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The Twelve Nights of Christmas

Sarah Morgan (Goodreads Author)

3.75 · Rating details · 775 ratings · 90 reviews

His housekeeper, or his Christmas present?

Unexpectedly homeless for the festive season and exhausted from transforming the penthouse of the hotel where she works into a dazzling winter wonderland, chambermaid Evie Anderson secretly sleeps over. Woken by an outrageously sensual kiss, Evie feels her body come alive...until she realizes her seducer is Rio Zaccarelli, her ...more

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Paperback, Harlequin Presents Extra #126, 192 pages

Published November 2010 by Harlequin Books

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· 775 ratings · 90 reviews

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Aug 07, 2010 Danielle The Book Huntress (Back to the Books) rated it really liked it

Recommends it for: HP readers, Christmas themed Contemporary romance seekers

Shelves: harlequin-presents, owned-copy, category-contemporary-romance, favorites, redhead, yearly-reading-challenge-2013, modern-virgin-heroine, favorite-or-autobuy-author, holiday, russian-storyline-or-characters

The Twelve Nights of Christmas is the feel-good kind of romance that a reader can pull off the shelf when they want an easy read that will infuse them with Christmas good vibrations. I endorse it with a four star rating.

Why?

Well, it's simple. The storyline is easy to follow, the characters are well-developed but surprisingly likeable, and it's a story about rekindled hope when things seem dark. Christmas to me is about hope and I love the idea that a short book can give me that feeling of The Twelve Nights of Christmas is the feel-good kind of romance that a reader can pull off the shelf when they want an easy read that will infuse them with Christmas good vibrations. I endorse it with a four star rating.

Why?

Well, it's simple. The storyline is easy to follow, the characters are well-developed but surprisingly likeable, and it's a story about rekindled hope when things seem dark. Christmas to me is about hope and I love the idea that a short book can give me that feeling of Christmas with a good story.

What I liked:

Honestly, I liked that while I was prepared to dislike Zio as the hero, it didn't take too long before I realized that I did like him. In fact, I felt kind of sorry for him. He had a bad case of tunnel vision and living inside a box syndrome (enchained by his past). Because of a very rough event (actually quite horrid) as a child, he absolutely abhored Christmas. Now I am like Evie, I absolutely love the holiday, but I can understand how people can attach the day with memories of really bad events that took place around Christmas. I felt a lot of sympathy for him because of that. On top of his less-than-ideal childhood was the betrayal he faced at the hands of another person. That was sort of a case of bringing something on yourself because of the choices you made, but it was still pretty lousy to go through. But I really appreciated was how he showed some fortitude and rose to the occasion in that situation. Even though I didn't like a lot of things about his lifestyle, I feel that Sarah Morgan makes him surprisingly sympathetic. He had some hidden depths that I appreciated, and he was honestly a decent guy considering everything.

I loved Evie. Yes, she is a bit of the too good to be true heroine, but it works for this book. She had some self-esteem issues that would bother some readers, but I don't mind because I think that is true of many woman to be self-conscious about their looks and their appeal to men, especially when they were recently dumped. I think her spunk and her willingness to tell it like it is with Zio saved her from being too much of a Pollyanna. At the beginning, I had trouble understanding why she would have trusted what the sleazy lunkhead Carlos told her about staying in the penthouse. It was a bit of a contrived plot device, but the story get better from there. Most definitely, I have to say that her sweet nature was infectious. She's actually what I enjoyed the most about this book. I loved the scene at the party where she drinks too much champagne (her first experience with it), and charms everyone, including two grumpy Russian billionaires with her heretofore hidden prowess at languages and her stirring rendition of "The Twelve Days of Christmas." The scene where she takes Zio shopping to prepare for a very special event was hilarious and heartwarming. It sort of reminded me of the movie "The Gameplan" with The Rock, which turned out to be one of my favorites even though I generally avoid family movies like that (although sometimes I end up loving them very much). I guess you could say this is a less offensive version of Pretty Woman (I'm sorry, but I found that movie's storyline really offensive, but if you liked it, that's cool for you).

