An Arranged Christmas

This was great. I had a lot of fun getting into it. Christmas is around the corner - so of course, what better way to get into something than this: highly recommend to get you into the mood!

This book had my attention from the first page and never let it go. The story is not just an old plain romance novel but has few unexpected twists and had me worried for a moment. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend this book to anyone who loves romance novels.

An Arranged Christmas by Mary E. Taylor

This regency novella is the first in a new series and is an easy read to enjoy.

Adalyn is being forced into marriage by her parents and whilst running away in the cold she gets herself into trouble. A handsome stranger saves her and Adalyn is grateful until she discovers he is in fact her intended new husband.

I really enjoyed this story and felt like there were some amusing moments as Adalyn and the Viscount bantered with one another throughout. The writing flowed really well and I'm looking forward to reading the next book in the series.

Thank you to the author, publishers and netgalley for my ARC of this novella which is due out in December.

A quick, fun read....However, there are times when the dialogue feels a touch too 20th/21st century when the time period is supposed to be Regency. Also, it may seem like the romance happens out of thin area...but actually a quick friendship is what blossoms into love. A sweet holiday story.

This was a short sweet novella set during the Christmas holiday season. In a time where arranged marriages were common, Lady Adalyn Newton is determined to live life on her terms. Then Viscount Blane Cooke enters the picture in a most unexpected way!

This story is a short quick read that will bring a smile to your face and joy to your heart.

If you want a few hours of lighthearted escape, this is the book book for you.

I received an advanced copy of the book for an honest review.

Super sweet and charming Christmas read. Great storyline and great characters. I loved the way she brought the man she didn't want to marry into the house
4 stars

"Can Bain bring forth a Christmas miracle and prove his love to his reluctant bride-to-be?

Not if she has anything to say about it.

Her family faces financial ruin, but Lady Adalyn can't accept that the only way to save them is to marry for money, not love. When her parents arrange for her to wed a stranger despite her objections, she flees her childhood home. Just when she thinks her daring escape has been a resounding success, she finds herself in more trouble than ever.

When her knight in shining armor sweeps in like a fairytale, Adalyn can hardly believe it. He's charming and dashing, with the most beautiful green eyes she's ever seen. She's completely smitten with her handsome stranger. That is, until she realizes who he is...

Viscount Bain Cooke can't believe his luck. His future bride is witty and beautiful, with a strong mind and delightfully sharp tongue. She's less than thrilled with their engagement, but he couldn't imagine a better fit. He only has until Christmas Day to change her mind, and time is running out.

Can Adalyn open her heart to the possibility of love in her arranged marriage?

If you enjoy sweet, regency romances with strong heroines, sweet gentlemen and a touch of Christmas spirit, you'll love An Arranged Christmas."

Because I have to vary up my holiday reading. I can't read ALL murder mysteries...

A cute holiday romance perfect for the holiday season also a quick read i flew through it love both the main characters and the development of their romance

An Arranged Christmas by Mary E. Taylor

This was a very fast read and a cute book. I liked the characters relationship together and thought they fit very well together.

Very short chapters which I really like. I do wish the author went more into details with the book. At times I felt like the story would jump to fast to the next setting and I felt like I missed something that happened between the viscount and Adalyn.

It was a quick fun read though!

I actually thought this was adorable. It's a quick read, and took me personally 30 minutes to enjoy it. I enjoyed the use of more complex vocabulary words, especially the unusual "superb" and the plot is fast paced and light hearted. It did seem a bit cliché in the end where they decide to change tradition and marry because they want to, not because they were told to.

Short but very enjoyable. I enjoy the authors writing style and the flow of the book. It was a little instant for me but still lovely.

Can Bain bring forth a Christmas miracle and prove his love to his reluctant bride-to-be?
Not if she has anything to say about it.
Her family faces financial ruin, but Lady Adalyn can’t accept that the only way to save them is to marry for money, not love. When her parents arrange for her to wed a stranger despite her objections, she flees her childhood home. Just when she thinks her daring escape has been a resounding success, she finds herself in more trouble than ever.
When her knight in shining armor sweeps in like a fairytale, Adalyn can hardly believe it. He’s charming and dashing, with the most beautiful green eyes she’s ever seen. She’s completely smitten with her handsome stranger. That is, until she realizes who he is…
Viscount Bain Cooke can't believe his luck. His future bride is witty and beautiful, with a strong mind and delightfully sharp tongue. She's less than thrilled with their engagement, but he couldn’t imagine a better fit. He only has until Christmas Day to change her mind, and time is running out.
Can Adalyn open her heart to the possibility of love in her arranged marriage?
This is a sweet novella. Adalyn and Bain are meant to be together. Will they be able to get the same thing?
Mary E. Taylor has written a sweet novella.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher and NetGalley. This in no way affects my opinion of this book which I read and reviewed voluntarily.

