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Married By Christmas (Top Author)
Made to marry!
Lilli Bennett had drunk just a little too much champagne. However, barely three months had passed since her world had been rocked by trauma. She remembered allowing herself to be taken away from the party by devastatingly handsome banker Patrick Devlin...but how had she come to wake up the next morning in his bed?
Whether or not they'd become lovers, Patrick wasn't about to let Lilli forget it. He vowed that she'd marry him within a month. The fact that only Patrick could save Lilli's father's chain of hotels from going bust meant that she had no choice--she would become Patrick's bride by Christmas!
Lilli Bennett had drunk just a little too much champagne. However, barely three months had passed since her world had been rocked by trauma. She remembered allowing herself to be taken away from the party by devastatingly handsome banker Patrick Devlin...but how had she come to wake up the next morning in his bed?
Whether or not they'd become lovers, Patrick wasn't about to let Lilli forget it. He vowed that she'd marry him within a month. The fact that only Patrick could save Lilli's father's chain of hotels from going bust meant that she had no choice--she would become Patrick's bride by Christmas!
186 pages, Mass Market Paperback
Published November 1, 1998
About the author
Carole Mortimer
1,314 books913 followersI have written almost 250 romance novels in contemporary and Regency.
I am a USA Today Bestselling Author and recipient of the 2015 RWA Lifetime Achievement Award. In 2014 I received a Pioneer of Romance Award from Romantic Times in the US and in 2012 I was recognised by Queen Elizabeth II for my 'outstanding service to literature'.
I am very happily married to Peter with six sons, and live on the Isle of Man
I am a USA Today Bestselling Author and recipient of the 2015 RWA Lifetime Achievement Award. In 2014 I received a Pioneer of Romance Award from Romantic Times in the US and in 2012 I was recognised by Queen Elizabeth II for my 'outstanding service to literature'.
I am very happily married to Peter with six sons, and live on the Isle of Man
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews
February 17, 2019
H/h meet at a sophisticated pre-Christmas party. Heroine, 21, is not in the party mood since her mother died three months before and her fiancé broke it off at the same time. To make matters worse, she sees her recently widowed father chatting up their notorious hostess and feels betrayed. She escapes to the kitchen and discovers the hostess’s brother (hero).
The heroine continues drinking pink champagne (her signature drink – oh, 21 – at least it wasn’t wine coolers) and hero is so smitten he whisks her off to a hotel.
Heroine wakes up the next morning in nothing but her knickers and no memory of the night before. Hero is in the shower. Heroine sneaks back home to her worried father who is shocked she stayed out all night. Heroine is angry her father is having an affair with a much younger woman so soon after her mother’s death from cancer.
Of course, the hero tracks her down after discovering her true identity (they just went with first names) and he is not happy she ran out on him and he thinks her motives for hooking up with him were because his bank has just bought her father’s bank and there is a 5 million dollar shortfall. Heroine knows nothing about this and her father won’t tell her anything.
Now it appears this will be a straightforward marry-by-Christmas or I’ll foreclose on your dad kind of scenario, but it much more complicated (and interesting than that). Half the fun of the story was learning along with the heroine the true state of affairs, so I’ll list what the heroine didn’t know under spoilers.
The heroine didn’t know:
But she marries him anyway because she thinks this will allow her father to pursue a court case against her former fiancé. Apparently, the hero and her father think the heroine will be ridiculed once the details of her former fiancé come to light. So if she is married to high powered guy – it will be okay. This makes little sense, but roll with it.
The hero’s ex wife shows up at their wedding reception and the heroine handles her well. Hero (and this reader) was impressed. Heroine was more focused on the fact that the ex wore white to her wedding than anything else. (How gauche!)
The H/h have a glorious wedding night. The heroine’s father shows up the day explaining the ex fiancé wants to make amends. Heroine wants to get all of the secrets and lies out in the open, so she meets her ex against the hero's wishes.
Hero is extremely jealous and offers heroine a divorce. Hero’s sister jumps in and offers advice on how to handle hero. There is a cute scene where the hero returns and acts as his sister predicted. Heroine feels on firm enough ground to declare her love. Hero melts.
There is an epilogue of sorts where heroine has twin girls and her father and H’s sister have a baby boy.
I enjoyed this one. Hero was a good guy – but didn’t trust his feelings. Heroine was a bit spoiled and self-centered at the beginning, but I liked her as she dug through a lot of layers to find the truth and her HEA. Plus her effortless smackdown of the H’s ex was great.
The heroine continues drinking pink champagne (her signature drink – oh, 21 – at least it wasn’t wine coolers) and hero is so smitten he whisks her off to a hotel.
Heroine wakes up the next morning in nothing but her knickers and no memory of the night before. Hero is in the shower. Heroine sneaks back home to her worried father who is shocked she stayed out all night. Heroine is angry her father is having an affair with a much younger woman so soon after her mother’s death from cancer.
Of course, the hero tracks her down after discovering her true identity (they just went with first names) and he is not happy she ran out on him and he thinks her motives for hooking up with him were because his bank has just bought her father’s bank and there is a 5 million dollar shortfall. Heroine knows nothing about this and her father won’t tell her anything.
Now it appears this will be a straightforward marry-by-Christmas or I’ll foreclose on your dad kind of scenario, but it much more complicated (and interesting than that). Half the fun of the story was learning along with the heroine the true state of affairs, so I’ll list what the heroine didn’t know under spoilers.
