Love Is Stupid, and That’s a Fact

They say that “love is blind,” but I argue that love is stupid. Blind people might not see, but they can discern and comprehend. However, Maria found herself rendered stupid from the moment she saw Walter. If your father told you not to let the man into the house should he knock, wouldn't you want to find out more? Perhaps you wouldn't if you were struck stupid by love. Why did Maria’s father forbid Walter entrance to his abode, and what would happen to this possibly doomed love? I could see some writing on the wall, and I was anxiously awaiting how it would all turn out in the end. Was it possible to forgive what was to come? I did enjoy this debacle and would recommend it to those who enjoy historical romance novellas, where you know disaster is sure to occur. You could only hope for the best for the poor souls involved.

I would like to thank Netgalley and Dragonblade Publishing for a free copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

Enjoyable.

I received an Advance Reader Copy from the publisher, via NetGalley. This in no way impacted on my view.

Maria Fitzroy is used to being overshadowed by her sisters, and this Christmas at Chalcroft is no different. When someone does speak to her, it's normally to ask about her marriage prospects, and she's sick of it. So when she meets the handsome stranger who has leased the vicarage cottage, Walter, and who is interested in spending time with her, and more importantly, getting to know her, Maria is smitten. However, soon stories start to be published about her family, and some of the details sound remarkably close to what Maria has told Walter. Okay, I did not like this book. Walter was a bit of a stalker, and he used Maria for her family gossip to sell to the papers. I'm not overly sure if he was a reporter, or just a solicitor as he told Maria, but even so, the relationship was not a good one. I wanted to warn Maria away from him, and didn't like the way he changed her. I will continue the series, but this was not a good instalment at all!

The seventh installment of The Twelve Day of Christmas brings us Maria Fitzroy's story. She's the shy one of the bunch and likes to keep to herself. She mostly goes unnoticed and tends to fade into the background. When she meets the stranger, Mr. Walter's, she is intrigued by him and also very much attracted to him. He is new to the village and he also has a strange fascination with Maria. As much as she knows she should stay away, their paths keep crossing, and their romance begins to blossom. But Walter asks her too many questions about her family, and when gossip about them begins to appear in the papers, Maria becomes suspicious of Walter. But Maria cannot deny how special Walter makes her feel and the attention he gives her. The misunderstandings that arise will threatenen their budding romance and Walter will have to once and for all come clean with her.
Another lovely addition to the series!
I received a complimentary copy from Dragonblade Publishing via Netgalley and am voluntarily leaving my review.

Six Geese A-Laying by Emily EK Murdoch is part of her Twelve Days of Christmas series and we have now gotten to Maria, the shy daughter, who is always available to play with the children and care for them when one of her sisters has something else to do. She longs for life, but doesn’t see it happening for her. Until one night she answers the door and meets a man she likes, but her father arrives and tells her to never let him in the house. Very odd, all he’d done was ask about her mother. Soon she starts seeing him everywhere, Walter is his name. Before she knows it she is kissing him and more. But all the time sneaking around. She can’t let her father find out.

Turns out Walter is a reporter, sent to collect gossip, which has been his earlier goal. Now his goal was all Maria, He’d tried to tell her but hadn’t gotten it out. Of course, she found out but he really was innocent. Two cute characters, both without much depth. This was a cute idea on the part of Murdoch but she has released these books so quickly she hasn’t really had time to really develop either the stories or the characters. They have so much unmet potential.

I was invited to read a free e-ARC of Six Geese A-Laying by Dragonblade, through Netgalley. All thoughts and opinions are mine. #Netgalley #Dragonblade #EmilyEKMurdoch #SixGeeseALaying

Another fun addition to the 12 Days of Christmas collection. I am beginning to love the Fitzroy Family!
Thank you Emily EK Murdoch, Dragonblade Publishing and NetGalley for allowing me an advance copy for my honest feedback.

It’s just before Christmas and Maria finds herself drawn to a handsome stranger who has just arrived in the village. Despite being warned off him by her father, Maria doesn’t miss an opportunity to get closer to the mysterious Walter and finds herself falling for him. Does he feel the same or is there more to his story than he lets her know?

I enjoyed being back in Chalcroft for another Christmas story featuring the Fitzroy sisters. And as much as I liked being back this story did fall short for me. It’s a bit hard to fall in love when you have that ominous feeling in the pit of your stomach. Something about Walter didn’t sit right for me from the beginning and I kept wanting to warn Maria off of him. I couldn’t shake the feeling that he was more villain than hero and had this book been a full length novel I would have been certain he was more Wickham than Darcy.

