Christmas Review: A Regency Holidy & Wyoming Bride

A Regency Holiday by Allison Lane

Four novellas focusing on the Christmas season set during the Regency period in England.

Coventry's Christmas by Rebecca Hagan Lee
Suffolk, Buckinghamshire, and London in England, December 1813

Star of Wonder by Lynn Kerstan
North Yorkshire Dales, December 1819

A Christmas Homecoming by Susan Pace
December 1814

Home for Christmas by Alicia Rasley
Near Plymouth, December 1818

This Regency Christmas collection is a swift read to enjoy during the month of December. The author capture various Regency themes, such as, step-parents, soldiers, wards, turns of fortune, etc. Each novella is distinct and differ from each other so the reader cannot be bored reading the same themes over and over again in one book.

Reviewed from a NetGalley copy. Thank you, Bell Bridge Books!

---

Wyoming Bride: A Bitter Creek Novel by Joan Johnston

Wyoming Bride is the second novel in Johnston's newest series Mail-Order Brides. Wyoming Bride is also a continuation of her Bitter Creek series.

Wyoming Bride follows the lives of the Wentworth siblings, specifically Hannah. (Miranda Wentworth was featured in Texas Bride, Mail-Order Brides Book 1.) Hannah desires to save the rest of her siblings, Hetty and Josie, from the orphanage. She jumps in and becomes a mail-order bride. Hannah believes marriage to McMurtry will keep her family together. Unfortunately, the Oregon Trail is not an easy road to travel.

Johnston writes a fun and adventurous western. If you're unfamiliar with her stories, this book can be enjoyed by itself. Johnston throws in enough detail that the reader isn't floundering in unknown information. The author's note at the end of the book is well put together. Joan invites the reader to anticipate her next Mail-Order Bride book and encourages readers to enjoy her previous books before the next one arrives.

Reviewed from a NetGalley copy. Thank you, Random House Publishing Group!

Why is this in my Christmas reviews? They mention Christmas, of course! The Creeds traveled to Cheyenne to purchase Christmas gifts. 

Review: Lily's Plight

Lily's Plight by Sally Laity

Sally Laity and Dianna Crawford's final book of the Daughters of Harwood House series is Lily's Plight. The previous novels were Rose's Pledge (Book 1) and Mariah's Quest (Book 2).

As indentured servants Rose went to the wildness, Mariah went to a plantation, and Lily went to a farming community on the edge of the wilderness. Lily's roll was to care for the family's children and watch over John's ailing and beloved wife, Susan. After Mariah's wedding, Lily's freedom could have been bought, but Lily wanted to stay with the Waldons. She wanted to fulfill her contract and she wanted to remain close to those she loved. Life becomes complicated as the French and Indian War draws closer to the settlement and John worries for his family's safety. Lily remains firm to watch over her young charges in the face of grave danger.

Out of the three Daughters of Harwood House books, Lily's Plight is my favorite. The timeline isn't as rushed or drawn out to cover a long range of time. Laity and Crawford address the dangers of battle and how families in the early settlements needed to work together to succeed. The struggle with faith, love, and family are woven throughout the novel. It was a beautiful conclusion to the Harwood family.

Reviewed from a NetGalley copy. Thank you, Barbour Publishing, Inc.!