The heroine didn’t know:
But she marries him anyway because she thinks this will allow her father to pursue a court case against her former fiancé. Apparently, the hero and her father think the heroine will be ridiculed once the details of her former fiancé come to light. So if she is married to high powered guy – it will be okay. This makes little sense, but roll with it.
The hero’s ex wife shows up at their wedding reception and the heroine handles her well. Hero (and this reader) was impressed. Heroine was more focused on the fact that the ex wore white to her wedding than anything else. (How gauche!)
The H/h have a glorious wedding night. The heroine’s father shows up the day explaining the ex fiancé wants to make amends. Heroine wants to get all of the secrets and lies out in the open, so she meets her ex against the hero's wishes.
Hero is extremely jealous and offers heroine a divorce. Hero’s sister jumps in and offers advice on how to handle hero. There is a cute scene where the hero returns and acts as his sister predicted. Heroine feels on firm enough ground to declare her love. Hero melts.
There is an epilogue of sorts where heroine has twin girls and her father and H’s sister have a baby boy.
I enjoyed this one. Hero was a good guy – but didn’t trust his feelings. Heroine was a bit spoiled and self-centered at the beginning, but I liked her as she dug through a lot of layers to find the truth and her HEA. Plus her effortless smackdown of the H’s ex was great.
March 28, 2019
Re Married By Christmas - Carole Mortimer gets her favorite annual Christmas slot for HPlandia December 1998 - she uses an old skool trope and also gets to use her favorite Bennett* surname as a little insider joke for those HP Voyagers in the know.
*These Bennett's are not related to the Dizzy Bennett's that kicked off with One Chance at Love. But CM has HP Christmas Traditions to uphold.
As for the recycled tropes, CM uses her favorite May/December romance and for even more seasonal kick, she makes it a duo romantic paring - the H's sister is the h's father's love interest after the death of the h's mother.
We also get a nice little blackmail into marriage trope, and in a shocking blow to Old Skool HP bigotry, even homosexual people are shown to have a keen sense of morality. As it is Christmas, everybody's bad behavior gets forgiven in the end and for that special CM bonus touch - CM gives the H and h a bonus gift of baby girl twins.
To start this fluffy, fast HP outing, CM takes us and the 21 yr old recently bereaved h to a party. But not just any party, this party is the annual Christmas party of the most revered socialite on the London scene.
The h has been having mopey moments for the last three months, since the death of her mother and the defection of her fiance for sunnier climes - the same fiance who was the male personal assistant to her hotel conglomerate owning father.
The h's mood is not improved when, in response to her friend's 'Man candy I want to lick up' gushing, she gazes across the room at the aforesaid revered and popular socialite and sees the woman hanging all over her very own father.
The h, who has been imbibing on the pink champagne for most of the night, isn't sure if she should be more horrified over her similarly aged friend wanted to lick her dad up like a tootsie pop or over the fact that her father is clearly getting loved up from a notorious Socialite Tart in front of everyone, three months after the death of the h's beloved mother.
The h isn't feeling great and exits the room rather than make a what-is-more-disgusting decision. She finds herself in the kitchen and there is a tall, dark, handsome and raspy voiced man offering a sample of a very nice red vintage wine.
The h likes the fruits of the vine in all of it's many combinations. So as she relaxes in the wine induced rosy glow and conversation with an attractive man, she decides to resist making any decision on her current situation.
Until the Socialite Tart barges into the room and starts arguing with her TDH companion over conversing with her wine buzzed self. The h, seeing a chance to strike a blow to the scheming father stealing hussy, quickly asserts that she and Mr. Raspy Voiced TDH will be taking themselves off to the nearest five star hotel.
The next morning the h wakes up in only her undies and Mr. Raspy TDH is singing in the shower. Flinging on her dress and sneaking out of the room hungover ninja style, the h tries to power through her Taxi Ride of Shame home.
Where Daddy Dearest Hussy Groper is waiting. There is a big battle and the h's dad hints that the guy she left with is more than he seems, but the h is hungover and doesn't want to know. However the knowledge that Mr. TDH is actually the Socialite Tart's older brother doesn't seem to help the headache.
The h thinks that is very unfortunate, but since she subscribes to the "If I don't remember it, it didn't happen" school of modus operandi, the h is soon well on her way to hangover recovery.
Then Mr. Raspy Voice TDH shows up.
There is another argument and Mr. Raspy is all about the h trying to use her body to convince him to bail out her father financially. The h feels her hangover returning and doing her best Elizabeth Bennett haughty act, tells the H she has no clue as to what he is referring and then dismisses him when he asks her out for lunch.
Mr. Raspy isn't letting his prey off that easy, he tells her she was a perfect 10 the night before and grabs himself a roofie kiss on his way out the door. The h closely questions her father about his financial difficulties, but the silver fox dad be cagey and it isn't until the next day, when the H decides the h will make an admirable wife and comes to propose a mutually convenient marriage, that the h learns the truth.
We find out that the h's ex-fiance was really gay, he used the courtship of the h to embezzle a lot of money and then ran off with his lover. The h's dad is reluctant to prosecute, cause the whole sordid story will come out and the h will bear the brunt of all of High Society London's cruelty.
Because this is HPlandia and this h has nothing better to do anyway, she decides that if she marries the H and agrees to give him his four planned kids, her father can go ahead and prosecute and all of London Society will only applaud her Material Marriage Minded ways.
