorious "misunderstanding," the criticism remains minor.
MaryGrace Meloche.
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11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Brilliant storytelling, full of real romance!, October 18, 2006
This review is from: Mistletoe Kisses: A Soldier's Tale\A Winter Night's Tale\A Twelfth Night Tale (Harlequin Historical) (Mass Market Paperback)
"Mistletoe Kisses" holds three of the loveliest short stories/novellas I have ever had the pleasure to read. Stories like these, authors as wonderful as these three, make me
glad all over again that a few years ago I picked up a historical romance on a whim, and read it...
These stories make me feel the same magic I felt then. They are, quite simply, marvelous.
Diane Gaston's "A Twelfth Night Tale" is my favorite of the three, although the other two authors run a very close second. Ms. Gaston's characters are drawn in such a realistic way, and with such love, that you can *feel* the genuine affection she has for the people she is writing about. It's an amazing quality. She wants the best for them -- she wants happiness for them -- in a palpable way, and the reader feels it too. It's hard to explain this quality, but that's the best I can do at this moment. I fell in love with them too, and I want the best for them -- with literally every page you are WILLING the hero and heroine to be able to be together... in this case, to be able to love each other again after being apart for 10 years, each blaming himself/herself for what it was that drove them apart. Elizabeth has suffered a great loss in those years which she is afraid to share with Zach -- but I cannot say more on that line without spoiling the plot.
Zach has lost so many loved ones of his own, and most of his friends died at Waterloo, while he lived; and he cannot understand why he was allowed to live. We can all relate to how we would feel, in his situation.
Gaston brings in a familiar Christmastide theme of "no room at the inn" at the opening moments. but she doesn't hit the reader over the head with it. It's gently done , and the storyline flows from it so naturally that it's a very welcome parallel. I simply LOVED these people -- I loved Zachary and Elizabeth (and Anna, Kirby, and the others!) and I love this story. I've already read it several times, and it is most definitely a KEEPER. It gets inside you and doesn't let go.
The other two tales by Elizabeth Rolls and Deborah Hale are also MARVELOUS. There is not a weak story in the trio, as I had assumed there'd be. All three are stories so full of deep, lasting love, and so infused with the graciousness and hope for the future, all set at Christmastide, that the reader is left shaking her(or his) head in wonder. I marvel at the imaginations of the authors and in their ability to get such deep emotion down onto paper, and to communicate that emotion to us. And boy, do they ever!
I look forward to more from all three of them. I knew Ms. Gaston's wonderful writing from her previous BEAUTIFUL Regencies ( some written as Diane Perkins) --it's what made me buy this book -- but now I have two more authors whose writing I truly admire, as well.
What a wonderful gift to true romantics everywhere!
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9 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Christmas came early!, October 18, 2006
This review is from: Mistletoe Kisses: A Soldier's Tale\A Winter Night's Tale\A Twelfth Night Tale (Harlequin Historical) (Mass Market Paperback)
And I'm so glad it did! In other anthologies I've read, at least one story was weak, but not this one! They are all delightful and worth rereading over and over again.
I wanted it first for Diane Gaston's story, since I discovered her writing earlier this year and have collected all her books. Now I've added two new authors to my favorites list!
A Soldier's Tale is filled with wonderful characters of depth and personality. There were some enchanting twists and turns. I reread it again as soon as I finished it.
A Winter Night's Tale's exploration of second chances and the difficulty of being a caretaker is enchanting and heartwarming. What a delight.
A Twelfth Night Tale was the perfect ending to the trio. The pain of regrets and misunderstandings is so gently explored. The courage to accept the future and face the past and still have hope is magical.
Brava!!
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