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In Love and War: A Collection of Love Stories
Beloved romance writer Carla Kelly shares a treasured collection of stories starring dashing war heroes and the sassy heroines who can't help but fall for them. From daring sea captains to genteel lords, there's a little something for every heart's fancy. Readers everywhere will adore these four regency romances---now available together for the first time in one can't-miss ebook!
ebook
First published January 24, 2012
About the author
Carla Kelly
141 books812 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
Although Carla Kelly is well known among her readers as a writer of Regency romance, her main interest (and first writing success) is Western American fiction—more specifically, writing about America's Indian Wars. Although she had sold some of her work before, it was not until Carla began work in the National Park Service as a ranger/historian at Fort Laramie National Historic Site did she get serious about her writing career. (Or as she would be the first to admit, as serious as it gets.)
Carla wrote a series of what she now refers to as the "Fort Laramie stories," which are tales of the men, women and children of the Indian Wars era in Western history. Two of her stories, A Season for Heroes and Kathleen Flaherty's Long Winter, earned her Spur Awards from the Western Writers of America. She was the second woman to earn two Spurs from WWA (which, as everyone knows, is all you need to ride a horse). Her entire Indian Wars collection was published in 2003 as Here's to the Ladies: Stories of the Frontier Army. It remains her favorite work.
The mother of five children, Carla has always allowed her kids to earn their keep by appearing in her Regencies, most notably Marian's Christmas Wish, which is peopled by all kinds of relatives. Grown now, the Kelly kids are scattered here and there across the U.S. They continue to provide feedback, furnish fodder for stories and make frantic phone calls home during the holidays for recipes. (Carla Kelly is some cook.)
Carla's husband, Martin, is Director of Theatre at Valley City State University, in Valley City, North Dakota. Carla is currently overworked as a staff writer at the local daily newspaper. She also writes a weekly, award-winning column, "Prairie Lite."
Carla only started writing Regencies because of her interest in the Napoleonic Wars, which figures in many of her Regency novels and short stories. She specializes in writing about warfare at sea, and about the ordinary people of the British Isles who were, let's face it, far more numerous than lords and ladies.
Hobbies? She likes to crochet afghans, and read British crime fiction and history, principally military history. She's never happier than talking about the fur trade or Indian Wars with Park Service cronies. Her most recent gig with the National Park Service was at Fort Union Trading Post National Historic Site on the Montana/North Dakota border.
Here's another side to this somewhat prosaic woman: She recently edited the fur trade journal of Swiss artist Rudolf F. Kurz (the 1851-1852 portion), and is gratified now and then to be asked to speak on scholarly subjects. She has also worked for the State Historical Society of North Dakota as a contract researcher. This has taken her to glamorous drudgery in several national archives and military history repositories. Gray archives boxes and old documents make her salivate.
Her mantra for writing comes from the subject of her thesis, Robert Utley, that dean of Indian Wars history. He told her the secret to writing is "to put your ass in the chair and keep it there until you're done." He's right, of course.
Her three favorite fictional works have remained constant through the years, although their rankings tend to shift: War and Peace, The Lawrenceville Stories, and A Town Like Alice. Favorite historical works are One Vast Winter Count, On the Border with Mackenzie and Crossing the Line. Favorite crime fiction authors are Michael Connelly, John Harvey and Peter Robinson.
And that's all she can think of that would interest anyone. Carla Kelly is quite ordinary, except when she is sometimes prevailed upon to sing a scurrilous song about lumberjacks, or warble "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star" in Latin. Then you m
Although Carla Kelly is well known among her readers as a writer of Regency romance, her main interest (and first writing success) is Western American fiction—more specifically, writing about America's Indian Wars. Although she had sold some of her work before, it was not until Carla began work in the National Park Service as a ranger/historian at Fort Laramie National Historic Site did she get serious about her writing career. (Or as she would be the first to admit, as serious as it gets.)
Carla wrote a series of what she now refers to as the "Fort Laramie stories," which are tales of the men, women and children of the Indian Wars era in Western history. Two of her stories, A Season for Heroes and Kathleen Flaherty's Long Winter, earned her Spur Awards from the Western Writers of America. She was the second woman to earn two Spurs from WWA (which, as everyone knows, is all you need to ride a horse). Her entire Indian Wars collection was published in 2003 as Here's to the Ladies: Stories of the Frontier Army. It remains her favorite work.
The mother of five children, Carla has always allowed her kids to earn their keep by appearing in her Regencies, most notably Marian's Christmas Wish, which is peopled by all kinds of relatives. Grown now, the Kelly kids are scattered here and there across the U.S. They continue to provide feedback, furnish fodder for stories and make frantic phone calls home during the holidays for recipes. (Carla Kelly is some cook.)
Carla's husband, Martin, is Director of Theatre at Valley City State University, in Valley City, North Dakota. Carla is currently overworked as a staff writer at the local daily newspaper. She also writes a weekly, award-winning column, "Prairie Lite."
Carla only started writing Regencies because of her interest in the Napoleonic Wars, which figures in many of her Regency novels and short stories. She specializes in writing about warfare at sea, and about the ordinary people of the British Isles who were, let's face it, far more numerous than lords and ladies.
Hobbies? She likes to crochet afghans, and read British crime fiction and history, principally military history. She's never happier than talking about the fur trade or Indian Wars with Park Service cronies. Her most recent gig with the National Park Service was at Fort Union Trading Post National Historic Site on the Montana/North Dakota border.
Here's another side to this somewhat prosaic woman: She recently edited the fur trade journal of Swiss artist Rudolf F. Kurz (the 1851-1852 portion), and is gratified now and then to be asked to speak on scholarly subjects. She has also worked for the State Historical Society of North Dakota as a contract researcher. This has taken her to glamorous drudgery in several national archives and military history repositories. Gray archives boxes and old documents make her salivate.
Her mantra for writing comes from the subject of her thesis, Robert Utley, that dean of Indian Wars history. He told her the secret to writing is "to put your ass in the chair and keep it there until you're done." He's right, of course.
Her three favorite fictional works have remained constant through the years, although their rankings tend to shift: War and Peace, The Lawrenceville Stories, and A Town Like Alice. Favorite historical works are One Vast Winter Count, On the Border with Mackenzie and Crossing the Line. Favorite crime fiction authors are Michael Connelly, John Harvey and Peter Robinson.
And that's all she can think of that would interest anyone. Carla Kelly is quite ordinary, except when she is sometimes prevailed upon to sing a scurrilous song about lumberjacks, or warble "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star" in Latin. Then you m
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 73 reviews
May 14, 2014
So you know that thing that sometimes happens where you pull open an old book because you're trying to remember what it was about, and you end up rereading the whole thing? Yeah, that happened.