I should add that Evie had a lot more agency and power in this relationship that I am unfortunately used to seeing in some of the Harlequin Presents. She sort of starts out seemingly downtrodden, but it's more because of her particular goals than the fact that she has nothing to offer anyone. I think she could do anything she wanted, honestly. And she's not just eye candy. She's a very clever and deep woman, surprisingly perceptive and very emotionally healthy, considering. I enjoyed her relationship with her grandfather very much, how she values his opinion and genuinely loves him and wants him to be happy with her.

Conclusion:

I think this is a good, quick Christmas read for fans of Harlequin Presents and other contemporary romance fans who don't mind some of the more obvious tropes. What I appreciate about Sarah Morgan is that she writes to her audience (without insulting our intelligence) and takes the familiar about this romance subgenre and gives a fresh, enjoyable story with fantastic dialogue and back and forth between her couples. I can't give it five stars because of the things I mentioned above, like some of the implausible aspects, and because I just don't care for womanizing billionaires, honestly. But it's a very respectable four stars, and I'd recommend this book.

...more

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Jul 03, 2016 Jenny rated it it was amazing

Shelves: favorites, made-me-swoon, made-me-cry, heroine-i-adore

Oh my god that was so cute, so sweet, so perfect. Heroine was a sweetheart, hero was alpha and brooding and the way she loved him and changed his life made me melt! Epilogue was perfection i was puking rainbows!

flag 14 likes · Like · see review

Dec 31, 2010 Dana S rated it it was ok

Shelves: fake-relationship, christmas, harlequin-presents

The writing was fine, there were a few nice romantic moments, and for a HP, the plot was believable. But the heroine drove me insane.

The hero, Rio, "who hadn't gone ten days without sex since he'd lost his virginity" (apparently the author thought this was an important character trait) was better than most HP heroes, alpha but not too dickish. And he has believable issues about why he doesn't like Christmas.

But the heroine, Evie, was a total wet blanket. In the beginning, she has a shitty job, The writing was fine, there were a few nice romantic moments, and for a HP, the plot was believable. But the heroine drove me insane.

The hero, Rio, "who hadn't gone ten days without sex since he'd lost his virginity" (apparently the author thought this was an important character trait) was better than most HP heroes, alpha but not too dickish. And he has believable issues about why he doesn't like Christmas.

But the heroine, Evie, was a total wet blanket. In the beginning, she has a shitty job, has been evicted from her apartment, dumped by her fiance, and is standing around crying for a knight in shining armor.

This is her after she's been kicked out of her apartment, and the locksmith has just left after changing the lock on her door, "and this man was about to leave a vulnerable woman alone in a big, scary city with nowhere to spend the night." Really? A knight in shining armor type story only works for me, if the heroine isn't completely pathetic.

And who the hell sleeps on top of the covers, naked, in winter?

She bitches about Rio only thinking about money, but maybe if she had given money a little thought, she wouldn't have been evicted for not paying her rent.

And most confusing of all, while on a shopping trip with Rio to buy toys for a little girl she says this, "Whatever anyone says about feminism, most little girls love pretending dolls are babies." What does this even mean?

Are there feminists running around snatching dolls from little girls? I thought that feminism was about making sure that girls aren't forced into a rigid gender role, so they can play with dolls and Star Wars action figures. IDEK. I don't expect characters to have my political viewpoints, but I do expect them to make sense.

Aside from my problem with Evie, I didn't really believe that the two of them fell in love in such a short time, but it is a HP. I did like that the majority of "misunderstandings" I thought would happen, didn't. And there are some funny lines in the book. If you can get past the stupidness of Evie, you might enjoy this HP better than I did. ...more

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Nov 04, 2011 Alex is The Romance Fox rated it really liked it

Shelves: harlequin-mills-boon

I read all Sarah Morgan’s books. Her stories are fresh, interesting with believable characters.
This is the second time I am reading this book and again enjoyed the story of Rio Zaccarelli, an Italian millionaire who is gorgeous and hates Christmas because of something that happened when he was a child.
Evie Anderson is a gorgeous (she doesn’t know that of course), wholesome, kind woman, working as a receptionist at the fabulous hotel that Rio owns.
Rio discovers a naked Evie sleeping in the bed ...more

