The Last Chance Christmas Ball

August 31, 2015
Eight romance authors (collectively known as the Word Wenches) walk into a Regency-era ballroom and wreak fabulous, shimmering holiday mischief all over the place. The Dowager Countess of Holbourne is hosting an extravagant Christmas ball, and the guest list includes some of the loveliest, loneliest people in high society. The best of the stories woven around this premise are Joanna Bourne’s “My True Love Hath My Heart,” in which a little larceny spices a long-smoldering romance; Susan King’s “A Scottish Carol,” wherein snowbound lovers never quite make it to the ball; and a maiden’s romantic rescue from a young ladies’ seminary in Anne Gracie’s “Mistletoe Kisses.” The characters are smart and attractive—so much so that it can be hard to believe the ball is their only chance to find love—and their stories are delicious and appealing.

Starred review from October 15, 2015

The Dowager Countess of Holbourne (aka Lady Holly) is happily planning the 50th anniversary of her annual Christmas Ball--a glittering event with a history of matchmaking magic that she hopes will rub off on a few special people who desperately need it. In the talented hands of the Word Wenches--best-selling authors Putney, Jo Beverley, Joanna Bourne, Patricia Rice, Nicola Cornick, Cara Elliott, Anne Gracie, and Susan King--Holbourne Abbey springs from the pages in full holiday dress as eight couples find love at last. These short stories are as unique as the stylistically diverse authors who wrote them, yet are beautifully integrated. VERDICT Lighthearted gaiety is gently tempered by misunderstandings and a few more serious issues as these cleverly linked romances unfurl into a unified whole that is poignant, funny, and complex; one of the most engaging anthologies of the season.

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