The other interesting thing is that when I reread this set of four Regency-era novellas yesterday, I liked it WAY better than I did when I first read it six years ago. Carla Kelly is a very different sort of historical romance author, and you have to be the right reader for her (which I am) and in the right mood for her more serious and realistic romances ... which I obviously was not when I read these stories in 2014, but clearly was yesterday. So I'm upping my rating from a "meh" 3 stars to a strong 4 stars, maybe 4.5.
Carla Kelly writes a lot of Regency-era romances about sympathetic, ordinary people who are dealing with real-life problems (i.e., not - usually - dukes or belles of Almack's). These four novellas are about men and women whose lives are, to one degree or another, touched by the war with France at that time in history. All four of these were very good novellas, with older main characters who are appealing but who have been affected by disappointments and hardships.
“The Light Within” - An American Quaker, Blessing Whittier, a lovely young widow, comes to London to see if she can get official confirmation that her husband died on his ship in an attack by a British ship. The British authorities are stonewalling her. Meantime, Lord Thomas Waggoner is worried about his dissipated older brother's latest fling with a gold-digger, and decides to (briefly) kidnap her and try to pay her off to leave his brother Charles. Thomas sends a basket with two kittens to try to lure Charles' lady into meeting him, and the basket and note end up in Blessing's hands instead. So both of them are disappointed ... at least initially. But KITTENS!
“A Hasty Marriage” - More kidnapping! Well, not really, but sort of. An American ship captain, Hiram Titus, widower with his young daughter Charity in tow, is in Portsmouth Harbor doing business. He meets Ann Utley, a 31 year old woman who's run away from her home rather than be pressured into marrying one of the local men (who bores her to tears). Ann has come to Portsmouth to stay with her old governess. Ann hits it off with Hiram (and Charity), but he's in a hurry to leave Britain because of the rumors of war and fears that his ship or its contents will be taken. A charming story!
“Something New” - This story is based around a pending society wedding and efforts to find a decent home for a French orphan who's been informally adopted by the Royal Horse Artillery when they were in France for the war. Now they're in Britain, and Major John Redpath (a Scotsman) is trying to find a good orphanage for the now-4 year old girl they call Marie Deux. Redpath is also going to be the best man for his lieutenant's (Ed Parkhill) marriage, but the bride-to-be and her mother are APPALLED that they're bringing this waif of a nameless girl to the wedding. It just looks bad, like maybe she's the illegitimate daughter of Redpath or Parkhill. But the bride's older sister Audrey, a war widow, is solidly on the side of Marie ... and maybe Redpath.
“The Background Man” - Charles Mortimer, returned from India, has been an assistant manager for a high-end hotel chain for several years. He's finally getting a chance to act as manager of a new hotel for a few weeks, and if only his chronic malaria doesn't kick up while the hotel is opening, he should be fine. But then a guest, Millicent Carrington, shows up and upends his life. Charles is the beta-hero type, quiet and competent but not all that confident in his appeal to women.
If you're a Carla Kelly fan or if you like more realistic Regency-era fiction, you'll probably like these stories. There's a little too much insta-love happening, but I think that goes with the territory in romance novellas and short stories. I'd also recommend her book Mrs. Drew Plays Her Hand. The Kindle prices for Kelly's older romances are generally in the $2.99 range, and they're worth it if you like these kinds of reads.
The other interesting thing is that when I reread this set of four Regency-era novellas yesterday, I liked it WAY better than I did when I first read it six years ago. Carla Kelly is a very different sort of historical romance author, and you have to be the right reader for her (which I am) and in the right mood for her more serious and realistic romances ... which I obviously was not when I read these stories in 2014, but clearly was yesterday. So I'm upping my rating from a "meh" 3 stars to a strong 4 stars, maybe 4.5.
Carla Kelly writes a lot of Regency-era romances about sympathetic, ordinary people who are dealing with real-life problems (i.e., not - usually - dukes or belles of Almack's). These four novellas are about men and women whose lives are, to one degree or another, touched by the war with France at that time in history. All four of these were very good novellas, with older main characters who are appealing but who have been affected by disappointments and hardships.
“The Light Within” - An American Quaker, Blessing Whittier, a lovely young widow, comes to London to see if she can get official confirmation that her husband died on his ship in an attack by a British ship. The British authorities are stonewalling her. Meantime, Lord Thomas Waggoner is worried about his dissipated older brother's latest fling with a gold-digger, and decides to (briefly) kidnap her and try to pay her off to leave his brother Charles. Thomas sends a basket with two kittens to try to lure Charles' lady into meeting him, and the basket and note end up in Blessing's hands instead. So both of them are disappointed ... at least initially. But KITTENS!
“A Hasty Marriage” - More kidnapping! Well, not really, but sort of. An American ship captain, Hiram Titus, widower with his young daughter Charity in tow, is in Portsmouth Harbor doing business. He meets Ann Utley, a 31 year old woman who's run away from her home rather than be pressured into marrying one of the local men (who bores her to tears). Ann has come to Portsmouth to stay with her old governess. Ann hits it off with Hiram (and Charity), but he's in a hurry to leave Britain because of the rumors of war and fears that his ship or its contents will be taken. A charming story!
“Something New” - This story is based around a pending society wedding and efforts to find a decent home for a French orphan who's been informally adopted by the Royal Horse Artillery when they were in France for the war. Now they're in Britain, and Major John Redpath (a Scotsman) is trying to find a good orphanage for the now-4 year old girl they call Marie Deux. Redpath is also going to be the best man for his lieutenant's (Ed Parkhill) marriage, but the bride-to-be and her mother are APPALLED that they're bringing this waif of a nameless girl to the wedding. It just looks bad, like maybe she's the illegitimate daughter of Redpath or Parkhill. But the bride's older sister Audrey, a war widow, is solidly on the side of Marie ... and maybe Redpath.
“The Background Man” - Charles Mortimer, returned from India, has been an assistant manager for a high-end hotel chain for several years. He's finally getting a chance to act as manager of a new hotel for a few weeks, and if only his chronic malaria doesn't kick up while the hotel is opening, he should be fine. But then a guest, Millicent Carrington, shows up and upends his life. Charles is the beta-hero type, quiet and competent but not all that confident in his appeal to women.
