A Christmas Abduction by Madeline Hunter

Caroline Dunham has a bone to pick with notorious rake Baron Thornhill—and a creative plan to insure his undivided attention. Yet once in close quarters, she finds herself beholden to their smoldering connection . . .

Good story. Adam is on his way to his cousin's house for Christmas. He's not enthused about it as he is expected to announce his engagement to a woman he doesn't particularly like. However, it is an alliance thing, and he'll take one for the family. He doesn't expect to get kidnapped on his way there. As he is not wealthy, he has no idea what his captor wants. Caro is not interested in Adam's fortune or lack of it. She has far more personal plans for him.

I liked both Adam and Caro. He is a decent guy at heart. He's made mistakes, admits to them, and wants to change. He takes his abduction in stride and is more amused than angered by it. Once he figures out who she is, he believes he knows the why. He is impressed by Caro's efforts to keep things running and, drawn to her, finds himself wanting to help. For her part, Caro is determined to make the notorious rake do the right thing. But the more time she spends with him, the less rakish he appears to be.

There are sparks between Adam and Caro from the start. Besides the attraction, Adam finds himself feeling protective of Caro, especially after the incident at the pond. He's stunned when she finally tells him why he's there and vehemently denies the charge. Caro can't believe she's attracted to Adam after what he did, but she can't deny what is between them. I liked seeing them talk and get to know each other. The more I learned about Caro's reasons for having Adam there, the more I suspected that there was additional information that she was unaware of. I was not surprised by the truth when it came out. I loved Adam's actions to fix the situation. I loved the ending, as Adam finally found his purpose in life, and Caro found the support that she needed.


A Perfect Match by Sabrina Jeffries
Series: Duke Dynasty (Book 1.5)

Whisked away from a wintry ball by the officer she knew only through letters, Cassandra Isles struggles with her feelings for the commanding Colonel Lord Heywood. For he, secretly a fortune-hunter, must marry for money to save his estate—and Cass, secretly an heiress, will accept nothing less than love . . .

Good story. Cass and her cousin Kitty are at a winter ball where Cass does her best to keep Kitty out of the clutches of an unsuitable man. Though he presents well, there is something about him that Cass doesn't trust. Her suspicions are reinforced by the arrival of Colonel Heywood, who brings a message from Kitty's brother with news of the man's perfidy. Heywood arrives in time to overhear plans to abduct Kitty to Gretna Green, so he kidnaps Kitty and Cass first.

I liked both Cass and Heywood. Cass is independent, smart, and protective of her young cousin. She is also cynical about men, having been courted for her fortune in the past. Now she puts out that she is the poor relation, wanting to be courted for herself. Heywood is an honorable man who has spent many years as a soldier, but he longs for peace and a family of his own. His father left him some property, but it is in poor repair, which means Heywood must marry a woman who has money.

I liked the development of the relationship between Cass and Heywood. It begins with a bit of mistaken identity, as Cass has been writing letters to Kitty's brother in Kitty's name. Douglas shares those letters with Heywood, who has fallen in love with the writer, whom he believes is Kitty. This is convenient because Kitty is an heiress. It doesn't take long for him to realize that Kitty is not what he thought and that it is her poor cousin Cass who won his heart. Cass is equally drawn to him, but having been burned once she is wary. I loved seeing them spend time together, matching wits in some excellent banter. As their feelings for each other deepen, Heywood realizes that he'd rather give up his land than Cass. As Cass realizes her feelings for Heywood, she feels guilty about keeping the truth from him. Heywood disappointed me with his reaction when she confessed, his injured pride causing him to say some terrible things. Fortunately he sees the light in time to save her from near disaster and is properly contrite. Cass takes her share of the blame, too, which was nice to see. I liked the epilogue also.

Heywood's family was terrific, and I look forward to seeing more of them. His mother led an intriguing life, and it affected each of her children. I loved the closeness of the family and the lovingly done teasing among them all.

My only quibble in the story was the frequent insertion of lines from modern Christmas carols as parts of conversations. I found myself rolling my eyes each time it happened, as it would pull me out of the story.



