Member Reviews

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

Ulysses "Yule" Quartermain knows that he will soon follow his cousins down the aisle, and find a bride, but he never expected his childhood friend would be that woman. To him, Miss Penelope St. Clare will always be the little girl he gave a rag doll too before her family moved to Ireland, and he can't reconcile the beautiful woman in front of him with his memories. Penelope, however, has always known she will marry Yule, and just needs to convince him of that. As they spend the holidays together, using every opportunity she can to get close to him, will Yule finally come to terms with his feelings, and propose?

I think this one might be my favourite. The book was such a quick read, and the relationship between Yule and Penelope seemed so real. I loved the brother's best friend trope, and though Penelope was quite a bit younger than Yule, she had grown into a mature young woman, who knew what she wanted, and wasn't going to accept defeat. Yule just needed a little bit longer to realise she wasn't a little girl any more, and she was the perfect partner. A lovely addition to the series.

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Yule Be Mine was an adorable book, filled with sweet romance. I thought it was hilarious and clever to make Ulysses be nicknamed "Yule" and liked the relationship between the two main characters.

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This is Book 3 in the Welwyn Marriage Wager, and what a delightful holiday read this was! The series is based on wagers, where The Duke of Welwyn offers wagers to each of his grandsons. He wants to see all of them married, and if they achieve this he will grant them all estates of their own and the means to live comfortably.
This story was a fun regency romp featuring a best friend's little sister trope and it had me smiling and laughing all the way. Ulysses (Yule) and Penelope have known each other since childhood. She was always his friend's little sister, and thus he always saw her as a child. But seeing her now all grown up at the Christmas house party, turning heads wherever she goes, he can't help but notice her and his attraction to her is undeniable, but he still sees her as a child. Penelope has always loved Yule and dreamed of one day marrying him. Now that she is ready for her first season, she means to make him notice her. When he finally does, and they agree to marry, she finds out about the wager and is hurt, thinking that is the only reason he agreed to marry her. Now it's Yule's turn to convince Penelope that they really do belong together.
This was a delightfully charming story full of fun and humor, and intimacy and romance, but not without some misunderstandings. It was well-written with endearing characters and I was completely engrossed from start to finish. Although part of a series, it can easily be read as a standalone. Glad to have had the opportunity to read this!
I received a complimentary copy from Netgalley and Dragonblade Publishing and am voluntarily leaving my review.

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Such a great book!

I haven't read the 2 pervious ones but I will do it now.

Ulysses, Yule for his friends, accepted a wager with his grandfather, as his other male cousins. If they marry in a year, he will buy a state for each, give them 10000 pounds and a carriage. The catch? All of his 6 grandsons in marriageable age had to agree and all had to marry within the time frame or none would receive this very generous reward. All of them agreed and 2 of them are already married.

Yule really wants to make his grandfather happy, but none of the ladies he knows makes him feel anything like a wife should make him feel... until she sees the most beautiful woman in a Christmas ball. When he approaches her, he realizes they have known each other since they were children, and is reluctant to go on with that infatuation.

Penelope St. Claire, has been wanting to marry Yule since she moved to Ireland when she was 7 years old. Now that she's about to have her first Season, she will do anything for him to know how much she loves him. Anything.

It was so funny to read both of their POV and how Yule ends up changing his mind.

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Childhood friends, Ulyeses (Yule) Quartermain and Penelope St. Claire meet at a house party at Christmas. It's been ten years since they've seen each other.. Yule is attracted to her, but still thinks of her as a child. Kisses under the mistletoe convinces her to change his mind.
She's always loved him, but when she finds out about his grandfather's wager, she thinks he doesn't love her and is only marrying her for the wager. She calls off the wedding. Yule is one determined man to convince her to marry him because he really loves her. Fast paced with humor and open bedroom door. Heat level 4.
I voluntarily read and reviewed a copy this book from NetGalley.

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A short and silly read this hit the spot for a light hearted Christmas regency romance. The plot was of course predictable but in the best possible way.

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Resisting Love

She is the sister of his childhood friend; how can he think of her as a woman to love? It is quite easy, for she is now a woman grown, and she will prove it to him at every turn and under every mistletoe. He might succumb to her allure, but what about that marriage wager going on in his family? Will he tell her about it, or will she find out about it before he tells her? Keeping such a wager a secret is not wise, and it can have unforeseen consequences.

. Yule and Penelope's antics put a smile on my face. I recommend their story to lovers of lighthearted historical romance.