If you're a Carla Kelly fan or if you like more realistic Regency-era fiction, you'll probably like these stories. There's a little too much insta-love happening, but I think that goes with the territory in romance novellas and short stories. I'd also recommend her book Mrs. Drew Plays Her Hand. The Kindle prices for Kelly's older romances are generally in the $2.99 range, and they're worth it if you like these kinds of reads.
April 13, 2012
Why haven't I read Carla Kelly before? Well, it's my loss.
This ebook is a new reissue of four utterly charming short stories about the men who fought for England in the early 19th century and the women who came to love them. There are not a lot of lords and ladies but rather real people living real lives. As might be expected from a short story, each couple falls in love rather rapidly, but in a quite believable manner.
* The Light Within - A Quaker widow from America is helped by the younger brother of a spendthrift marquess who has returned from Waterloo believing he has no future.
* A Hasty Marriage - While visiting a friend in Portsmouth, an upper class spinster finds herself attracted to an American sea captain from Boston, but war is breaking out and he must flee before his ship is confiscated.
* Something New - A Scots artillery major returns to England with a four-year-old French orphan, and "decent" people seem to think he should turn her over to an orphanage. The widow of a Navy captain, however, sees things differently
* The Background Man - Although he was only a clerk for the East India Company, a mild-mannered young man fought beside Wellington in India. Now he runs a high-class hotel and is content with the hum-drum nature of his life until an unusual guest arrives and shakes him up.
I would give this more than five stars if possible, so I'll just say READ THIS BOOK. It's only $2.51 on Kindle.
This ebook is a new reissue of four utterly charming short stories about the men who fought for England in the early 19th century and the women who came to love them. There are not a lot of lords and ladies but rather real people living real lives. As might be expected from a short story, each couple falls in love rather rapidly, but in a quite believable manner.
* The Light Within - A Quaker widow from America is helped by the younger brother of a spendthrift marquess who has returned from Waterloo believing he has no future.
* A Hasty Marriage - While visiting a friend in Portsmouth, an upper class spinster finds herself attracted to an American sea captain from Boston, but war is breaking out and he must flee before his ship is confiscated.
* Something New - A Scots artillery major returns to England with a four-year-old French orphan, and "decent" people seem to think he should turn her over to an orphanage. The widow of a Navy captain, however, sees things differently
* The Background Man - Although he was only a clerk for the East India Company, a mild-mannered young man fought beside Wellington in India. Now he runs a high-class hotel and is content with the hum-drum nature of his life until an unusual guest arrives and shakes him up.
I would give this more than five stars if possible, so I'll just say READ THIS BOOK. It's only $2.51 on Kindle.
January 9, 2015
2015 TBR Challenge: We Love Short Shorts!
"The Background Man' by Carla Kelly
After reading Carla Kelly’s three Channel Fleet books about the Royal Marines, I was still in the mood for more of Kelly’s caring and down to earth heroes and heroines. Although, the hero of ‘The Background Man’ is not a navy man, he is a survivor of several battles in India, where he fought alongside a younger Wellington.
Carla Kelly’s charming short story, ‘The Background Man’ has appeared in two anthologies, first published in ‘The Grand Hotel’, and later in ‘In Love and War’. The hero of the story is forty year old Charles Mortimer, appointed “temporary” hotel manager to oversee the opening of a luxurious new London hotel after the permanent manager succumbs to a painful case of gout. Since returning from India ten years earlier, where he clerked for the East India Company and fought beside Wellington in three bloody campaigns. Charles has served diligently as deputy manger of six hotels owned by the irascible hotel magnate Sir Michael Moseley.
Charles is skillful, observant, creative, and a caring manager, and unbeknownst to him, employees throughout the hotel chain adore him. However, due to recurring and unpredictable bouts of malaria from his time in India, Charles has been unable to progress in his career or pursue a personal life. He abandoned all hope of marriage and family, choosing to work quietly in the background, follow the rules, solve problems, serve others, and privately write a book entitled 'Wellington in India'.
Charles’ steady and quiet life is abruptly changed by the appearance at the hotel of a new guest, Miss Millicent (Millie) Carrington, a confident, brilliant, and unusual woman who has come to London to seek employment as a governess. Charles is attracted to Millie at first sight, thrilled to discover she is unmarried, and overwhelmed with the desire to spend time with her. Similarly, Millie quickly recognizes Charles as her kindred spirit and welcomes the emotional and physical connection. Feelings of romantic love ignite the emotional life of this admirable, but repressed man, allowing him to emerge from years of self-imposed duty and loneliness. The unexpected appearance of love in Charles’ life inspire him to bend and break the many rules and restrictions he has chosen to live by, and to reevaluate his life choices, particularly the belief that he can never marry and have a family.
Despite the short story format, Kelly humorously illustrates the behind-the scenes workings of a large regency hotel, creates a cast of vivid characters, and embodies them with an unexpected depth of emotion.
"The Background Man' by Carla Kelly
After reading Carla Kelly’s three Channel Fleet books about the Royal Marines, I was still in the mood for more of Kelly’s caring and down to earth heroes and heroines. Although, the hero of ‘The Background Man’ is not a navy man, he is a survivor of several battles in India, where he fought alongside a younger Wellington.
Carla Kelly’s charming short story, ‘The Background Man’ has appeared in two anthologies, first published in ‘The Grand Hotel’, and later in ‘In Love and War’. The hero of the story is forty year old Charles Mortimer, appointed “temporary” hotel manager to oversee the opening of a luxurious new London hotel after the permanent manager succumbs to a painful case of gout. Since returning from India ten years earlier, where he clerked for the East India Company and fought beside Wellington in three bloody campaigns. Charles has served diligently as deputy manger of six hotels owned by the irascible hotel magnate Sir Michael Moseley.
Charles is skillful, observant, creative, and a caring manager, and unbeknownst to him, employees throughout the hotel chain adore him. However, due to recurring and unpredictable bouts of malaria from his time in India, Charles has been unable to progress in his career or pursue a personal life. He abandoned all hope of marriage and family, choosing to work quietly in the background, follow the rules, solve problems, serve others, and privately write a book entitled 'Wellington in India'.
Charles’ steady and quiet life is abruptly changed by the appearance at the hotel of a new guest, Miss Millicent (Millie) Carrington, a confident, brilliant, and unusual woman who has come to London to seek employment as a governess. Charles is attracted to Millie at first sight, thrilled to discover she is unmarried, and overwhelmed with the desire to spend time with her. Similarly, Millie quickly recognizes Charles as her kindred spirit and welcomes the emotional and physical connection. Feelings of romantic love ignite the emotional life of this admirable, but repressed man, allowing him to emerge from years of self-imposed duty and loneliness. The unexpected appearance of love in Charles’ life inspire him to bend and break the many rules and restrictions he has chosen to live by, and to reevaluate his life choices, particularly the belief that he can never marry and have a family.
