Once Upon A Christmas Past Anthology with Regan Walker, Paula Quinn, Catherine Kean & Brenda Jernigan -a review

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Christmas in Scotland or Christmas in England – it is the best time of the year.

NY Times & USA Today & Bestselling Authors present Once Upon a Christmas Past – 4 full books of Christmas and Love

A Secret Scottish Christmas by Regan Walker

Spies, Scots, and Shipmasters celebrate a very secret Christmas in Scotland as identical twins, Robbie and Nash Powell, spies for the Crown, compete for the love of the daughter of an Aberdeen shipbuilder.

A Highlander for Christmas by Paula Quinn

As the bard of the MacGregor clan, Finlay Grant is a natural-born charmer. He can easily win the heart of any lass . . . but somehow, the right words to express his love for stunning Leslie Harrison have eluded him. Yet as Christmastide approaches, Finn knows he must find a way to propose to the raven-haired beauty who has stolen his heart.

A Knight’s Redemption by Catherine Kean

Six Christmases ago, after refusing his kiss, Lady Mary Westbrook was locked in the dungeon by Lord Holden Kendall, a squire at Branton Keep. When an attempted child abduction days before Christmas brings Holden back to the castle, Mary must confront again what happened between them.

Holden is a grown warrior now, and he resolves to not only make matters right with Mary but finally win her kiss. Yet, as peril ensues, Mary must risk far more than a chance at true love.

Christmas in Camelot by Brenda Jernigan

Sir Nicholas the Dragon’s orders are clear. He is to fend off the enemy besieging Noelle’s castle and bring the lady safely back to Camelot for her wedding day to Sir Gavin. But spending time with the proud beauty awakens an irresistible hunger in Nicholas. Now, as desire does battle with duty, Nicholas has only two choices — to surrender the woman he loves to another man or fight to the end to make her his own.

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REVIEWS:

NOTE: Vickie’s review covers A SECRET SCOTTISH CHRISTMAS by Regan Walker, and A KNIGHT’S REDEMPTION by Catherine Kean.

A SECRET SCOTTISH CHRISTMAS by Regan Walker

A Secret Scottish Christmas begins with a group of people traveling from England to Scotland to celebrate Christmastide, albeit a secret celebration, with friends. Once the group arrives in Scotland, it doesn’t take long for the Powell twins, Nash and Robbie, to notice not only Aileen’s beauty, but also her fiery spirit.

As the story progresses, the twins put their secret plan into motion, in hopes of making their mission a successful one. However, as the twins get to know Ailie, it becomes apparent that one is more enamored than the other when said twin starts questioning their mission altogether.

A Secret Scottish Christmas is a great addition to the Agents of the Crown series. Ailie is a wonderfully written character. She is intelligent and feisty, but also has a loving heart for those she holds dear. The Powell twins were wonderfully written as well. I love the fact that they love each other as you would expect, but what drew me in was their sense of independence. Regan Walker did a phenomenal job of making each one of them their own person with their own identities. I also loved that Ailie picked up on their nuances that were written so brilliantly. Walker has also, once again, woven actual historical events into her story seamlessly and built a world that you can vividly see in your mind. Whether it is the sound of a dog barking, feeling the wind in your face as you sail away or seeing a landscape covered in new snow, you will find yourself noticing all of the details she meticulously sets for us to truly feel as if we are a part of.

Reading Regan Walker’s books is, at least for me, like watching a movie. You are swept into her world from the very beginning and you truly do hate for it to end. Added to all of this the fact that we get to see so many couples from previous books throughout the entire story makes it one of my favorites of everything she has written. If you’re a fan of historical romance, you will most definitely love A Secret Scottish Christmas. There is a beautifully developed romance, political intrigue and such well developed characters that you’ll swear this is your favorite as well….until the next one. Well done, Regan Walker! Very, very well done!

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A Knight’s Redemption by Catherine Kean

A Knight’s Redemption begins at Branton Keep, where Lord de Lanceau and his wife have their annual Christmas celebration. Lord de Lanceau also announces whom this year’s Lord of Misrule will be. It’s an annual ritual that all look forward to, because whomever is chosen enjoys the privileges of being Lord until midnight. As the squires talk about whom they think will be chosen this year, Holden Kendall can’t help but notice the comely Lady Mary Westbrook, who is in attendance with her father. As Holden eyes Mary, she can’t help but be drawn to him as well. However, her father has other plans.

As the anticipation builds, Lord de Lanceau rises and announces this year’s Lord of Misrule is none other than Holden Kendall. As Holden ‘assumes’ the dais, he has one thing on his mind: he wants to kiss Mary. When he delivers his directive, she steadfastly refuses. Holden is shocked, and embarrassed, and tells her that if she refuses, she will be taken to the dungeon. To his even further shock, she still refuses and he has no other option than to see her taken to the dungeon. In the middle of all of this, he and the others are called out to battle a fire in town.

When he returns, he realizes that he has forgotten that Mary was still in the dungeon. He goes to free her and to apologize, but to say she’s livid would be an understatement. THIS is not how Holden had thought his quest for a simple kiss would turn out……………

Six years later, Mary is back at Branton Keep for the holidays. Thankfully, Holden no longer resides at the Keep. As she and Claire decide to go to town, they hear a baby crying and go to investigate. They see that two men are fighting and Mary reaches down to rescue the crying baby. She and Claire try to sneak away, only to be caught by one of the men, who demands the baby back. Mary thinks the man looks familiar, but is thankful when he loses consciousness.

Back at the Keep, Holden comes to and is questioned by those in authority there. When he explains that the baby is his nephew and someone was trying to kidnap the baby, they are wary, but agree to let them stay until Lord de Lanceau arrives and can vouch for who he says he is. However, once Mary goes to where Holden is being held, neither of them know the danger they will face, nor how much their running into each other after all of this time will change their lives forever.

A Knight’s Redemption is a wonderful written tale that draws you in from the very beginning. Even though it is a novella, the characters are masterfully written. Mary has struggled with her self-image due to her verbally abusive father and deems herself as not worthy of a male’s attention for most of her life. Her friend, Claire, does her best to dissuade her from believing so, but it is Holden who finally convinces her that she is worthy of so much more than just attention. The secondary characters in this book all have had their own books in the past, and even though I don’t feel like I missed anything due to not having read those, I do feel that the back stories would have enriched the story for me. With that said, I thoroughly enjoyed Holden and Mary’s tale so much, that I will go back and read the others’ stories. If you’re a fan of this genre, you’ll be a fan of this story for sure. Well done, Catherine Kean! Very well done!

Copy suppled for review

Reviewed by Vickie K