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The Heart of Christmas

by Anthology: Balogh, Cornick, Milan

reviewed by Valarie Pelissero

October 2009, 378 pages, Publisher: HQN, ISBN: 0373774272

While both the Mary Balogh and the Nicola Cornick are re-issues of previous novellas they are the perfect accompaniment for the new star of this anthology, Courtney Milan.

A Handful of Gold by Mary Balogh

With the prospect of an unappealing marriage to an unappealing lady looming in his very near future, what should a rake do over Christmas but have one final fling. That is how Julian Dare, Viscount Folingsby plans to spend his Christmas at his friend's hunting box - he just needs to find his fling. Seeking out the newest opera dancer, Blanche Heyward, Julian invites her to join him during his Christmas revelry. Verity Ewing knows she is playing a dangerous game by masquerading as Blanche Heyward, but she desperately needs the money for her sister's medicines, so when Julian offers her a fortune for a week as his mistress, Verity once again lies to her family and goes away with him. Neither of them expects to fall in love, though.

Even though this is the third time I have read A Handful of Gold by Mary Balogh I still continue to enjoy it as if it is the first time I've read it. You can't go wrong with Mary Balogh be it one of her full-length novels or her novellas. Verity sacrifices her virtue to Julian Dare, but she never sacrifices her innocence. Julian is a rake through and through until he discovers Verity and both of them discover something truly priceless. If you haven't read A Handful of Gold yet, don't miss it this time.

The Season for Suitors by Nicola Cornick

What's a young lady to do when she suddenly becomes an heiress and the rakes come out of the woodwork? Hire a rake herself to teach her how to avoid them, of course. The rake that Clara Davenport wants as her teacher is Sebastian, Duke of Fleet, the man she has been in love with for years. As a friend of her brother's, Clara knows that if her note is vague enough and with just a hint of needing “paternal advice” Sebastian will be intrigued enough to call on her. Unfortunately, that was the easy part for Sebastian is refusing to give her anti-rake lessons believing that this is just her attempt to trick him into marriage. They say a reformed rake makes the best husband and that is what Clara is counting on with Sebastian. Hopefully when he sees how the other men are behaving it will rouse his jealousy, after all they do have history.

The Season for Suitors by Nicola Cornick has also been published before and while I didn't read it the first time it was published I am really glad that I read it now. Clara and Sebastian's story was your basic reforming a rake story done quickly, but without leaving out anything important. I haven't read a lot of Nicola Cornick, but every time I do read something by her it just makes me want to run out and read everything she's written.

This Wicked Gift by Courtney Milan

The most surprising story in The Heart of Christmas anthology is by new author Courtney Milan. In This Wicked Gift our rake isn't a Duke or Viscount, he is a working man and a poor working man at that. So neither our heroine nor our hero have any money, but Ms. Milan brings readers a story of faith, hope and redemption that embodies what the Christmas season is all about.

Lavinia Spencer runs her family's small bookstore and anxiously awaits the arrival of William White every day just before closing. He doesn't flirt with Lavinia nor even usually exchange simple greetings with her, but he definitely makes her heart beat faster. Knowing that as a counting clerk he could never support Lavinia on his pitiful pay, doesn't keep him from hoping or from seeing her every day. When her much younger brother confesses that his scheme to bring the family more money has backfired and he now owes ten pounds, William overhears the confession and uses his unexpected windfall of ten pounds to pay off the debt and then forcing Lavinia into his bed for one night.

But that is so not the end of this story, it is multi-layered and had a few surprises in it that really made me sit up and take notice of Ms. Milan's writing. If this short novella is what we can expect of her writing I cannot wait for her full-length novel next year. Even if you already have the other two stories in this anthology and are thinking of passing on getting them again, do not miss Courtney Milan's This Wicked Gift. It is a perfect addition to my Christmas anthology collection and will be to yours too.