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Dec 12, 2011 Demetra rated it it was amazing

Shelves: virgin-heroine, child, i-liked-the-hero, i-loved-the-romance, good-chemistry, drama, great-sex-scenes, child-from-an-other-woman, italian-hero, first-child-girl

The perfect read before Christmas! You will absolutely enjoy it. Believeable characters, great hero and heroine, one hot sex-scene and the right amount of drama.

flag 4 likes · Like · see review

Dec 01, 2014 Becky rated it it was ok

Shelves: dishonest-hero, pretend-relationship, virgin-heroine-ridiculous, curvy-plus-size-zaftig

I love Sarah Morgan. But the Cinderella dreamy heroine really got on my nerves (hello, real world you have to pay rent or get evicted, girls can enjoy dolls and also have a future including education and career and motherhood, and you have no right being upset about being dumped by a man you had no interest in sexually). Also, the hero who hurt many women by letting them fall in love with him and then dumping them really rubbed me the wrong way. Don't engage in long-term relationships and hurt ...more

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Nov 17, 2014 Paula Legate rated it really liked it

Shelves: romance-suspence

I really enjoyed this book. I loved how Evie embraced the world, how she believed in Santa, Happy endings, and love.
Here is a small sample taken from chapter 5 - "Just because you haven't encountered a happy ending personally doesn't mean you stop believing in them."

Evie has been dealt a bad hand in life, yet she still believes the best could happen. She is homeless, set up, and now jobless. Can her spirit and inner love be enough to change the heart of a cynical, and sexy rich man? Rio had ...more

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Nov 19, 2015 Chantal ❤️ added it

This is a great Christmas book. Yes it had some sex but mostly it was about finding the good in people and seeing that life is great. The whole tree thing and the ball scene was awesome. I loved the fact that he was not hitting her over the head with his sex life. She was most aggressive for an innocent. It was sweet and put me into the holiday mood. Going to decorate the rest of my house now. Finding a better holiday story would be hard.

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Sep 19, 2019 Irene Kiew rated it liked it

This was a reread because Sarah Morgan is one of my favourite authors and sometimes you just need a story you're familiar with, for that feel-good feeling.

I don't like it as much as some of her others, I think Evie was a bit of a doormat and a bit too naïve for my taste. Granted, a lot of heroines in HPlandia tend to be naïve and think the best of the brooding hero despite every outward evidence of his brutish, black heart, but Emily was more naïve than most, as evidenced by her complete lack ...more

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Aug 11, 2011 Tasneem rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: contemporary-romance

I give this a 2.5 raiting. The story is fairly predictable, though I did like the character of Rio. I didn't like how England was explained though, the whole part about her perfect childhood with views of the forest and lake just sounded overly fake to me. At least Rio and his tragic life seemed more likely.
But overall, a not too badly written book. I especially found the ending over the top. That kind of public declaration of affection just strikes me as so not English, and so embarrasingly ...more

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Jul 19, 2011 Karla rated it really liked it

Shelves: love-at-work, category-romance

I haven't read a book in this line (Harlequin Presents) in over 10 years. I don't enjoy reading about the very rich, their lives are too easy and I'm not into conspicuous consumption. This book was very enjoyable in spite of this. Lots of dialogue, the h/h spent a lot of time together and behaved in believable ways.

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Nov 01, 2010 Harlequin Books added it · review of another edition

Shelves: 2010-11, harlequin_presents, largeprint

Miniseries: Snowkissed and Seduced!

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Jun 22, 2016 Emona rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: favourites

A wonderful Christmas read!

flag 2 likes · Like · see review

Nov 01, 2010 Harlequin Books added it

Shelves: 2010-11, harlequin_presents

Miniseries: Snowkissed and Seduced!

flag 2 likes · Like · see review

Nov 18, 2014 Julia Kai rated it really liked it

I liked it. Perfect for this holiday

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Dec 17, 2018 iamGamz rated it really liked it

Shelves: adult-fiction, angst-angst-angst, enjoyed-the-writing, christmas, read_in_2018, sweet, harlequin-mills-boon, fun-fun-fun

This is my favorite Christmas HP. It’s sweet, sexy, fun and has a magical ending. Sarah Morgan out did herself when she penned this one. It’s a favorite that I have read for the past couple years. It puts me in the holiday spirit.

