Give This Book a Gold Medal!

I often think of anthologies like a relay race. You put your strongest runners at the beginning and the end to start and finish strong. Sarah Eden definitely started this collection strong with The Holly and the Ivy. We got to see Adam, the fearsome Duke of Kielder as an 8 year old. We saw Julia and Lucas Jonquil, and we got to see Nurse Robbie fall in love. I ached with the pain Adam was feeling so soon after his father's death, and rejoiced in each way that he opened up. You can still enjoy this story without having read the rest of Sarah Eden's books, but for those of us who have, it was a special treat!

I thought with Sarah Eden leading the relay, that the middle books would be okay, but not top hers. Sorry for my judgements! This was a collection, or a relay team, that was strong the whole way through!

Hiding Christmas by Esther Hatch had me laughing out loud. Kristine is trying to hide the Yule loaf that her grandmother baked from judgmental eyes in her Scottish village, and gives the term "bun in the oven" a more literal meaning. So deliciously awkward! I love when the man she names as her "husband" is actually available to play the role.

A Twist of Christmas was also a delight. Lord Bartlett and Lady Elizabeth Spencer are both used to only being seen for their titles. Independent of each other, they decide or are persuaded to change places with another during a week long Christmas house party. What could go wrong? I've seen the secret identity trope many times before, but it was especially hilarious knowing this was a double con.

A Season to Love by Anneka Walker was a great closing leg to this relay! Alice Hunt is determined to find a husband in the village of Amorwich. Her sisters both did, and she fears if she doesn't her aunt will marry her off to the highest bidder. She goes to the church to petition the Lord (and confess and bargain too). Instead of the Lord, or possibly in his place, she receives the help of the rector, Mr. Perry. The young, handsome, mischievous, and very un-rectorlike rector. I laughed all the way through this story too! I loved Alice's strong personality, and penchant for getting into embarrassing situations.

I could reread this collection again and again!

A perfect way to prepare for the Christmas season!

I was excited to hear about this story and read more from Sarah M Eden, but I was even more excited to see how many other fantastic and familiar authors were also going to be included in this anthology. Each of these stories was so entertaining, enjoyable and delivered a fantastic romance. You can never go wrong with any of these authors and each of these stories gave me all the feels. *Cue the happy sounds of glee*

I can definitely see this collection of stories becoming one of those books that I revisit during the Christmas season to spread some holiday cheer. Many thanks to Covenant, Sarah M Eden, Esther Hatch, Dana LeCheminant, and Anneka Walker for an advanced copy of this story. All thoughts are my own.

Four wonderful novellas, Christmas Collection anthology of clean Regency Historical Romances.

The Holly and The Ivy, this story shows what the Christmas celebration is all about to a sad little Duke.
Hiding Christmas, a detailed Scottish history of the Christmas celebration in Scotland, enemies to lovers.
A Twist Of Christmas, switching identities, seeing past the superficial.
A Season of Love, finding a husband, full of witty and banter dialogue, a humorous story.

Each story is unique and different, if you enjoy fun historical Christmas you will love these.

“The Holly and the Ivy” by Sarah M. Eden
This is a nice romance with the inclusion of more than just our love interests. A fun perspective on some different vocations and situations. It didn’t hold my attention as much as I’d like, but it was a nice read.

“Hiding Christmas” by Esther Hatch
I adored this book. I couldn’t put it down! All of the humor and laughter and banter. Simply lovely. I didn’t want it to end!

"A Twist of Christmas” by Dana LeCheminant
Another lovely story that I couldn’t put down. I adored the characters and their adventures. Such liveliness and energy. I wish it didn’t end!

“A Season to Love” by Anneka R. Walker
Alas this boxset has come to an end. It was great to read these Christmassy romances. I very much enjoyed this one too. I’ve stayed up much too late binging the last three of this set.

I received an ARC of this book and am voluntarily leaving an honest review.

A festive and entertaining anthology of Regency historical romances. I thoroughly enjoyed it and discovered some new to me interesting authors.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

This was a fabulous Christmas novella collection! I really enjoy all of these authors individually, so of course I was excited to read these stories. They did not disappoint!