Despite the short story format, Kelly humorously illustrates the behind-the scenes workings of a large regency hotel, creates a cast of vivid characters, and embodies them with an unexpected depth of emotion.
December 3, 2020
Well insta-love is the rule in these short stories, but will Carla Kelly doing the telling, it seems entirely plausible.
The Light Within *** 3 stars
A sweet little tale about an American, Quaker widow and an impoverished second son of an Earl. So right away it's interesting because it's not the norm for historical romances. They meet through mistaken identity but right away there's a spark of appreciation between them. The ending is quick but all that was needed for this quick story.
My only complaint was that the 'Quaker' language was a little odd. But I guess CK was accurate in that Quaker's clung to an older form of English at the time.
A Hasty Marriage ***** 5 stars
Antique virgin?(...the nerve!) This was one of
Hiriam Titus' uncharitable thoughts about Ann (32yo) before he met her. But Hiriam is no spring chicken at 40. Then when he first sees her he is struck dumb. His first wife died 6 years ago and they married quite young, so his courting skills are pretty rusty.
Ann is a spinster who refuses to marry an idiot her parents insist on. She is just as affected by him but unsure what to do with her interest in a man who will be sailing to another country in a day or two.
Luckilly for them war is declared!
safety is good
Something New
The Background Man
The Light Within *** 3 stars
A sweet little tale about an American, Quaker widow and an impoverished second son of an Earl. So right away it's interesting because it's not the norm for historical romances. They meet through mistaken identity but right away there's a spark of appreciation between them. The ending is quick but all that was needed for this quick story.
My only complaint was that the 'Quaker' language was a little odd. But I guess CK was accurate in that Quaker's clung to an older form of English at the time.
A Hasty Marriage ***** 5 stars
Antique virgin?(...the nerve!) This was one of
Hiriam Titus' uncharitable thoughts about Ann (32yo) before he met her. But Hiriam is no spring chicken at 40. Then when he first sees her he is struck dumb. His first wife died 6 years ago and they married quite young, so his courting skills are pretty rusty.
Ann is a spinster who refuses to marry an idiot her parents insist on. She is just as affected by him but unsure what to do with her interest in a man who will be sailing to another country in a day or two.
Luckilly for them war is declared!
safety is good
Something New
The Background Man
December 23, 2023
I am a big fan of Mrs. Kelly's older HRs. This is a nice sampling of short stories if you have never read anything by the author. The only one I can't recommend is The Background Man. I read this novella years ago and reread it again recently and my thoughts are still the same.
December 20, 2018
Even in the short story format, Carl Kelly never fails to deliver. All the stories were great, but I particularly liked "Something New."
January 1, 2022
I mean, mostly the problem with these is they are short stories. Everyone fell in love in about a day. I liked the characters and the stories, but yeah. There just wasn't enough there.
Owned ebook 3/2 for the month
Overall owned book 5/5 for the month
And thus finishes another year of working on reading my stack of books! Next year, I plan to aim for two a month. I have a lot of bigger/"harder" books left and probably a lot that I'll end up DNF-ing. So it feels right to decrease the goal.
Owned ebook 3/2 for the month
Overall owned book 5/5 for the month
And thus finishes another year of working on reading my stack of books! Next year, I plan to aim for two a month. I have a lot of bigger/"harder" books left and probably a lot that I'll end up DNF-ing. So it feels right to decrease the goal.
November 27, 2013
This collection includes 4 short stories:
*The Light Within--Blessing, a widow from America, meets a hopeless man who has just returned from Waterloo.
I thought this was a great story. I felt sorry for the hero, since his older brother gambled away pretty much everything they owned, but I found him to be quite funny. He would say things that would come across in ways that he didn't mean them to.
*A Hasty Marriage--Ann, a spinster in her early 30s, goes to help her old governess and meets a sea captain from America, who suddenly sets sail when war breaks out...with her on board his ship.
I really enjoyed the interactions between Ann and Hiram. I loved how he meant to show her affection in one way and ended up doing more than he'd planned on. I loved the "kidnapping." Their hesitant attraction for one another was so endearing...and obvious, even though they both seemed in denial about it.
*Something New--A major brings an orphaned girl to his lieutenant's wedding and everyone wants him to get rid of her...everyone except the bride's widowed sister, Audrey.
I love how the heros in these stories act like twitterpated fools and do the unexpected. The women are almost as bad, but it's so darling and makes me sigh. Marie Deux was just an adorable little orphan girl who succeeded in fulfilling her wishes and bringing love back into the lives of those around her.
*The Background Man--A man who runs a classy hotel seems content with life...until a female guest shakes things up.
These stories really are fun and a great escape. I enjoyed the romance in this one as well, although I must admit, the middle two stories were my favorites. This is a really fun series with stories that satisfy.
I would definitely give this collection 5 Stars! It was darling and each story was different, yet had that bond of love and war to tie them together. A definite must-read for any Carla Kelly and *clean* romance fan.
*The Light Within--Blessing, a widow from America, meets a hopeless man who has just returned from Waterloo.
I thought this was a great story. I felt sorry for the hero, since his older brother gambled away pretty much everything they owned, but I found him to be quite funny. He would say things that would come across in ways that he didn't mean them to.
*A Hasty Marriage--Ann, a spinster in her early 30s, goes to help her old governess and meets a sea captain from America, who suddenly sets sail when war breaks out...with her on board his ship.
I really enjoyed the interactions between Ann and Hiram. I loved how he meant to show her affection in one way and ended up doing more than he'd planned on. I loved the "kidnapping." Their hesitant attraction for one another was so endearing...and obvious, even though they both seemed in denial about it.
*Something New--A major brings an orphaned girl to his lieutenant's wedding and everyone wants him to get rid of her...everyone except the bride's widowed sister, Audrey.
I love how the heros in these stories act like twitterpated fools and do the unexpected. The women are almost as bad, but it's so darling and makes me sigh. Marie Deux was just an adorable little orphan girl who succeeded in fulfilling her wishes and bringing love back into the lives of those around her.
*The Background Man--A man who runs a classy hotel seems content with life...until a female guest shakes things up.
These stories really are fun and a great escape. I enjoyed the romance in this one as well, although I must admit, the middle two stories were my favorites. This is a really fun series with stories that satisfy.
I would definitely give this collection 5 Stars! It was darling and each story was different, yet had that bond of love and war to tie them together. A definite must-read for any Carla Kelly and *clean* romance fan.