She goes to the H and accepts his proposal and the H finally comes clean about the h still being able to groom unicorns, cause she passed out before the Big Night o' Purple Passion could begin.
The H wants the wedding in nine days and his Socialite Tart sister is definitely invited. The h allows this with a sigh, she figures grief does strange things and surely her dad will get it out of his system-eventually.
The wedding is very tasteful and elegant, but the surprise appearance of the H's first wife threatens to put a huge stain on the event. However this h proves she hold Socialite Doyenne status of her own as she deftly sends the older, former, and above all - EX wife on her not-so-merry way.
We have a non-event wedding night, as the H claims he is exhausted and they both go to sleep. That is made up for the next morning and finally the h can burn her unicorn grooming license. Then the h's father shows up with a message from the ex-fiance. He wants to meet with the h.
Everybody but the h has a terrible tantrum, but the h is a mum in training and no spoilt boy tantrums are going to impede her on her way. The h goes to meet her ex and he shamefacedly gives her back the money he stole and also an apology. His lover dumped him when he turned to larceny and he understands completely if this gesture doesn't make his court case go away.
The H shows up to be huffy and the h has a few pointed remarks about that too, then the H points out that if the ex had turned up a day earlier, he and the h wouldn't have married. The H storms off and as it is Christmas, the h goes to drink some champagne with her father and his Socialite Tart.
Fences are mended as the father explains that he and the Tart have been in love for six years, but the h's mother became terminally ill before she could abandon the h and her husband for her most interesting lover out of her wide assortment.
The h's dad also admits that her mother threatened to estrange the h and her father with emotional manipulation, if the dad did not toe the marital facade line, so the h feels bad that her dad had to give up his True Love for her.
The h forgives the Socialite Tart, now to be known as Dad's Loving Society Doyenne. The retitled Doyenne points out that her brother loves the h and when he calls to be cranky that the h is hanging out at the Doyenne's house instead of with him, the Doyenne predicts that the H will be over in twenty minutes to declare his love for the h.
He makes it in 18, but there are no big love declarations forthcoming. Until the h tells him that he made a commitment and she isn't allowing a divorce - the H finally gets that the h loves him and he has loved her since her first drunken snore two weeks earlier.
Everyone decides to forgive and forget those little niggling social faux pas moments, the ex-fiance is allowed to roam free and the epilogue is an H and h baby producing competition with the h's father and Doyenne. The Doyenne has a baby boy and the H and h win with twin girls, for another Happy Christmas CM HPlandia outing.
*These Bennett's are not related to the Dizzy Bennett's that kicked off with One Chance at Love. But CM has HP Christmas Traditions to uphold.
As for the recycled tropes, CM uses her favorite May/December romance and for even more seasonal kick, she makes it a duo romantic paring - the H's sister is the h's father's love interest after the death of the h's mother.
We also get a nice little blackmail into marriage trope, and in a shocking blow to Old Skool HP bigotry, even homosexual people are shown to have a keen sense of morality. As it is Christmas, everybody's bad behavior gets forgiven in the end and for that special CM bonus touch - CM gives the H and h a bonus gift of baby girl twins.
To start this fluffy, fast HP outing, CM takes us and the 21 yr old recently bereaved h to a party. But not just any party, this party is the annual Christmas party of the most revered socialite on the London scene.
The h has been having mopey moments for the last three months, since the death of her mother and the defection of her fiance for sunnier climes - the same fiance who was the male personal assistant to her hotel conglomerate owning father.
The h's mood is not improved when, in response to her friend's 'Man candy I want to lick up' gushing, she gazes across the room at the aforesaid revered and popular socialite and sees the woman hanging all over her very own father.
The h, who has been imbibing on the pink champagne for most of the night, isn't sure if she should be more horrified over her similarly aged friend wanted to lick her dad up like a tootsie pop or over the fact that her father is clearly getting loved up from a notorious Socialite Tart in front of everyone, three months after the death of the h's beloved mother.
The h isn't feeling great and exits the room rather than make a what-is-more-disgusting decision. She finds herself in the kitchen and there is a tall, dark, handsome and raspy voiced man offering a sample of a very nice red vintage wine.
The h likes the fruits of the vine in all of it's many combinations. So as she relaxes in the wine induced rosy glow and conversation with an attractive man, she decides to resist making any decision on her current situation.
Until the Socialite Tart barges into the room and starts arguing with her TDH companion over conversing with her wine buzzed self. The h, seeing a chance to strike a blow to the scheming father stealing hussy, quickly asserts that she and Mr. Raspy Voiced TDH will be taking themselves off to the nearest five star hotel.
The next morning the h wakes up in only her undies and Mr. Raspy TDH is singing in the shower. Flinging on her dress and sneaking out of the room hungover ninja style, the h tries to power through her Taxi Ride of Shame home.
Where Daddy Dearest Hussy Groper is waiting. There is a big battle and the h's dad hints that the guy she left with is more than he seems, but the h is hungover and doesn't want to know. However the knowledge that Mr. TDH is actually the Socialite Tart's older brother doesn't seem to help the headache.
The h thinks that is very unfortunate, but since she subscribes to the "If I don't remember it, it didn't happen" school of modus operandi, the h is soon well on her way to hangover recovery.
Then Mr. Raspy Voice TDH shows up.