It’s hard for a book to bring me to literal tears… but Sarah’s novella did just that! I know the focus was on Nurse Robbie’s love story… but I absolutely loved getting to read more about Adam with Lucas and Julia! It was so fun to see Adam at that age and to see how tender and caring Lucas and Julia were as parental figures before they even had a child of their own. I also enjoyed getting to know more about Nurse Robbie!

Esther’s novella was so sweet! I adored the Scottish setting. I’m always here for a Christmas road trip romance, so when she gave me that in the regency era, I was here for it!! It was a fun, enemies to lovers story with the added depth of losing a loved one in a war. I really enjoyed the characters and this story!

Dana’s novella was absolutely splendid! I was completely engrossed in the story. I love a good bit of mistaken identity, and when you put two people hiding their true identities together?! Perfection! Graham and Beth were so sweet and I was rooting for them the whole time!

Anneka’s story was so endearing! I loved how spirited Alice was! Thomas was so sweet and tender-hearted. I absolutely loved the twist of a clergyman playing the role of a matchmaker. It was absolutely adorable and I loved watching them fall for each other.

I truly loved each of those novellas and will definitely be reading them again! They are the perfect, sweet and quick reads to get you in the holiday spirit!

This book releases on October 3rd.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Covenant Communications for the complimentary copy. All opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Christmas is such a happy time and I love reading stories set around it. I had very much been looking forward to reading this book, especially since most of the authors are ones I usually enjoy a lot. But I have to admit I was disapointed. There was not as much Christmas feeling as I want in a Christmas story, the stories were not as engaging as one would wish, either too sentimental or too rediculouse or I didn't seemed to be drawn in by the characters. I'm truely sorry to say this and I might be pricky, but I so much wished this to be a magical read. I did however quite like the ending of the last story so it did end on a happy note for me. And dispite it all I can not not give it 4 stars.

I read quite a lot of anthologies and writing a novella and get a fully developed story and characters in those short pages is not an easy thing and put to that that Christmas stories usually aren't written at Christmas time but probably in the Summer might be a contributing factor that makes it hard to get the right mood.

I will still look forward to other books by these authors as they are truely amazing writers who's work I have enjoyed and will enjoy in years to come.

4.5 stars overall

The Holly and the Ivy by Sarah Eden
4 stars
I really enjoyed seeing beloved characters come back in this story. To see a glimpse of Adam as a boy and Lucas and Julia before kids was a treat. I actually liked it more than the actual romance this story was suppose to focus around.

Hiding Christmas by Esther Hatch
5 stars
Um, adorable! I completely fell in love with this little novella. The tension and the banter was great. I loved the grandma and the kissing boughs. Esther also writes the best kissing scenes! My only con is that I want more!

A Twist of Christmas by Dana LeCheminant
5 stars
This story was a delight! Both the MCs were tired of their demanding positions in society so they switched places with people in their life they felt needed to be seen. Brothers switch places and a lady and companion switch places. They meet at a house party and fall in love (not knowing who the other one really is).

A Season to Love by Anneka Walker
4 stars
Alice is looking for a love match before an arranged marriage can happen. She stumbles upon help from a young clergyman. They were so sweet together you couldn’t help but cheer for them.

I have been waiting for a story like The Holly and the Ivy by Sarah Eden in this 4 story anthology for awhile. Here we get to see Adam, the Dangerous Duke, as a little boy. He visits Lucas and Julia Jonquil and he begins to feel a kinship and love towards them, yet he can't seem to believe that anyone would love him. It's easy to feel for this little boy who tries to act as a man and has a lot of hurt inside. We also get to know his nursemaid, Robbie, and the gardener employed by Lord Jonquil. Seeing new characters is always fun, and this story was so tender and sweet.
Probably the reason I gave this book 4 stars instead of 5 is because I was disappointed in Esther Hatch's story, Hiding Christmas. It was definitely my least favorite of the 4 stories, and I had a hard time getting through it. The premise just felt kind of silly and the whole thing moved along slowly for me. I love Esther Hatch's books, but this one just fell flat for me.
A Twist of Christmas by Dana LeCheminant was my first read of hers. After this story, I am looking forward to reading more of her books. It was clever and funny and I was sucked in right from the beginning.
A Season to Love by Anneka Walker had plenty of funny parts and was a sweet story of falling in love with someone you didn't expect to. The main character, Alice, was very relatable in how she was constantly aware of her flaws and kept trying her best but seemed to struggle no matter what she did. I think a lot of us feel that way sometimes.
This is an anthology with some excellent authors and definitely worth the read. I am sure plenty of people will enjoy Esther Hatch's story even though I didn't. We just all have different tastes and preferences in our reading.

