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Under the Kissing Bough
Eleanor Glover never thought to marry. But when wickedly handsome Geoffrey Westerley, Lord Staines, agrees to an arranged marriage with her, she knows her duty. Geoffrey makes it plain that he wants nothing more than a sensible wife and a Christmas Eve wedding to please his dying father. With a dearth of suitors, and her family's expectations weighing heavy, Eleanor agrees to the match, with one condition -
a condition she cannot name or write upon her blank card. Despite Geoffrey's generous promise to give her anything her heart desires she cannot believe he will ever offer the only thing she truly wants for a Christmas gift - his love.
As an earl's son, Geoffrey Westerley knows his duty and since he cannot have the woman he loved and drove away, he will have the bride his father intends. Geoffrey knows his passionate nature scared away one lady, and he is determined to treat his shy intended with respect and restraint. But when he finds Eleanor beneath a kissing bough, tradition demands that he pluck a mistletoe berry and kiss her. He never anticipated his bride's warm response, and as the wedding draws near he begins to see there is more to his bride than a quiet exterior. There may be enough to her, in fact, to heal a wounded heart, and a passion deep enough to match his own.
a condition she cannot name or write upon her blank card. Despite Geoffrey's generous promise to give her anything her heart desires she cannot believe he will ever offer the only thing she truly wants for a Christmas gift - his love.
As an earl's son, Geoffrey Westerley knows his duty and since he cannot have the woman he loved and drove away, he will have the bride his father intends. Geoffrey knows his passionate nature scared away one lady, and he is determined to treat his shy intended with respect and restraint. But when he finds Eleanor beneath a kissing bough, tradition demands that he pluck a mistletoe berry and kiss her. He never anticipated his bride's warm response, and as the wedding draws near he begins to see there is more to his bride than a quiet exterior. There may be enough to her, in fact, to heal a wounded heart, and a passion deep enough to match his own.
256 pages, Paperback
Published January 1, 2001
About the author
Shannon Donnelly
48 books53 followersShannon Donnelly's writing has won numerous awards, including a RITA nomination for Best Regency, the Grand Prize in the "Minute Maid Sensational Romance Writer" contest, judged by Nora Roberts, RWA's Golden Heart, and others. Her work has repeatedly earned 4½ Star Top Pick reviews from Romantic Times magazine, as well as praise from Booklist and other reviewers, who note: "simply superb"..."wonderfully uplifting"....and "beautifully written."
In addition to her Regency romances, she has had novellas published in several anthologies, has had young adult horror stories published and is the author of several computer games.
In addition to her Regency romances, she has had novellas published in several anthologies, has had young adult horror stories published and is the author of several computer games.
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Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews
June 30, 2020
Sweet. Slow. Sedate.
Too sedate.
I like the (usual) pairing of a retiring, plain h and a surly, bad-tempered H, pushed into an arranged match through family considerations.
But the book keeps on trotting sedately with no major bumps or exciting turns.
A surly H/shy h need a stronger, more passionate romance to balance out the mehs and the non-communications. So, I kept waiting for the fireworks as the h is hinted to have passion under the plain, shy exterior but the wait gets looooong, trust me. All they/we get is a measly kiss or two at the end (the very end - when the said bough makes an appearance) and a bedding that's alluded to - in a line or half. Meh!
Actually, he had other fires to extinguish first.
He's still hung on his ex, you see.
I am kinda unsure about the unique/ridiculous way the ow angle is treated here - a very beautiful local girl he's known since they were kids but she rejects the handsome heir to an earldom and marries the nondescript and boring local vicar!
Nice, they'll keep meeting over tea and Sunday services.
Too sedate.
I like the (usual) pairing of a retiring, plain h and a surly, bad-tempered H, pushed into an arranged match through family considerations.
But the book keeps on trotting sedately with no major bumps or exciting turns.
A surly H/shy h need a stronger, more passionate romance to balance out the mehs and the non-communications. So, I kept waiting for the fireworks as the h is hinted to have passion under the plain, shy exterior but the wait gets looooong, trust me. All they/we get is a measly kiss or two at the end (the very end - when the said bough makes an appearance) and a bedding that's alluded to - in a line or half. Meh!
