A Christmas Promise

Timeless Regency Collection, Book 16

By: Joanna Barker, Annette Lyon, Jennifer Moore

Narrated by: Kim Bretton

Length: 8 hrs and 38 mins

Publisher's summary

Three regency romances by Joanna Barker, Annette Lyon, and Jennifer Moore.

©2020 Mirror Press (P)2020 Mirror Press

Delightful Regency Holiday stories

The the stories in this audio were all wonderful!

The authors Joanna Baker, Annette Lyon, and Jennifer Moore all had beautiful romantic storylines.

The narrator, Kim Bretton, was enjoyable to listen to.

I would recommend this for a clean, regency era romance stories!

Three Christmas stories

This one was the perfect book to get me in the Christmas spirit.

THE TWO BELLS OF CHRISTMAS by Joanna Barker--Roland Hastings made a promise to his father: to marry and carry on the family line. But after a year of searching, he has given up hope of finding the right woman. Roland is frustrated to learn his mother has organized an entire house party to help him find a bride. Identical twins Vivian and Cassandra Bell are invited to the house party and things get very interesting.

When Vivian talks her twin, Cassandra (Cassie) into pretending to be her 'just for dinner that night', I knew it wasn't going to be that simple. It was funny listening to Cassie's inner dialogue as she tried to pretend to be Vivian, when the sisters are so very different from each other--their interests, they way they talk, etc. I love when the men fall in love with "unconventional" women or the ones their mothers don't particularly care for. They're so much more interesting that the women who only talk about the weather, fashion, and who's attending which party. I thought the play on words in the title was cute.

PROMISE ME AGAIN by Annette Lyon--Can love truly conquer all? Miriam and Jacob have loved each other for as long as they can remember. They want to wed, but Jacob's older brother Norman forbids it. Miriam’s love is tested to the very limit when she is forced into a devil’s bargain with him. Will they be able to find their way back to each other?

This story tugged at my heart because Jacob's older brother wanted power and used Jacob to get it. He interfers with their lives and tells lies to manipulate Jacob and Miriam. I loved how Jacob and Miram met again and the truth was able to be told. I love second-chance-at-love stories and this one was so satifying after all the heartache the couple had been through.

A CHRISTMAS JOURNEY by Jennifer Moore--The war is over, but Lucy Breckenridge’s plans for Christmas are ruined when Captain James Stewart brings news that her father will not return in time for the holiday. Determined to not miss yet another Christmas with her father, Lucy starts on a journey for London with her trusty maid and manservant.

Lucy has spent many Christmasses with various relatives while her father was away, but this year is going to be different. Father will be with her even if she has to bring Christmas to him. I loved Lucy's spunk and determination. Poor Captain Stewart didn't know what he was getting himself into when he offered to chaperone Lucy to London. I liked how James and Lucy get to know each other on the journey and that he's there for her when she finds out why her father couldn't come home for Christmas.

All of these novellas are sweet stories with heart. I like these collections because sometimes we aren't able to sit and read for hours, with these you can read a complete story in a short amount of time.

I really enjoyed the narrator. She did an amazing job.

Delightful and Perfect for Anytime!

This has been a highlight of my Christmas and New Year! These 3 stories made me all squishy and happy! Man these women know how to write swoony stories! I loved each of the characters! Even if it after Christmas, the stories will keep the Christmas Spirit with you!

I got this audible for free, but my opinions are my own! Loved it!

Regency Romance excellence

These books are so wonderful. They fill my heart with love. Every single one of them!

A New Christmas Favorite

I do not always love all the stories in a collection, but this stands out as the exception. I honestly LOVED all three stories. The 1st was sweet and delightful. The 2nd one, in particular, had me on edge. It's not one you can put down easily, so start it at a good time, as in not late at night. The third left me with a warm fuzzy feeling, and all three are definitely going to be on repeat every Christmas. I LOVED this collection!

