Penny's Yuletide Wish

GIVEAWAY
RANDOM RETRO READ!

BRITTON, SALLY

PENNY'S YULETIDE WISH

When Penny and Robert meet again on Christmas Eve, will their childhood love bloom into something more? They only have the Twelve Days of Christmas to find out.

Robert Ellsworth, born the son of a wealthy gentleman, is now a mere steward in the service of another. While his position brings him satisfaction, it does not make him much of a matrimonial catch. It hardly matters, as Robert's heart has long belonged to his childhood friend. When a chance meeting brings them face to face on Christmas Eve, he cannot bring himself to hope that she feels the same.

When she lost her parents years before, Penelope Clark also lost contact with her dearest friend. Visiting the community where she grew up, Penny is taken aback by how handsome Robert has grown, and how little her girlhood infatuation has diminished. But when a Christmas Ball leads to a mistletoe kiss, she finds herself as much in love as ever before. Unfortunately for her, Robert confesses his heart already belongs to a mysterious woman.

Through the Twelve Days of Christmas, Penny and Robert each make a wish for the other's happiness. Will they realize only confessing their hearts will grant those wishes before their time together is spent?

Penny's Yuletide Wish is a sweet Regency romance novella, and continuation of the Branches of Love series by Sally Britton. It can be read as a standalone romance.

My Review:

published in 2019

Nothing says Christmas quite like a Regency holiday romance and this one is unique in that it starts on Christmas Eve and goes through to Epiphany. Love the yuletide details and traditions the author has incorporated into the story. Times were so much simpler back then! 

This is very much a doomed-but-not-really-doomed romance. :-) And by that I mean that both Penny and Robert harbour feelings for the other but, a) don't reveal those feelings and b) are certain the other doesn't feel the same way. So we have lots of pining looks across the ballroom and befuddled conversations that lead to misunderstandings and there's always that yearning for what one knows one can never have! Swoon! 

It would get tiresome in a full-length novel, but works wonderfully well in this shorter novella length story. Keeps the tension taut and the reader on edge. And I loved the teasing and banter between Robert and his brothers! Nice lighthearted moments to sooth the unrequited love ones. :-)

This book just plain made me happy and put me in a festive mood despite the fact that I read (listened) to it in the middle of a July heatwave!

Penny's Yuletide Wish is the seventh book in the Branches of Love series but reads fine as a standalone. I've only read one other book in the series and I had no problems diving into this one.

 

I listened to the audible edition narrated by Jessica Elisa Boyd and enjoyed my visit to Regency England very much.

Goal Update: #2 Catch up on a series I'm behind in, #5 Diversify my reading

GIVEAWAY OPPORTUNITY:

This giveaway is for a paperback or ebook copy -- winner's choice

If you would like a chance to win a copy of  Penny's Yuletide Wish, leave a comment below or email me at kavluvstoreadATyahooDOTca. If you add an email to your comment, remember to use AT and DOT instead of @ and . in order to protect yourself from spammers. If you enter the draw via email, please add the title to the subject line so it's easy to spot your entry. Draw will be held and winner announced on Saturday July 30 2022 . Offer open to International Readers. Good luck

The Social Tutor

GIVEAWAY

BRITTON, SALLY
THE SOCIAL TUTOR

A Sweet and Swoony Regency Romance

After years of escaping etiquette lessons in favor of the stables, Christine Devon's grand debut in London is only weeks away, though her deportment lacks the sophisticated polish she needs to achieve her goals of a lofty marriage. Desperate to take her place in society, she needs someone to instruct her in proper behavior.

Thomas Gilbert, newly returned from Italy, is ready to begin his dream of founding a horse farm. But during his time away, the estate's finances have dwindled to almost nothing. Unless he can find a way to save his family from ruin, he will be forced to sell his horses and give up his dreams entirely.

A chance meeting between them may solve both their problems. Christine gains a tutor in the finer arts of polite behavior, while Thomas is given access to the finest bloodlines in England. But as time passes, the arrangement is less about business, and more about love. Will they see it in time, or will Christine leave Thomas behind for the splendor of London's ballrooms?

My Review:

published in 2018

Swoonilicious to the nth degree. Clear off your fainting couch, grab your smelling salts and maybe a fan or two and settle in for a sublime Regency Romance Read.