Actually, he had other fires to extinguish first.
He's still hung on his ex, you see.
I am kinda unsure about the unique/ridiculous way the ow angle is treated here - a very beautiful local girl he's known since they were kids but she rejects the handsome heir to an earldom and marries the nondescript and boring local vicar!
Nice, they'll keep meeting over tea and Sunday services.
May 3, 2019
A Regency romance. I give the author credit for trying.
Story covered Nov then into Christmas.
Geoff, a viscount & shy Eleanor were pressured to wed
because of his dying father. All her sisters were beauties
except her- where have we heard this before? Geoff's
v. handsome looks became a broken record. All the
handsomeness in the world did not make up for his
glares, scowls, critical comments & overreactions.
We heard too much/ too often about Geoff's lost love,
Cynthia, a beautiful yet 'cold fish.' The story ended
with a HEA, but it still felt one-sided on Ellie's part.
Best aspects of story:
1) When h stood up to H.
2) When bros called H on his rudeness toward h.
3) When Ellie rescued animals.
Story covered Nov then into Christmas.
Geoff, a viscount & shy Eleanor were pressured to wed
because of his dying father. All her sisters were beauties
except her- where have we heard this before? Geoff's
v. handsome looks became a broken record. All the
handsomeness in the world did not make up for his
glares, scowls, critical comments & overreactions.
We heard too much/ too often about Geoff's lost love,
Cynthia, a beautiful yet 'cold fish.' The story ended
with a HEA, but it still felt one-sided on Ellie's part.
Best aspects of story:
1) When h stood up to H.
2) When bros called H on his rudeness toward h.
3) When Ellie rescued animals.
August 1, 2024
I wish the heroine had more spunk! If I read "wide-eyed and innocent" one more time, I'm going to lose it! The hero isn't much better either, he spends 80% of the book moping over his ex. There's barely any meaningful interaction between the two of them, so it's hard to tell if they really do love each other. The heroine seems more dazzled by his looks than anything else or if there's more, the book doesn't really show it.
December 18, 2020
3.5 stars. Exactly as it says on the tin, this is a marriage of convenience (my favorite trope!) between two passionate people who are afraid of what they are stepping into by agreeing to what is basically a business arrangement. Eleanor feels like the invisible sister. She has perfected the art of fading into the background, and absolutely hates being the center of attention (being in a crowded ballroom literally gives her a panic attack). She is astounded when she learns that Lord Staines has offered for her hand in marriage, as she doesn't really know him, and can't understand why such a beautiful blond Adonis would want to tie himself to a little mouse like her.
Being so beautiful is exactly Geoff's problem, though - as mentioned in the blurb, he scared off his previous amour by being passionate with her, and he firmly believes the fault lies with him, because his beautiful Cynthia was the model of perfection. His base desires (and his horrid father) had her fleeing in tears away from him and into the night. She marries the staid local vicar instead, and Geoff can't help but mourn his loss.
His father, the Earl, is dying, but that's nothing new - he's a codgy old man who's been on death's door for most of his life. Its only the fact that his father's physician writes to him and pleads for him to return with a bride on his arm that he listens, and wonders. His mother died when he was a child, and though he doesn't really like him, his father appears to have mere weeks to live. How could he not fulfill his father's dying wish to see his son married?
He chooses Eleanor because she is the opposite of Cynthia. She is a little slip of a girl who is known for being sensible and pragmatic. He quickly discovers that she has a need to rescue pretty much every creature she comes across in need, and he slowly starts to want her to rescue him as well.
Eleanor sees his pain and is drawn to him because of it. She quite quickly falls in love with him, and berates herself for it. Even when the two of them strike a deal that she, also should get something out of their arrangement, she's too fearful to tell him what she actually desires most: for him to love her instead of merely tolerating her.
She tries to fortify herself for a lifetime of loneliness, but the more her feelings develop for him, the more miserable she becomes. Of course, she won't actually open her mouth and say any of this, especially not when they return to Westerly to prepare for the wedding, and she sees the woman who broke her future husband's heart.
Even in the midst of holiday cheer, with both of their families celebrating the season, they find themselves absolutely miserable and unable to speak of it - to each other, or anyone else.
