The Christmas Carrolls

by Barbara Metzger

A MERRY TALE OF CHRISTMAS BELLES--AND THREE VERY WISE MEN.

If Lord Carroll had one wish, it was to see his lovely daughters-- Joia, Hollice, and Meredith--happily wed. The problem was finding three suitable beaus.

However, 'twas Christmas, a time for surprises. Joia found a notorious rake coming to her rescue. Holly could not believe who was suddenly vying for her affection. And Merry won the heart of a brave but broken soldier. Not the best matches, perhaps. But if the season was truly magical, the Christmas Carrolls would indeed receive tidings of comfort and joy!

Genres: Regency, Romance, Christmas, Historical Romance, Historical, Historical Fiction, Fiction

215 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published September 28, 1997

About the author

Barbara Metzger is the author of over three dozen books and a dozen novellas. She has also been an editor, a proof-reader, a greeting card verse-writer, and an artist. When not painting, writing romances or reading them, she volunteers at the local library, gardens and goes beach-combing and yard-saling.

Her novels, mostly set in Regency-era England, have won numerous awards, including the Romance Writers of America RITA, the National Reader's Choice Award, and the Madcap award for humor in romance writing. In addition, Barbara has won two Career Achievement Awards from Romantic Times Magazine.

Source: http://www.barbarametzger.com/about_b...

Reviews

[Eden · Rating 4 out of 5]

2020 bk 404: My annual 'read Christmas related books" readathon continues. This is an oldie, but a goodie. A father, far older than his wife and daughters, has a thief and cheat as the heir to his title and property. Seeking to protect his wife and daughter, he sets out to get the girls husbands, or at least engaged by Christmas. The shenanigans that go on at their Hunt house party are fun and result in pairings that might not quite be what his wife wanted, but they achieve his objective. For the regency fan, Barbara Metzger continues to be a delight, even years after she has written a book.

[Ariel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lovely romantic Christmas read. This is a light Regency about a family of daughters who all find love in the Christmas season. Content: CLEAN: Zero language, zero sex - lots of sweet family moments.

[Susannah Carleton · Rating 4 out of 5]

A wonderful story! I enjoy it immensely every time I read it.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

I initially got this for my mom but ended up liking it probably better than she did. I was trying to find her some sort of clean, predictable, low-stakes Christmas romance like the Hallmark movies she so loves -- without the inane. The wordplays with the characters' names sealed the deal for me.

Some reviews indicate this is clean, and it mostly is, but it was probably still too racy for my mom. The main characters keep it PG, but subplots delve into TV-14 territory, although not in detail. Just in case anyone else is shopping for their mom.

So...Christmas balls, fancy gowns, unwelcome proposals, rakish rogues, library intrigues, double standards, child brides.... This book has everything there is to love about Regency novels. I enjoyed the sometimes witty dialogue, and the overall quality of writing was smart and not at all what I'd expect from a book with this type of cover. (Speaking of, the cover is lovely, but embarrassing to take out in public.)

The story is light and fun. If it were made into a movie, it would be an instant Christmas classic, done properly (i.e., if I were directing). There are four storylines. One is reminiscent of several plotlines in Pride and Prejudice, the others perhaps less Austen inspired. I assume it was well researched because I didn't understand many of the things they referred to, and I'd like to think that's because of the time period I live in and not my overall lack of vocabulary.

Just some problems I compartmentalized in favor of enjoyment of the story:

Some troubling tropes: The experienced man-whore attracted to "virginal" (it actually uses the word), modest beauty. The woman who knows better than her husband how to manage things but "wisely" defers to his opinions. The servants whose sole happiness is making their masters happy.

I get the impression that the detailed explanation of Lord Carroll's infidelity is supposed to somehow lessen the reader's sense of his guilt. Like it wasn't his fault because he was drunk, and because he accidentally ended up in her bed, so what else could he do but...her? Even then, things were somewhat okay until he says he stopped her screaming by kissing her. As was said to Teddy Roosevelt, "You have shown that you were accused of seduction, and you have conclusively proved that you were guilty of rape." That the woman loses her job and then her life because of the pregnancy is treated as a sad aside, but convenient to the happy ending. To delve into it more would have ruined the lightness of the story, but to gloss over it like that was flippant.

Another problematic plotline was the treatment of the Duchess. She is manipulated (by a "good guy") into marrying a rotten guy, and this is somehow treated with humor. The impression given is that she is getting what she deserves by virtue of being a female whose slutty behavior perfectly mirrors that of the "good guy" who entraps her. For his callous manipulation of her, the "good guy" is portrayed as a hero.

[Jerry Jares · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an engaging (no pun intended) tale of the engagements of the three daughters of Lord and Lady Carroll.  Each daughter is unique and the story surrounding their engagements is witty, charming, and just-not-long-enough.  I have fewer than 5 books remaining to read of Barbara Metzger's booklist and I am growing anxious.  What will I read next?  Barbara is a master of humor and swift-moving, charming stories.

Of course, there has to be a dog in the story along with a wise butler (keeping the family steady).  I disagree with some of the other reviewers of this novel about the 4th story (I'm not going to explain what it is; it's complicated and I want the author to explain it to the reader).  This story gave Lady Carroll an opportunity to grow.  It was the right thing to do but Lady Carroll was concerned about what others would think about it.  As the story ended, I knew my faith in the goodness of this unique family was correct.

[Brontesruleromance · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars

Content warning: Past infidelity that resulted in a child.