One Wicked Winter Night by Mary Jo Putney
Series: Rogues Redeemed (Book 3.5)

Dressed as a veiled princess, Lady Diana Lawrence is shocked to discover that the mysterious corsair who tempts her away from the costume ball is the duke she once loved and lost. Now snowed in with Castleton at a remote lodge, will she surrender to the passion still burning hotly between them?

Good second chance love story. I loved that this was Diana's tale, who was part of Rory's story in Once a Scoundrel. Diana left England seven years earlier, fleeing the memories of a love gone wrong. She became an independent woman of means thanks to an import/export business she owns with a friend. The story opens as Diana receives a letter from Rory, inviting her back to England for a visit. Diana realizes that she is homesick and makes the decision to return home to stay. The only downside is the chance that she will run into the man she loved.

Anthony recently inherited the dukedom from his late, unlamented father. The previous duke had been a cruel man, and Anthony worked hard to be nothing like him. He is a quiet, kind man who loves his two sisters. He avoids social events whenever possible, as he has become the target of every eligible miss and her mother since becoming the duke. His sisters convince him that attending a costume ball will be fun as he can maintain anonymity while there.

I loved the meeting between Diana and Anthony. She and Rory dressed as Indian dancers and performed for the ball's attendees. Anthony was intrigued by the veiled dancer and requested a dance. The sparks between them led to an explosive kiss. To say they were shocked to discover who was behind the masks was putting it mildly. Though Anthony let Diana get away once, he is now determined not to let it happen again. Diana is still insistent that there is no chance of anything between them. I loved Anthony's spur-of-the-moment plan to get Diana to himself long enough to get to the bottom of her resistance, though Diana took a rather stupid risk to get there quickly. Once they were together, Anthony's patience and understanding broke through the guilt that had driven her away and kept her away. Those moments between them were emotional and heartwarming. Their happy ending was great. I loved their arrival at his sister's house and how Diana was embraced by them.

One of my favorite things in the story that had me in giggles was the creativity of the names they had for the cats' species. I also liked seeing Will and Athena again (loved their costumes for the masquerade ball) and Rory and Gabriel. I loved the fun that Rory and Diana had planning and doing their dance.

A Christmas Abduction- Caroline Dunham has a score to settle with Adam Prescott, Baron Thornhill, a notorious rake. Her plan to abduct him, thus ensuring she has his full attention, goes well until the time she spends with him begins to make Caroline see Adam in a new light.

I really didn't care much for this one. The heroine was just rude and grossly unfair to the hero for much of the story, not to mention rather illogical, and her apology wasn't enough for me. But of course this was a novella, so there wasn't time for much more and I can let it slide since at least the ending was satisfying.

A Perfect Match- When she and her cousin Kitty are swept away from a ball by her cousin Douglas' friend, Colonel Lord Heywood Wolfe, Cassandra Isles is sufficiently shocked to meet the man she knows so well from her cousin's letters. But Heywood must marry for money in order to save his tenants and he keeps berating himself for his attraction to Cass when it is heiress Kitty whose letters so intrigued him and whom he must woo. Cass finds it difficult not taking credit for the letters she herself wrote, but she's determined to keep her status as an heiress secret and will marry only for love. Without a reckoning, these two will be kept apart by their misconceptions of one another.

I really enjoyed this story. It was fun and the hero was believably flawed, though he thankfully got it together in the end.

One Wicked Winter's Night- Recently returned from India, Lady Diana Lawrence is shocked to be almost immediately reuninted with the man she left England for seven years previously, Anthony, now the Duke of Castleton. The reasons that kept them apart don't seem to matter anymore, but are their feelings still the same? And will that be enough?

This was a quick, sweet second chance story once Diana started being sensible and listening to her own feelings and I enjoyed it.