All this misery went on just a bit too long, for my liking, without enough tease of their mutual attraction to counteract it. I did appreciate the fact that this book doesn't fall into easy traps, like having Cynthia be a complete witch, or pairing up siblings from either side with each other, or have the family matchmaking too obvious. I liked that they exchanged their boon and Geoffrey made good on what she asked for, even though it meant changing a HUGE tradition in the village. I even like the fact that their wedding was miserable and both were disappointed by it.
Its not until the end, when they finally admit their fears, that the magic happens. The final scenes of the wedding night and the morning after are absolutely breathtaking, and a perfect example of being able to write an intimate love scene without explicit sex. It gave me those gut-wrenching chills that all great romance strives for, and it almost makes up for all the angst that sags through the middle of the story.
I'm definitely going to give this writer another go - I already have another of her books in my collection.
Find more vintage romance reviews at The Vintage Romance Reader
Being so beautiful is exactly Geoff's problem, though - as mentioned in the blurb, he scared off his previous amour by being passionate with her, and he firmly believes the fault lies with him, because his beautiful Cynthia was the model of perfection. His base desires (and his horrid father) had her fleeing in tears away from him and into the night. She marries the staid local vicar instead, and Geoff can't help but mourn his loss.
His father, the Earl, is dying, but that's nothing new - he's a codgy old man who's been on death's door for most of his life. Its only the fact that his father's physician writes to him and pleads for him to return with a bride on his arm that he listens, and wonders. His mother died when he was a child, and though he doesn't really like him, his father appears to have mere weeks to live. How could he not fulfill his father's dying wish to see his son married?
He chooses Eleanor because she is the opposite of Cynthia. She is a little slip of a girl who is known for being sensible and pragmatic. He quickly discovers that she has a need to rescue pretty much every creature she comes across in need, and he slowly starts to want her to rescue him as well.
Eleanor sees his pain and is drawn to him because of it. She quite quickly falls in love with him, and berates herself for it. Even when the two of them strike a deal that she, also should get something out of their arrangement, she's too fearful to tell him what she actually desires most: for him to love her instead of merely tolerating her.
She tries to fortify herself for a lifetime of loneliness, but the more her feelings develop for him, the more miserable she becomes. Of course, she won't actually open her mouth and say any of this, especially not when they return to Westerly to prepare for the wedding, and she sees the woman who broke her future husband's heart.
Even in the midst of holiday cheer, with both of their families celebrating the season, they find themselves absolutely miserable and unable to speak of it - to each other, or anyone else.
All this misery went on just a bit too long, for my liking, without enough tease of their mutual attraction to counteract it. I did appreciate the fact that this book doesn't fall into easy traps, like having Cynthia be a complete witch, or pairing up siblings from either side with each other, or have the family matchmaking too obvious. I liked that they exchanged their boon and Geoffrey made good on what she asked for, even though it meant changing a HUGE tradition in the village. I even like the fact that their wedding was miserable and both were disappointed by it.
Its not until the end, when they finally admit their fears, that the magic happens. The final scenes of the wedding night and the morning after are absolutely breathtaking, and a perfect example of being able to write an intimate love scene without explicit sex. It gave me those gut-wrenching chills that all great romance strives for, and it almost makes up for all the angst that sags through the middle of the story.
I'm definitely going to give this writer another go - I already have another of her books in my collection.
Find more vintage romance reviews at The Vintage Romance Reader
December 24, 2021
Very disappointing. A hero with plenty of experience with women thinks his passion is unnatural? Pah! A heroine afraid of looking at people & vice versa, except when she's galloping around the streets in the rain saving animals? Bosh! Young ladies lying upside down on the furniture? Changing a fox hunt to a paper-chase on an estate that doesn't belong to you? Ludicrous! What was the point of the lost ring? Groan! By all means write the story, but don't call it a Regency. I didn't believe the romance between Geoffrey & Eleanor at all. In fact, it didn't really happen until the last 2 pages. Perhaps I should give this a 1★, but I did finish it - maybe 1.5★ rounded up.
September 13, 2023
An arranged marriage!
The earl promised his wife Amanda,before she died, to provide for their sons happinesss. Now 18 years later he is pretending to be dying to force his eldest son Geoffrey into marriage before he ruins himself.