There were four romances in the book, those of the couple's three daughters and the ongoing love between their parents. Their parent's romance felt the strongest and most genuine, even though it wasn't without problems. Many years ago Lord Carroll cheated on his wife and the result was a son. (The explanation he gave for his "lapse" was ridiculous, IMO.) Now that Lord Carroll is feeling every bit of his age, he wants his young son to come live at the family home and adopt him so he can become his heir. His wife, Lady Carroll, is completely opposed to this and coldly ignores the boy until almost the end of the book.

Three of the four couples had significant age gaps.

[Mel · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an odd book, it didn't need the Christmas setting, but I enjoyed it anyway. The meddling father and mother and their relationship with their three daughters seemed very realistic and loving which is unusual for a regency romance. I appreciated how long it took for Lady Bess to give in and forgive her husband, because what he did was so disloyal and wrong. The last part of the book where they are repairing their relationship and coming to terms is my favorite part of the story. A good read to be sure.

[Debby · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lord Carroll has three daughters of marriageable age and he's starting to worry about them. So he "plans" for appropriate men to visit. Joia finds love with a reformed rake, Hollice (Holly) with the rich father of her childhood friend and Meredith (Merry) with a wounded soldier. All are excellent matches and help the mother to accept Lord Carroll's illegitimate son. Several short interrelated stories. Clean fun.

[Linda C · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lord Carroll decides it is time to get his 3 daughters married and hopes the annual Hunt and Hunt Ball will bring results. The book is divided into 4 parts the first three dealing with each daughter’s story and the fourth dealing with an issue concerning the parents. This was funny and touching. I read this many years ago and it was on my keeper shelves. I am rereading these now as they fit into challenges and determining whether they will stay there. This will.

[westlin · Rating 5 out of 5]

SO glad to rediscover this lovely book

I almost didn't read this. I was hunting for a different book, and was a little disappointed that this was not the book I was searching for. I am so happy I decided to read it, even if it was the "wrong" book. In so many ways, this is the right book. The perfect book. It's funny, smart, and beautifully written. You should read it!

[Tchipakkan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful characters

I've read this several times, and still love the language and wit of Metzger's writing. The feelings and fallibility of the characters makes them appealing even within the obvious construction of the convoluted plot.

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it

[Charlotte Bishop · Rating 5 out of 5]

(Delightful)

What a wonderful book. Barbara Metzger has a delightful way with words. Each story was humorous and engaging; a definite reread.

[Barb Ceas · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love all Barbara Metzger's books - they are delightful.

[Linda (NOT RECEIVING NOTIFICATIONS) · Rating 2 out of 5]

Lord Carroll was blessed with a wonderful wife and three "most perfect daughters". Their names, of course, are a play on words with the holiday season. Joia, his eldest and most like in appearance with his wife when she was younger, is his favorite. Hollice aka 'Holly' is his middle daughter and the brightest. And, yes, his favorite. Lastly, Meredyth, 'Merry', was "the son" he never had. You guessed it: his favorite.

His only regret was that he married late in life and now he had to find each of his most cherished daughters a husband. And he worried about his wife Bess, still a young woman in her own right. When he passed away, his cousin's son was to look after her. He was his heir but he was also a "twit.....and twiddlepoop."

In a way it was like reading an anthology about each sister except Ms. Metzger meshes the three short stories together. I don't always need to love my main characters, but when I find something unlikable I need there to be an element that draws me back to the story. In this case it was to read the HEA for each of the daughters. I also enjoyed Ms. Metzger's one-of-kind word-play such as Merry describing herself: "Papa says my tongue runs on wheels."

***Mild Spoiler, Skip This If You Don't Want To Know Why I Gave It Two Stars ***
The one downside to this romance was the underlying story of the earl's one night, earlier in their marriage, when he got drunk and had relations with another woman. The result was that he now had a son. And he wanted Bess to allow the boy to live with them. Yes, it was a reminder that Christmas is about love and forgiveness but I had a hard time believing that the earl would have behaved in such a fashion. The author reminded us constantly that he adored and loved his wife. This element lowered my expectations for this Christmas romance.

[suzi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Loved it. Fun and poignant. My fave story would have to be the youngest sister's then the first's. I didn't like the second sister's story much. My fave quote from the book:
....What if I told you that I waited to marry until I found the one woman who makes my heart sing, so no other song will do?"
"Am I the one? Are you sure?"
For answer he put her hand against his heart. "It's playing a waltz, our waltz, Joia. Can you hear it?"

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I checked this book out of our library on a whim. It was a really great read with interesting characters, a lot of humor and sweet, redemptive, non-raunchy stories of love. The only drawback for me was perhaps an overuse of slang from the era ... didn't know what some of it meant.

[Louise · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read for the Seasonal Reading Challenge Winter 09/10 task 15.8 (A: Holiday related book)

[Olivia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sweet and funny. Typical Metzger.

[Jeri · Rating 4 out of 5]

Entertaining short stories.

[Amy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed the stories of the girls and their future husbands. I was not a big fan of the heir storyline, so I'll rate right in the middle.

[Roberta · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another enjoyable upbeat regency by Barbara Metzger. It's what I read when I don't want any surprises.

[Nancy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book! The subtle humor & wordplay were fantastic!

[Taylor · Rating 5 out of 5]

Best Metzger regency I've read yet!

[P. · Rating 3 out of 5]

A nice little story until the Lady Carroll shows her true self. It's all downhill from there.

[Frances · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good read
Only 3 stars on second reading

Very cute stories with humor to enhance the plot. I have enjoyed this author very much. Most of her books are at least 3 stars.

[Lori · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sweet little stories. All the Children have Christmas names....cute.