April 9, 2022
Puedes encontrar esta reseña en español al final.
I would recommend this book to stalwart Ms. Kelly fans. Otherwise somebody could find these stories too short, or too insta or too full of too perfect characters.
Just saying.
The Light Within.
Or how Lord Thomas Waggoner mistakenly abducts proper American widow Blessing Whittier.
This one didn´t work because I think Ms. Kelly attempt at humor was wasted on me. Sigh. I was expecting a furious (in the best-case scenario) or a terrified (at least) heroine but what I got was a super-understanding one who wasn´t worried about her kidnapping one bit.
Dnf.
A Hasty Marriage.
Indeed!
Capt. Hiram Titus, widower and proud owner of the Hasty sailing from Boston, meets upper-class (and firmly settled wallflower) Miss Anne Utley under the most serendipitous of circumstances.
They talk. They have lots of inner monologues. They are tricked into their HEA.
Sweet, short and cute.
4 stars.
Something New.
Major John Redpath of the Royal Horse Artillery, orphaned 4 years-old Marie Deux in tow, leaves Spain and the war behind towards Bath, where he is going to stand best man for his Lt. Ed Parkhill.
And there, in Bath, is widow Audrey Winkle, wasting her life away surrounded by mean relatives. There are her evil sister (who will marry Ed) and a horrible orphanage. And then somebody gets arrested and somebody will be found and, finally, a reunion, the love and a HEA. All in Ms. Kelly´s fashion.
4 stars.
The Background Man.
This one was my favorite. It felt more developed, less rushed and with a nice, little twist at the end.
Charles Mortimer is The Manager. He goes from hotel to hotel doing his thing, working his life away and being the best employee Sir Michael Mosely(the owner) has ever had without knowing it. Missing the heat of India in this rainy London.
And one Monday, which always seems to be the worse days, Miss Millicent Carrington checks-in and, almost without realizing it, he puts her in the room next to his own.
She is a vicar´s daughter, as he is, and is looking for a governess position, or so she says. But things happens and love appears and, well, in the blink of an eye, you have a HEA.
4,25 stars.
I´m going to finish this review just like I began: These sweet and short stories are for hard-core Miss Kelly fans only.
***
Recomendaría este libro solo a fanes incondicionales de la señora Kelly. De otro modo alguien podría encontrar estas historias demasiado breves, demasiado insta y llena de personajes demasiado perfectos.
Ahí lo dejo.
The Light Within.
O como Lord Thomas Waggoner equivocadamente secuestra a la muy propia viuda americana Blessing Whittier.
Esta no ha funcionado porque que creo que no he entendido el humor de la Sra. Kelly. Sigh. Esperaba una protagonista furiosa (en el mejor de los casos) o muerta de miedo (al menos) pero me he encontrado con una tan complaciente que su secuestro no le ha atemorizado ni un pelín.
Dnf.
A Hasty Marriage.
¡Desde luego!
Capitan Hiram Titus, viudo y orgulloso dueño de la flota Hasty de Boston, conoce a Anne Utley, solterona de clase alta, bajo las más azarosas circunstancias.
Hablan. Tienen un montón de monólogos consigo mismo. Y consiguen su Final Feliz gracias a alguna triquiñuela.
Dulce, breve y bonito.
4 estrellas.
Something New.
Mayor John Redpath, del Regimiento de Artillería Montada Real, cargando con la huérfana Marie Deux, deja España y la guerra atrás y se dirige a Bath, donde será testigo de honor en la boda de su teniente Ed Parkhill.
Y allí está la viuda Audrey Winkle, echando a perder su vida rodeada de crueles familiares. Allí están su terrible hermana (que se casará con Ed) y un horrible orfanato. Y entonces alguien es arrestado, y alguien encontrado y, finalmente, la reunión, el amor y el Final Feliz. Todo a la manera de la Sr. Kelly.
4 estrellas.
The Background Man.
Esta ha sido mi favorita. Me ha parecido que estaba más desarrollada, menos apresurada y con un pequeño pero encantador giro al final.
Charles Mortimer es El Gerente. Va de hotel en hotel, haciendo lo que mejor sabe hacer, dedicando su vida al trabajo y siendo, sin saberlo, el mejor empleado de Sir Michael Mosely, el dueño. Y echando de menos el calor de la India en el lluvioso Londres.
Y un lunes, que siempre parecen ser los peores días, la señorita Millicent Carrigton llega al hotel y, casi sin apenas darse cuenta, la aloja en la habitación contigua a la suya.
Ella es hija de cura, como él, y está buscando empleo como institutriz, o eso dice. Pero pasan cosas y aparece el amor y, bueno, en un parpadeo, tienes el Final Feliz.
4.25 estrellas.
Voy a terminar esta reseña tal y como la empecé: Estas historias breves y dulces son para entusiastas acérrimos de la Sra. Kelly.
I would recommend this book to stalwart Ms. Kelly fans. Otherwise somebody could find these stories too short, or too insta or too full of too perfect characters.
Just saying.
The Light Within.
Or how Lord Thomas Waggoner mistakenly abducts proper American widow Blessing Whittier.
This one didn´t work because I think Ms. Kelly attempt at humor was wasted on me. Sigh. I was expecting a furious (in the best-case scenario) or a terrified (at least) heroine but what I got was a super-understanding one who wasn´t worried about her kidnapping one bit.
Dnf.
A Hasty Marriage.
Indeed!
Capt. Hiram Titus, widower and proud owner of the Hasty sailing from Boston, meets upper-class (and firmly settled wallflower) Miss Anne Utley under the most serendipitous of circumstances.
They talk. They have lots of inner monologues. They are tricked into their HEA.
Sweet, short and cute.
4 stars.
Something New.
Major John Redpath of the Royal Horse Artillery, orphaned 4 years-old Marie Deux in tow, leaves Spain and the war behind towards Bath, where he is going to stand best man for his Lt. Ed Parkhill.
And there, in Bath, is widow Audrey Winkle, wasting her life away surrounded by mean relatives. There are her evil sister (who will marry Ed) and a horrible orphanage. And then somebody gets arrested and somebody will be found and, finally, a reunion, the love and a HEA. All in Ms. Kelly´s fashion.
4 stars.
The Background Man.
This one was my favorite. It felt more developed, less rushed and with a nice, little twist at the end.
Charles Mortimer is The Manager. He goes from hotel to hotel doing his thing, working his life away and being the best employee Sir Michael Mosely(the owner) has ever had without knowing it. Missing the heat of India in this rainy London.