The earl promised his wife Amanda,before she died, to provide for their sons happinesss. Now 18 years later he is pretending to be dying to force his eldest son Geoffrey into marriage before he ruins himself.
November 1, 2014
I love this novel so much, I've read it twice. The book is extremely well written, with the dimensional characters, and an engaging plot. The romance between Eleanor and Geoffrey is very subtle, very sweet, and extremely poignant. By subtle I mean, there are no lightning bolts, or electric current when the two meet; instead, the romance between them develops slowly and quietly, without either really being aware of it. The premise of the story is an arranged marriage of sorts; both fathers had agreed that one of the Westerley brothers would marry one of the Glover sisters. Now that Geoffrey finds himself in need of a bride, he decides to honor his father's agreement with the Glover family and choose a bride from among the sisters. The eldest sister, Elizabeth, is already engaged, so as the second oldest, Eleanor is chosen as the likely candidate.
Eleanor is a super sweet, kind, gentle soul, who loves animals of all times, particularly those that are injured. Eleanor also, unfortunately, suffers from a major inferiority complex. She is not quite as pretty as her elder sister, nor as graceful as her youngest, nor is she as vivacious as her sister who follows immediately after her. In short, in Eleanor's view, she is ordinary.
The hero, Geoffrey Westerley, Lord Staines, heir to an Earldom, embodies male perfection, with gorgeous golden hair, beautiful blue eyes, and a body to die for. But, as the saying goes, never judge a book by its cover. By all appearances, Geoffrey is a supremely superior male, secure in his masculine perfection. But alas, Geoffrey too has his own insecurities. He is a passionate man with all that entails, including the devil of a temper and an ardent nature. Nine months prior to Geoffrey and Eleanor's engagement, his first love jilted him, after he tried to kiss her and she ran away from him, screaming. Geoffrey is convinced that the fault was his, that his overly passionate nature scarred off his intended, and that he is not fit to be around gentlewomen. He is determined not to scare of his new fiancée with any inappropriate displays of emotion...to keep himself in check at all times.
For her part, when Eleanor first lay eyes on Geoffrey she is dismayed, for surely such a man could never be happy with plain, ordinary her! She just knew that he would end up regretting marrying such as her. Consequently, Geoffrey's determination to "behave himself" in his dealing with Eleanor only reinforces her belief that a man such as Geoffrey could never be attracted to a plain Jane such as herself. My heart literally ached for Eleanor! To make the situation worse, Geoffrey finds himself attracted to Eleanor, wanting to hold and kiss her in ways he is sure will scare her off. The more Geoffrey fights against these urges, the more aloof he behaves with Eleanor, thus the more convinced she becomes of his total disregard for her. It's enough to make a person cry, and I did! To make matters worse, Eleanor finally comes face to face with Geoffrey's former fiancée, a woman who is the female version of his masculine perfection. As you can imagine, this does nothing to bolster Eleanor's confidence in herself.
Despite Eleanor's belief that Geoffrey does not, and cannot, care for her, she finds herself drawn to him. She sees beneath his outer surface to the wounded soul beneath, and like any injured animal, she cannot help but want to take care of him. As Eleanor realizes she is falling in love with Geoffrey, she has to constantly remind herself that all he wants is a marriage of convenience with a "sensible" woman, not love. To that end, she tries to disguise her feelings by behaving in a distant manner with Geoffrey, who in turn finds himself unaccountably disgruntled by her apparent disinterest. These are the dominant characteristics that make up this book. The end result, is a story that is both poignant and sweet.
My only complaint is that the ending was a bit quick. The couple don't confess their love for each other until the very end of the story and then it's done. IMO, considering the fact that up until Geoffrey and Eleanor confessed their love they each had no idea of the other's feelings, an epilogue depicting the couple at some point in the future would have made a welcome addition. In addition, more insight from Geoffrey would have been nice. The reader doesn't get a lot from him, so it was difficult to determine exactly when he fell in love with Eleanor. Nonetheless, overall this was a wonderful read for me; and is one that I would highly recommend. BTW this is a clean romance. There is a love scene, but no details. Happy reading!
