Thanks to NetGalley and St Martins Press for a copy of this book. A gripping regency tale of mystery, intrigue and romance. Fun to read. Recommend it

Merry's luck changes when she is asked by the Viscount's cousin Alex to stay at his huge home for a week because of the bad weather. This is five years after she jilted her lover, who is none other than him.
it is not through fortunate circumstances that she is even at to the house, though. Her friend Charlotte died in childbirth. She is there to comply with Charlotte's dying wish that her newborn daughter Lottie be looked after and returned to his father, Will .

I was drawn into the story from the first page and liked Merry's rapport with Alex as the story moved on, but felt that some of the other characters were very opinionated. We did get an insight into their relationships in the book and customs of the time that the book was written in. It is a story of secrets, revelations and relationships.

Alex wants Merry to be his wife. Alex has his own difficult past. His dad abused his mum and she left him and Alex when Alex was just nine years old.
Alex's Grandmother made his mum as unomfy as possible in the house, and she left.

There are conflicts lies and scandals. The grandmother, who is the one who is seems to rule the house, explains what she did and she claimed it was "best for the family" by sending Charlotte and then Merry. away.

Will is also looking for love. Potential brides for him, who we meet at a Christmas family gathering, include Lady Katherine and Emily Delaford. Merry, who is shocked to find Will has a passing interest in her, has a plainer appearance than Katherine, and she is not wealthy.

Lady Katherine, however, does not want to marry Will.

Merry keeps thinking about Lottie's well-being.

People have very deep rooted feelings and reactions to what happened all those years ago. Lottie is judged as illegitimate by some but she is legitimate.

Despite all the tension rumours and goings-on, there is a Christmas atmosphere as well as snow. There is sledding and excitement.

The novella is a great Christmas story and is well written with a good pace. Alex obviously wants to impress Merry. He is accommodating, welcoming and caring. When they all go house-to-house at Christmas, it is a good way for the reader to meet the other characters in the book.

It really shows the spirit of the season. Emily sounds manipulative towards Lady Katherine and Merry too.

There's tension and worry as well as concern for others. Emily is a liar. There is lots of action and working together to search for them. I suspected something would happen between her, Lady Katherine and Merry, but wasn't sure what. I thought it could be something involving jealousy, wickedness or lies.

The story had me interested as well is worried in some parts.
I hoped that Alex and Merry could work things out because of what they feel for each other.

I could not believe how cruel Emily was. Effie seems a good caring maid, which is good.
Will wants to do everything he can for Lottie. Merry is brave. Her bravery and determination as well as resilience shows through. It is a story of love, scandal secrets lies and deceit but a good historical romance with some very sexy scenes in some parts of the book.

I hope to read more by Manda Collins . My heart was in my mouth at some parts. As a bonus, this title has an excerpt from the next book in the series. It is a great extra which seems to be based in the town of little Seaford which was mentioned in this first book.

Thank you to St Martin's press for an ARC of this book and also thank you Manda Collins for this excellent book. This is one of the books that will be featured in my SMP Romance Blitz post in October. The only reason why I gave this book 4 and not 5 stars was that it ended too soon....I'd have loved for it to be a full novel, but it is an increadibly well-thought-out festive read.

What a delightful Christmas story. Alex Ponsonby, Viscount Wrotham, has never recovered from his betrothed Miss Merry Parks leaving him suddenly five years ago. When she shows up on his doorstep carrying an infant, he is outraged at first thinking she's trying to pass the baby off at his, but soon calming down once he learns the baby belongs to his cousin, William. Merry is fulfilling a dying wish of her dear friend to find baby Lottie's father and the only way she knows how to do that is to confront Alex and ask for his help.

Ms. Collins weaves a powerful story about loss, grief and trying to move forward with one's life without the love they've left behind. I found myself connecting with both Merry and Alex and how they handled being ripped apart by Alex's grandmother before finding the courage to try again at their broken relationship. Dowager Wrotham is a complicated character and it takes the full story to learn her reasons for tearing Alex and Merry apart. If you looking for a heartwarming story at Christmas time, this book will certainly fit the bill.

With This Christmas Ring by Manda Collins is an awesome holiday read. This is a fairly short read, perfect for those with limited time for reading. Ms Collins has given us a well-written book and loaded it with amazing, lovable characters. Alex and Merry's story is a second chance romance that is heartwarming and entertaining. There is plenty of drama, action, humor and spice to keep readers invested in the story. I totally adored this quick Christmas read and look forward to reading more from Manda Collins in the future. With This Christmas Ring is a complete book, not a cliff-hanger.

I voluntarily read an Advance Reader Copy of this book that I received from NetGalley.

It is that time of year again…bring on the Christmas stories. A very sweet Christmas tale to warm your Sunday afternoon. Alex and Merry are wonderfully written characters who have a past and even though the story is short you get to know them. A little bit of intrigue about why Merry left and Alex’s determination to win Merry over makes this a wonderful addition to my Christmas library. I also like how it bridged the Lords of Anarchy and Studies in Scandal series just a little bit.

Merry Parks has just seen her best friend, Charlotte, die in childbirth. She has promised that she will take the infant Lottie to her father. The same father that deserted Charlotte right after the wedding. The difficult thing is that William Ponsonby is the cousin of the only man Merry has ever loved. Alex Ponsonby, the Viscount Wrotham was Merry's betrothed until she left him with no explanation.
Now Merry is taking Lottie to Alex's home to find his cousin William and introduce him to his new daughter.
When she appears at his home, all the old feelings between the two come to the surface.
This is a quick read with lovely characters. Alex and William have a grandmother who has ruled their world for such a long time and she has no intention of stopping. Some other secondary characters become quite important to the plot.
There is a classic country house party and the cast of characters are what one would expect. Young ladies and their parents are looking for an eligible man. Friends and family are sharing Christmas memories and starting new traditions.
Merry and Alex begin to relive the attraction they first felt for one another and their familiarity with one another helps that attraction grow.
Ms Collins has created a sweet Christmas story. But, in this sweet story there also appears a psychotic character who apparently gets off with no consequences for attempted murder. That did not seem quite to fit the story.
I received this story from the publisher, St Martins Press through NetGalley. I am voluntarily writing this review and all opinions are my own.