If you can get past that then it’s another quick romantic story which is right at place in these Twelve Days of Christmas novella series. There’s family a plenty celebrating the festive season. There’s also the steamier scenes between love interests which always deliver.

There are three Fitzroy brothers, each with different interests, each the father of daughters, twelve in total. The seventh story in the series takes place during the Christmas festivities at the family seat, Chalcroft. This is the story of Maria, the quiet and shy Fitzroy, and Walter Arborn, a mysterious man living in a nearby cottage. After several walks and talks together, Maria realizes that Walter is the man for her. He asks a lot of questions about her family. A misunderstanding about Walter’s reason for being in Chalcroft might almost stopped their romance before it started. A bit different than the other stories in the series, but enjoyable.
I received an ARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley and am voluntarily reviewing it.

This is shy Maria's love story. Maria meets mysterious Mr. Walter who is new to the neighborhood over Christmas. These two experience some unexpected twists, turns, and misunderstanding before they gain their HEA.
I am enjoying the Twelve Days of Christmas novellas that Emily EK Murdoch has written for our enjoyment. I love to read romantic stories about the Christmas season.

I received a copy of this from Netgalley and this is my freely given opinion.

This is the story of Maria Fitzroy of the Chalcroft Fitzroys, and novella 7 of the series. She is the rather shy and withdrawn younger sister and generally finds it difficult to open up to strangers and with so many of the siblings and cousins marrying, the family is getting larger and opening up to new people.

Then a stranger, Walter, literally shows up at their front door, exhibiting a strong curiosity about her family and their doings. He is given the cold shoulder by her family, but Maria has a fascination with him and is not only attracted to him, but opens up to him. However his interest in her may not be a shared interest and attraction in each other, but as suggestively twisted gossip appears in the paper about her family, Maria starts to suspect that Walter may be using her.

I did not get the entire interest that Walter had in the family, and specifically Lorena, the mother - that he would just show up as a stranger at their door and starts asking questions. I can see where the father would be suspicious and not welcoming, but then why, especially when her father tells her that Walter is not welcome, would a shy, reticent women who has difficulty approaching strangers want to develop a relationship with a stranger who shows suspicious interest in her family. It just seems weird, suspicious, and stalker-ly and not quite right.

2 stars out of 5

I honestly thought her books were getting better and better with each one. This one was a bit of a disappointment to me. I didnt get the good Murdoch vibes like I usually do when reading one of her books. Maybe its because this one didn't include the family or the man was so cold. I am not sure. But we will see what 'Five Golden Rings' brings to the mix maybe to lift this book up. Let's keep reading the series. I would normally give a book like this 3 stars but I am really enjoying the series so 4 stars it is.
I recieved a free copy so that I might tell you what I honestly think. Hope you enjoyed my review. Now go enjoy the book.

Totally loved this book! The Author is awesome at getting you into this sweet and romantic love story and its complications and difficulties but hey, a true love is worth fighting for.

3.5 Stars
Maria is the shy quiet Fitzroy so when she opens the door the new man in the village she is intrigued.
He’s new to the village, mysterious and handsome, and they seem to meet whenever she goes for a ride or a walk. His questions about her family & then the gossip about them starts to appear in the papers—but none of that matters. Not when Maria knows Walter is the one for her.
The seventh Fitzroy to find love & I must admit I didn't enjoy this as much as the others. It was well written & flowed well, the characters had depth. I really liked the shy Maria & loved how she gained confidence but I couldn’t warm to Walter, I found him creepy & felt he was stalking Maria, which left me feeling uncomfortable. I would have liked the book to have been a full length novel so that Walter could have redeemed himself.
My honest review is for a special copy I voluntarily read

A steamy short story about love and betrayal. But it’s also a story about forgiveness and redemption, specially during that time of Christmas. Enjoyable read. but not my favourite because of the betrayal. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

A secretive romance that blends sweet naivete, innocence and instant attraction with a touch of steamy, awakening of desire, intimacy. Making this an entertaining addition to the series that interweaves a thin veil of deception and discovery as it ups the sensual heat more than a few degrees.