I love everything this publisher puts out and The Holly and the Ivy was no exception. Perfect holiday vibes that made me want to curl up by the fire with a cup of cider. It gave me all of the good, happy, cozy feels. Definitely recommend.

Such a lovely collection of stories that put me right in the mood for Christmas. I liked every one of them. Dana Lecheminant is new to me, but I’m definitely going to find more of her books. Sarah Eden, Esther Hatch, and Anneka Walker are favorite authors and I can’t wait for more from them!

I loved this wonderful collection of stories by such gifted writers. Each story was unique and well written. I just loved it!

"The Holly and the Ivy" is a wonderful anthology of Regency romances by some of my favourite authors. I'm used to reading anthologies with three novellas, so I was agreeably surprised when I discovered the fourth one, which was also one of my favourites!

In “The Holly and the Ivy” by Sarah M. Eden, we get to meet some of our beloved characters when they were younger! The Duke of Kielder, as well as "Mater" and Lucas, from the Jonquil brothers series. Although this novella didn't really have the special magic of her Regency series, I still very much enjoyed the romance between the Duke's nursemaid and the gardener.

“Hiding Christmas” by Esther Hatch was actually hilarious! The beginning is a bit unbelievable, when we see the lengths Kirstine is ready to go to to save the grandmother from "persecution" over her love of Christmas, which is frowned upon in Scotland. But I could forgive this small absurdity, considering how much I loved what happened thanks to it - a voyage to England with a man Kirstine hates but doesn't know... Probably my favourite novella in this anthology!

“A Twist of Christmas” by Dana LeCheminant was perhaps the novella I enjoyed the least, but it was still nice, although predictable. When young people decide to exchange their identities, they do not imagine it might lead to heartache...nor love!

“A Season to Love” by Anneka R. Walker was such a great novella! I'm usually a bit annoyed by heroines who are a bit ridiculous, but this one was very fun! And it was very quite to see how the vicar was compelled to help her find a husband and do good in the community, when we was the one fitting this role the best!

I would highly recommend this Christmas anthology (which I was also happy to read during the summer!). I loved it. Lastly, shout out to the cover designer! It fits so well with the overall theme of the anthology!

*I received a free e-ARC and this is my honest opinion*

The Holly and the Ivy is a book packed full of novellas. It starts out with a short tale from one of my favorite authors, Sarah Eden. Lord and Lady Jonquil invite a young boy and his nursemaid into their home to spend his school break. After his father’s recent death, Adam must adjust to suddenly being a Duke. It is interesting to watch the Jonquil’s assist with this young boy’s transition!

Hiding Christmas, by Esther Hatch, tells a tale of Kirstine Jamieson trying to secretly celebrate the holiday with her English Grandmother. Before she knows it, Kirstine is traveling to England with her “pretend” husband, a man she had previously wanted nothing to do with!

In the tale, A Twist Of Christmas, by Dana LeCheminant, watch what happens when Lord Bartlett switches places with his younger brother to keep his identity secret during the Christmas season. This tale will becomes even more interesting when he crosses paths with Elizabeth Spencer, the daughter of a Duke, who is also trying to hide her identity. You will not believe what happens after these switches that place!

A Season to Love, by Annika R . Walker, is the final novella in this book. Alice Hunt must find a man to marry before her aunt picks out the man herself!

When Alice decides to ask the local rector, Mr. Thomas Perry, to assist her in locating her groom and preparing for her wedding, you will be surprised to see the man who is her perfect match!

These tales will definitely help prepare you for the holiday season!

