Come explore Regency London with Carla Kelly! This collection features four stories that will warm your heart with Christmas cheer: “The Christmas Ornament,” “Make a Joyful Noise,” “An Object of Charity,” and “The Three Kings.” Filled with romance and a touch of humor, these stories are sure to find a place in your heart and remind you that Christmas is a time for love.

    Kilpack, Carla Kelly, and Jennifer Moore. SAINTS AND SINNERS by Josi S. Kilpack. When Neville Franklin’s best friend Burke wants to wager who can kiss Eloise first, Neville puts a stop to it. Eloise has been his friend since childhood, and, well, she’s off-limits. Especially to Burke. As Burke pursues Eloise and claims that she has a tendre for him, Neville becomes more and more protective of the girl he grew up with. On the night of the Christmas ball when Eloise appears in a dress that clearly shows that she is no longer a girl, but a beautiful woman, Neville realizes that his protective feelings toward Eloise have turned into something greater. But now, Neville’s best friend stands in his way.THE CHRISTMAS ANGLE by Carla Kelly. The first story in the St. Brendan Series. Sailing Master Able Six is on half-pay with the British navy, biding his time during the uneasy Peace of Amiens and the resumption of war. Meanwhile, he’s invited to teach young pupils at the home of a vicar outside of Plymouth. There, he unexpectedly meets Meridee, the spinster sister-in-law of the vicar. From the moment Able sees Meridee, he’s entranced. When she asks him about his past and discovers his remarkable yet troublesome gift, he realizes he’s finally found someone who can care for all of him. Sadly, Able’s low station and half-pay gives him no way to provide for a wife. Meridee’s lack of dowry and dependence on relatives makes their union impossible at best. But isn’t Christmas a season of hope?THE PERFECT CHRISTMAS by Jennifer Moore. Archie Clawson wants nothing more than to give Jane the perfect Christmas. Since her troubled childhood, she’s not experienced a Christmas with all the trimmings. To top off the perfection, he also plans to ask her to marry him on Christmas Eve. But as he and his friends, including Jane, travel to his country home, they are caught in a snowstorm and discover that notice of their arrival did not get through to the house staff. Worried over the disappointment he must be causing Jane and the complete shift in their planned Christmas, Archie fears that he’s misinterpreted her kindness towards him and lost her favor forever.

    Her cousin, Lady Isabelle Wilkshire, is directing Cinderella and has no interest in marriage. Lady Caroline Whitmore is already (unhappily) married; the fact that she and her estranged husband have to pretend to be together just makes her dread the party all the more.  But not as much as Miss Louisa Harcourt, whose mother bluntly tells her that this is her last chance to escape the horrors of being an old maid.A house party so large, that mothers lose track of their charges, leads to a delightful, seductive quartet of stories that you will savor for the Season!A mistletoe kiss / Eloisa James --Wishing under the mistletoe / Christi Caldwell --Compromise under the mistletoe / Janna MacGregor --Mischief & mistletoe / Erica Ridley

    But before she can embark on her new life, May must complete her dealings with the local smugglers, men who have kept a roof over her family’s head during frugal times. One last Christmas at home and her life would change forever. So when William Scott, the Earl of Grandison arrives and crumbles her perfectly planned future to rubble, May is less than pleased. William, Lord Grandison works for the Crown, and is determined to catch the nuisance Englishmen who dare smuggle along the Cornwall coast. William has never veered from his pursuit of these men working against the law, that was until he meets May Stanford, the maddening daughter of his host for Christmas. May drives him to distraction and forces him to admit to feelings he has never felt before. But when May and William discover the crippling truth of each other, their secrets will threaten to tear them apart.