Eleanor is a super sweet, kind, gentle soul, who loves animals of all times, particularly those that are injured. Eleanor also, unfortunately, suffers from a major inferiority complex. She is not quite as pretty as her elder sister, nor as graceful as her youngest, nor is she as vivacious as her sister who follows immediately after her. In short, in Eleanor's view, she is ordinary.
The hero, Geoffrey Westerley, Lord Staines, heir to an Earldom, embodies male perfection, with gorgeous golden hair, beautiful blue eyes, and a body to die for. But, as the saying goes, never judge a book by its cover. By all appearances, Geoffrey is a supremely superior male, secure in his masculine perfection. But alas, Geoffrey too has his own insecurities. He is a passionate man with all that entails, including the devil of a temper and an ardent nature. Nine months prior to Geoffrey and Eleanor's engagement, his first love jilted him, after he tried to kiss her and she ran away from him, screaming. Geoffrey is convinced that the fault was his, that his overly passionate nature scarred off his intended, and that he is not fit to be around gentlewomen. He is determined not to scare of his new fiancée with any inappropriate displays of emotion...to keep himself in check at all times.
For her part, when Eleanor first lay eyes on Geoffrey she is dismayed, for surely such a man could never be happy with plain, ordinary her! She just knew that he would end up regretting marrying such as her. Consequently, Geoffrey's determination to "behave himself" in his dealing with Eleanor only reinforces her belief that a man such as Geoffrey could never be attracted to a plain Jane such as herself. My heart literally ached for Eleanor! To make the situation worse, Geoffrey finds himself attracted to Eleanor, wanting to hold and kiss her in ways he is sure will scare her off. The more Geoffrey fights against these urges, the more aloof he behaves with Eleanor, thus the more convinced she becomes of his total disregard for her. It's enough to make a person cry, and I did! To make matters worse, Eleanor finally comes face to face with Geoffrey's former fiancée, a woman who is the female version of his masculine perfection. As you can imagine, this does nothing to bolster Eleanor's confidence in herself.
Despite Eleanor's belief that Geoffrey does not, and cannot, care for her, she finds herself drawn to him. She sees beneath his outer surface to the wounded soul beneath, and like any injured animal, she cannot help but want to take care of him. As Eleanor realizes she is falling in love with Geoffrey, she has to constantly remind herself that all he wants is a marriage of convenience with a "sensible" woman, not love. To that end, she tries to disguise her feelings by behaving in a distant manner with Geoffrey, who in turn finds himself unaccountably disgruntled by her apparent disinterest. These are the dominant characteristics that make up this book. The end result, is a story that is both poignant and sweet.
My only complaint is that the ending was a bit quick. The couple don't confess their love for each other until the very end of the story and then it's done. IMO, considering the fact that up until Geoffrey and Eleanor confessed their love they each had no idea of the other's feelings, an epilogue depicting the couple at some point in the future would have made a welcome addition. In addition, more insight from Geoffrey would have been nice. The reader doesn't get a lot from him, so it was difficult to determine exactly when he fell in love with Eleanor. Nonetheless, overall this was a wonderful read for me; and is one that I would highly recommend. BTW this is a clean romance. There is a love scene, but no details. Happy reading!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 27, 2009
When I first read the blurb I thought the story had great potential for a nice Christmas read. It mentioned a marriage of convenience and I could see how two people could get to know each other during a Christmas house party and surrounded by family. I was a bit worried though about the mention of the hero scaring a past love interest with his passionate nature, that sounded weird... and I'm afraid it was...
Eleanor is our common plain, intelligent and shy heroine that the hero never notices at first but learns to value in time. She accepts a marriage of convenience because her parent's tell her to. She finds the hero charming and attractive but sees that he only offered for her because his father is dying and wants to see him wed. And she soon finds out that he has loved another in the past and people believe he is still in love with her. Geoffrey is marrying because his father wants him to; he wants a sensible wife and a marriage with no emotional entanglements. He loved a woman in the past and she run away from him when he tried to embrace her and he still feels deeply the pain of her rejection.
