I don't have the best of luck with novella collections. They always start with a phenomenal 5 star story, then it gets worse and worse until you're clawing through to the end. Like Saturday Night Live skits, if you know what I mean. I am pleased as punch to say this was not the case. This was an all-around solid collection of heart-warming Christmas regency romances.

Love and Joy Come to You 5/5
I really, really liked this one. A typical regency romance where they meet, he likes the way she walks or something weird, and they're getting married within a week. I saw it all coming from a mile away and still adored every second. This one was dual POV and it was well done.

A Christmas Courting 3.5/5
My least favourite story, I think. It was one of those where you just want to shake the girl until her head rattles because it's so unbelievably obvious what is going down. I also struggled with the name Keturah for the main character. It is a biblical name, but it does not evoke the right image for this woman.

Mistletoe Memories 3.5/5
While I did enjoy the way this one unfolded, I did struggle a little bit with really rooting for the couple. He says he loves her so much, she's the only girl for him, but then some half-backed story reaches him of her fall from grace and, "Welp, guess that's it, Alice. See you never." Until, wait, it was all a misunderstanding because none of us talked.

Second-Chance Christmas 5/5
My favourite hands down. It's the kind of story I wish was drawn out into a full book. I very much adore the trope of best friends for over a decade before someone reveals their feelings and things get awkward until the other one figures themselves out. When it's done well, of course, and this absolutely was. The characters felt the most real in this one too, with proper chemistry.

Thank you net galley for the advance reader copy of the novel. I throughly enjoyed each short story of regency era Christmas time romances. Some of these authors were new to me and some we're familiar. I enjoyed the different writing styles and character development. This was a quick clean holiday read that I would recommend.

Everything happens quickly in Novellas but these definitely bring on the Christmas spirit. Love learning new authors to read and the sweet characters who grow and adjust.

This is a lovely collection of holiday Regency novellas! It definitely put me in the holiday spirit, and it was fascinating to learn some of the traditions of the era for celebrating Christmas. There's something special and even magical about the Christmas season and I think it enhances the connections and emotions of the characters. The romance in each story is sweet and even though the couples had various obstacles to overcome (some with excessive angst), the happy endings left me with a smile on my face. I'm a fan of Jennifer Moore and Chalon Linton, and was excited to read two new-to-me authors. I'm looking forward to reading more of their other books.

(I received a complimentary copy of the book; all opinions in this review are my own)

‘A Christmas Courting’ with its beautiful cover, is a lovely collection of novellas, that will soon have you wishing for the magic of Christmas. All four novellists were clever in their ability to bring to life stories and characters with such detail in short stories. Each romance brings a different aspect with ‘Love and Joy come to you’ focussing on the love of family for the two main characters whilst ‘A Christmas Courting’ sees Keturah facing the possibility of her love, finding love with another. ‘Mistletoe Memories’ was quite an emotive story as the misunderstandings between Patrick and Alice, seemed enough to keep them apart. Reading ‘Second Chance Christmas’ was a wonderful way to end the series, with Francie realising her feelings for Gerard, but not knowing if this has come about too late.
These stories are a delight to read and will surely bring a smile to all readers.
I received an advanced review copy from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

I really enjoy short stories at Christmas time. It is a busy season and little time to read, so the short stories or novellas are quite enjoyable and easy to finish in a short amount of time. This book was no exception. The stories were varied, interesting, and appropriate to the season. The characters were realistic and developed well in the short number of pages allotted to each story. The stories captured the spirit of Christmas in a sweet way, yet delivered the message of the season as well.

I received this book from the publisher and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The opinions expressed here are entirely my own.

“Love and Joy Come to You” - Jennifer Moore

Graham Montagu, Lord Covington, is resting in his home, Finwood Hall, as he recalls the months he spent at the home of his cousins, the Buxtons, and sifting through their debts. Now, he is looking forward to spending Christmas with his mother and hoping she will find peace from missing her family members. His mother finds Christmas difficult since the loss of her husband and daughter. When he takes notice of someone else in the room, he meets Andromedia (Annie) Serafina Weatherby, an unknown child in his library. Then, her twin brothers, Percival (Percy) and Linus enter the room. Lastly, Cassie, their older sister enters the room. Graham is speechless at her beauty. He learns that his mother has invited them to spend Christmas there. The family had lost their parents and were there with their Aunt Judith, all invited by Graham’s mother. Graham and Cassie agree to have a good Christmas to cheer her siblings and his mother. Soon, the twins enjoy being with Graham and Annie does as well, because he challenges her scientific intelligence. As Cassie and Graham get to know one another more, they find they are drawn together. Could this Christmas have a very happy ending for all of them?

A clever, sweet, little Christmas story to tug at readers’ heartstrings.

“A Christmas Courting” - Chalon Linton

London - December 1814

Keturah Hensley, her mother, Irene, and her sister, Juliet, are thinking of Christmas and lamenting the cold weather. Irene mentions that Christopher Shepherd will be with them for Christmas which gladness Keturah’s heart. That is, until her mother says he has his heart set on a young lady in London. This news has truly piqued her interest because she has always cared for him. As they see one another during the holiday season, Christopher continues to seek Kenturah’s advice about the woman he is seeking to marry. While she is pleased that he asks for her opinion, it still breaks her heart. Will she be able to handle it if Christopher announces which woman he wants to marry?

An OK story but one that didn’t hold my interest.

“Mistletoe Memories” - Jen Geigle Johnson

It seems that Lady Alice Tarrington has been trained all her life to make her debut. It has also been thought that she would marry her childhood friend, Patrick, the Duke of Montrose. Patrick is back in London and after casually mentioning to his mother that he would like to be wed by Christmas, the woman has invited her friends to visit to discuss possible candidates for him. At one time when he was working on his plantation in India, he thought he and Alice would wed some day, but he mistakenly heard she was married which broke his heart. However, it turns out she had been left at the altar. Is there a way for forgiveness to intervene as the two of them find one another again?

This story was so confusing and I found myself rereading parts to try and figure out what was going on. No. Not for me.

“Second Chance Christmas” - Heidi Kimball

Frances Lockhart is awaiting a visit from her friend, Maria Turner, who has news to share. Gerard Beaumont is back in town and at her front door. Some months back, Frances had turned down a proposal from Gerard. However, today he is issuing an invitation from his mother to attend the Beaumont Christmas Ball at Hastings Manor. Maria’s younger brother, Colin, is sick with pneumonia so Frances and Gerard brought the boy some mistletoe with a tall tale of how they found it. When after some time together with the usual cold weather entertainments they enjoy, Frances realizes she truly is in love with Gerard. Is it too late to win back his love?

Another simple, sweet Christmas romance.

Copy provided by NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

A very good anthologies of Christmas romances that will make you laugh and move at the same time.
It's a wonderful read, perfect for cozy winter afternoon when you are in the mood for Christmas.
Highly recommended!
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC