Once Upon a Christmas (Signet Regency Romance) [Paperback]

Diane Farr (Author)

Book Description

Series: Signet Regency Romance | Publication Date: October 10, 2000

After a tragic loss, Celia Delacourt accepts an unexpected holiday invitation-which is, in fact, a thinly veiled matchmaking attempt. For the lonely Celia and a reluctant young man, it turns out to be a Christmas they'd never forget....

"Ms. Farr beguiles...."-Romantic Times

Editorial Reviews

Review

FINALIST: Best Regency Romance 2000 - RITA Awards, "the most prestigious award in published romance fiction." --Romance Writers of Amerca --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

About the Author

Diane Farr was first published at the age of eight when the local newspaper printed one of her poems. She has spent most of her life with her nose in a book -- sometimes reading, sometimes writing. Eventually she produced eight historical romances that were all published by Signet Books. Her latest adventure, WICKED COOL, is Book I in a teen paranormal series: The Spellspinners. --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: Signet (October 10, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0451201620
• ISBN-13: 978-0451201621
• Product Dimensions: 6.6 x 4.1 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,290,751 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Diane Farr was first published at the age of eight when the local newspaper printed one of her poems. She has spent most of her life with her nose in a book -- sometimes reading, sometimes writing. Eventually she produced eight historical romances that were all published by Signet Books. Her latest adventure, WICKED COOL, is Book I in a teen paranormal series: The Spellspinners. All her books either are, or soon will be, available on Kindle!

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Sweet, romantic and humorous Christmas story, December 26, 2000

By 

Dr W. Richards "wmr-uk" (Canada) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Once Upon a Christmas (Signet Regency Romance) (Paperback)

Diane Farr continues, in this book, to demonstrate her talent for witty, charming and romantic storytelling. She creates a series of likeable characters - even her 'villains', to the extent that any have malicious or unkind motives, are well drawn and aren't without redeeming features.

Celia is the impoverished great-grand-daughter of a duke; her grandfather was disowned by his family many years before, and she has never met any of her titled relatives. All of her immediate family has recently died tragically, and she faces life as a governess. Until the Duchess, her cousin-once-removed by marriage, arrvies to sweep her off to Delacourt Palace. Unknown to Celia, the Duchess has ulterior motives...

Jack Delacourt, the Marquess of Lynden, is well aware of his mother's matchmaking activities, and has no intention of being caught in this particular trap. This leads him to behave coarsely and lewdly, hoping to give Celia a disgust of him. But he finds himself falling in love with her instead... while she's convinced that he's insane!

The Duchess's plotting is frequently hilarious, but equally frequently poignant, as we are let in on the secret she shares only with her abigail: she is terminally ill, and desperate to see her only son married to someone who will continue to run Delacourt just as she has always done. It's very clear that Celia won't; it's equally clear that Jack would simply not be happy with someone who would!

There is a delightful, and low-key, secondary romance to look forward to, as well. Definitely a heart-warming book to read at Christmas-time!

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars sweet, heartbreaking, lovely, May 23, 2002

By 

Bethany Gronberg "bethany actually" (Southern California, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Once Upon a Christmas (Signet Regency Romance) (Paperback)

I love Diane Farr's stuff. I have been a fan since the beginning, and she has quickly risen to the top-five list of my favorite Regency authors. This book is no exception. The main characters, Jack and Celia, are likable and real, and you get to know them and want them to realize how well-suited they are. That is a sign of a good romance, in my opinion. In addition, the supporting characters are all well-drawn. There is a nice secondary romance story involving one of Jack's sisters, a character from a previous Farr book (The Nobody), and another story line about Jack's mother, the Duchess. Those are both especially nice because they humanize characters who were rather unlikable in the original story.

Celia does have a great tragedy in her past, which may make some eyes roll, but it's simply and emotionally described, and is not talked about ad nauseum for effect--quite the opposite. There is a bit of a silly misunderstanding between the lovers at first, but Farr uses it nicely to comic effect and it doesn't get annoying. Despite the misunderstanding, Jack and Celia quickly establish a rapport, and it's delightful to see them quickly falling for each other without quite realizing it.

As the cherry on top, there is a cat in this book who is quite simply one of the best-written cats I've ever read. Now, you may not like cats, or you may think I am nuts to even mention this. But in my opinion, authors often seem to have difficulty writing children or animals, as if they have never been around any and don't quite know what actual children or animals say and do. The cat in this book, though, is quite magnificently done. He is simply a cat--he does not carry messages between lovers, he doesn't rescue anyone from drowning, he doesn't take part in any conversations. He is just there, part of the texture of the story, telling you a bit about some characters in their reactions to him, and just being a cat. If you don't like cats, you won't get annoyed at his presence in the story. If you do like cats, you might notice, as I did, how perfectly Farr has written this particular cat.

This book was a keeper for me, and each time I read it it lifts my mood.

16 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Another charmer from Diane Farr, October 11, 2000

By 

Patricia McMahon (Jamaica Plain, MA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Once Upon a Christmas (Signet Regency Romance) (Paperback)

Diane Farr has written another wonderful Regency romance with her latest, "Once Upon a Christmas". The elements will be familiar to readers of the sub-genre: a poor relation, an heir reluctant to marry, a managing mother; but Farr combines them all in a touching and funny little souffle of a novel. It's the perfect book to curl up with on a blustery winter's night when the Christmas lights are on, the hot chocolare is warm, and you're looking for a sweet and tender read.