There is another argument and Mr. Raspy is all about the h trying to use her body to convince him to bail out her father financially. The h feels her hangover returning and doing her best Elizabeth Bennett haughty act, tells the H she has no clue as to what he is referring and then dismisses him when he asks her out for lunch.
Mr. Raspy isn't letting his prey off that easy, he tells her she was a perfect 10 the night before and grabs himself a roofie kiss on his way out the door. The h closely questions her father about his financial difficulties, but the silver fox dad be cagey and it isn't until the next day, when the H decides the h will make an admirable wife and comes to propose a mutually convenient marriage, that the h learns the truth.
We find out that the h's ex-fiance was really gay, he used the courtship of the h to embezzle a lot of money and then ran off with his lover. The h's dad is reluctant to prosecute, cause the whole sordid story will come out and the h will bear the brunt of all of High Society London's cruelty.
Because this is HPlandia and this h has nothing better to do anyway, she decides that if she marries the H and agrees to give him his four planned kids, her father can go ahead and prosecute and all of London Society will only applaud her Material Marriage Minded ways.
She goes to the H and accepts his proposal and the H finally comes clean about the h still being able to groom unicorns, cause she passed out before the Big Night o' Purple Passion could begin.
The H wants the wedding in nine days and his Socialite Tart sister is definitely invited. The h allows this with a sigh, she figures grief does strange things and surely her dad will get it out of his system-eventually.
The wedding is very tasteful and elegant, but the surprise appearance of the H's first wife threatens to put a huge stain on the event. However this h proves she hold Socialite Doyenne status of her own as she deftly sends the older, former, and above all - EX wife on her not-so-merry way.
We have a non-event wedding night, as the H claims he is exhausted and they both go to sleep. That is made up for the next morning and finally the h can burn her unicorn grooming license. Then the h's father shows up with a message from the ex-fiance. He wants to meet with the h.
Everybody but the h has a terrible tantrum, but the h is a mum in training and no spoilt boy tantrums are going to impede her on her way. The h goes to meet her ex and he shamefacedly gives her back the money he stole and also an apology. His lover dumped him when he turned to larceny and he understands completely if this gesture doesn't make his court case go away.
The H shows up to be huffy and the h has a few pointed remarks about that too, then the H points out that if the ex had turned up a day earlier, he and the h wouldn't have married. The H storms off and as it is Christmas, the h goes to drink some champagne with her father and his Socialite Tart.
Fences are mended as the father explains that he and the Tart have been in love for six years, but the h's mother became terminally ill before she could abandon the h and her husband for her most interesting lover out of her wide assortment.
The h's dad also admits that her mother threatened to estrange the h and her father with emotional manipulation, if the dad did not toe the marital facade line, so the h feels bad that her dad had to give up his True Love for her.
The h forgives the Socialite Tart, now to be known as Dad's Loving Society Doyenne. The retitled Doyenne points out that her brother loves the h and when he calls to be cranky that the h is hanging out at the Doyenne's house instead of with him, the Doyenne predicts that the H will be over in twenty minutes to declare his love for the h.
He makes it in 18, but there are no big love declarations forthcoming. Until the h tells him that he made a commitment and she isn't allowing a divorce - the H finally gets that the h loves him and he has loved her since her first drunken snore two weeks earlier.
Everyone decides to forgive and forget those little niggling social faux pas moments, the ex-fiance is allowed to roam free and the epilogue is an H and h baby producing competition with the h's father and Doyenne. The Doyenne has a baby boy and the H and h win with twin girls, for another Happy Christmas CM HPlandia outing.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 16, 2012
What a delightful story. I loved the relationship and dynamics between not only the H/h, but their respective families. It was filled with unexpected twist and turns that kept me turning those pages and there was a level of sophistication in the execution of the story that you don't typically find in most HP category romances. Both the heroine and hero act respectfully towards one another, but yet all the requisite angst and chemistry between the two still existed!
I was a bit hesitant to pick it up, due to the holiday theme. I usually find that element a little too sappy for my taste...but this was delightful and the author chose to underplay the theme.
I recommend.
I was a bit hesitant to pick it up, due to the holiday theme. I usually find that element a little too sappy for my taste...but this was delightful and the author chose to underplay the theme.
I recommend.
December 16, 2018
"Married by Christmas" is the story of Lilli and Patrick.
Lilli, our heroine is recovering from personal loss and drowning herself in champagne with her close friend by her side, when she spots her nemesis with a familiar face. She runs away, only to meet, and wake up in bed next to Patrick- whom she soon realizes might be the man responsible for her father's downfall!
But Patrick has taken a liking for Lilli- and vows to marry her! Having had one vindictive ex wife before, he now wants to marry for passion, and Lilli is filled with that.
Soon begins a banter filled Christmas novella with loads of witty scenes, mild drama, quick resolution with OTT sweet HEA. I wish I hadn't read this while I was watching a super crappy Christmas Hallmark movie, but since I did, some of my feelings did get transferred here and I eyerolled a lot!
Still a pleasant read!
Safe
3/5
Lilli, our heroine is recovering from personal loss and drowning herself in champagne with her close friend by her side, when she spots her nemesis with a familiar face. She runs away, only to meet, and wake up in bed next to Patrick- whom she soon realizes might be the man responsible for her father's downfall!