Now everything would be well if we just had them getting to know each other and falling in love. But that's no exactly what happens, we see Geoffrey learning that Eleanor is a generous, intelligent woman but we don't really get to see her knowing him all that well except that he hurts inside. And the woman from his past does appear several times and while there's an attempt to explain why she rejected him (sounded pretty weak to me) I was left wondering why she married that weird man, he could be less passionate but he was weird. Eleanor and Geoffrey never really speak of their feelings till they are married and I would much preferred to have them address their problems before, because there are several scenes where Eleanor is jealous of Geoffrey and Cynthia and because the situation of Geoffrey's father being revealed was the perfect opportunity for them to speak of their feelings.
I am curious about Eleanor's sisters, especially Emma who seemed the opposite of her sister...
Grade. 3.5/5
Eleanor is our common plain, intelligent and shy heroine that the hero never notices at first but learns to value in time. She accepts a marriage of convenience because her parent's tell her to. She finds the hero charming and attractive but sees that he only offered for her because his father is dying and wants to see him wed. And she soon finds out that he has loved another in the past and people believe he is still in love with her. Geoffrey is marrying because his father wants him to; he wants a sensible wife and a marriage with no emotional entanglements. He loved a woman in the past and she run away from him when he tried to embrace her and he still feels deeply the pain of her rejection.
Now everything would be well if we just had them getting to know each other and falling in love. But that's no exactly what happens, we see Geoffrey learning that Eleanor is a generous, intelligent woman but we don't really get to see her knowing him all that well except that he hurts inside. And the woman from his past does appear several times and while there's an attempt to explain why she rejected him (sounded pretty weak to me) I was left wondering why she married that weird man, he could be less passionate but he was weird. Eleanor and Geoffrey never really speak of their feelings till they are married and I would much preferred to have them address their problems before, because there are several scenes where Eleanor is jealous of Geoffrey and Cynthia and because the situation of Geoffrey's father being revealed was the perfect opportunity for them to speak of their feelings.
I am curious about Eleanor's sisters, especially Emma who seemed the opposite of her sister...
Grade. 3.5/5
January 24, 2014
I liked this one. It kind of has a Christmas feel, although I think that aspect could have been amped up a little more. I think I mostly just liked the plot. I've been on a Regency kick lately and it was starting to just feel like the same story over and over (rake falls for the good girl and reforms, etc.). While Geoff is a bit of a rake, his story is different. He is heartbroken over losing his true love and has spent the last nine months drowning his sorrows jumping from one lightskirt to the next. He learns his father is dying and wants to grant his wish to see him married before he passes. He settles for Eleanor. Their families have had an agreement that their children would one day marry and since his true love is now out of reach he doesn't really care who he marries.
I liked Eleanor, I wish she would have shown more of her true self to Geoff. It seems whenever he is around she is so shy and hardly talks. We get spurts of spunk, but it usually doesn't last long. She was your typical Regency heroine, one minute she is giving a pep talk about being strong and not falling in love. The next minute she is mush and depressed that the hero doesn't want her.
Geoff was okay. He had some nice moments and I did like the times when they were together. They had a nice relationship. He is jaded though after being dumped and for like 99% of his POV is on thoughts about his lost love. While he did feel lust for Eleanor, he thought her looks were plain. So it was kind of a weird combination. He did care for her personality (the glimpses he got behind her shy front). Anyway, I wish his ex would have faded from his thoughts earlier on. It wasn't until the end that he finally started to let go and by then I was thinking his sudden love for Eleanor felt rushed.
Overall, I enjoyed it and one worth reading. There is some nice tension between the two and I liked how everything played out. I'd be one I'd probably read again.
Romance: Clean, fade to black.
Language: Mild (quite a bit if "D")
I liked Eleanor, I wish she would have shown more of her true self to Geoff. It seems whenever he is around she is so shy and hardly talks. We get spurts of spunk, but it usually doesn't last long. She was your typical Regency heroine, one minute she is giving a pep talk about being strong and not falling in love. The next minute she is mush and depressed that the hero doesn't want her.
Geoff was okay. He had some nice moments and I did like the times when they were together. They had a nice relationship. He is jaded though after being dumped and for like 99% of his POV is on thoughts about his lost love. While he did feel lust for Eleanor, he thought her looks were plain. So it was kind of a weird combination. He did care for her personality (the glimpses he got behind her shy front). Anyway, I wish his ex would have faded from his thoughts earlier on. It wasn't until the end that he finally started to let go and by then I was thinking his sudden love for Eleanor felt rushed.