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Dec 17, 2012 Alex rated it it was ok

Shelves: contemporary, romance

At First Sight: Evie Anderson thought it was a little weird when her creep of a boss told her she could stay at the penthouse of the hotel where she worked for one night, since she had to be on-site so early in the morning. She usually wouldn't have agreed, but she had just been kicked out of her apartment and had no other place to go.

Rio Zacarelli - a successful, ruthless and super rich billionaire - has a very important deal on the making and, at the advice of his lawyer, decides to spend a At First Sight: Evie Anderson thought it was a little weird when her creep of a boss told her she could stay at the penthouse of the hotel where she worked for one night, since she had to be on-site so early in the morning. She usually wouldn't have agreed, but she had just been kicked out of her apartment and had no other place to go.

Rio Zacarelli - a successful, ruthless and super rich billionaire - has a very important deal on the making and, at the advice of his lawyer, decides to spend a really quiet Christmas away from women and other distractions, as he needs people to believe he has a clean reputation.

He wasn't counting on finding a naked woman on his bed at the penthouse suite of his hotel in London, or to have a photographer ready to pounce and capture the moment in film. Now Rio is forced to do damage control, and figures that maybe finding Evie wasn't so bad as she could help him to project a more wholesome image.

So they are spending the days leading to Christmas together, trying to portray a happy couple for the media and for Evie's elderly grandfather. And Rio finds himself enjoying her company and everything, he just wishes she would forget it's Christmas all together.

Second Glance: Well, I'm a little torn about The Twelve Nights of Christmas... and not only because each time I read Rio's name I kept thinking about that blue parakeet from the movie.

It's a very "Harlequin-esque" novel - you got the billionaire and the poor ingenue virgin and a rather unbelievable situation - and it works well in that format, but there were a bunch of little things that kept me from getting into the story: we aren't told why Rio hates Christmas until the last quarter of the book, same with what the mysterious "deal" he's working on. And the whole thing with Evie. What smart woman thinks "Oh, creep-o manager who tried to feel me up says it's okay if I stay in this crazy, expensive suite tonight! Good! I guess I'll sleep naked!"?

Other than that, it was a fun book and Rio did have pretty good reasons to hate Christmas, but everything to solved way too easily.

Bottom Line: I like Sarah Morgan's style, but this one wasn't my favorite by her, I think I like her medical romance books more. But if you can suspend belief a little better than me, then this is a easy to read, quick Christmas story. ...more

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Sep 23, 2011 Vanessa rated it really liked it

Scrooge meets . . . Cinderella

Evie worked in housekeeping in Rio Zacarelli’s hotel when he met her. Evie should have listened to her instincts but she didn’t. It’s in her nature to trust people and always find the good in them, because somewhere deep inside there usually seems to be some good buried there. She loves her grandfather very much and desperately tries to not disappoint him. This plays into Rio’s hands and he uses it to get what he wants. For him the ends justify the means. She is an ...more

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Nov 27, 2010 Vanessa Jaye rated it really liked it

I really enjoyed this book. The tone of it was fresh and mondern. So much so, for the first part of it, it could have passed for a Carrie-centric/Carrie-only episode of SITC. I also love the way the usual trite tropes where used/presented. Not that anything was turned on its head, just that, again, if felt like it was dealt with in a more contemporary manner.

There were a few nitpicks so, after a great start, there was a section there when there was a bit of bickering about things you thought ...more

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Nov 17, 2013 Tali rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: chick-lit, mills-and-boon, romance

So I was quite surprised by this story - I didn't really think much of the cover or the blurb - but I ended up really loving it. Sure the set up at the beginning is completely implausible, especially given that Evie really didn't trust her sleazy boss who set her up in the first place, but it's just such a goodnatured story that I really enjoyed reading it and sped through it quite quickly. Evie and Rio were both fun characters to read about and I loved their arguments - it showed real chemistry ...more

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Nov 28, 2014 Katie rated it really liked it

Shelves: books-read-in-2014-new, books-read-in-2014-all, how-own, format-ebook

This has been (and still is) 99 cents, so I've seen it around a lot. I resisted buying it for a long time because the couple meets when the hero kisses the sleeping heroine and noooo. I don't like that! But eventually I caved due to the good reviews and the fact that I DO like Sarah Morgan a lot.

