A Viscount for Christmas

by Catherine Blair

Arriving at his newly acquired country estate, Lord Jack Harrow meets his match in Olivia Faraday, the daughter of his doddering estate manager, who, while protecting her father and widowed sister, makes him believe in the magic of Christmas and the power of love. Original.

Genres: Historical Romance

256 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 2003

About the author

Catherine Blair (a.k.a. Cordia Byers) grew up in Texas, were she spent her high school years writing romances for her friends. She received her Ph.D. in neuroscience from Cornell University and currently studies opiate addiction. No one else thinks that the pun between "heroin addiction" and "heroine addiction" is as funny as she does. Catherine is a member of the Romance Writers of America and lives with her husband in San Diego, California.

Reviews

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wasn't sure about this book because the cover is SO CHEESY but don't let that detract you. It's actually a cute story. I really love reading stories from this time period and it's a fun book to read for the holidays. I own it if any one's interested in borrowing it.

[Linda (NOT RECEIVING NOTIFICATIONS) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Recently I have been looking at other reviews on various Regency romances and I am amazed at the highs and lows. While looking at the older Regency stories I expect kissing but no sex. That is just the way of it so I am not disappointed if the heat of the romance is light. What I love to find is great chemistry, some humor and a plot that moves me along. I don't want to be tempted to skip pages or shuffle through slow-reading.

A VISCOUNT FOR CHRISTMAS is just that. Olivia Faraday's father has elements of dementia. Her younger sister, Frederica, is a dreamer. Her older sister, Susanna, has returned home with her two young sons after her husband recently died. Poor Olivia, everyone's responsibilities fall on her shoulders. The family has little money and she tries to hide how close they are to entering the poor house.

Jack, Lord Harrow, is shallow at the start of the story and this may put others off. He doesn't remember meeting Olivia a few years before and his attitude is fix the immediate problems of the estate he has inherited and then set off for London and better times. There are times you will want to smack him for being so callous but when he starts to change everything within the story starts to mesh.

Just how smart is Frederica? Is Susanna as thoughtless as she appears? Will there be better times for 'Papa'? Lastly, what must Jack do to win sensible Olivia's hand? This Christmas romance is a nice surprise.

[Noelle Gracy · Rating 5 out of 5]

PS I didn't get a viscount that christmas

[Eva · Rating 4 out of 5]

A nice one sitting read. Enjoyable characters.

[Sylvia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Regency

[Sabrina · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a very cute book and a fun one to read for christmas. Very easy to read and very austinish.

[Elizabeth · Rating 2 out of 5]

Nice reading experience but the main characters were rather unbelievable.

[Lisa Montgomery · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although I did not dislike this book, I cannot say it is one that I cannot forget. It was quite predictable. Sweet. Well developed characters.

[Jane]

DNF - rated heavy pg13/mild r-lite (A secular “clean” traditional Regency --- there might be use of: mild cursing/profanity, innuendo, mention of mistresses, gambling, drinking, etc. -- see specific details below)

I’m ¼ of the way through and I think I might quit. I’m just not feeling this story. It seems too modern in places and too tawdry. Little things (and dialogue) don’t make sense or quite fit. Over and over, I feel like the author is just trying too hard to be a Jane Austen or Georgette Heyer and failing to come close.

“[She] looked him over with a delightfully suspicious eye. ‘You,’ she said, in a voice one might use in discovering one’s best friend bedding one’s expensive new mistress. …. Not that the gorgon maiden was likely to know anything about bedding. Good Lord, under that gown she was probably made of nettles and thorns.” Eww. This is just one example of what bothers me about this story. This kind of “descriptive” writing is not clever or witty, it’s just tasteless and tarnishing to the overall feel of the story. (And what in the world is a “delightfully suspicious eye”??!!?? Seriously??? It’s an author trying too hard and failing, in my opinion.)

Some of my friends, and other readers I usually agree with, enjoyed this book, so maybe I’ll give it another try. But probably not!