Maria was the Fitzroy I was most looking forward to hearing about. I was drawn in by her shyness and awkwardness when in social gatherings. That feeling of being lost and floundering, going unnoticed and fading into the background, held such promise for her to find a partner that could give her purpose, make her feel worthy and really bring her out of the shadows. As a result, I loved the glimpses of building confidence as she minutely broke from her shell to voice her opinions and tentatively began to unfurl and bloom.
The fact she fell so deeply and madly fit perfectly with her innocence, lack of interaction with men and her reserved nature. Blossoming under the attention and notice of Walter, an attractive and intriguing man with an aura of furtiveness that lingered around him. Allowing a confidence to spark and flourish through the surprise she found she craved such admiration and release. While an internal battle rages within the reader, a desire to see her grasp at that release and journey down this path to discover her selfworth, whilst a red flag of caution waved and tied your stomach in knots, in a warning to route out Walter's true intentions and gauge how genuine his feelings truly are.
The mystery and ominious air that surrounded Walter's interest added to my heightening moments of angst for Maria as his persistent interest in her mother, his odd behavior and pertinent questions highlighted ulterior motives, yet the slow build of chemistry and marked moments of intense passion and connection kept drawing me in to seek their happily ever after. I just wish we got the chance to experience many of their encounters from his point of view too as this would of helped to increase his likability tenfold and eliminate those pesky reservations about him quicker so I could of enjoyed the romance more.
That said, this was a fun read to add to the series that dealt with the Six Geese a Laying theme in a very creative and clever way. It really underlined the progression in their relationship, changing perspectives and the power of forgiveness, when misjudgements and mistakes were revealed and enlightenment dawned.
I always knew if someone just took the time to get to know and understand Maria they would realise what a treasure she was! I really do hope we get to see her become more assertive in future books and truly get that moment to shine, and stand her own, when surrounded by her boisterous family.

Of the books in the series I have read so far I think this one is my least favorite. But I am a little conflicted about that because there were aspects that I really did like. I thought Maria's feelings of being awkward and not as good as her sisters was something relatable to a lot of readers. But I did not like that she was so desperate for male attention that she basically throws herself at Walter without really knowing anything about him. And the fact that she couldn't put two-and-two together when things very similar to what she told him about her family started to show up in the newspaper really annoyed me. She is not a dumb woman, but she sure does act that way through much of the book. If Walter had been probably any other man he would 100% have taken advantage of Maria to get what he wanted - and she would have made it so easy for him to do so. Back to what I did like - when Maria confronted Walter and finally showed some sense (and spine) in his presence. She didn't let him off the hook too easily. He was so so lucky she was the type of person who would give someone a second chance. The connection to the song was a little less developed than in some other books, but the subtlety of it worked really well for this story.

This book was definitely not my favorite of the series so far.

Although it was a quick romance read and fit the Christmas theme, I didn't feel the character connection I did in other books in the series. Maria fit the over eager type in being head over heals in love, but Walter gave off creepy stalker type vibes to me. I understand that he was hiding why and what he was doing in town, but Maria didn't even question much or have that build of conflict until the end basically.

One thing this book had that previous ones didn't was that the romance was very detailed and steamy. Depending on preferences, certain readers may like this more, but due to the short length, I think it detracted for the character development a bit.

Even if this wasn't my favorite, it has its place in the series. I am excited to see what the next book will be.

Thanks to Dragonblade and Netgalley for providing me a copy of this ARC for my honest review.

Love Happens Unexpectedly

Maria Fitzroy loved the quiet life and always found it hard to make conversation. She was happy to take a back seat with her family until the day Walter knocked on their door.

Her father had said not to allow him in the house if he knocked again but outside the house he seemed to be everywhere she was and when she had her first ever kiss from him, she was smitten. Walter seemed to be as smitten but every so often he would ask about her family which was strange.

Falling madly in love with him and giving him her innocence, she was totally floored when she found out why he was there! She thought he loved her but all the time she was his Golden Goose for his future.

Sending him away, Walter was devastated, he’d realised she was his soul mate and couldn’t live without her.
Another beautiful sweet romance from Emily with some steamy moments and misunderstandings that needed to be sorted out before they got their HEA!

I voluntarily read and reviewed an ARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Oh Maria, you deserve so much better than Walter. Maria is young and shy, feeling unseen in her large Fitzroy family. Walter takes advantage. He then apparently falls in love with her but still doesn't tell her the truth. Maria gets over it all much too quickly. Probably my least favorite of the series so far. I literally shouted at my kindle while reading. 2 stars, just because I do like reading about the Fitzroys.

Thank you to NetGalley and Dragonblade for an ARC of this book. The opinions herein are my own.

A short but steamy story about love and unwitting betrayal. But it’s also a story about forgiveness and redemption, specially during that time of Christmas. Enjoyable read.

I received an ARC from Netgalley and leaving my review voluntarily.