And one Monday, which always seems to be the worse days, Miss Millicent Carrington checks-in and, almost without realizing it, he puts her in the room next to his own.
She is a vicar´s daughter, as he is, and is looking for a governess position, or so she says. But things happens and love appears and, well, in the blink of an eye, you have a HEA.
4,25 stars.
I´m going to finish this review just like I began: These sweet and short stories are for hard-core Miss Kelly fans only.
***
Recomendaría este libro solo a fanes incondicionales de la señora Kelly. De otro modo alguien podría encontrar estas historias demasiado breves, demasiado insta y llena de personajes demasiado perfectos.
Ahí lo dejo.
The Light Within.
O como Lord Thomas Waggoner equivocadamente secuestra a la muy propia viuda americana Blessing Whittier.
Esta no ha funcionado porque que creo que no he entendido el humor de la Sra. Kelly. Sigh. Esperaba una protagonista furiosa (en el mejor de los casos) o muerta de miedo (al menos) pero me he encontrado con una tan complaciente que su secuestro no le ha atemorizado ni un pelín.
Dnf.
A Hasty Marriage.
¡Desde luego!
Capitan Hiram Titus, viudo y orgulloso dueño de la flota Hasty de Boston, conoce a Anne Utley, solterona de clase alta, bajo las más azarosas circunstancias.
Hablan. Tienen un montón de monólogos consigo mismo. Y consiguen su Final Feliz gracias a alguna triquiñuela.
Dulce, breve y bonito.
4 estrellas.
Something New.
Mayor John Redpath, del Regimiento de Artillería Montada Real, cargando con la huérfana Marie Deux, deja España y la guerra atrás y se dirige a Bath, donde será testigo de honor en la boda de su teniente Ed Parkhill.
Y allí está la viuda Audrey Winkle, echando a perder su vida rodeada de crueles familiares. Allí están su terrible hermana (que se casará con Ed) y un horrible orfanato. Y entonces alguien es arrestado, y alguien encontrado y, finalmente, la reunión, el amor y el Final Feliz. Todo a la manera de la Sr. Kelly.
4 estrellas.
The Background Man.
Esta ha sido mi favorita. Me ha parecido que estaba más desarrollada, menos apresurada y con un pequeño pero encantador giro al final.
Charles Mortimer es El Gerente. Va de hotel en hotel, haciendo lo que mejor sabe hacer, dedicando su vida al trabajo y siendo, sin saberlo, el mejor empleado de Sir Michael Mosely, el dueño. Y echando de menos el calor de la India en el lluvioso Londres.
Y un lunes, que siempre parecen ser los peores días, la señorita Millicent Carrigton llega al hotel y, casi sin apenas darse cuenta, la aloja en la habitación contigua a la suya.
Ella es hija de cura, como él, y está buscando empleo como institutriz, o eso dice. Pero pasan cosas y aparece el amor y, bueno, en un parpadeo, tienes el Final Feliz.
4.25 estrellas.
Voy a terminar esta reseña tal y como la empecé: Estas historias breves y dulces son para entusiastas acérrimos de la Sra. Kelly.
September 19, 2017
I didn't enjoy this collection.
That said, I think Carla Kelly is a fine writer, and her historical knowledge of military (especially naval) life of the time to be unparalleled. However, because I had read a few of her books before this book, and then this book, I found that all her deficiencies as a writer was hammered into me.
When her works are one in an anthology, her writing stands out as the best and least frivolous. When they are four, one right after another, they compete with each other for supremacy, or in this case, for unlikely plotting. Either Carla Kelly should stick to longer stories (which I think gives her plenty of time to develop characters and her plots), or she should rework her shorter stories.
What I remember most is how soon her characters in this anthology start being affectionate and touching one another. I understand for bodice-ripping contemporary historical novels, the lusting and the cooing starts early in the book, but Carla Kelly is a traditional Regency writer. She writes about proper widows and gentrywomen who are down on their luck. These women don't accept casual touching as a rule, and I found it jarring that not only in one story (well, I can't remember, but it seemed like 3/4 of the stories) that the hero started touching the heroine's waist and she would even lean into his embrace. For Carla Kelly, this usually happened after a lot of war-related drama and interaction between the characters. It felt like she was rushing the relationship for the sake of the book. I would prefer it if they kept it simple and chaste, just because that seemed to be the overall tone of the book and to deviate from that seemed jarring in the extreme.
Another of Kelly's habit that works in full-length novels that I also found annoying in this anthology was how often the characters spoke to themselves (in italics). It's a signature of Kelly's, but one that I never found too much or too often until they were condensed into four shorter stories.
In short, I think her full-length novels work better. I was surprised by how much I didn't enjoy this collection.
That said, I think Carla Kelly is a fine writer, and her historical knowledge of military (especially naval) life of the time to be unparalleled. However, because I had read a few of her books before this book, and then this book, I found that all her deficiencies as a writer was hammered into me.
When her works are one in an anthology, her writing stands out as the best and least frivolous. When they are four, one right after another, they compete with each other for supremacy, or in this case, for unlikely plotting. Either Carla Kelly should stick to longer stories (which I think gives her plenty of time to develop characters and her plots), or she should rework her shorter stories.
What I remember most is how soon her characters in this anthology start being affectionate and touching one another. I understand for bodice-ripping contemporary historical novels, the lusting and the cooing starts early in the book, but Carla Kelly is a traditional Regency writer. She writes about proper widows and gentrywomen who are down on their luck. These women don't accept casual touching as a rule, and I found it jarring that not only in one story (well, I can't remember, but it seemed like 3/4 of the stories) that the hero started touching the heroine's waist and she would even lean into his embrace. For Carla Kelly, this usually happened after a lot of war-related drama and interaction between the characters. It felt like she was rushing the relationship for the sake of the book. I would prefer it if they kept it simple and chaste, just because that seemed to be the overall tone of the book and to deviate from that seemed jarring in the extreme.
Another of Kelly's habit that works in full-length novels that I also found annoying in this anthology was how often the characters spoke to themselves (in italics). It's a signature of Kelly's, but one that I never found too much or too often until they were condensed into four shorter stories.
In short, I think her full-length novels work better. I was surprised by how much I didn't enjoy this collection.
February 17, 2016
I loved the love within. A great regency romance for valentine's day.
November 24, 2018
There already are enough reviews about the story lines of the 4 stories bundled toghether in this book so I just want to add this little bit of information , these 4 stories were published before : The Light Within - A Regency Valentine 2 , A Hasty Marriage - Wedding Belles , Something New - A Wedding Bouquet , The Background Man - The Grand Hotel .