“You need to stop living in your fairy-tale wonderland. Love doesn’t solve anything. Real life doesn’t work that way. Look at your family situation. They found a good match for you, and who knows, maybe he might actually love you like you want.”

“I don’t care about reason, Emily. It’s my heart and my future at stake here. I won’t let them take that away from me.”

Such a cute read!!! A short historical romance story with a fierce, strong female character and a loveable and persistent male character. It was a quick read, I enjoyed the plot and arranged marriage is one of my favourite tropes. I recommend it to everyone!!!

Rating: 5 /5 stars

I voluntarily read a review copy kindly provided by the publisher and NetGallery.

An Arranged Marriage is a historical romance novella. It is the story of Adalyn, the daughter of a financially strapped Baron and Bain, a well off Viscount. Adalyn does not want an arranged marriage and is running away She falls into freezing water and is rescued, unbeknownst to her, by Bain who is on his way to her parent’s house for a visit. Once she finds out who he is, she decides to act like she doesn’t like him. The story quickly covers how they develop feelings for each other. Nice short story. I enjoyed the POV of both main characters. I would recommend.

Sweet quick regency Christmas read. Some of the words used were to modern for the times. A little more research would have helped. I did like Adalyn’s independence and Bain’s understanding. Alls well that ends well!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
An Arranged Christmas is a fast-paced, easy-to-read, entertaining romance. Lady Adalyn is being forced to marry a stranger. Viscount Bain Cooke falls head over heels for Adalyn, who refuses to get to know Bain even when her attraction is evident. I felt Adalyn acted immensely immature at times, rejecting Bain on principle. Bain is so patient and kind towards Adalyn. I loved how Bain was open with his feelings toward Adalyn.

An Arranged Marriage is the first book in the Chester Holidays series. Mary E Taylor has created a fun, romantic story with lovable characters. This is the perfect holiday escape for a few hours!
I look forward to more books in this series.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advance copy of this book through Netgalley and the publisher. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Adalyn's parents have arranged a marriage for her to save the family from financial ruin. She wants nothing to do with it. She's determined to avoid Bain, even if it kills her. Will pride get in the way of true love?

This is a cute short story with a relatable heroine and a charming hero. It's a quick holiday read that made me smile.

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC I received. This is my honest and voluntary review.

When Lady Adalyn is saved by a knight in shining armour, she soon changes her mind about him. When she realises that he is the man whom her parents have organised to marry her, she is furious. Viscount Bain Cooke is thoroughly confused. One moment, Adalyn and he have a connection, then she is quite chilly in her attitude. When they finally discuss the situation, Bain proposes that they pretend to be going ahead with the engagement. Yet as they spend time together, both wonder whether they will be able to part on Christmas Day.
A sweet novella that gives enough attention to the details, that the author was able to give depth to each character. A great read for the holiday season.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book from NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Before I begin my review I quickly want to thank Netgalley for the eArc of An Arranged Christmas.

Since this is a very short novella I am going to keep my review short and talk about the book.

I read this in one sitting and enjoyed it. I definitely could see this as a full-length story.

The novella opens up with Lady Adalyn running away from her parent’s home. She found out that her parents have agreed to an arranged marriage and she is not happy. She wants to be able to have a say in all this and not be forced into it. The only thing is she didn’t fully think this running away through because she is not dressed for it.

Just when she thinks things couldn’t get worse they do because she is in more trouble than she bargained for. Thankfully a handsome young man comes to her rescue and he isn’t too bad on the eyes. She is intrigued by this man until she finds out who he is and she isn’t very happy. Can they two get along? Will there be an upcoming marriage?

I have to admit historical romance is not something I read but after reading this novella I have to admit I am intrigued. Hopefully, this will become a full-length story because I would like to see what happens.

An arranged marriage? Are you serious?! Lady Adalyn is not pleased with the idea of being forced to marry some guy just to help her financially strapped parents. Although it was a common practice in that time, it still doesn’t sit well with me in this day and age!