    Isn’t that what every lord wants? The lady makes a proposal. It took nothing more than her father’s death for Prudence Roxbury and her sisters to fall on hard times. The only flicker of hope in their bleak future is that their beautiful sister, Sarah, will marry and save them all from a life of destitution. But when Prudence hears that their father’s distant relation and heir has finally taken up residence in their old family home, Hagley Manor, she concocts a plan to rescue them from their miserable fate. After all, what lord wouldn’t want a beautiful wife on his arm? The gentleman offers a bargain. A hundred years have passed since a bitter feud tore the Roxbury family apart. But now Max, Lord Roxbury, has an opportunity to right the mistakes of the past. When he moves into Hagley Manor he has no idea the former residents live but a mile away. That is until he finds an intriguing young woman on his front steps, wrestling with a drunken lout and a potted plant. Indeed, Prudence Roxbury might be the answer to his problems. Captivated by her wit and beguiling smile, passion soon ignites. The stipulations of his father’s will means he must marry within three months. But what is a gentleman to do when he swore never to marry for anything less than love?

    — In Gayle L. Buck's "Old Acquaintances," the magic of Christmas is remembered in a story of love and longing, while in "A Gift of Fortune," Anita Mills writes of the snowbound reunion of two unlikely lovers. Both Edith Layton's "The Duke's Progress" and Mary Balogh's "The Star of Bethlehem" are moving stories of holiday sadness, hope and the renewal of spirit. And "The Kissing Bough" by Patricia Rice is a bittersweet tale of love and reconciliation.These are stories to warm your heart with the romance, generosities, and joys of the season -- holiday tales that can be read and enjoyed year after year.

    A shy wallflower, Caroline hasn’t the faintest idea why the Duke of Readington chose her to be his bride. She could ask, but that would mean speaking to him... and truth be told she’d rather have a conversation with the devil. Her new husband may be one of the most powerful men in all of England—not to mention the handsomest—but he’s also cruel, callous, and has a heart colder than ice.But it was never meant to be a love match... Eric married Caroline for one simple reason: he wasn’t in love with her. Having seen firsthand how love can bring a man to his knees, he’s determined not to make the same mistakes his father did. Which is why he’s going to spend just enough time with his new bride to assure himself of an heir before he leaves her and returns to London. At least that was the plan until a winter storm leaves them stranded. Now every time Eric turns around he finds himself stumbling over the wife he never wanted... but is slowly beginning to desire....or was it? As cold winds howl outside the manor, inside of it a duke’s heart is finally starting to melt as he finds himself falling for the one woman he was never supposed to love... but can she love him in return?

    In her dazzling first Season, Lady Meredith Hargreaves gave her heart to Alistair Wakefield, the Marquess of Chetwyn, only to have it shattered when he proposed to another. And now that he's free to pursue her? It matters little, because she's on her way to the altar, heartbreak be damned.Chetwyn once set aside his dreams in favor of duty and honor. But as Christmas approaches, he is determined to put his own desires first and lure Lady Meredith back into his arms, where she's always belonged.First he steals a dance; then he steals a kiss. But when they find themselves alone in an abandoned castle during a snowstorm, reignited passion consumes them both. And Chetwyn will have one last chance to steal back Meredith's heart, once and for all.

    . .Handsome as sin and scandalously rakish, Cam Westfall, the Earl of Bedwyr, is every young lady's wickedest dream. Shy wallflower Princess Jacqueline of Sensaire knows this better than anyone, because her dreams are full of the breathtaking earl's kisses. And not only her dreams—her diary, too.But when Cam discovers the maiden's not-so-maidenly diary, will her wildest Christmas wishes be fulfilled in its pages . . . or in his arms?

    But when Chloe tricks him into wearing a hideous waistcoat—complete with sequins, pompoms, and jingle bells—to her family’s Christmas Eve party, she may have gone too far. Her penalty? A single, scorching kiss—and a Christmas gift she never expected.Love.