I'm still in such a discombobulated flutter I don't know where to start with this review. Maybe the fact that it's the first in a series....eeeeeeeepppppp!!!! And the fact that Sally Britton knows her way around a Regency ballroom. The banter! The endless list of social rules that ladies must follow in order to make their coming out a success! Picture me rolling my eyes and tearing out my hair and howling with delight because Christine has lived a rather cloistered life with her sisters, a largely absentee boorish father and a string of dour governesses so she's not up to snuff on the social niceties. Hence the need for a tutor.

Cue the not-so-eligible bachelor next door. Christine makes Thomas an offer he can't refuse and he finds himself on the receiving end of Christine's guileless charm. He finds her maddening and frustrating and utterly captivating. I laughed myself silly over some of their lessons, and swooned my way through others.

I listened to the audible version and really enjoyed Rachael Beresford's narration. Love the way a proper British accent brings the story to life and her dramatization if very good as well.

Please note: While not a Christian Fiction selection, this book is definitely a clean read.

GIVEAWAY OPPORTUNITY:

If you would like a chance to win a copy of  The Social Tutor, leave a comment below or email me at kavluvstoreadATyahooDOTca. If you add an email to your comment, remember to use AT and DOT instead of @ and . in order to protect yourself from spammers. If you enter the draw via email, please add the title to the subject line so it's easy to spot your entry. Draw will be held and winner announced on Saturday February 22 2020 . Offer open to International Readers. Good luck!

The Captain and Miss Winter

GIVEAWAY

BRITTON, SALLY
THE CAPTAIN AND MISS WINTER

A captain seeking to repair the past and the daughter of a fallen gentleman, searching for a treasure that will change their lives forever.

The end of the Napoleonic wars comes as a relief to Caspar Graysmark, but before he can settle into the comfortable life of an English lord he has a duty to the people of France. A treasure lies hidden in the heart of the forest, stolen gold that would save the lives of many who lost everything during the war. In his quest, Caspar stumbles across a hidden cottage in the woods, and a different sort of treasure altogether.

Scarlett, living with her sister and grandmother, belongs nowhere. Her father's mistakes led to their exile from England and their banishment into the forest. The cold winter months have taken their toll on Scarlett's spirits and her grandmother's health. The Englishman who arrives at Scarlett's door, looking more like a bear than a captain of the British army, reminds her of all she lost to the war.

With winter drawing to a close, Caspar must find the missing gold, but his quest to right the wring of war has changed. Can Scarlett let him rescue her, too?

The Captain and Miss Winter is based on the story of Snow White and Rose Red, as recorded by the Brothers Grimm. It is a sweet/clean romance novella, and is Book 2 in a series of Regency retellings. The stories can be read in any order.

My Review:

SQUUEEEEEPPPP!!!! A Regency Fairy Tale Retelling?! I've gone and swooned into a puddle on the floor at the very thought. And that this novel is inspired by one of my absolute favourite fairy tales -- Snow White and Rose Red -- I'm in such ecstasy I have no words. Except...

Sublimely divine from the very first page! Britton has combined the pacing and cadence of a fairy tale with the scrumptious courtly manners and playful banter of the Regency era. It's a lethal combination if you happen to be a bibliophile of my ilk. Though short (novella), the story has all the crucial ingredients of a longer novel and it makes for just as satisfying a read.

A hero with a troubled past set on putting things to rights. A wronged heroine doomed to be an outcast the rest of her life. The hope that tragedy might be overcome and a happily ever after possible. My heart is flip-flopping just thinking about it. And, oh, the dialogue, the shy glances, the yearning to fan the fires of that sweet spark of attraction...BUT...Scarlett has secrets, Caspar is on a quest and there's danger lurking in the woods! Squeal! Eep! Squueeeepppp!!!!

This is my first time sampling Sally Britton's storytelling style and I'm hooked. I have my Good Reads friends to thank for the introduction since I usually read Christian Fiction and I trust them to guide me to clean sweet romances -- especially where Regencies are concerned! If you like Sarah M. Eden, Mimi Matthews, Sarah E. Ladd and Julie Klassen, you'll want to add Sally Britton to your list.

GIVEAWAY OPPORTUNITY:

If you would like a chance to win a copy of  The Captain and Miss Winer, leave a comment below or email me at kavluvstoreadATyahooDOTca. If you add an email to your comment, remember to use AT and DOT instead of @ and . in order to protect yourself from spammers. If you enter the draw via email, please add the title to the subject line so it's easy to spot your entry. Draw will be held and winner announced on Saturday January 4 2020. Offer open to International Readers. Good luck!