But Patrick has taken a liking for Lilli- and vows to marry her! Having had one vindictive ex wife before, he now wants to marry for passion, and Lilli is filled with that.
Soon begins a banter filled Christmas novella with loads of witty scenes, mild drama, quick resolution with OTT sweet HEA. I wish I hadn't read this while I was watching a super crappy Christmas Hallmark movie, but since I did, some of my feelings did get transferred here and I eyerolled a lot!
Still a pleasant read!
Safe
3/5
September 22, 2015
I really hate plots where heroine's fathers have a younger wife and child I just find it really icky and distracting from the main storyline! Oh and hero's fathers too.....
February 25, 2018
This book was waaaay too Jerry Springer for me.
The h and H are step uncle/step niece. Their kids are her father’s granddaughters/step nieces. I just can’t wrap my confused mind around it all.
The h meets the H at a party given by the hottest hostess in London who is know for changing her men like she changes her socks. The h has no issue with this woman until she learns that the new man in her life is the h’s father.
This all takes place three months after the death of the h’s mother. The h is angry. To get back at her father and his lover, the h decided to spend the night with the H, a man she assumes is another of that woman’s lovers. Turns out he’s not the woman’s lover, he’s her brother.
This leads to all sorts of misunderstandings and resentments. Her father is angry at her for sleeping with his lover’s brother. The H is angry because he thought she set him up. Lots of “WTH is going on with these people” moments as I read.
It all becomes clear in the last chapters, but Lordy there was misunderstandings, blackmail, and drama before there was any clarification.
Then there’s the whole my dad is married to my sister-in-law thing and we’ve both given birth to children within days of each other. And what will the h’s kids call her father? Grandpa or Uncle? Or just Uncle Grandpa?!?
Hahahahahahaha
The h and H are step uncle/step niece. Their kids are her father’s granddaughters/step nieces. I just can’t wrap my confused mind around it all.
The h meets the H at a party given by the hottest hostess in London who is know for changing her men like she changes her socks. The h has no issue with this woman until she learns that the new man in her life is the h’s father.
This all takes place three months after the death of the h’s mother. The h is angry. To get back at her father and his lover, the h decided to spend the night with the H, a man she assumes is another of that woman’s lovers. Turns out he’s not the woman’s lover, he’s her brother.
This leads to all sorts of misunderstandings and resentments. Her father is angry at her for sleeping with his lover’s brother. The H is angry because he thought she set him up. Lots of “WTH is going on with these people” moments as I read.
It all becomes clear in the last chapters, but Lordy there was misunderstandings, blackmail, and drama before there was any clarification.
Then there’s the whole my dad is married to my sister-in-law thing and we’ve both given birth to children within days of each other. And what will the h’s kids call her father? Grandpa or Uncle? Or just Uncle Grandpa?!?
Hahahahahahaha
January 3, 2015
This was a cute book. Mortimer kept us guessing on the hero and the heroine until near the end. The reveal on the truth about Lilli's parents' marriage and the true nature of his new love, was surprising.
I was a bit surprised at the beginning and I'm glad that things turned out more innocent than it seemed. Patrick was a nice mix of alpha and beta. He would come on as tough, but he had a marshmallow heart. I liked that about him.
I kept thinking about Lizzy Bennet from Pride and Prejudice because the heroine's name is also Elizabeth Bennet. I don't know if that was on purpose or not.
Not my favorite book by Mortimer, but a pleasant read and nice for a Christmastime read, with its focus on family and how complicated and rich they can make one's life.
Overall rating: 3.5/5.0 stars.
I was a bit surprised at the beginning and I'm glad that things turned out more innocent than it seemed. Patrick was a nice mix of alpha and beta. He would come on as tough, but he had a marshmallow heart. I liked that about him.
I kept thinking about Lizzy Bennet from Pride and Prejudice because the heroine's name is also Elizabeth Bennet. I don't know if that was on purpose or not.
Not my favorite book by Mortimer, but a pleasant read and nice for a Christmastime read, with its focus on family and how complicated and rich they can make one's life.
Overall rating: 3.5/5.0 stars.
November 28, 2012
It was odd and the ending was even more so. I mean having a baby brother just a bit before having your own children? The ending was pretty damn screwed up, the rest of it was okay though.
April 24, 2019
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Letto e recensito da Iaia
Patrick Devlin, bello e inavvicinabile, incontra per caso Lilly, Elizabeth Bennett. Questo basta a far scoccare scintille tra di loro. Si scontrano parecchio, ci sono continui battibecchi, ma si sta insinuando nei loro cuori, l'amore. Chiaramente non vogliono ammetterlo, ma nulla si può contro questo sentimento. Ci sono molte cose da chiarire tra di loro e l'autrice ti coinvolge per farti arrivare al più presto alla fine della storia. Quando i due protagonisti sono testardi e di carattere forte rendono la vicenda vivace, i dialoghi sono avvincenti e ti scappa anche qualche sorriso.
Il romanzo è delicato e dolce, mi sono sentita particolarmente vicina a Patrick, perché vuole apparire forte, deciso e non sentimentale, mentre i suoi sentimenti nei confronti di Lilly sono profondi nonostante la loro conoscenza sia iniziata da poco. Ma lui è stato proprio colpito dalla freccia di Cupido, è innamorato, ma non vuole farlo vedere.
Un romanzo molto carino, da leggere per trascorrere un paio d'ore serene.