Overall, I enjoyed it and one worth reading. There is some nice tension between the two and I liked how everything played out. I'd be one I'd probably read again.
Romance: Clean, fade to black.
Language: Mild (quite a bit if "D")
June 26, 2011
I came across this in the Book View Cafe edition, when Shannon Donnelly officially posted it there. It's a short category regency romance with a promising set-up. The historical accuracy is a bit superficial - I would actually rather doubt that a 14-year-old daughter of the family would lie with her feet on the back of the sofa and her head hanging down, even in family quarters - mostly because a family with four daughters who is well off would have a governess by that time, or an old nanny around and that would have been forbidden.
The idea that her SISTERS would dress and style the heroine for her BETROTHAL ball, even though she and her mother have maids is also totally ludicrous. So no hair singeing, etc. I might have accepted that they watched and made comments.
Another thing I can't believe is that a mother who has snagged a more eligible parti for her daughter and is not bourgeois herself would allow her younger daughters to tag along to a shopping expedition where the betrothed couple are supposed to get to know each other better.
I liked the interaction of the hero with his father and brothers, but we didn't see much of that, really. I liked the bit about the steeplechase, too ^^. I also understood that biggest problem - how a young maiden raised properly is supposed to show her older and more worldly suitor what she wants from him - especially if she is usually quite shy - could in that situation not simply be solved by talking (especially as there were various factions conspiring to keep the two apart, for their own good supposedly).
The end was too swift. A lot of the good parts were over to swiftly - but then this was a category romance and not every writer can pace that perfectly (as a good Mary Balogh or Carla Kelly can).
The idea that her SISTERS would dress and style the heroine for her BETROTHAL ball, even though she and her mother have maids is also totally ludicrous. So no hair singeing, etc. I might have accepted that they watched and made comments.
Another thing I can't believe is that a mother who has snagged a more eligible parti for her daughter and is not bourgeois herself would allow her younger daughters to tag along to a shopping expedition where the betrothed couple are supposed to get to know each other better.
I liked the interaction of the hero with his father and brothers, but we didn't see much of that, really. I liked the bit about the steeplechase, too ^^. I also understood that biggest problem - how a young maiden raised properly is supposed to show her older and more worldly suitor what she wants from him - especially if she is usually quite shy - could in that situation not simply be solved by talking (especially as there were various factions conspiring to keep the two apart, for their own good supposedly).
The end was too swift. A lot of the good parts were over to swiftly - but then this was a category romance and not every writer can pace that perfectly (as a good Mary Balogh or Carla Kelly can).
March 24, 2012
Eleanor Glover never thought to marry. But when wickedly handsome Geoffrey Westerley, Lord Staines, agrees to an arranged marriage with her, she knows her duty. Geoffrey makes it plain that he wants nothing more than a sensible wife—and a Christmas Eve wedding to please his dying father. With a dearth of suitors, and her family's expectations weighing heavy, Eleanor agrees to the match, with one condition—a condition she cannot name or write upon her blank card. Despite Geoffrey's generous promise to give her anything her heart desires she cannot believe he will ever offer the only thing she truly wants for a Christmas gift…his love.
As an earl's son, Geoffrey Westerley knows his duty—and since he cannot have the woman he loved and drove away, he will have the bride his father intends. Geoffrey knows his passionate nature scared away one lady, and he is determined to treat his shy intended with respect and restraint. But when he finds Eleanor beneath a kissing bough, tradition demands that he pluck a mistletoe berry and kiss her. He never anticipated his bride's warm response, and as the wedding draws near he begins to see there is more to his bride than a quiet exterior. There may be enough to her, in fact, to heal a wounded heart—and a passion deep enough to match his own.
The story line has potential, but the development is very uneven. The characters are a bit flat.