4 Typical Carla Kelly stories 4 stars .
4 Typical Carla Kelly stories 4 stars .
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November 10, 2013
“In Love and War” is my first venture into a collection of short stories. Carla Kelly is one of my favorite authors and this one had some good reviews. I actually am surprised to admit that short stories are a nice change occasionally. I have to give my reviews on each story individually because I had a range of opinions:
“The Light Within” – Definitely my least favorite. Reading it was more like tolerating it. I just find reading the language of the religious Friends, with all the “thee” and “thous”, just plain annoying! Wasn’t fond of Kelly’s other book with the same theme either. So glad this was a short story.
“A Hasty Marriage” – I really like this one! An independent Regency English lady takes off rather than marry some old codger. (She actually escapes out of her window and climbs down a tree!) Love the way the story sets up in the opening paragraph: “’…Miss Utley, appeared to be delighted at the whole turn of events. “And don’t say anything about marrying so fast. Ann has been waiting for this man her whole life.” It came about this way…’” What a hook! Now this story I wish was longer!
“Something New” – Oh, I really liked this one too! The story involves a captain returning from the Napoleonic War with a little orphan girl named Marie Deux. He has been asked to be best man at his lieutenant’s wedding so the three of them proceed to that occasion. Upon their arrival, the bride’s sister welcomes the sweet little girl into her heart, but not so much the bride and her family! From there the story takes off…
“The Background Man” – It was ok. Hotel manager Charles Mortimer, welcomes a lovely lady to his hotel and helps her, and other guests, with difficulties that arise. He is kind and efficient to all guests, and finds that he and the lovely Miss Carrington share a growing attraction for one another. (A positive note here – I never even suspected the story twist!)
Conclusion – short stories are worth reading! I'd read the middle two stories again; definitely NOT the "bookend" ones. Now I'm gonna try Kelly’s Christmas collection!
“The Light Within” – Definitely my least favorite. Reading it was more like tolerating it. I just find reading the language of the religious Friends, with all the “thee” and “thous”, just plain annoying! Wasn’t fond of Kelly’s other book with the same theme either. So glad this was a short story.
“A Hasty Marriage” – I really like this one! An independent Regency English lady takes off rather than marry some old codger. (She actually escapes out of her window and climbs down a tree!) Love the way the story sets up in the opening paragraph: “’…Miss Utley, appeared to be delighted at the whole turn of events. “And don’t say anything about marrying so fast. Ann has been waiting for this man her whole life.” It came about this way…’” What a hook! Now this story I wish was longer!
“Something New” – Oh, I really liked this one too! The story involves a captain returning from the Napoleonic War with a little orphan girl named Marie Deux. He has been asked to be best man at his lieutenant’s wedding so the three of them proceed to that occasion. Upon their arrival, the bride’s sister welcomes the sweet little girl into her heart, but not so much the bride and her family! From there the story takes off…
“The Background Man” – It was ok. Hotel manager Charles Mortimer, welcomes a lovely lady to his hotel and helps her, and other guests, with difficulties that arise. He is kind and efficient to all guests, and finds that he and the lovely Miss Carrington share a growing attraction for one another. (A positive note here – I never even suspected the story twist!)
Conclusion – short stories are worth reading! I'd read the middle two stories again; definitely NOT the "bookend" ones. Now I'm gonna try Kelly’s Christmas collection!
December 18, 2013
I think I say this every single time, but I'm a Carla Kelly fan. :) It's true and I always feel compelled to say it. I know that every single time I sit down with a book (or collections of short stories) by Carla Kelly, I'm going to enjoy myself. This time was no different.
In this book there is a collection of four short stories. Each one is unique and comes with that Carla Kelly stamp that I've come to appreciate.
I would have to say that the middle two stories were my favorites. They were the ones that made this book great for me and ones I would go back to read again. The first and last books were okay, just not my favorite. They are all clean romances. Yipee for that!
There are so many things to love about this book. You can read it all the way through (like I did) for one great story after another, or you can read one here and there when you have the chance. Carla Kelly knows how to write great characters in settings that I can picture in my head. These stories made me feel good and left me smiling in the end. What could be better than that?
In this book there is a collection of four short stories. Each one is unique and comes with that Carla Kelly stamp that I've come to appreciate.
I would have to say that the middle two stories were my favorites. They were the ones that made this book great for me and ones I would go back to read again. The first and last books were okay, just not my favorite. They are all clean romances. Yipee for that!
There are so many things to love about this book. You can read it all the way through (like I did) for one great story after another, or you can read one here and there when you have the chance. Carla Kelly knows how to write great characters in settings that I can picture in my head. These stories made me feel good and left me smiling in the end. What could be better than that?
November 6, 2013
***3.5 stars***
Carla Kelly is one of my go-to author's whenever I want a clean and fun romance to read. She sets up great characters in a historical setting that I can relate to.
This book is made up of four short stories. There isn't a lot of time for the characters to get to know each other, the relationships are pretty much insta-love. It didn't bother me too much, the characters are all a little older and the men are all veterans of war. The time is set during the Regency Era.
I liked that the social background of the characters are varied. While each story is set during the same time period, they all have a different feeling to them. Most of this can be attributed to the fact that there are members of the ton as well as commoners as main characters.
Carla Kelly is one of my go-to author's whenever I want a clean and fun romance to read. She sets up great characters in a historical setting that I can relate to.
This book is made up of four short stories. There isn't a lot of time for the characters to get to know each other, the relationships are pretty much insta-love. It didn't bother me too much, the characters are all a little older and the men are all veterans of war. The time is set during the Regency Era.
I liked that the social background of the characters are varied. While each story is set during the same time period, they all have a different feeling to them. Most of this can be attributed to the fact that there are members of the ton as well as commoners as main characters.
February 1, 2013
Lovely little love stories, set amidst the machinery of war. I had forgotten about this little gem, but I enjoyed these short stories, and give the author a nod for developing a sense of completeness in fewer than 100 pages. So many authors cannot do this. I have read three of the four stories in this book. Still need to read one more, and then I will write a review.
November 17, 2013
Previously published short stories. Great reading.
Carla Kelly is so adept at bringing us real people. The word limits of the short story mean that the romance happens very quickly, yet the author manages to make it very believable. I'm not sure I can pick a favorite from among the four.
Carla Kelly is so adept at bringing us real people. The word limits of the short story mean that the romance happens very quickly, yet the author manages to make it very believable. I'm not sure I can pick a favorite from among the four.
