Publisher: WOLF Publishing
Format: ebook
Release Date: October 18th 2022
Genre: Romance – Regency – Christmas
Goodreads
Part of Naughty or Nice: A Holiday Regency Anthology – Once Upon an Aggravatingly Heroic Kiss Review / A Diamond for Christmas Review / The Governess Gamble Review
Out of the four novellas in this anthology I’ve read so far, I think this might be my favourite. With the Regency Romances I’ve read, it tends to be a romance between two different members of the ton, or least two characters who near enough the same level ‘class’ doesn’t come into play. I haven’t come across one, either, where the woman is in a higher position than the man. But here you have a countess falling in love with a groom, and realising she does, actually, deserve a chance at happiness. This one really did feel so different and was an absolute joy to read.
After the death of her husband, Kat becomes the source of gossip among the ton, believing she killed the count. Now a widowed countess, Kat returns to her family home – now her brother’s – to spend Christmas with her siblings. But a prank pushes Ashely Spencer into her path, and she realises he might be the key to helping her son heal. And, perhaps, not just her son.
Kat and Ash are drawn to each other, and their bond deepens as he aids her son. The scenes between them were sweet, with Ash being shown as kind and patient, opposite to Kat’s deceased husband. The writing is really good, and Edgewood does a great job of showing how broken Kat is, even if she tries to hide it from herself, and how she changes over the course of the novella. It’s nice, too, that there’s not huge external factors – society, family, etc – trying to sabotage their relationship. These things are a concern – especially to Kat – but mostly she seems to be looking for excuses to not take a chance.
This is currently a standout for me in the anthology, and I’m excited to read more of Fenna Edgewood’s work, and return to this family again.
Unwrapping Words 