Letto e recensito da Iaia
Patrick Devlin, bello e inavvicinabile, incontra per caso Lilly, Elizabeth Bennett. Questo basta a far scoccare scintille tra di loro. Si scontrano parecchio, ci sono continui battibecchi, ma si sta insinuando nei loro cuori, l'amore. Chiaramente non vogliono ammetterlo, ma nulla si può contro questo sentimento. Ci sono molte cose da chiarire tra di loro e l'autrice ti coinvolge per farti arrivare al più presto alla fine della storia. Quando i due protagonisti sono testardi e di carattere forte rendono la vicenda vivace, i dialoghi sono avvincenti e ti scappa anche qualche sorriso.
Il romanzo è delicato e dolce, mi sono sentita particolarmente vicina a Patrick, perché vuole apparire forte, deciso e non sentimentale, mentre i suoi sentimenti nei confronti di Lilly sono profondi nonostante la loro conoscenza sia iniziata da poco. Ma lui è stato proprio colpito dalla freccia di Cupido, è innamorato, ma non vuole farlo vedere.
Un romanzo molto carino, da leggere per trascorrere un paio d'ore serene.
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April 23, 2022A light read. Maybe even a bit boring. But it was okay.
She is a rich party girl, a spoilt daddy’s girl. Doesn’t work, doesn’t study, has a maid, lives in her dad’s house.
She marries the H only to save face after what happened with her ex. He never blackmailed her, he was never cruel to her. So I couldn’t warm up to her self-pity that she has no other choice than to marry the H.
He is the opposite of an alpha male. How do you call such a man? A mouse?
In my opinion the h was the alpha in their relationship.
She is a rich party girl, a spoilt daddy’s girl. Doesn’t work, doesn’t study, has a maid, lives in her dad’s house.
She marries the H only to save face after what happened with her ex. He never blackmailed her, he was never cruel to her. So I couldn’t warm up to her self-pity that she has no other choice than to marry the H.
He is the opposite of an alpha male. How do you call such a man? A mouse?
In my opinion the h was the alpha in their relationship.
March 15, 2022
Was just okay. A besotted Hero obviously grasping at any excuse to make the heroine marry him.
For some reason, i liked how the heronie was portrayed, because they cant all be perfect martyrs. So i found it refreshing that the author wrote her as a young spoiled daddy’s girl. Maybe because I’m a bit of a daddy’s girl myself.
She really resents that her father has a mistress just a few months after her mother’s death.
Added complication, the Hero is the brother of the mistress.
So while the story was okay. I didnt like inclusion of the father and his girlfriend, though they all 4 get a HEA in the end for one big happy family trope. 😒
Cant ever see myself accepting my fathers mistress who is now also my sister in law 😣
For some reason, i liked how the heronie was portrayed, because they cant all be perfect martyrs. So i found it refreshing that the author wrote her as a young spoiled daddy’s girl. Maybe because I’m a bit of a daddy’s girl myself.
She really resents that her father has a mistress just a few months after her mother’s death.
Added complication, the Hero is the brother of the mistress.
So while the story was okay. I didnt like inclusion of the father and his girlfriend, though they all 4 get a HEA in the end for one big happy family trope. 😒
Cant ever see myself accepting my fathers mistress who is now also my sister in law 😣
December 28, 2021
3.5 stars
May 27, 2019
I liked Patrick and Lily. However, the whole story takes place over just a few weeks with them both falling in love suddenly! I would have preferred it if after their hasty marriage we got to read about them falling in love over a longer period. It seemed rushed at the end especially the part where she’s so forgiving of what her father and his lover reveal to her about her mother.
May 18, 2016
2008 review MY THOUGHTS: SPOILERS ALERT! I gave this book four stars because it was readable, entertaining and sweet - and it had an epilogue, yay! I always like it when I see the "after the happily ever after". Also I don't read much romance novels were in the hero is almost like a virgin - I'm not saying he is. But the fact that Patrick didn't have any woman for five years after his divorce. And the heroine was a virgin so thats great. =P Although I'm surprised considering this book was written in 1995. The story might seem a little too happy go lucky but it is a "christmas" romance novel so that is probably why. Enjoyable read and I would be interested in reading more of Carole Mortimer's books.
September 20, 2018
"Married by Christmas" is another light christmas romance by Carole...a truly charming and adorable one!
Patrick Devlin and Lilli Bennet are a adorable pair of love-birds who constantly argued and teased each other.Their chemistry are on bloom from the beginning and it was so funny to watch Patrick plot his scheme to win Lilli,and make her marry him.
It was so obvious of Patricks love and i was glad to see that Lilli decided to put her pride aside.
A great 5-star by Carole i recommend to read on a quiet holiday!
Patrick Devlin and Lilli Bennet are a adorable pair of love-birds who constantly argued and teased each other.Their chemistry are on bloom from the beginning and it was so funny to watch Patrick plot his scheme to win Lilli,and make her marry him.
It was so obvious of Patricks love and i was glad to see that Lilli decided to put her pride aside.
A great 5-star by Carole i recommend to read on a quiet holiday!
December 9, 2015
Married by Christmas
Con questo libro ho iniziato le mie letture natalizie.
Bene, non potevo iniziare con libro più banale! Storia irreale e assurda e personaggi con la profondità di una pozzanghera. Di natalizio ha ben poco. Peggio di così non si può fare per cui sarà (dovrà essere) un crescendo ^.*
Con questo libro ho iniziato le mie letture natalizie.
