A Regency Christmas

Regency Romance
The Amiable Miser by Edith Layton
When one of her regular customers leaves a large amount of cash in a returned book, clerk Joy Ayres informs her bookseller uncle Alfred Minch. Alfred informs her that she’s got to find out whose money it is, and Joy’s first stop is at the house of Lady Gray. That estimable dame’s nephew Niall, Lord Paget, offers to help the lovely young woman by escorting her about town on her rounds. No matter whom they ask, however, they just can’t seem to discover who’s missing all those pounds. Joy’s newfound happiness in Lord Paget’s company is tempered by the knowledge that he’ll be leaving any day now, to spend Christmas at his family home, while she’s stuck in town with her cheapskate uncle. Happy Christmas, indeed. There’s nothing new here, and precious little excitement or tension. But the author takes a few amusing, if gentle, pokes at the superior attitudes of non-romance readers, which raises it a notch in my estimation. Grade: C+

Regency Romance
A Home for Hanna by Barbara Metzger
Gregory Bellington, Viscount Bryson, has just seen his last hope of solvency dashed: while escorting a receptive heiress in the park, Gregory’s accosted by a tiny mite of a child who bears more than a passing resemblance to him. Gregory knows that Hannah’s not his by-blow, but she may be the natural daughter of his late, non-lamented brother, and she refuses to leave Gregory alone. His pockets may be to let, but the fellow’s still got a soft heart, so he sets out to find some solution to the child’s dilemma. Fortune throws Gregory in the path of a lovely young woman he thinks is a governess, but who may hold the key to more than just his financial difficulties. Like a cup of that eggnog you buy at the grocery store, this story is pleasant but bland, nothing to rave about – not by a long shot. Grade: C+

Regency Romance
A Partridge in a Pear Tree by Amanda McCabe
Harriet, Lady Kirkwood, is getting on in years, and decides to invite her prospective heirs to a holiday scavenger hunt, with the understanding that the winner will inherit her fortune. Among her guests are her niece Allison Gordon, the oldest child of an impecunious widow, and William Bradford, the cousin Allison hasn’t seen since the last time she visited her aunt five years ago. Each remembers the other from that time, and when they’re presented with the challenge of the hunt, they team up. Maybe, with the help of their little sisters, William and Allison can prevent the grasping Sir Reginald and his worthless family from snatching the prize out from under their noses. Solid characters, a family secret or two, and some clever writing make this the best story in the collection. Grade: B

Regency Romance
The Solid Silver Chess Set by Sandra Heath
As punishment for his misdeeds, elf Bramble Bumblekin is given the Very Important Task of delivering a Christmas gift to the Elf Lord of the Forest of Dean. Along the way, due to his carelessness, Bramble exposes himself to a pair of humans – a star-crossed pair of lovers. Julia Talbot and Philip, Earl of Allensmore, were engaged, but a Big Misunderstanding has driven them apart. Can some elven magic – or maybe just a good talking-to – help this couple come to their senses before it’s too late? Julia’s a widgeon, Philip’s got a stick up his rear end, and Bramble is downright addlepated, but somehow Heath pulls this story off. She takes a somewhat silly setup and makes it, if not enjoyable, then at least bearable. Grade: C+

Regency Romance
No Room at the Inn by Carla Kelly
Having suffered an unexpected (and, to my mind, highly unlikely) estrangement from her parents, Mary McIntyre is on a journey to the farm of her grandmother – a grandmother she never knew existed until very recently. Her traveling companions are the Shepards, a stuffed-shirt solicitor and his wife and children. When the weather forces her and her companions to seek shelter, they end up at the home of Mr. Shepard’s brother Joe. Now easygoing Joe and uptight Thomas haven’t spoken in years, and the reason for their distance soon becomes apparent to Mary, as well as his attraction to her. With so many uncertainties in her life, she just wants some stability. If only she could find it in this place, with this man! The Biblical references and parallels get to be a bit much – Joe even has a stepson named Joshua – but there’s a nice overall feel to the story, and it centers, as does so much of Kelly’s work, on ordinary people facing extraordinary challenges, and rising to the occasion. Grade: B

While none of these stories rises to the level of Jude Deveraux’s Just Curious, which I still think is the best Christmas romance short story ever published, they’re all acceptable. So stop what you’re doing and take a few minutes to slip back in time, to a snow-covered Regency England, where all the halls are decked and the wassail’s waiting for you. Just don’t expect for too much from out of Father Christmas’s pack.

-- Nora Armstrong

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