Overall this was a set of cute and enjoyable stories from top-notch authors and it was a great read.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I love anthologies. If done well you get more than one story that is satisfying that you want to read again. If it's a holiday book - it puts you in the mood and leaves you thinking about parts you'd like to read again. This book fits the bill. Different heroes, different scenarios something to please everyone. The first story "A Christmas Abduction" by Madeline Hunter starts out with the abduction first thing.... as the story reveals itself you get the inkling not all is what it seems but I love the characters and the time she takes to get you engaged in the story. The hero is smart and figures things out rather quickly but stays the course to learn all the facts.
The heroine has good intentions, has been dealt a tough course in life, but carried it off with a heart of gold. Interesting retainers, a rather naive sister added to the mix. That he wanted to improve things redeemed him in my eyes (he was a bit of a scoundrel) - a theme that I love to see. He also sought a solution that would have long-standing impact though it was a little too quick at the end I did love to see him match wits with the "enemy".
The second story was A Perfect Match by Sabrina Jeffries. This one also does not disappoint. A hero who abducts the heroine and her sister to save them... though it was a more of a taking them out of harms way than a true kidnapping ... and they did end up with his mother, his siblings and their extended families. I loved the interchange between them - here he is an officer in the army and the family makes no bones at calling him on what he's done with a sense of humor which I enjoy in a story. The dialogue makes me smile and I'm sorry I don't know the characters a little better but will be looking for other books featuring these characters. I also always love books where the characters fall in love first without knowing all the details about each other.
Lastly is One Wicked Winter Night by Mary Jo Putney. This one is a little different than the others - a more mature heroine (not really that old!) reuniting with a former love after being apart. India comes into play - both as the story starts out and as it continues. I wanted to like this story and found parts of it interesting - she's slightly older, he had a difficult father in the past - she was quirky. Cats play a part in the story and if you are a cat lover you likely will find the characterization of the cat and how devoted she was to the cat. It was an enjoyable story but not my favorite of the lot.
I did receive an ARC of the book and the opinions reflected are my own.

Sit back and enjoy the day as you begin reading these three stories by authors I adore. A central theme of the holiday, snow and a kidnapping but each is unique and will draw your heart in from the beginning!
A Christmas Abduction by Madeline Hunter
Find out what happens when Caroline Dunham kidnaps Baron Adam Prescott, because he had done something unacceptable to one of her family. Can you image? Well is is an interesting journey to see how this works out!
A Perfect Match by Sabrina Jeffries
Lord Heywood goes to a ball to find his best friend's sister Kitty to warn her about the scandral fortune hunter who is one of her suitors. But things get out of control and he ends up abducting her and her cousin Cass and takes then to his estate to protect them. What he does not expect is his attraction to Cass. How will this one end?
One Wicked Winter Night by Mary Jo Putney
Loved this one of two old loves who meet again and find that the attraction is still there if only they can open up to the possibility. Loved the hero and heroine!

A Christmas Abduction by Madelaine Hunter
4 stars. This was my favourite. An interesting premise, the heroine kidnaps the hero, believing he did something bad to her family. The story keeps me interested, but it is always to make the falling in love part believable in a short period like this.

A Perfect Match by Sabrina Jefferies
3 stars. I am a fan of SJ's work, this one was not up to par. The characters were just so obvious, the villain, the heroine being able to see right through it, the cousin who is not very bright and makes it as obvious as day through her comments, thus leaving easy clues for the hero to figure out she is not the author of the letters to her brother, and the hero's friend.

For some reason Christmas novellas for the most part never quite deliver what they promise, and are below the authors' standards. Most of them fall into Christmas cheesiness and you get hit over the head with Christmas cheers and scenes that lend very little to the story more than cliches. I wish authors would accept they could write a story around this time of year, and just accept that as if it was just a story set in Spring. A good story set around Christmas or any time is enough to get me reading. I don't need to feel the fuzzy warmth of Christmas.

One Wicked Winter Night by Mary Jo Putney
I didn't like this second chance romance. First of all they lost me at the Indian dance performance from a lady, then to find out the break up occured when (view spoiler)

Three separate novellas by three authors I regularly read and like. I really enjoyed being able to read all three together. Usually I’m not a huge fan of novellas and these ones all had that element of a too-fast romance out of necessity. The last book, One Wicked Night, featured two people who had known and loved each other years before, but couldn’t be together for various reasons, and now they have the chance to find love again. This one is more believable regarding the romance part of the story.

