November 30, 2017

Captivated at Christmas: Holiday Tales with Earls, Lords, and Charming Scots by Julie Johnstone

My Rating: 5 out of 5 Pearls

Publication Date: November 27, 2017

Give yourself the gift of romance this holiday season, brought to you by USA Today bestselling author Julie Johnstone. Enter the glittering, glamorous, and sometimes treacherous world of Regency England, where true love awaits in the arms of an honorable Scot, a dashing earl, and a roguish baron. Put on your slippers and become the bold heroine with the spirit and the heart to capture her Prince Charming and receive the Christmas kiss she deserves!

CHRISTMAS IN THE SCOT’S ARMS

Laird Liam MacLeod wishes to marry for love, but scheming lasses are making it hard to do so. Given the opportunity to escape to London for the holidays, Liam takes it with a halfhearted hope that perhaps English ladies will be different. But the calculating debutantes leave him with little faith—until he meets Cecelia. She’s beautiful, witty, and knows nothing about his fortune. With a tattered reputation and a duty to marry well to save her family from ruin, Cecelia cannot pursue the longings the honorable, handsome Scott awakens in her. But Liam is more tempting than she could ever imagine, and when presented the opportunity to marry a duke who could save her family or the laird she now loves, Cecelia decides to follow her heart instead of her head. That is, before Liam reveals a secret that may well prove charming Scots are the most dangerous rogues of them all.

THE REDEMPTION OF A DISSOLUTE EARL

The Earl of Hardwick lost his soul and his heart the day he chose his fortune over the woman he loved. Charlotte Milne trusted in happily ever after until her knight turned out to be wearing rusty armor. Separated by disloyalty and pain, each of them struggle to bury the memories of the other. But then a mandatory summons from the Duke of Danby sets them on a path of collision at Danby Castle. With the tides of irrevocable change rising, Drew must find a way to show Charlotte that even the most selfish of rakes can be redeemed by love, and he must do it before the woman of his heart becomes the wife of another.

SEASON FOR SURRENDER

Lillian Lancaster would rather catch the plague than a husband. Unfortunately, her inheritance hinges upon her marrying a lord. Commanded by his grandfather to immediately marry or become penniless, the marriage-adverse Lord Edgeworth decides the perfect choice would be a woman who wants nothing to do with him. What starts as a marriage of convenience becomes quite alarmingly inconvenient when desire flames and dangles the promise of something more than either dared to imagine. Now, Lillian and Edgeworth must decide if they are courageous enough to risk their hearts and surrender to love.

So light a fire, snuggle in with a cup of chocolate or tea, and let the magic of these three stories cast a holiday spell upon you!

Christmas in a Scot’s Arms
The talented Julie Johnstone takes her Medieval series (Highlander Vows: Entangled Hearts) and brings it forward to the year 1815.
Liam MacLeod, descendant of Iain and Marion MacLeod, is now Laird and visiting London to meet with his sister’s intended when he comes to the rescue of Miss Cecelia Cartwright.
Miss Cecelia Cartwright has the misfortune of ruined reputation, a father who put the family in financial ruin and a mother who demands Cecelia must marry for money. Which makes her encounter with the impoverished Laird Liam MacLeod hard to bear as she is fascinated by the Scotsman.
Ms. Johnstone does a remarkable job giving us a glimpse into the future for descendants from her amazing Highlander Vows series!

Remaining reviews to follow