Miss Eliza Cline, a vicar’s sister, has accepted her life as a quiet industrious spinster.Lord Crestwood, the dashing widowed baron, is the rogue from her past.A chance meeting at a Christmas House party presents a second chance for both of them. But Eliza must decide: has the Baron’s unforgivable sin already doomed their love forever?This is a story about forgiveness.Over the course of a lifetime, a person is faced with millions of choices, some more difficult than others. And sometimes, we make the wrong ones.In a world filled with hard consequences, we need grace.
Married to the same man for over 25 years, I am a mother to three children and two Miniature Wiener dogs.
After owning a business and experiencing considerable success, my husband and I got caught in the financial crisis and lost everything in 2008; our business, our home, even our car.
At this point, I put my B.A. in Poly Sci to use and took work as a waitress and bartender (Insert irony). Unwilling to give up on a professional life, I simultaneously went back to college and obtained a degree in Energy Management.
And then the energy market dropped off.
And then my dog died.
I can only be grateful for this series of unfortunate events, for, with nothing to lose and completely demoralized, I sat down and began to write the romance novels which had until then, existed only my imagination. After publishing over twenty novels now, with one having been nominated for RWA’s Distinguished ™RITA Award in 2019, I am happy to tell you that I have finally found my place in life.
Thank you so much for being a part of my journey!
To find out more about my books, and also to download a free novella, get all the info at my website!
I’m not the biggest fan of short stories, but I am a big fan of Annabelle Anders. Thus, when I found out there was to be a short in the Not So Saintly Sisters series, I was more than happy to dive in. Although this is not my favourite Annabelle Anders read, it is a wonderful story.
The Perfect Christmas gives us a quick little read, providing us with the story of one of the side characters we were introduced to earlier in the series. You do not need to have read the other books in the series to understand this one, as it works perfectly fine as a standalone short story, but I do recommend reading them for a wee bit more information on the characters. However you go about it, this quick story will have you hooked.
Although I enjoyed this one from the start, I did fear I would not love it in the way I have loved other books from the author. It was enjoyable, yes, but I was unsure if I would love our male lead in the way I have loved other male leads from the author. The details we had left me unsure, but as the story progressed, I fell for him.
As always, the relationship between the characters was wonderful. They sucked me right in and I could not get enough, with our male lead winning me over in a big way. I adored their interactions, wearing a stupid smile on my face (as I often do when reading Annabelle Anders), and happily finished this one in a single sitting.
If you’re looking for a great historical romance, one that is a quick read, The Perfect Christmas is well worth grabbing.
Blurb : She’s a vicar’s sister with a past. He’s the rogue from her past. Will the magic of the Holidays be enough that these star crossed lovers can come together and celebrate the Perfect Christmas?
My review
Can she forgive the man who betrayed her trust and played a hand at her fate and shattered part of her future...
Even if I had already read the first version of this Christmas tale, the added material comforted me to reread it and my mood needed some cheers after a short night of sleep thanks to the tempest they decided to take our island hostage and spends sometime over my roof. The added prologue presented Eliza and Henry under a different light.
Twelve years of penances, for actions not well weighted that had torn them apart and imposed heavily on them, have gone by. Now a “chance encounter” put them again on the same path. But what are they to do when past secrets are revealed. Eliza has with her devotion to her brother’s parish, recreated herself. She is quite happy or contented with the life she lives as she knows old dreams can’t be brought back to life. Henry is well aware of his sins and the hurt he caused to Eliza, he can’t erase the past but he hopes to make amends for the pain he was the source. Still years later, there is still this spark between them, time has burdened on them, but will stolen moments help reignite their chemistry or be the end of it. Mrs Annabelle Anders has a way with words, even in a short tale, was she able to infuse pain, hope and love in her characters.
My second read of this tale didn’t diminish the impact of the pain they went through nor their culpability for the sins they think to have indulged in. When they were only two lonely persons at a turn in their life, each saw in the other a respite from their burden. They were caught, and since paid ten times for it. I ached, cheered and swooned with them. Thanks for this wondrous Christmas second chance. 5 stars
I was granted an advance copy by the author but I purchased my own. Here is my true and unbiased opinion.
The Perfect Christmas, by Annabelle Anders. What an absolutely wonderful romantic holiday love story this book was. I loved everything about it. The romance. The magic of Christmas in the air. Family and friends together, enjoying the merrymaking was sweet. From beginning to end, Anna focused on the romance between Eliza and Henry. It was sweet and it was beautiful. Almost like Star Cross lovers it was. I was rooting for these two after each chapter. I found the book easy to read. It was a joy to read. The story was easy to follow. The story didn’t seemed to be drawn out. Each detail of the story played a part to Eliza and Henry’s love story. I recommend this sweet romantic holiday read. Until next my fellow readers... read on.