A charming little Christmas novella. I liked that the leads had a past together so it wasn't "Insta-Love". That helps make these quick stories a little more believable.

**Thank you to the publisher and Net Galley in exchange of an honest review.**

A sweet and romantic story of two people that were previously engaged to each other but were separated due to machinations of the hero's controlling grandmother. As they come together years later to unite a baby with her father, they are given another chance to be with each other. I liked both Alex and Merry's characters but thought the premise of their initial break up was a little flimsy. Nevertheless, it was a enjoyable book and I would definitely recommend for a nice winter read.

* I received this ARC from NetGalley and the publisher for an honest review*

This was the first book I have read by the author and I was hooked. Christmas is the perfect time for second chances and that book delivers it in spades.

I LOVED this book so much. Merry and Alex are very much in love but his EVIl grandmother caused Merry to jilt Alex 5 years before. Now Merry's close friend, Charlotte has died and she must contact Alex so he can find his cousin and deliver Charlotte and his child to him. To do that Charlotte will have to confront the evil grandmother and get to know Alex's family and celebrate Christmas with him.

Meanwhile Alex wants Merry and he now knows he has an evil grandmother and so he plans on winning Merry back. And I loved it. He truly loves Merry and he was uch a wonderful character. I adored the writing and the characters except for some of the mean characters. It was areally wonderful christmas/holiday story.

'With This Christmas Ring' is a heartwarming story about redemption and second chances. Merry Parks is determined to honor her friend Charlotte's dying wish to take her infant daughter Lottie to her father, even though it means seeing her former fiancée, the father's cousin. Circumstances change, villains are not necessarily clear cut and Christmas is in the air. I skipped over the graphic sex and just enjoyed the delightful story.

This was my first book by Collins and I have to say I really enjoyed it. This novel is a sweet, uplifting and angsty Christmas tale. It interlaces the tale of a pair of lovers torn apart by the conspiracies of a family member. They unite at Christmas for the sake of an innocent newborn.
The baby is not the couples. The pair travel to Wrotham Keep where the father is spending the holiday. They struggle with the fact Merry is not welcomed there. Merry and Alex already decided that the separation should never have happened. Together they work toward their HEA and succeed.

With This Christmas Ring was a truly delightful read. This story has a little bit of everything, fun Christmas spirit, devoted friendship, a reunited couple, a little suspense and a sweet Christmas baby. Manda Collins introduces her readers to two very likable characters in Merry Parks and Alexander Ponsby, Viscount Wrotham. I liked both characters so much that I cheered them on to getting together as I read the story. I felt they truly belonged together.

The annual Christmas house party takes place at Wrotham Castle as usual. Grandmama has invited family and her upper crust friends to the house party. Too bad Grandmama is going to be surprised by the arrival of some unexpected guests traveling to Wrotham castle from London. Not only is Grandmama going to be surprised by the arrival of these guests but we find out that she is also greatly displeased. Alexander Ponsby, Viscount Wrotham is back in England after visiting his mother in France and he doesn't care if the family matriarch is displeased. Andrew is more than a little displeased with his grandmother and has decided to take charge of all the family affairs himself finally.

If you want to find out what Grandmama did and why she is so displeased about the surprise guests, who disappears and what happens then, you will have to pick up this fun Christmas story and find out for yourself.

Alex and Merry have a grandmother and human obstacles to go around and through to be together again.

I have read some of Ms. Collin's novels and I enjoyed this one as well. This is a quick read and the story flows well. Miss Merry Parks was engaged to Alex Ponsonby, Viscount Wrotham, 5 years ago but jilted him. She loved him but due to a confrontation with his grandmama decided it would be best to break the betrothal. When her friend dies in childbirth, she finds out the father of her friend's daughter is the cousin to Alex. She knows she needs to see Alex to have him find his cousin as a promise to her friend. When she sees Alex again, her feeling become more apparent, knowing they never truly left. Alex is shocked to see Merry with a baby and at first is rude to her until he learns of the circumstances. They travel together to see his cousin and other members of his family. Alex's grandmama has plans for him and he is not happy about them, since the only woman he wants is Merry, the woman he loves and was heartbroken when she jilted him. He plans to discover why she left him and plans to pursue her. As Alex and Merry untangle the threads around them and deal with his family, will they be able to settle the past and look forward to the future they can have together? After all, miracles happen during Christmas.

This sweet Christmas themed historical weaves the tale of a pair of lovers torn apart by the machinations of a family member, reuniting at Christmas for the sake of an innocent newborn.
The baby is not theirs, but to carry out Mery's promise to the babe's dying mother, they introduce Lottie to her father, Will, cousin to Alexander Ponsonby, the Viscount of Wrotham and Miss Merry Parks' love.
The pair travel to Wrotham Keep where Will is spending the holiday and struggle through the fact Merry is not welcomed there and actually comes near to harm....but both Merry and Alex and already decided that the separation should never have happened. Determined nothing will come between them,
they work toward their HEA and succeed.
This Christmas tale is a sweet romance with some angst and an uplifting ending.
I requested and received an ARC from NetGalley ...to my delight.