January 3, 2013
This is a collection of four short love stories set during the nepoleon wars and the revolutionary war. They are clean romance with just fun regency excitement. I enjoyed them.
November 6, 2019
Four cute stories with a recurrent trope: love-at-first-sight of lonely and kind people in their 40's. I refuse to say they were "insta-love", since this term sounds idiotic and more shallow, and that never happens in CK's books :)
- The Light Within: (3/5) a Quaker widower and an ex-soldier Lord, there is a little misunderstanding when they meet; he thinks she is his brother's lover and wants to pay her, but the misunderstanding is quickly cleared. Thomas is a mischievous gentleman from the start, and Blessing (what a name!) is a nice girl who has a very kind mother-in-law. But how I hate her accent, with all the "thee" and "thy" :/
- A Hasty Marriage: (4/5) since this story is longer than the 1st one, the characters and romance was better developed. A mature naval romance, between an older spinster, Ann (she is 32) and a widow Captain (of 40), with 3 sons and 1 daughter. The matchmaker is her old governess. It was very cute, I loved how the Captain felt like a teenager again with Ann. And this was Ann's first time falling in love.
There wasn't a thing she wouldn't do for Captain Hiram Titus, and at the same time, she wanted to box his ears.
- Something New: (5/5)
<-I was like this almost from the very beginning. This was a beautiful love story involving 3 people, 3 lonely people. Major John has to take a French war orphan to a certain orphanage, but he loses the name on a paper so while going to his Lieutenant's wedding, he takes little Marie with him. And there he meets the widower Audrey. It was a very sweet story, that made me smile and cry a little... the 3 of them were really kindred spirits.
["She's my lover from the wars and the mother of our unfortunate child you have so wrongly allowed to be incarcerated in the workhouse!" My, that was a stunner, he thought, as soon as he uttered it. Who'd have thought I had such an imagination?]
- The Background Man: (3/5) a shy ex-soldier, manager of a hotel and an amateur artist who is looking for a governess job. This one was the only one I felt it was insta-love, but it was still nice because the manager was a late-bloomer and very shy around the girl.
[Oh, please don't let her be encumbered with something as distasteful as a husband, he thought. I will have to remember how to shoot and then call him out.]
- The Light Within: (3/5) a Quaker widower and an ex-soldier Lord, there is a little misunderstanding when they meet; he thinks she is his brother's lover and wants to pay her, but the misunderstanding is quickly cleared. Thomas is a mischievous gentleman from the start, and Blessing (what a name!) is a nice girl who has a very kind mother-in-law. But how I hate her accent, with all the "thee" and "thy" :/
- A Hasty Marriage: (4/5) since this story is longer than the 1st one, the characters and romance was better developed. A mature naval romance, between an older spinster, Ann (she is 32) and a widow Captain (of 40), with 3 sons and 1 daughter. The matchmaker is her old governess. It was very cute, I loved how the Captain felt like a teenager again with Ann. And this was Ann's first time falling in love.
There wasn't a thing she wouldn't do for Captain Hiram Titus, and at the same time, she wanted to box his ears.
- Something New: (5/5)
<-I was like this almost from the very beginning. This was a beautiful love story involving 3 people, 3 lonely people. Major John has to take a French war orphan to a certain orphanage, but he loses the name on a paper so while going to his Lieutenant's wedding, he takes little Marie with him. And there he meets the widower Audrey. It was a very sweet story, that made me smile and cry a little... the 3 of them were really kindred spirits.["She's my lover from the wars and the mother of our unfortunate child you have so wrongly allowed to be incarcerated in the workhouse!" My, that was a stunner, he thought, as soon as he uttered it. Who'd have thought I had such an imagination?]
- The Background Man: (3/5) a shy ex-soldier, manager of a hotel and an amateur artist who is looking for a governess job. This one was the only one I felt it was insta-love, but it was still nice because the manager was a late-bloomer and very shy around the girl.
[Oh, please don't let her be encumbered with something as distasteful as a husband, he thought. I will have to remember how to shoot and then call him out.]
January 3, 2020
So much to Love
I always love a good read and Carla Kelly never disappoints. She writes about characters that you would meet in their every day lives, if you lived back when Napoleon was finally on Elba. The dialog and descriptions are so clever and witty with the fleshed out characters. It is always a treat to read about another “old maid” or a man that is in his later years finding love.
I always love a good read and Carla Kelly never disappoints. She writes about characters that you would meet in their every day lives, if you lived back when Napoleon was finally on Elba. The dialog and descriptions are so clever and witty with the fleshed out characters. It is always a treat to read about another “old maid” or a man that is in his later years finding love.
June 22, 2018
I have read this before, I bought this so I would have my own copy.
No matter what time period Me. Kelly writes about, you are guaranteed a great read. I have all of her older books in paperback, I am buying her new ones for my Kindle!
No matter what time period Me. Kelly writes about, you are guaranteed a great read. I have all of her older books in paperback, I am buying her new ones for my Kindle!
June 25, 2019
Lovely
These are beautiful genuine short stories. Each has a complete narrative arc and well crafted characters. Again Kelly captures a dark times in the regency period and still captures the joy of life.
These are beautiful genuine short stories. Each has a complete narrative arc and well crafted characters. Again Kelly captures a dark times in the regency period and still captures the joy of life.
July 18, 2019
Cute little romances
Carla Kelly writes several types of stories, including sweet and somewhat humorous regencies. These short stories are in that vein, although being so short they are obviously "love at first sight" . Very enjoyable quick reads.
Carla Kelly writes several types of stories, including sweet and somewhat humorous regencies. These short stories are in that vein, although being so short they are obviously "love at first sight" . Very enjoyable quick reads.
July 7, 2020
Carla Kelly is the Queen of Writers
She weaves a fantastic tale with the best of HEA endings and a few twists and turns you never saw coming. Her characters are well though out and richly developed. You'll want to read all her books, she is just that good.
She weaves a fantastic tale with the best of HEA endings and a few twists and turns you never saw coming. Her characters are well though out and richly developed. You'll want to read all her books, she is just that good.
May 9, 2017
This is a fun quick read.
July 18, 2019
Great
Four novellas that I loved. An four very well written, very romantic and very interesting. I enjoy the beautiful and clean stories.
Four novellas that I loved. An four very well written, very romantic and very interesting. I enjoy the beautiful and clean stories.
February 19, 2021
A collection of short, satisfying, feel-good warm fuzzies.
October 30, 2021
Error-free, I think!
November 20, 2021
Rounded up to 3 stars, mainly for Story 2 and 3.
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