Other than that, I really enjoyed the characters and all three stories. It was a quick, easy, and fun read. Quite entertaining, and I recommend it to any historic romance reader.

I also posted this review on Goodreads.

As happens with many of these brief anthologies, the short stories in this collection either lack depth, have under-developed characters and caricature villains, are over-populated with Dukes, contain awkward dialogue or are missing the tension that is necessary for a satisfying romance. They’re fine for when you need a half-hour to fill and don’t mind putting them down, but are otherwise forgettable. An additional problem are the too-frequent modern references that aren’t consistent with the time period, including oddly-placed 20th-century Christmas song lyrics as dialogue. In A Christmas Abduction by Hunter, the premise is that the heroine is kidnapping a nobleman to force him into marrying her sister who claims that he’s the father of her unborn child. Despite this less-than-savory reputation, she’s having trouble fighting her attraction to him, yet doesn’t think to question her sister’s story. In A Perfect Match, Jeffries gives a nod to Cyrano de Bergerac, but, in this case, the Cyrano in question is a lovely young woman to whom the hero is instantly attracted, but he’s under the assumption that she lacks the fortune he needs. Regardless, he ends up falling in love and seducing her, then throws her over when he finds out she has the requisite fortune. Biting off his nose to spite his face! In One Wicked Winter Night by Putney, there are a few different types of felines that, for some reason, the author has chosen to give made-up breeds. To further confuse the reader, she names the heroine’s cat Panda, then goes onto describe it as being panther-like. The heroine is returning to England after running off to India for seven years, but, despite time and distance, the hero and heroine have never fallen out of love with each other. There are also numerous characters from earlier books, so it would help to have read them. Overall, this is a lackluster collection and entirely forgettable.

I received a complimentary ARC of this book from Kensington Books through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed are completely my own.

Seduction on a Snowy Night by Mary Jo Putney; Madeline Hunter; Sabrina Jeffries is a three book box set totaling 320 pages. Each story was a great quick holiday story fix that warmed your heart. I love box sets like this that give you a chance to meet a new author or if like me gives me another story by a favorite author. Enjoyed each story. These are the books that you get in this set.
A CHRISTMAS ABDUCTION by Madeline Hunter
A PERFECT MATCH by Sabrina Jeffries
ONE WICKED WINTER NIGHT by Mary Jo Putney

Three wonderfully warm stories from three magnificent authors. All three stories showcase a love found at Christmas time. The first comes about through a kidnapping gone wrong. The second involves an abduction for safety. The third involves kidnapping a cat to rekindle an old flame. All three are delightful as the men use their considerable charm and talents to snare their lady loves.

4 Stars - I recommend if you enjoy romance and Christmas fiction. These are not Hallmark romances, expect some decent steam.

An anthology of Christmas romance novellas by popular romance authors.

A Christmas Abduction by Madeline Hunter - I enjoyed this unusual historical romance. I liked that Caroline abducts the rakish Baron Thornhill, and keeps him captive at her modest country home. It was fairly easy to guess why he was abducted, but it was awfully fun getting there. I enjoyed the country setting quite a lot, and of course the forced proximity. I thought that the chemistry between Adam and Caroline was great. The only thing I didn't love was that it was a bit hard to tell when it switched perspectives from time to time... and then all of a sudden people were referred to by different names and I'd realize, ah ha, the perspective has switched.

A Perfect Match by Sabrina Jeffries - I liked the impossible dilemma of Colonel Heywood needing to marry for money, and Cassandra needing to marry for love. They both have exactly what the other needs, and what they both want... but they have to be brave to get there. I liked the romance between these two sparring characters. I thought that at first Heywood was not very appealing skulking on the terrace, smoking... but his character and wit later had him growing on me. His thoughts and outbursts are priceless and so swoony. I enjoyed the family dynamics between Heywood and his mother and siblings, as well as Cass's interactions with her cousin. Though I could tell that many of these characters likely had their own books, it wasn't too distracting. The amount of lyrics just thrown in from Christmas songs and carols really made me chuckle.