I first read this story as part of a collection of stories called Yuletide Happily Ever After 11. This version has the added advantage of the prologue and it does provide the reader with the background to the story. What a wonderful character Eliza was! Even though she had experienced difficult times, she was such a caring and giving person. There is more to Henry Fairchild, Lord Crestwood than at first appears and this is revealed as the story unfolds. Eliza wants more in her life and is looking forward to visiting her friend for a house party. Events mean that they meet up again but has too time much passed and circumstances changed for Eliza and Henry? It was lovely to hear about other characters from the series. This really left me with the feel good factor. It’s always the sign of a good story if it’s worth reading more than once. I received a copy and have voluntarily reviewed it. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
The extension to this manuscript was worth the reading.
It flows so much more smoothly, and I thought the first copy was very good . This is definitely better .
As I’ve said before I love this book , so nice to see Eliza find happiness, and with Henry , they were made for each other.
At first you feel she had been cruelly used by him , by the end you realise his reasons and his feelings both for his wife and for Eliza , it makes it all fall into place and it’s explained so well .
Well done Ann a brilliant job with a difficult and complex subject.
I received an Arc copy of this book and chose to post this review
Lovely, sweet story of a second chance of love and happiness. Miss Eliza Cline, a vicar’s sister, had what she now considers a mistake about 12 years ago. She is invited to a Christmas house party and runs into her "mistake". Lord Crestwood has had difficult times in his life, and his indiscretion with Eliza is the one he regrets. But forgiveness goes a long way to righting some wrongs and often leads to the most wonderful times. Very enjoyable read.
cute, emotional story. could have been longer with a more satisfying ending, and wish there could have been at least one intimate moment. lovely story though
Miss Eliza Cline knows she should be content with her life helping her vicar brother tend to his parishioners, but she can't help wanting more, a family of her own, perhaps. But a past indiscretion has rendered her chances of marriage rather unlikely. Now, snowed in at an inn on the way to a Christmas house party, she has encountered the male half of that indiscretion for the first time in twelve years and has foolishly agreed to share her room with his daughter.
Henry Fairchild, Baron Crestwood, is ashamed of his past behavior and hopes to somehow make amends. With both he and Eliza attending the same house party, he hopes he'll have the chance. He's still desperately attracted to Eliza, though he knows he doesn't deserve her forgiveness. But Eliza is a kind woman and has a mature vision of hindsight. It's possible these two can have a second chance and a romantic Christmas together after all.
This was a very different sort of Christmas romance. Eliza was much more gracious and forgiving than I think I could've been, but that's the whole point. This was a story of forgiveness and second chances and it was very sweet.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
"A Perfect Christmas," Not So Saintly Sisters series, Book 3 by Annabelle Anders 🥂
"Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if an man have a quarrel against any; even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye." Colossians 3:13. (KJV)
This story simply put is about forgiving. The heroine, Miss Eliza Cline, at the tender age of seven and ten, made a very bad decision and it cost her dearly. She laid with a man, not any man, but a married man. Shun by her parents, she was taken in by her brother Vicar Thomas Cline. She has helped him with his parish ever since. But; she has never forgotten the man.... Now twelve year later, her best friend, Lady Olivia Fellows is having a Christmas celebration, and who does Eliza run into on the way to Lady Kingsley estate, but the man, himself, Henry Fairchild! And he is Lord Henry Fairchild, Baron of Crestwood.
The story, at this point is about their journey with listening, understanding, coming to terms with their past and ultimately forgiveness, both of themselves and each other. The story was sweet, touching, and often times humorous. A beautiful lesson to learn and what better time, than Christmastime.
OK, I'm going to say "bah, humbug": I would not read this again. I generally like this author and the way she humanizes characters. However, I find that if I don't like the H in a romance novel/novella, I have a hard time getting through it and leaving more than 2 stars. That's the case here. I did like the h and how she made the best of a bad situation. And I'm all for forgiveness as a way to find closure. But in real life, best case scenario, h and H would have spoken honestly at the inn and the h would have forgiven him so they could move on, going their separate ways. Since this is a romance novel, however, the H/h have to get together. Ugh.
So as the story unfolds...SPOILER ALERT............the h becomes softer and less assertive, justifying H's behavior in her mind. She tells herself that since their sexual relationship had been consensual, even though he didn't disclose he was married, she can't blame him for seducing her. What's that all about?? What if she had ended up pregnant? He'd never had any intention of seeing her again.
What bothers me even more is that it's very clear that there's an imbalance in age and class/status. The H has a 17 year old son, so he's at least 35, if not older. So as a 23+ year old, he took advantage of a naive 18 year old virgin who was working as an innkeeper and abandoned her immediately when her fiance found out. Then she was left at the mercy of her brother after being disinherited by her parents and alienated by the rest of the town.