And maybe it was just being thoroughly prepared, but that part didn't bother me too much. Morgan's alpha heroes really work for me. Stuff that would probably generally bother me doesn't with her. ...more

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Dec 25, 2014 Demelza rated it it was ok

Shelves: contemporary-romance

This was pleasant overall and I'd give it 3 stars except for two things that drove me a bit crazy: Evie came off as insecure and whiny at times, and there was a comment that despite feminism, girls still like babies. Last I checked being a feminist had to do with wanting women and men to be treated equally, not disliking babies.

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Dec 18, 2010 Shelley rated it really liked it

Shelves: christmas, chicklitromance

I normally don't like this line, but this was a seriously charming book and I adored Evie. The author also managed to make the hero alpha without being an asshole, which is impressive, so major thumbs up.

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Dec 26, 2010 Joely Burkhart rated it it was amazing

Such a wonderful story! I loved Evie and although Rio was the typical cold, hard Italian alpha, he had layers and reasons for everything. Watching her crack his hard exterior was priceless.

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Dec 15, 2011 Tracie rated it it was amazing

Shelves: read-in-2011

I really enjoyed this. The relationship was believable. It had a feel-good holiday feeling which I loved.

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Feb 04, 2013 Janice rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: harlequin-presents, favorites, keeper, contemporary-romance, series, hp-challenge-2013

Loved it! One of my favorite hp's.

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Aug 18, 2014 Bukola rated it it was amazing

Lol.. Funny and heartwarming! This book was perfection! Loved it! I'm on a Sarah Morgan marathon till further notice!

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Dec 26, 2013 MaryReadsRomance rated it it was amazing

Shelves: set-holiday-christmas, pub-hqn-special-series, heroine-virginal, plot-true-hea, genre-mystery, romance-modern, value-worthy-of-second-read, hero-billionaire-leading-man, theme-redemption-story, favorites-2013

4.5 Sweet and Sizzling Stars
A very well written Contemporary Harlequin that has it ALL Believable and plausible contemporary setting and plot. Very hot, rich, handsome and damaged hero. Beautiful well endowed sweet, moral, intelligent, and damaged heroine. Sizzling chemistry and sex. Romance. Entertaining with an element of mystery. A Christmas redemption Holiday story. Worthy of a second read and a new personal favorite.

In Summary: A new young American in London, the heroine is having a very ...more

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Nov 17, 2018 Nikki rated it did not like it

First off this premise is batshit crazy. And how LONG did we have to stay in that hotel room? Felt like the entire first half of the book!!! We find out about the hero's 'deal' waaaaay too late! And we meet the last major character in the last chapter, she should have been a major piece of the love story. The poor hero had a lot to over come and he is stuck with a self concious(hates everything about her body) chick who drinks, sings, and dances on tables like a crazy person. Heroine had alot of ...more

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Nov 28, 2017 TashNz rated it it was amazing

Shelves: sarah-morgan, just-for-me, tashnz

Evie deserves a solid star just for her, her character, her outlook in life, her banter and just the smiles she brings through out the story.

The remaining stars are everything that makes me love Sarah Morgan.

I've had this one on my wishlist for a while and i'm so glad it's become available again on Kindle for purchase.

Loved it!

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About Sarah Morgan

Sarah Morgan

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About Sarah

USA Today and Sunday Times bestselling author Sarah Morgan writes romance and contemporary women's fiction and her trademark humour and warmth have gained her fans across the globe. Sarah lives near London, England, and when she isn't reading or writing she loves being outdoors.

A WEDDING IN DECEMBER, a fun family drama set around the festive season, is out now!

Join Sarah on Facebook: ...more