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“Yule Be Mine” is is the third book in Jenna Jaxson’s The Welwyn Marriage Wager series. This book centers around Yule and Penelope, childhood friends who were separated when Penelope and her family relocated to Ireland. At Christmas time they are reunited as adults. Penelope has always held Yule in her heart and sees him as husband material. However, after being called his childhood name, Yule only saw the child Penelope and not the adult. Being part of the marriage wager, Yule was looking for a bride. He did not tell Penelope about his grandfather’s wager, which would come back to haunt him. Once Yule saw Penelope for the beautiful young woman she was, far removed from her childhood, Yule wanted her for a wife. Yule realized he loved her. I enjoyed this holiday romance. These two main characters were meant for each other. Their passion for one another had them anticipating their wedding night early, as they created situations to be alone together. A lot of situations! Yule was eager to move up the wedding date as he had bedding Penelope constantly on his mind. Penelope was just as eager as Yule for bed sport. This is a very steamy, open door romance. It is well written, fast paced, and easy to read. It can be enjoyed as a Christmas romance during the holidays or read any time during the year. This book is part of a connected series, it can easily be read as a stand-alone or in any order. Definitely recommended for lovers of steamy historical romance which describes this book to a tee.

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It was well-written enough but I found the main characters lacking and felt uncomfortable with the FMC being underage for a good chunk of the book.

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This series is wonderfully entertaining, this book was better than the last. I love how all the cousins band together to help each other realize if they have found their true love or not. Yule is looking for love and sees it instantly, he just doesn't want to admit its with a girl who he has known since she was in leading strings. The cousins and Mrs. Philpotts will convince Yule otherwise.. My favorite quote from the book ? "I just thought it best to leave her at your home so she wouldn’t have to spend the rest of her days with her head turned to the wall.”.... You will just have to find out why.
I received a complimentary copy of this book. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with guidelines.

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Loved Ulysses and Penelope's story, it is a wonderful addition to a great series. Full of attraction, passion love and romance.

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Ulysses “Yule” Quartermain is unenthusiastically looking for a bride. Penelope St. Clare decided she would marry "Yule" when she was 7 years old and now she's 17 and ready to marry him, Yule sees a beauty at a house party, his heart stops when she walks in the room, and it drops when he realizes the "beauty" is Penelope, his boyhood friends little sister. The denials, avoidance, and mean words do nothing to deter Penelope. A cute Christmas romance with all the feels. It's a quick read that I fully enjoyed.

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The 'little girl next door' is all grown up & wanting to play!

A tale that leaves you with a smile on your face, as Jaxon crafts YULE BE MINE into a sweet to deliciously spicy romance!
Yule floundering to hold up his end of the marriage wager, sees hope and his libido flare as a stunning beauty steps into his life. The only problem is, as recognition dawns, it's going to take alot of mistletoe kisses and an internal tug of war battle, to vanquish that 'little girl next door' image, he just can't help remembering and holding him back. Especially, as desire and a love so much more profound than before blooms and has him thinking anything but brotherly thoughts.
Full of stolen moments of intimacy, humour and teasing good fun. Where Penelope in all her endearingly innocent provocation nurtures this sweet, magnetic tension that grows to simmer between them, with such a sizable dose of heat, that sparks hot, fueled with all the tenacity, hope and steadfast determination of that once little infatuated girl next door, as she steps up to prove just how womanly she can be!
With a heartwarming layer of festive cheer to set the scene and elevate this - in the moment - childhood friends to lovers romance, with such a lighthearted joy and sense of good fun, it has me looking forward to seeing where the series will lead next! Can't wait for Tom's fall...after his cheeky cameo in this one...as it is sure to be a hoot!

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Yule Be Mine by Jenna Jaxon is the next in her series, The Welwyn Marriage Wager, in which an ill grandfather wagers six of his grandsons that they cannot marry within a year. Yule is the third. He has no idea who he should marry but when he is at a party, he sees the most stunning woman he has ever seen as she enters. She runs over to him and calls him by a childish name, reminding him of the little girl who had been his neighbor and moved away over ten years earlier. He no longer sees her as a stunning woman, but as that little girl. She tries really hard to change his view of her and then all of a sudden he does, but she finds out about the wager and is very hurt by the fact he didn’t tell her himself.

This was both amusing and cumbersome. It felt almost like it was scribbled out as the deadline drew near but then something would happen to change the reader’s opinion. Penelope was still ten years younger than he but it no longer felt like it made a different. Her parents wanted a six-month engagement. He couldn’t wait that long. What could be done? Penelope had an idea. He wasn’t sure he liked it but they proceeded and it turned out it liked it very much. Yule was a good man: honorable, wealthy, and kind. Penelope had loved him since she was a small girl. She would stop at nothing to make him love her, as well. It was an entertaining read with decent characters and a good storyline, for the most part.