As an earl's son, Geoffrey Westerley knows his duty—and since he cannot have the woman he loved and drove away, he will have the bride his father intends. Geoffrey knows his passionate nature scared away one lady, and he is determined to treat his shy intended with respect and restraint. But when he finds Eleanor beneath a kissing bough, tradition demands that he pluck a mistletoe berry and kiss her. He never anticipated his bride's warm response, and as the wedding draws near he begins to see there is more to his bride than a quiet exterior. There may be enough to her, in fact, to heal a wounded heart—and a passion deep enough to match his own.
The story line has potential, but the development is very uneven. The characters are a bit flat.
November 28, 2011
I enjoyed this book and couldn't put it down. Despite my irritation with Lord Staines, I was interested enough in Eleanor to stay glued to the story. Staines was quite disparaging in his thoughts and references to Eleanor and I did not like that. I never was quite sure...was Eleanor really that plain or not? Staines was kind to her face but his thoughts were not always as kind and I didn't particularly like that. Still, I wanted these two to work it out and for her to "get the guy". I thought he was way too slow in figuring out his feelings for Eleanor and his obsession with his first love went on too long (in my opinion). Obviously the writer doesn't intend her love stories to be strong with sexual tension or situations. I wish there had been a tad more, though, than the little we got. Still, the story was well written, I felt sufficiently sorry for Eleanor that I had to stick with her and find out how it all turned out. In the end, Staines redeemed himself and that's what's important.
April 8, 2016
I like to read Regency romance, especially at Christmas time. This tracks back to the fact that my whole family (including my grandfather) would share them around, so for me, just picking one up is bathed in nostalgia. I got this one at the annual literacy sale for a whopping 10 cents, which is about what it's worth.
I do not know Donnelly's background, but she's clearly not on very even footing when it comes to writing a Regency setting. I normally will hand-waive a fair amount of historical inaccuracy, but there were a few bits that snagged my attention. The romance was okay, and the characters passable enough. The editing, however, was inadequate. There were several subject-verb agreement problems, and a few passages where the wrong word was used or a word was accidentally omitted. I still usually save 1-stars for real stinkers, and what got me there was the author's afterword, where she attempts to educate her readers on her Regency Christmas and wedding research. Ah, that's sweet, dear.
I do not know Donnelly's background, but she's clearly not on very even footing when it comes to writing a Regency setting. I normally will hand-waive a fair amount of historical inaccuracy, but there were a few bits that snagged my attention. The romance was okay, and the characters passable enough. The editing, however, was inadequate. There were several subject-verb agreement problems, and a few passages where the wrong word was used or a word was accidentally omitted. I still usually save 1-stars for real stinkers, and what got me there was the author's afterword, where she attempts to educate her readers on her Regency Christmas and wedding research. Ah, that's sweet, dear.
May 18, 2015
First for me
Romance and love may seem like it has changed over the different time eras but the reality is that what we feel when it comes to love doesn't change. This is my first historical romance novel I have read and I am not disappointed. I liked being able to read about a different time period and the customs with regards to everyday routines and courtships/marriages. If you find yourself in a small rut but love your romance novels, then I recommend this book. The same issues that affect the heart today affected those in the past.
Romance and love may seem like it has changed over the different time eras but the reality is that what we feel when it comes to love doesn't change. This is my first historical romance novel I have read and I am not disappointed. I liked being able to read about a different time period and the customs with regards to everyday routines and courtships/marriages. If you find yourself in a small rut but love your romance novels, then I recommend this book. The same issues that affect the heart today affected those in the past.
December 21, 2008
A cute sweet book with a holiday theme. Very nice.
September 25, 2009
Regency
December 9, 2011
Cute romance.
December 26, 2012
Interesting premise, but too much of the plot centers around a misunderstanding between the hero and heroine, which takes until the end of the book to resolve, then disappears in the blink of an eye.
April 11, 2013
3.5 Stars
I believe it would have been better if it were a little longer and included more interaction with h/h. It also ended just a little too quickly.
I believe it would have been better if it were a little longer and included more interaction with h/h. It also ended just a little too quickly.
August 16, 2013
A very sweet book which is a perfect read for someone wanting a little bit of romance in their life.
August 19, 2013
A wonderful, five-star read!
February 2, 2016
The big misunderstanding..too much dancing around each other..interesting characterization
January 12, 2009
Nice book.
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January 21, 2016Good
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