Bene, non potevo iniziare con libro più banale! Storia irreale e assurda e personaggi con la profondità di una pozzanghera. Di natalizio ha ben poco. Peggio di così non si può fare per cui sarà (dovrà essere) un crescendo ^.*
November 17, 2011
Liked it very much,the story developed well,liked Patrick-Lilli very much,all the issues were handled well and by the end every puzzle piece falls into places.Overall a fun,sweet and enjoyable read
Recommend it
Recommend it
February 8, 2021
Let me give you a rough sketch of the ages of the various characters in the story. Then you can decide for yourself whether the story is plausible, acceptable or somewhat distasteful.
Lilli is a 21 year old sassy, headstrong girl. Daddy's pet, drinks tons of champagne all the time. Spends plenty of her young life in parties, that's the way the author portrays her. But yes, she meets the cardinal rule, she is a virgin !
Patrick, the hero is a 39 year old man with a nasty divorce behind him. He is a hotshot banker. Lilli's daddy is in his debt. So the story is about - MOC for rescuing daddy's business.
The heroine's daddy and hero's much younger sister are also an item in the story! Lilli's mother died, and the parents had a turbulent relationship and all that. So now the daddy is looking to rebuild his own life. Daddy is in his mid forties, hero's sister is 32. Their age difference is wide enough, but the lead pair is much much worse!
The story is about the idle rich. Where the only thing that bothers them is their love lives. Lilli and Patrick hook up in a party. Spend a chaste night together in bed, because she falls asleep with all the champagne. But she believes they had been naughty. Hero plays along with this assumption.
The MOC happens, then the two love stories keep intersecting. Because all the characters are headstrong and reckless, there is lot of passion and energy in the story.
Why would a young smart 21 year old girl consider a jaded 39 year old divorced man as a prize catch, I am yet to understand. But that's the crux of the story. She does, and he obliges with the "I fell in love with you on Day 1" line. HEA.
Lilli and Patrick produce twin daughters on New Years day. Lilli's daddy and Patrick's sister have already done the honors by popping a boy on Christmas.
So there, you have the various relationships laid out for you. Rack your heads over them folks !!!!!!
Lilli is a 21 year old sassy, headstrong girl. Daddy's pet, drinks tons of champagne all the time. Spends plenty of her young life in parties, that's the way the author portrays her. But yes, she meets the cardinal rule, she is a virgin !
Patrick, the hero is a 39 year old man with a nasty divorce behind him. He is a hotshot banker. Lilli's daddy is in his debt. So the story is about - MOC for rescuing daddy's business.
The heroine's daddy and hero's much younger sister are also an item in the story! Lilli's mother died, and the parents had a turbulent relationship and all that. So now the daddy is looking to rebuild his own life. Daddy is in his mid forties, hero's sister is 32. Their age difference is wide enough, but the lead pair is much much worse!
The story is about the idle rich. Where the only thing that bothers them is their love lives. Lilli and Patrick hook up in a party. Spend a chaste night together in bed, because she falls asleep with all the champagne. But she believes they had been naughty. Hero plays along with this assumption.
The MOC happens, then the two love stories keep intersecting. Because all the characters are headstrong and reckless, there is lot of passion and energy in the story.
Why would a young smart 21 year old girl consider a jaded 39 year old divorced man as a prize catch, I am yet to understand. But that's the crux of the story. She does, and he obliges with the "I fell in love with you on Day 1" line. HEA.
Lilli and Patrick produce twin daughters on New Years day. Lilli's daddy and Patrick's sister have already done the honors by popping a boy on Christmas.
So there, you have the various relationships laid out for you. Rack your heads over them folks !!!!!!
July 22, 2017
3,5/5
July 18, 2021
3.5 stars ⭐️ ⭐️⭐️ This was good! I liked the angst and The MC's.
June 15, 2025
sweet ending
May 31, 2022
Good book,one steamy scene of their wedding night.just ok.
June 24, 2015
I'll tell you a secret. British romance novels baffle me the majority of the time. As a half-English half-American raised in Spain and London, you'd expect me to understand how Brits think, but I guess there's too much Yankee in me.
So yes. English Mills & Boon titles tend to leave me with a quizzical look on my face. They seem to be full of perplexing heroes and heroines, who have a lot of hostility for each other - at least at the start - and spend a lot of time being angry for reasons that I never quite understand.
This book is such a prime example of this. I have no idea why Lilli and Patrick spent so much time throwing barbed words. I have no idea why he was mad when he found out that she was Elizabeth Bennett (nice name, btw) and she was mad...the whole time. I think it was explained, but I also think there's some deficiency in my character that makes it impossible to understand why these two people didn't just communicate openly and honestly about their thoughts and feelings.
Crud. I sound like a self-help book.
Both hero and heroine were too hostile and tense for me to really warm to. For a book to be a four-star or five-star for me, it needs to be full of characters that I would want for friends, and I don't really feel that way about any of the people here. They're not bad people. Hostility and lack of honesty aside, they're quite charming. They just are something that's totally beyond my experience and ability to empathise with. I couldn't understand what they were feeling and thinking, even when they were verbalising it.