One Wicked Winters' Night by Mary Jo Putney - This second chance romance started out with quite a lot of what felt like inside knowledge about the characters, likely things happening in other books. As the story went there was quite a lot more of this which I found distracting. If you'd read the other books, I am sure it would be delightful, but on it's own I felt like they could have scooped a lot of that out and given a bit of summary instead. However, I really enjoyed the intensity of the romance between Diana and Anthony. The reasons that she left him in the past, and how they can make it work in the future. I do wish this was just a bit steamier than it was. There were a lot of cats in this novella, which was simultaneously silly and cute. Not my favorite of the bunch.

*Review of eARC from NetGalley*

For me, the initial draw of this collection was Sabrina Jeffries, who is one of my favorite romance authors. And I enjoyed the first installment of her new Duke Dynasty series, so knowing that her offering here was set in that series was a huge selling point. And she did NOT disappoint! “A Perfect Match” was sweet and fun and lovely.

The other two stories were great too, though I think I liked “One Wicked Winter Night” by Mary Jo Putney ever so slightly more than the other one. Mostly because it made me curious about the series that it obviously came from. Mentioning the other couples made me want to find out about their stories as well and Diana and Anthony’s. That’s not to say “A Christmas Abduction” wasn’t fun either. I found that one charming as well as adventurous.

A solid set of Christmas novellas and perfect timing too.

Seduction on a Snowy Night is a compilation of three novellas by Madeline Hunter, Sabrina Jeffries and Mary Jo Putney. As you can imagine, the stories are quite good with these three fabulous authors. I enjoyed each story and to be frank, wished that they were full length novels because I did not want them to end so quickly. The Christmas atmosphere adds to the story’s interest level.

A Christmas Abduction by Madeline Hunter features Caroline Dunham and Adam Prescott, Baron Thornhill The novel starts off with Adam Prescott, Baron Thornhill being kidnapped by the fearless Caroline Dunham. Adam realizes who kidnapped him rather quickly and pitches into help until he can understand what is happening. Of course, he falls for Caroline. I loved Carolines’s passion for her family and for her land and horses. I also think her bold plan was a fun plot line. A fun read.

A Perfect Match by Sabrina Jeffries is part of her current series, although it can be read as a stand alone perfectly. Colonel Lord Heywood Wolfe is a soldier on a mission. He is coming to warn his best friend’s sister of a rogue to avoid. While warning Kitty he meets Cass (Cassandra Isles) and ends up kidnapping them both to keep them safe. Heywood needs an heiress to help save his estate, but Cass wants to be married for love and not her fortune. A dilemma for sure.

One Wicked Winter’s Night by Mary Jo Putney features Lady Diana Lawrence and Anthony Rainer, Duke of Castleton. Diana left England years ago, but upon her return she runs into Anthony Rainer, Duke of Castleton, an old flame and her first love. Of course there are mistruths between the two of them and things to figure out. I think they were a fun couple and I loved the parts about the cats.

Seduction on a Snowy Night by Madeline Hunter, Sabrina Jeffries and Mary Jo Putney is a great read. Novellas of just the right length that help highlight the holiday.

SBTB Review: https://smartbitchestrashybooks.com/2019/09/lightning-reviews-seduction-on-a-snowy-night-anthology/

A CHRISTMAS ABDUCTION by Madeline Hunter: D+

A PERFECT MATCH by Sabrina Jeffries: C-

ONE WICKED WINTER NIGHT by Mary Jo Putney: F

Wonderful read for the holidays, this wonderful group of historical reads have plenty of drama, entertaining stories and steamy chemistry. The stories are fast-paced and enjoyable. I really liked it.