#TheHollyandtheIvy #NetGalley

A Christmas anthology, written by four different authors. Each author, had a unique way, of sharing a little Christmas in each story. I loved seeing Adam, from Seeking Persephone, as a young boy, who wanted to be loved. There were stories set in both England and Scotland. Each story had it's own theme, from hiding Christmas bread, to switching places, to trying to find love. What a fun collection.

Four great Christmas stories! These authors are so good with their descriptions you can feel as if you are in those places with those characters. The tie in to the Holly and the Ivy was fun to find in each story. Each story was so different and unique to me. If you enjoy a fun historical Christmas romance you'll love these

This book is a collection of four heartwarming sweet Christmas stories. Although all four authors are new to me, I'm so glad I had the opportunity to be introduced to them. Perfect to get you into the Christmas atmosphere.

"The Holly and the Ivy" is a thoroughly charming collection of Christmas novellas.

Sarah M. Eden's "The Holly and the Ivy" features characters very familiar to those who read her works. Lucas and Julia Jonquil have a Christmas celebration for Adam Boyce, a stoic, sensitive and defensive little boy. Robbie MacGregor and Howard Simpkin's romance is sweet, although Adam plays a very important role. Eden's writing style is beautiful, and her characters really come to life. Hopeful and joyful, this story shows the reader what Christmas is all about.

"Hiding Christmas" by Esther Hatch is a more lighthearted tale, although it has its serious moments. Hatch's research of Scottish history is detailed; I was unaware that long ago Christmas celebrations in Scotland were prohibited. Enemies-to-lovers Kirstine Jaimeson and Isaac Parker come to terms with the past, which provide them with a promising future. A MacKinnon does his best to ruin everything, as one in particular from Hatch's earlier novels was wont to do.

Dana LeCheminant's contribution highlights four people switching identities, with amusing and confusing results. Seeing past the superficial is an important theme here. "A Twist of Christmas" is a delightful and well-written novella. I've read her novel "The Thief and the Noble", and I hope she continues to pen Regency stories.

Anneka Walker's "A Season of Love" brings together unconventional Alice Hunt and rector Thomas Perry. This humorous story is full of witty and clever banter. Alice's method of remembering people is particularly funny. Her books are always enjoyable, and I've read most of her works.

These four novellas are clean with few grammatical errors. Thanks to NetGalley and Covenant Communications for an ARC of this entertaining Christmas anthology.

I love these Christmas anthologies and this one was fabulous!!! All four of these authors are my favorite. Some of these novellas are companion books to these authors' series but they can all be read as stand alone novels if you haven't read anything previously from them. But I will say that I absolutely loved seeing how they tied into previous books I've read.

I was grinning and laughing and tearing up and sighing and wishing for more with these stories. They made me so happy. There were several themes of family and friendship throughout the whole collection. Definitely lots of matchmaking. Several mischievous relatives or the main characters themselves coming up with schemes to protect them or to push them into a relationship. Oh heavens, I giggled several times over a few of these characters. If you're wanting lighthearted and full of heart you will find it aplenty in this collection.

I don't know if I could say one is my favorite over the others because they were all so well written with very engaging stories and characters. The sweet romance and matchmaking was very charming and honestly had me grinning a lot. The love stories were so fun and unique and full of chemistry. The characters were witty and had great banter. These authors sure know how to write great witty dialogue.

Carriage rides, charades, disguises, Christmas celebrations, family, gardens, quick glances, Scotland, England, brogues, grudges, sorrow, healing, friendship, horse rides, matchmaking, bread, fake identities, choir practice, prayers (or rather please for help and bargaining), marriage of convenience (kind of- haha), stolen glances, sweet kisses, tender moments, forgiveness, proposals, and so much more is contained within this great collection!!!

Content: All four novellas are clean and sweet. No swearing and no explicit content. Only sweet kisses.

I received a copy from the publisher, Covenant Communications, via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions in the review are my own.

Happy Reading!!!

I absolutely loved this anthology. I was most excited to read more about Little Adam and I did enjoy the other stories. Sarah’s books will always have a bigger place in my heart. I would recommend reading her other books too so you can have the same appreciation for them and Adam’s character. I have previously read books by Sarah, Esther, + Dana and Anneka is a new author to me. I’m looking forward to reading more books by all of them!