That all said, I did quite enjoy the book, at least enough to read once every few years at Christmas. I liked the Christmas setting, although it's a bit low-key for me (I tend to gravitate towards sappy holiday romances at this time of year). And I really enjoyed the secondary characters of Gerry and Richard / Daddy, and the storyline that went along with them. Extra points were given for the beginning of the book; the use of Gerry's character as an antagonist (of sorts) without resorting to the old love-rival cliche was inventive and interesting enough to keep me reading.
All in all, not bad. Probably a little over three stars, but not four. Three-and-a-third, we'll call it. :)
So yes. English Mills & Boon titles tend to leave me with a quizzical look on my face. They seem to be full of perplexing heroes and heroines, who have a lot of hostility for each other - at least at the start - and spend a lot of time being angry for reasons that I never quite understand.
This book is such a prime example of this. I have no idea why Lilli and Patrick spent so much time throwing barbed words. I have no idea why he was mad when he found out that she was Elizabeth Bennett (nice name, btw) and she was mad...the whole time. I think it was explained, but I also think there's some deficiency in my character that makes it impossible to understand why these two people didn't just communicate openly and honestly about their thoughts and feelings.
Crud. I sound like a self-help book.
Both hero and heroine were too hostile and tense for me to really warm to. For a book to be a four-star or five-star for me, it needs to be full of characters that I would want for friends, and I don't really feel that way about any of the people here. They're not bad people. Hostility and lack of honesty aside, they're quite charming. They just are something that's totally beyond my experience and ability to empathise with. I couldn't understand what they were feeling and thinking, even when they were verbalising it.
That all said, I did quite enjoy the book, at least enough to read once every few years at Christmas. I liked the Christmas setting, although it's a bit low-key for me (I tend to gravitate towards sappy holiday romances at this time of year). And I really enjoyed the secondary characters of Gerry and Richard / Daddy, and the storyline that went along with them. Extra points were given for the beginning of the book; the use of Gerry's character as an antagonist (of sorts) without resorting to the old love-rival cliche was inventive and interesting enough to keep me reading.
All in all, not bad. Probably a little over three stars, but not four. Three-and-a-third, we'll call it. :)
May 7, 2016
The book was slow at times. The h was kind of annoying and spoilt at the beginning. Later her and the H became very endearing and lovable as characters. Unfortunately this only happens about 100 pages in so you need to wait patiently. I kind of got annoyed with the dialogue because everyone kept hiding things from the h so most of the times you had to put up with this:
"I cannot tell you about this important thing," said either H or h's father.
"Tell me..." said h.
"No," said either H or h's father.
"Tellllllll," said h.
"Nope," said either H or h's father.
And so on and so forth some version of this conversation goes on a lot. The author used this technique of hiding things from the heroine (therefore hiding it from the reader, while making the heroine aware that something was indeed being hidden from her so that she gets crazy about finding the truth) a lot and that annoyed me and slowed down my reading.
Otherwise the book was an enjoyable read. The H was cute and delightful. Even the supporting characters were lovable.
"I cannot tell you about this important thing," said either H or h's father.
"Tell me..." said h.
"No," said either H or h's father.
"Tellllllll," said h.
"Nope," said either H or h's father.
And so on and so forth some version of this conversation goes on a lot. The author used this technique of hiding things from the heroine (therefore hiding it from the reader, while making the heroine aware that something was indeed being hidden from her so that she gets crazy about finding the truth) a lot and that annoyed me and slowed down my reading.
Otherwise the book was an enjoyable read. The H was cute and delightful. Even the supporting characters were lovable.
December 24, 2016
I usually love Carole Mortimer's books but this one was pretty much a semi-clunker. From 1998 it isn't quite old, old school, it's sort of that bridge in time between Old School and more like today's stories but the plot was quite stuck with one foot firmly planted in OS. The hero was really much older than the heroine, something I could tolerate in the old days, but even giving the book the benefit of the doubt it didn't work for me. The just-past-her-21st-birthday heroine was a bore. No mention of her education, she had no job, no goal in life. The hero, at 38, was cliché hero material. It was all a jumble, took me 6 days to read, a book this size with Mortimer's name on the cover normally would have taken me a day to zip through but it felt like it was taking me forever to slog through it. Three stars is my gift to the author, realistically the book is a 2-star effort.
April 25, 2021
Made to marry! Lilli had drunk just a little too much champagne. However, barely three months had passed since her world had been rocked by trauma. She remembered allowing herself to be taken away from the party by devastatingly handsome banker Patrick Devlin but how had she come to wake up the next morning in his bed? Whether or not they'd become lovers, Patrick wasn't about to let Lilli forget it. He vowed that she'd marry him within a month. The fact that only Patrick could save Lilli's father's chain of hotels from going bust meant that she had no choice she would become Patrick's bride by Christmas!
December 13, 2015
Appena iniziato mi sono accorta che avevo già letto questa storia quando era ancora in versione "vecchio harmony sottiletta" e non "elit colorato e fascinoso" XD Comunque è la classica storiella del matrimonio di convenienza che in realtà nasconde l'amore e blablabla....senza infamia e senza lode insomma!
March 21, 2022
Much better than it sounds. Carole Mortimer writes about interesting people who face dilemmas in their choice of spouse and fewer or no explicit scenes.
Read a longer review that includes plot synopsis here: https://www.morebooksthantime.com/mar...
Read a longer review that includes plot synopsis here: https://www.morebooksthantime.com/mar...
September 17, 2012
3.5 ***.
June 10, 2014
4 stars
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