TEST
Seduction on a Snowy Night contains three novellas by some of the best known writers of Historical Romance – Madeline Hunter, Sabrina Jeffries, and Mary Jo Putney. Sadly, only one of the stories is worthy of recommendation.
A Christmas Abduction by Madeline Hunter
Grade: B Sensuality: Warm
This story was my favorite. Caroline Dunham is going to make Adam Prescott, Baron Thornhill, pay for seducing and impregnating her younger sister. She and her servants kidnap him on his way to a holiday gathering and keep him prisoner at her home until they can collect Caroline’s sister and make them marry. But it thrns out Adam is not the devil Caroline imagined. For a quick read, Ms. Hunter is able to create a believable romance with a good amount of romantic tension. She also weaves a credible subplot into the story. Caroline is a likeable heroine, dedicated to her sister, land, and servants – refreshingly capable yet vulnerable and Adam is a solid hero. I especially enjoyed how he owns his flaws and behaves so honorably even when being falsely accused. Ms. Hunter does a nice job bringing us a satisfactory story in a short format.
A Perfect Match by Sabrina Jeffries
Grade: C- Sensuality: Warm
A Perfect Match involves one of my favorite tropes – following in love via correspondence. In this case, Colonel Lord Heywood fell in love with Kitty, the sister of a fellow soldier, while reading the letters she wrote to her brother Douglas who was stationed in Portugal. Heywood is home on leave with instructions from Douglas to stop another fellow officer (with a vendetta against Heywood and Douglas) from seducing and marrying Kitty (a great heiress). Heywood hopes to win Kitty for himself – he is in need of an heiress as well. However, Kitty is not at all like her letters and her cousin Cass is. Sadly, Cass is not an heiress. This should have been a great tale but it fell way short of entertaining. It was too predictable – even throwing in a last minute abduction scene with the scoundrel. Ms. Jeffries also chose to sprinkle the tale with lines from favorite holiday songs like “Heywood has invited us to go dashing through the snow in a one-horse open sleigh”. It was mildly cute once but I counted at least seven lines from holiday songs. It broke up the narrative and made me groan every time!
One Wicked Winter Night by Mary Jo Putney
Grade: C- Sensuality: Kisses
Sadly, this was also a disappointment. Lady Diana Lawrence has returned from seven years in India. She left England with a broken heart, leaving behind a broken-hearted duke’s heir as well. Soon after returning, she meets Anthony Raines again, and sparks fly – again. Now Duke of Castleton, Anthony has never forgotten Diana and has hopes of a reunion. Diana resists and Anthony has to go to extreme measures to have a heart-to-heart with her. This tale frustrated me! I could buy into the reasons why Diana left Anthony years before, but all of the excuses Diana comes up with to keep them apart in the present are less than believable. Things happen; don’t deny future happiness because of past sadness! One good talk would have (and does eventually) solve the issues, and I felt zero chemistry between Diana and Anthony. Frankly the cats were more interesting.
If you’re looking for a very light, sugary holiday treat that doesn’t tax your brain too much, Seduction on a Snowy Night might fit the bill. But if not, I would steer clear.
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Grade: C
Book Type: Historical Romance
Sensuality: Varies
Review Date: 04/10/19
Publication Date: 09/2019
Recent Comments …
Yep
This sounds delightful! I’m grabbing it, thanks
excellent book: interesting, funny dialogs, deep understanding of each character, interesting secondary characters, and also sexy.
I don’t think anyone expects you to post UK prices – it’s just a shame that such a great sale…
I’m sorry about that. We don’t have any way to post British prices as an American based site.
I have several of her books on my TBR and after reading this am moving them up the pile.
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Oh yes, about MJP.
She used to be a highlight for me, and I recently re-read two of her Brides, and an old love of mine, the Rake – I loved her so much, and though some things do not work any more in our changed world (Dearly Beloved is nearly impossible to accept today, and I have not dared to touch her medieval, too worried that I will hate it and her after reading)..
Her recent stories just offer a glimpse of her old heroines and heroes in their sense and adultness and humor here and there, but then deviate into some sort of boring, or silly.
She has a few books in her Lost Lords where I thought they would be ok, only to spend the last 20-30% of the book throwing in a villain, a chase, a crazy rescue and a lot of absolutely unbelievable chance meetings, serendipities to the point of “ah of course, if you get into a storm, survive by miracle, are grievously wounded, where else would you end washed ashore but on the deserted beach of your best friend’s house who has just spontaneously decided to go there with a doctor in tow after a 10 year absence”…
Why oh why??
I mourn a little, and I also stopped reading her.
I read and reviewed one or two of the later books in – I think – her Lost Lords series and honestly had to wonder if they’d been written by the same person who wrote The Rake. Sometimes it really IS better to quit while you’re ahead…
MJP hasn’t turned out a decent book in years, sadly, and I’ve stopped reading them.
Putney and Jeffries have been on a disappointing streak with me lately, it’s unfortunate to note that things continue.