Once Upon a Christmas Eve (Maiden Lane, #12.6) by Elizabeth Hoyt Published by Forever Yours on December 5th 2017
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Adam Rutledge, Viscount d'Arque, really rather loathes Christmas. The banal cheerfulness. The asinine party games. And, worst of all, the obligatory trip to the countryside. His grandmother, however, loves the holiday—and Adam loves his grandmother, so he'll brave the fiercest snowstorm to please her. But when their carriage wheel snaps, they're forced to seek shelter at the home of the most maddening, infuriating, and utterly beguiling woman he's ever met.
Sarah St. John really rather loathes rakes. The self-satisfied smirks. The sly predatory gazes. Oh, and the constant witty banter rife with double meaning. But in the spirit of the season, she'll welcome this admittedly handsome viscount into her home. But as the snowstorm rages, the Yule log crackles, and the tension rises, Sarah and Adam find themselves locked in a fiery, passionate kiss. If love is the true meaning of Christmas, it's the one gift this mismatched pair can't wait to unwrap.
I received Once Upon a Christmas Eve (Maiden Lane, #12.6) for free. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
The Maiden Lane series has produced some remarkable couples over the years. Once such couple is Godric and Megs from book five of the series, Lord of Darkness. In this new novella, Hoyt finds love for Godric’s half-sister, Sarah St. John, and Adam Rutledge, Viscount d’Arque.
When Adam’s carriage breaks down while traveling with his grandmother in the midst of a winter storm, they must impose upon the St. John household until the storm passes. The St. John’s have invited several guests for a house party over the holiday and Adam doesn’t exactly fit in. After noticing three eligible bachelors have been invited as husband candidates for Sarah, Adam finds his own jealousy confusing. Once overcome by the unhealthy feeling, he whisks Sarah in to a secluded area and kisses her senseless.
Sarah is wary of any man after a tremendous heartbreak at a tender age. Now seven and twenty, she isn’t sure if marriage is in her future, but she knows she wants it to be. Viscount d’Arque is everything Sarah loathes in a man, but she can’t help but be enticed by his words and wicked tongue.
I adored this novella! It was the perfect blend of passion and past indiscretions all rolled up around the holiday season. Both Adam and Sarah had their reasons for not wanting love, but having it find them was so much sweeter. The unexpected couple bring an end to a beautiful series and I love that it has taken place over the holiday season. Nothing is better than an unpredictable a holiday romance!
About Elizabeth Hoyt
Elizabeth Hoyt is the New York Times, USA Today, and Publishers Weekly bestselling author of historical romance, including reader favorite, The Raven Prince.
Elizabeth was born in New Orleans but grew up in St. Paul, Minnesota. She was fortunate to be able to travel extensively as a child, visiting St. Andrews, Scotland; Germany; France; and Belgium. She spent a year in Oxford, England and was a summer exchange student to Kawasaki, Japan.
Elizabeth has a BA in anthropology from the University of Wisconsin at Madison and, as a result of having no clue what to do with her life thereafter, a career history as a barista, a (terrible) sales clerk, a Wisconsin Revenue Service data entry slave, and an archeological field work grunt. Fortunately, Elizabeth married relatively young and produced two children who kept her busy until her mid-thirties. At about this time, when her youngest was entering Kindergarten, Elizabeth’s mother hinted that perhaps Elizabeth should get a Real Job.
Sadly, Elizabeth was so delusional she thought writing a romance novel might qualify as a Real Job.
But! Five years later, to everyone’s surprise, she actually sold that romance novel (The Raven Prince) and began a rather successful career as a Romance Novelist. This was most fortunate since Elizabeth is singularly unqualified to do anything else but Make Up Stories. Since then Elizabeth has written over twenty books to critical acclaim including three contemporaries under the pen name Julia Harper.
Elizabeth lives in Minneapolis, Minnesota with three dogs, a garden in constant need of weeding, and the ever faithful Mr. Hoyt.
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