A wonderful Christmas read full of heart

Overall rating:  5 stars

These three short novellas were so wonderfully written that you wished they were longer so you could immerse yourself in their characters' lives for a greater period of time. They are all very unique and outstanding. I am looking foward to reading the next anthology in this series.

The Two Bells of Christmas
By Joanna Barker
Rating:  5 stars

Cassie was an intriguing unique character. No matter how she tried, she could never be the perfect lady like her sister Vivian. The only problem was that she was supposed to take her identical twin's place at a house party. Read this great story to find out if Cassie can pull off this impersonation.

Promise Me Again
By Annette Lyon
Rating:  4.5 stars

If you feel you'll hinder someone's life, do you make the decision to go away so they can live an easier life? A sweet heart touching story.

A Christmas Journey
By Jennifer Moore
Rating:  5 stars

On a journey to London to visit her father, Lucy discovers what is most precious about Christmas.  This is a journey of awakening and self discovery for Lucy, Captain Stewart, Meg, and Matthews.

Lovely!

I loved all three stories in this book. Each one was unique and lovely. I didn’t feel slighted that they were novellas since they all had a great ending. This book really put me in the mood for the upcoming Christmas season.
The narrator was amazing. I do listen to most audio books at a higher speed than normal.

Three short Regency novellas (clean romance)

Stories:

The Two Bells of Christmas by Joanna Barker (4.5 stars)

Vivian and Cassie Bell are twins and are at a house party so that the elder twin, Vivian, can try to win the hand of the young, rich and handsome Mr. Hastings..

Unfortunately, Vivian has become ill and asks Cassie to switch places, just until she feels better.

Cassie is the less refined of the two and as her true personality comes to the fore, Mr. Hastings finds that he enjoys her company immensely.

Even though this is a novella, it feels as though Cassie and Roland take the time to truly get to know one another. Which makes the HEA more believable and wonderfully sweet.

Sweet and light-hearted tale of unselfish sisterly love.

Promise Me Again by Annette Lyon (3.5 stars)

I have to admit to being “that” person, but I was really bugged by the rental of a whole stagecoach to transport 2 people. Stagecoaches were a form of public transportation. They certainly didn’t stop at one’s house to pick one up and they certainly weren’t for private use. All it would have taken was to call it a private coach (leaving out the word "stage" and all would have been well.)

Also, Norman, the wicked brother, just disappeared conveniently from the story. After all his conniving to get Jacob to be his pawn in Parliament, he simply let him go? And then he kept paying Miriam, even after the incentive of holding sway over Jacob’s life had disappeared?

I was reminded of the plot of the movie, “The Promise” made in 1979. (Another reviewer compared it to "An Affair to Remember"...I think you get the gist.)

I did like that Jacob found a way to make a living after leaving his brother. It was wonderful that he stayed true to his love, even when he thought she was dead.

Mariam's circumstances were very depressing to me. I know people who live with chronic pain and, in my experience, it will never be part of the kind of happily ever after that I expect from escapist romance.

Bottom line: you can’t like everything an author writes (and I normally really like this author’s writing!). This was a good story, it dealt with true love conquering all...it just wasn’t for me.

A Christmas Journey by Jennifer Moore (4 stars)

What feels like a light, fun Christmas journey ends up changing lives. A happy, serious, lovely story.

Narrator: (5 stars)

Kim Bretton is a fabulous narrator! She does a number of accents and dialects in these stories. Her male voices are deep enough to be believable and her expressions and timing and spot on. I read these books first and then was able to get a copy of the audiobook version. Her talented voice acting enhanced the already enjoyable stories and brought them to life! I'd happily listen to anything read by her!

*poor, **ok, ***good, ****very good, *****something special

sweet

A great audiobook with three sweet, warm, funny love stories narrated wonderfully by Kim Bretton. Twin sister, second chances and a wonderful travel to London with Christmas’s magic will warm your heart.