Jerrica Knight-Catania

The Duke of Danby is at it again. He has invited his great-nieces and nephews to the castle for Christmas and some match-meddling. This time his grand-nephew Gabriel Whitton is on the block. This is a story of love at first sight. Sara Beth Millstone is walking past the castle when the Whitton family arrive. From a distance she sees Gabriel and he sees her. Later that afternoon, as she is entering the local shop to buy some baking ingredients, the two run into each other. She agrees to help him pick our Christmas presents for his 2 sisters but when they arrive at the local bookstore she makes a quick escape. It seems the lovely Miss Millstone has a secret.
When Gabriel finds out about her secret instead of being nice about it he teases her - not a good way to start a romance. The two find their way back to each other at the Duke's Christmas Eve Ball and everyone lives happily ever after. As in all Duke of Danby stories you know someone is going to get married but it's a joy to see how they get there. This is a quick and fun read and the characters are well written making you want to get to know them and join in their happiness.… (mehr)

This is the third book in the collection of stories about The Haunting of Castle Keyvnor. The first story in the book is by Erica Monroe. Lady Claire Deering and Theodore (Teddy) Lockwood, Earl of Ashbrooke have been lifelong friends – both of whom are in love with the other but afraid to say so for fear of ruining the friendship. Claire won’t allow anything between them because she is afraid she has inherited the madness of her mother and aunt. Teddy was born a spare and didn’t feel he had much to offer until he suddenly became the earl. Teddy is a bit of a nerd. He’s bookish and always looking for answers in books. When Claire and Teddy find out that her family isn’t mad but cursed, they must both put aside their preconceived notions of the rational and believable and accept the possibility of other forces of nature. One of the most beautiful scenes in this story is when Teddy and Claire make love for the first time, 2 virgins who had saved themselves for the other.
The second story is by Jerrica Knight-Catania – a favorite of mine. This is a delightful tale of love at first sight. Chadwick Kendall is at the Castle because his father received a notice about the reading. Unfortunately, his father, Baron Dinedor, is on his death bed. He asks his son Chad to go, knowing that he might not last until his son returns. When Chad arrives and gets out of the carriage, he looks up and sees a beautiful woman with red hair. At the same time, Lady Samantha Priske, who is out walking on the turret walk looks down and sees a handsome man. All she can think is that she hopes he’s not her cousin. These two don’t need ghosts to bring them together – the attraction is immediate. There is only one problem, Sam’s parents would never allow her to marry a mere Mister and Mr. Chad Kendall did not let anyone know that he is soon to be a Baron. Even being without a title does not stop Sam from allowing Chad to make love to her. The next morning he is gone. It has nothing to do with her but he sees the ghost of his dead mother and she encourages him to go home to be with his father. Will Sam ever see him again? Will they find their Happily Ever After? You’ll have to read the story to find out the rest but it is a delightful story to read.
Renee Bernard rounds out this collection with a story of a witch and an engineer who have opposite beliefs except when it comes to falling in love. Blade Hambly is heir to the Earl of Hambly (the one who just inherited). He is on his way to the Castle for the reading of the will but something’s not right. As he gets out of the carriage in town, he collapse with Scarlet Fever. Luckily for him, Elethea Fairfax, the doctor’s daughter just happened to be at the inn and takes over his care immediately. Besides being the doctor’s daughter, she is also the daughter and grand-daughter of a witch and she understands the use of herbal remedies. She send for her father but works all night to reduce the fever. As the dawn breaks so does his fever but her father shows up to take credit for the cure. Because Blake was out of it while he was feverish he thinks he dreamed of his angel. But when she stops by to check on him (against her father’s wishes) he knows she is real. Can two people who are from such different classes really fall in love and make it work? Can Blade really accept the fact that there is magic in the world? Can anyone really believe that someone is named Blade –just kidding on this one)? This story was the perfect ending to the trio of stories. With the love between them, the curse is lifted and everyone can live and love happily ever after.
I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review
… (mehr)

Hannah, Lady Beeston is having a bad life. She was married for 10 years to a cruel man who finally is dead after shooting her in the thigh while dueling her brother. Now, her family doctor has to go out of town and brings in a new doctor to handle her injury. Lucky for her, Dr Graham Alcott has been studying more modern techniques and is able to get her up and walking again. During her long convalescence the two become close and fall in love. Just when things are looking up something bad happens.
Jerrica Knight-Catania provides a group on characters you can't help but like and pull for as their Happily Ever After seems to be in jeopardy. Of course, it all comes together on Christmas Eve.
This book contains multiple epilogues which provide additional information on the various couples and friends in the Wetherby series. If you haven't read the books you might not know who everyone is but it is still nice to see everyone get a Happy Ending at Christmas.… (mehr)