    Five years after breaking Amelia Chilson's heart, he's back. Robert Danbury wants the mistletoe kiss Amelia denied him years ago, but nothing more. Loving a woman again is an unthinkable risk. They just have to make it through Christmas without kissing or killing each other.Over presents and under mistletoe the past is revealed.Their mistakes are sweet, ugly, delicate, and unassailable. Botanist Robert might be able to grow pineapples almost as perfect as the ones Amelia can picture in her embroidery, but they can't change the past. Especially when Robert's daughter is a constant reminder.Then, they're caught innocently in bed together, and Robert has an instant to choose: Amelia's reputation, their lost love, or his conscience.Length: 30,000 wordsTropes: second chance; enemies-to-lovers; scandal; compromisedHeat level: medium-high.Content Notes can be found before the Contents page.Note: this novella was first published in the 2018 charity Regency Christmas anthology, Love Rekindled at Christmas.

    Robin Helm, Laura Hile, Wendi Sotis, and Barbara Cornthwaite revisit Pride and Prejudice, Emma, and Mansfield Park to deliver the uplifting holiday storytelling you're looking for.Her Christmas Gift by Robin HelmElizabeth Bennet finds herself snowbound at Rosings with two rejected, but highly eligible, suitors. Does either man have a chance? Will her childhood friend, Meryton’s golden boy, win her affection, or will she accept the master of Pemberley? Perhaps she will refuse them both a second time. Her Christmas Gift deftly combines tension and emotion with humor and romance. The Christmas Matchmaker by Laura HileIt’s raining; it’s pouring – and what could be better than a little Christmas matchmaking? So says Emma Woodhouse who is unexpectedly stranded at Netherfield Park. Mr. Darcy disagrees, for she has someone else in mind for adorable Elizabeth Bennet. Amid meddling, misunderstanding, and an unwelcome proposal or two, will True Love find a way?No Better Gift by Wendi SotisOn his way to Derbyshire to spend Christmas with his family, Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy plans to retrieve an item he left behind during his rushed escape from Netherfield—and the country miss who touched his heart. Finding Meryton practically deserted, he fears the worst. What fate could have fallen upon this once-thriving village in only three weeks? More importantly, was Miss Elizabeth Bennet in danger?Mistletoe at Thornton Lacey by Barbara CornthwaiteWhen Edmund Bertram realizes that Fanny is the perfect wife for him, he wants to propose without delay. What better time than at Christmas? Ah, but the course of true love never does run smooth ...

     So when a tipsy party joke becomes a wager on Rufus’ marriage, he knows he should said no. But Juliana Honeyfield, the unwitting and unknowing focus of the gamble, is not the simple and malleable young woman that Rufus’ friends take her for. She demands a lot more from her acquaintances, and the challenge of understanding this intriguing woman and keeping the truth of the wager from her starts to wear thin on Rufus. Especially when his belief in marriage has already been so greatly rocked, and his family history is sunk in crime, alcoholism, and prison. Will it be possible for Rufus to charm the winning Juliana? Does he owe her the truth about his initial interest in her? And who will eventually win the Michaelmas wager? A Michaelmas Wager is a charming Regency romance novella about the unlikely consequences of spur of the moment decisions.

     Lord Harry Marlow reluctantly attends a Christmas house party hosted by his brother and his sister-in-law, who also happens to be the woman he once longed to wed himself. He’s not pleased by the prospect of holly and mistletoe and merrymaking any more than he is with the reminder of the love he could have had. But his dismay doesn’t last for long when a mysterious stranger in the midst of a blizzard captures his interest. Lady Alexandra Danvers is unabashedly eccentric. Nothing and no man interests her more than her scientific pursuits. Until she meets the sinfully handsome Lord Harry, that is. When sparks fly between the unlikely pairing, scandal isn’t far behind. Will Lord Harry and Lady Alexandra find true love together by Christmas day? Length: novella Note: Previously appeared in the collection Seduced Under the Mistletoe. This is an extended version never before published.

    "Change of Heart," set in modern-day Colorado, is the touching story of a clever twelve-year-old who plays matchmaker for his bighearted, impractical mother.Judith McNaught This celebrated author magically portrays Regency London in "Miracles," the enchanting tale of a world-weary lord -- and an outrageous proposal. In "Double Exposure," a determined young woman arrives to photograph a magnificent wedding at a reclusive tycoon's Newport estate, and manages to unlock the secrets of a man's heart.