To top it all off, when the H finds out about her circumstances 12 years later, instead of being immediately glad the brother stepped in, he's smug and condescending. (Not to mention that his teenage daughter behaves like a spoiled brat and he doesn't step in to say anything. Just sighs and says he doesn't understand her.)
A lot is made of the H's late wife's declining health as a justification for his behavior. It just was too much for me. It's not that I don't believe people can turn over a new leaf, it's that I hate it when romance novels justify caddish behavior with an h blaming herself or becoming more beholden to the H, or various excuses being made for the H. Yes, we all make mistakes. But the point is to own up to them, not deflect or excuse them away.
I've read some good books and a couple of excellent novellas by this author. This, unfortunately, is not my favorite.
This is another wonderful book by Annabelle Anders. If you read either of the two previous books in this series you will have met the heroine of this tale, Eliza the Vicar’s sister, but in this novella we learn that she is so much more - a disgraced and ruined woman with a wish for a different life. This book is a stand alone and can be read as such but by reading the other books in the series it will give you more of an appreciation for Eliza’s life. This book is a wonderful sweet second chance romance but it is also a book about forgiveness. Is forgiveness possible and if so where can it lead? I loved the emotional aspect to the story and especially appreciated the happy ending after Eliza’s and Henry troubled pasts and path to love. A beautifully written book with, to me, believable responses that developed an emotional love story. Forgiveness is definitely a gift that should be treasured.
I love Annabelle Anders' characters and stories, they feel like real people, dealing with real life issue.
When I read the dedication and realised this would be a second chance romance, I wasn't sure what to expect, but it wasn't which is the trope I HATE the most.
But somehow Annabelle turned my least favourite trope into a beautiful love story of forgiveness - not redemption, but simply two people who realised they both made a mistake that impacted their lives to different degrees and take responsibility for that mistake and move on with their lives.
It's a beautiful story showing how owning your part in a past mistakes releases you from its power and gives you the freedom to live fully in your future.
Just goes to show that all you need do is to slip up one time and that is what people remember (not all the good you have done and continue to do). Now isn't that remarkable? And this is what Miss Eliza Cline, a vicar’s sister, had to contend with. This story is so full of angst - it pulled at my heart strings and got me thinking about all the similar situations I have seen in real life where only the slip-ups became the persons' 'claim to fame' and that that was quickly remembered about the person. A cleverly written story about forgiveness and a love which remained, smouldering in the background until a chance remeeting allowed our main characters to eventually find their happy ever after.
5 STARS, HISTORICAL REGENCY ROMANCE ERA, LOVE SECOND CHANCE
Christmas is a perfect time to renew old lovers, especially those that might have left feelings other than romantic. Some might even feel closer to hate. This is Eliza & Henry 's story, both had strong feelings for their brief time together those 12 years ago, when they met. It is an absolute treat to read such a delightful story; some parts are very emotional going through the inner upset of our great couple, individual. Plus the agonizing inner pain from failure to help the Vicar himself had & was going through. Recommend
This is a delight. With the prologue as a solid background, this second chance love story is heartfelt and a great example of forgiveness. Eliza, our heroine, is such a charming character while Henry, the hero, is not completely dark and brooding, and the small steps needed to bring them together are nicely played out. Though a novella, this easily feels like a longer story. Though it can be read as a stand-aline, it is worth reading the first two books in the series as their characters make appearances.
Henry - now widower with 2 older /pre-adult children. Eliza- lives with her vicar brother after her formal betrothal ended due to her bad decision. This was a good second chance romance with forgiveness, although I'm not a huge fan of adultery as part of the plot. Their story did have a loving hea. book-funnel
I loved this story. So many choices are made in our lives each day. Not always the right one, but we make the best of what comes. Forgiveness is powerful and giving it not always easy. And as you see in this story for giving yourselves is sometimes the hardest.
12 years have passed since Eliza and Henry first met. One moment in time that left her ruined and abandoned and Henry guilt ridden for a multitude of reasons. But Christmas is a time for forgiveness and miracles. Annabelle Anders does this story beautifully!
Good story and character development. Only issue is halfway through the book author changes the name of a minor character from this book and the previous book from Gilbert to Joseph.
There aren’t a lot of steamy love making scenes in this book, but it is beautifully written. The characters come to life and you find yourself feeling “all the feels” as you read this sweet novella. Annabelle Anders truly makes her characters come to life!
Again a spinster who is ready to shed the spinster image, readily forgives the H and accepts his proposal of marriage. FYI as far as i have read a baron is never addressed as Lord, it is always baron 'name'.
What a beautiful story. I just loved it. The story flowed and never dragged. All the characters are great in the book. This so deserves a 5 star rating!!!!
Shows that everyone can have a second chance. Written for the reader that what transpired could happen during any era to anyone. Shows everyone is human.