I was invited to read a free e-ARC of Yule Be Mine by Dragonblade, through Netgalley. All thoughts and opinions are mine. #Netgalley #Dragonblade #JennaJaxon #YuleBeMine

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A marriage bet....

Yule is at a loss at finding a bride, despite the bet his grandfather placed on his other cousins.
Penelope is very young, a mere teen, who is set on marrying Yule. Yule is much older but half heartedly looking for a bride.

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Lighthearted and entertaining, Ulysses Quartermain never thought his nemesis would be the lass who tagged along behind him and his best friend as children. With a wager set by his grandfather, Yule has enough trouble trying to find the bride his grandfather demands without all the side-wagers and a mischievous cousin stirring the pot. When Yule first sees Penelope St. Clare, all grown up and stunningly beautiful, he is immediately attracted to her. However, once he realizes who she is, he has a hard time ridding himself of the picture of the little girl in his mind, and the feeling that it would be wrong to take advantage of her. However, he does not take Penelope's determination into account, but when the situation goes off-kilter, Yule has his work cut out for him to win the fair lady. I received a copy of this enjoyable romance as a gift through Dragonblade Publishing and NetGalley and this is my honest and voluntary review.

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This wasn’t a bad quick read installment of this wager series. I found Yule to be a little boring and nothing really exciting. Penelope was overly aggressive in getting what she wants in terms of Yule. She based her love for him off of more of kindness she experienced with him as a child but I would have liked to see what as an adult makes her love him. There wasn’t much relationship building between these two. I also thought it was a bit odd he was so against her because of her age but then he used his jealousy as the reason to say that he loved her which to me is more of an indicator of lust rather than love. He didn’t come across as being protective of her due to emotional connections to her that could support his feelings towards her were founded in love. He just seemed jealous and lustful regarding her not loving at all. I was a bit confused about the age gap here. Was he 30 or in his 30’s or in his late 20s? I am also not a huge fan of an age gap trope anyway so not knowing what the gap was off putting even more. This wasn’t my cup of tea but could be for someone who loves age gap regency romances that doesn’t mind a lack of character and relationship building.

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London - 1860

Ulysses (Yule) Quaterman and his cousins are all being looked at to marry. For himself, Yule wonders if he will be successful in finding someone to marry in the short time his grandfather has to live. If they find someone to marry, they will be given an estate, 10K pounds, and a carriage. The cousins all have their eye on someone but Yule does not.

Ashland Park, Kent

Yule and his family are attending a house party when a beautiful young woman enters the room. Seeing him, she remembers him and runs over to greet him. Unsure of who she is, she reminds him that she is Penelope St. Claire. She is the much younger sister of his childhood neighbor. She always followed them around when they played together. Now, she is 17 and she and her sister, Charlotte, will be heading to London in the spring for their dual seasons. Taken aback at his coolness to her, Penelope is determined to make this man notice her as she has always loved him.

It is a couple months later at a Christmas house party that Yule and Penelope are together again. By then, she outdoes herself boldly reaching out to him which finally awakens a response in him making him realize he loves her and wants to marry her. But before they can get married, they get into mischief that could make big trouble for them.

This is a delightful story that is in part humorous and very romantic. I loved the characters and the attention to detail the author penned about the activities of Christmas for the time period. This is a nice story that made me smile. Enjoy!

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

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Ulysses “Yule” Quartermain is involved in a family wager set by his grandfather to marry. Yet Yule is not looking for a bride until he sees Penelope St. Clare, the little sister of his boyhood friend. It has been ten years since they last met but she is no longer seven, but a ravishing beauty. Yule is not immune to the charms of the little girl next door, but he is trying to avoid her. However, Penelope has wanted to marry Ulysses Quartermain for most of her life. All she must do is make him see that she is grown up and would make him the perfect wife. Yet when it all seems to be going to plan, the wager might just something that tears them apart.
Whilst a part of a series, this book can be read as a standalone as the family are quickly introduced and the concept of the wager. The shared history between Yule and Penelope makes their relationship move quickly as no introduction is needed. This was a sweet romance with a very naïve Penelope making some interesting comments as he feelings for Yule grow and mature. I also enjoyed the laughter that some of Yule’s family members bring to this story. A sweet romance.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book from NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

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Penelope used to tag along with her brother, Victor and his friend Ulysses( Yule). When her family faces tragedy and they decide to move, Yule gives Penelope a doll named Mrs. Phillpotts. Seven year old Penelope treasures the doll and takes her everywhere. Later a grown up Penelope returns to London with her sister and parents to debut for the season. Upon meeting Yule again Penelope tells her sister that she wishes for Yule to court her. Yule tries to keep her at bay and doesn't want her interested in him. I loved Pen and Yule's romance! I'd love to go back and read the previous books in this series.

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