Unfortunately, Lady Adalyn wasn’t about to deal with being forced into this arranged marriage so she ran away. It was freezing out and she wasn’t exactly dressed for a long track in the snow. Yet, here she is running as quickly as she can away from town. Then she slips and falls onto a not quite frozen enough lake and she ends up dunked in ice cold water. Alas, she might get her way.

Nope, not if the handsome Viscount Bain Cooke has his say. He swoops her out of the water, warms her up and loads her into his carriage. He takes her home to her frantic parents, only to be announced as the man Lady Adalyn is to marry. What?!

Lady Adalyn learns she has to put up with the Viscount for weeks. They end up spending a ton of time together and even learning more about each other. While neither of them enjoy being in the spotlight, they’re forced to attend the family Christmas ball. It seems so cruel to end up falling in love with your betrothed, but it seems Lady Adalyn is at a crossroads. How can she be falling for the man she’s being forced to marry?!

This novella gets 5 out of 5 tiaras from me! Although I know for a fact that I would never be in Lady Analyn’s shoes, it’s fun to think that arranged marriages can potentially have love and attraction involved.

An Arranged Christmas
A Regency Historical Romance Holiday Novella (Chester Holidays Book 1)
by Mary E. Taylor

Lady AdaLyn’s family have set her up an arranged marriage so she runs away and she ends up in difficulties and a handsome stranger helps her. She is really pleased until it transpires he is her intended husband Viscount Blane Cooke.

A very enjoyable and well written historical Christmas novella. With a few twists and some lovely characters. A lovely quick read for this time of year.

BOOK REVIEW: 𝗔𝗻 𝗔𝗿𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲𝗱 𝗖𝗵𝗿𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗺𝗮𝘀 𝗯𝘆 𝗠𝗮𝗿𝘆 𝗘. 𝗧𝗮𝘆𝗹𝗼𝗿

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🗓️Pub Date: 6 December 2022
|𝗚𝗲𝗻𝗿𝗲| Historical Romance

|𝗦𝘆𝗻𝗼𝗽𝘀𝗶𝘀|
Adalyn is determined to avoid her arranged marriage with the Viscount. Forced on her by her parents in order to fix their financial troubles. Until he saves her during a perilous escape, they decide on a fake courtship, she begins to question her resolve.

|𝗧𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵𝘁𝘀|
This short historical romance hooked me straight away.

Enjoyed the dynamic between Adalyn and the Viscount as they try to pretend they don’t have feelings for one another.

Would have liked to have more development of their relationship and backstory as to the fire and loss of her families wealth. But understandable, given the length of the story.

Also, when exactly is this story set? Really wish this was made clearer to the reader.

Overall, found it a sweet, faced paced romance, could serve as a good palate cleanser or a way to get back into reading.

𝙍𝙚𝙖𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙞𝙛 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙚𝙣𝙟𝙤𝙮
✅ fake dating
✅ arranged marriage
✅ he falls first
✅ clean romance

“The way he felt about her in this moment…he’d have to lie about lying”.

“I wouldn’t want to see you try to run away again. You aren’t very good at it seems”.

𝕮𝖍𝖗𝖎𝖘𝖙𝖒𝖆𝖘 𝕸𝖆𝖌𝖎𝖈
It takes place in the lead up to Christmas and the families infamous ball. But the story probably wouldn’t be much different if it was set at a different time of year.
🎄🎄/5
The Christmas ball was a nice touch though.
“Everyone danced and sang along to Christmas carols”.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for this honest review.

Ms Taylor is a new-to-me author so I didn't know what to expect when I picked this up. It was a fun, cute, and enjoyable read. Adalyn's family is on the brink of financial ruin and the only way they can be saved is if Adalyn marries into money. Her parents have made an arrangement for her, but she is not interested. She wants to marry for love. When her parents don't listen to her objections, she runs away. She thinks she has made a clean break, but she ends up in more trouble than she bargained for. She never imagined the person who would come to her rescue would be the very person she was trying to run away from, Viscount Bain Cooke, her future husband. Bain is quite smitten with Adalyn when he meets her, but she still does not want to marry a stranger. It's up to Bain to convince her otherwise, and he doesn't have much time to do it.
This was a short and sweet novella and I found it to be an enjoyable read. A lovely lighthearted story that will bring a smile to your face.
I received a complimentary copy from Netgalley and am voluntarily leaving my review.

Adalyn was a young lady who knew what she wanted, and having a marriage forced on her was not part of the equation. She rebelled by running away, but the outcome was not what she had expected. Bain fell in love with his betrothed only to observe that she hated him, which puzzled him as to why. It was a charming and delightful story.