4.5 stars - Wow, these are wonderfully meaty novellas. They’re satisfying like full length novels. With this collection, these grand dames of historical romance really prove why they deserve the title. They’ve created three great stories filled with brave and daring ladies and handsome, worthy gents. I’ve followed these authors for awhile, so all the characters felt like home to me. While I think you can enjoy this offering if you’re not familiar with the series (is that how you make “series” plural?) to which they are connected, I do think this collection will be best enjoyed by people who have read the latest book, from each author, prior to this release.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

A Christmas Abduction by Madeline Hunter

Lord Thornhill is on his way to celebrate Christmas with his cousin when he's kidnapped. But he's not being held for ransom, he's being held responsible. A gentlemen does the right thing.
Caroline Dunham wants nothing more than to right a wrong. Yet the more time she spends with Adam the more she wishes things could be different. He doesn't seem like the rake she was expecting.

A Perfect Match by Sabrina Jeffries

I'm not sure why this isn't listed under the series for Project Duchess, since it's one of the five siblings from the main storyline. But it's definitely part of the series since several of the characters are obviously included here.
Lord Heywood is the second son of the Duke of Armitage. His bother has recently taken over the title after his father's death. He comes from a very interesting family. His mother is a widow three times over and has five children, all grown now, three of which are Dukes. Heywood had returned from the way with important news for his best friends sister, Kitty. He is charged with protecting her from a despicable fortune hunter. Best laid plans don't go entirely the way they should as he comes to find out the Kitty is not as she appears. And he's drawn instead to her cousin Cass. She is not what he needs, but she's precisely want he wants. And shouldn't you get what you want, especially at Christmas.

One Wicked Winter's Night by Mary Jo Putney

Anthony Raines, the fifth Duke of Castleton, knows he will need to take a bride soon. He simply can't get onboard with the marriage minded mamas and the uninspired options of the debutantes. He rarely comes out to society events. So when encouraged to attend a masquerade before the Christmas holidays takes everyone from London he is ill prepared to come face to face with his past.
Lady Diana Lawrence has returned from her travels. It was time after seven years to come back to the fold of her family. When she returned she knew she'd eventually come across her first love, Anthony. However, circumstances developed quite outside the social norms. And she is forced to take action. Then they have to be quick determine where they stand once they are stranded in a snowed in lodge.

I loved each and every single one of these stories and i feel like i need more, i want to read much more from each one because each couple it's great and i need to read their story at it's full and see how their relationship grows and blossoms into a beautiful love story.

Nice collection of three holiday historical romance novellas featuring strong heroines.

A Christmas Abduction by Madeline Hunter
I almost worried I was going to be turned off by this one because it centres around the heroine kidnappping the hero (and not in a sexy way), which is a trope I don't usually enjoy. But the hero takes it all so gamely, the characters both really grow on you, and the reasons for the heroine doing it are found to be valid eventually - so like the characters, it grew on me! I ended up quite enjoying it. 4/5 stars.

A Perfect Match by Sabrina Jeffries
Charming story with some real-world, modern feeling characters - our hero, previously a soldier, struggles with finances, and doesn't tend toward the spoiled ballroom hero. And our heroine definitely knows her own mind. The conflict was really good between them, and the eventual payoff sweet - I almost thought this was going to hit the trope of "it's just one thing they aren't saying that's keeping them apart" but no! That was solved quite earlier on, leaving the conflict between the couple much more complex. I should have known better of Sabrina Jeffries, as she's one of my favourites. I also liked the connection to Project Duchess. 4/5 stars

One Wicked Winter's Night by Mary Jo Putney
I liked the hero and heroine - strong, somewhat damaged, and several years older than your traditional Regency couple (at least she is). And I liked the overall story as we learn about their pasts and the intrigue happening now. The only thing I wasn't as into was the conflict keeping them apart - it almost felt just like "we liked each other before, will we still?" which didn't feel like enough for a romance novella for me. Regardless, 3/5 stars.

I love anthologies. And this one was one of my favorites! It was a quick read and written by some of greatest historical authors; Mary Jo Putney, Madeline Hunter, and Sabrina Jeffries. After reading it, I had to make sure that I had read all the previous books in the series and preorder the new books coming out.
Thanks ladies for a great read!!!

Three exciting holiday adventures filled with intriguing charters, witty banter, thrilling passion and exciting emotional twists and turns..... a engaging read from beginning to end. Really enjoyed this set of romantic journeys filled with longing..