A Gypsy's Christmas Kiss

Scandal Meets Love (Connected by a Kiss, Book 6)

De: Dawn Brower

Narrado por: Megan Green

Lulia Vasile is a gypsy and proud of it. She's a master fencer and skilled at fortune-telling. She grew up playing roles in a traveling theater and performing at county fairs. Her life changed when she became friends with an earl's daughter and became involved in an exclusive ladies-only gaming den. She's successful but misses her family. She travels to their last known location to spend Christmastide with them. While there, she must decide what she wants for her future.

Finley Prescott, the duke of Clare, doesn't leave his estate unless it's necessary. His injuries at Waterloo have left him bitter, and he never expected to inherit the dukedom. That was supposed to be his brother's duty. Now, he has responsibilities and people who depend on him when all he wants is to disappear from the world. For him, all hope is gone, and he's not the hero England believes him to be.

After a chance meeting and a magical kiss, Lulia and Finley discover that sometimes, the one thing a person needs is the last thing they expect.

©2018 Dawn Brower (P)2018 Dawn Brower

English Gypsy Romance

This is the first book I listened to in this series, so all the characters were brand new to me. I thought the story was a little underdeveloped. Things moved quicker than I would have expected for the time period. They just met and suddenly Lulia was trying to figure out their relationship and desperate to see him again.
I also wasn't fond of the accent the narrator used for Lulia. She brought a strange lilt to the story that was difficult to follow.
I received this free copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

Quick Happily ever after

This is a happily ever after book, but parts of it seemed cheesy. And I didn’t really like Lulia’s condescension towards the Ton that she was trying to be a part of. Definitely a “love at first sight” short story, so not a lot of character development, but it made me want to read another of her more-developed books, so that’s a win. Overall, it was a cute listen.

Narrator did a great job with her different voices. It was easy to keep track of who was talking. Love the exotic flair she put on Lulia’s voice.

Cute short listen

I prefer more in depth stories but this is a cute quick listen, kind of like a Hallmark movie. The reader did well also.

Second change love.....

I love second chance romances they always get me right in the heart, to have lost and found your true love is a dream of a lifetime. As always this is a short sweet story with wonderful characters and a delightful plot. Lulia is more than she seem, at the time of their first meeting she was a gypsy girl and he was a duke, young and filled with guilty he takes off but he never forgets the gypsy that touched his soul. Neither had forgotten about the other and the dreams that both felt. What follows is a touching story of their love.

The narrator did a really good job, she bring a lot to the audio with her touch of exotic in her voice she really brings the characters to life. Her character voice fit the characters, you always know who was talking, her male and female voice work well, her normal voice is very pleasant to listen to. There are no background noises, no volume changes and no breaks in the audio. I thought she did a great job pulling me in taking me away and giving me an audio I couldn’t put down.

Great PG Regency Romance

Over the holidays we did a lot of driving. I was able to play this book in the car with my kids 16,17,10 and not worry one bit that they would get a sex Ed class ☺️ I love my steamy historical romances but they aren’t appropriate for kids. This one even had my teen boys asking questions about courting. So it was great to have that conversation starter and get them interested in finding a true love in a world that is so fast paced them wanting to not jump straight into the dating scene because of a sweet book brings me joy. My only complaint is the narrator. Was not able to adjust to her reading but that’s a personal preference. #audiobookobsessionsreviewer

A Gypsy's. Christmas Kiss

This is about being raised by a Gyspy mother and a Aristocrat father who was disowned by his father for marriage to a Gyspy. There daughter wasn't allowed to reconnect to her grandparents. She meet a Duke .I loved the story and characters. I was given a ARC of this story and I highly recommend listening to the story.

First Scene So Sweet, But…

We know the heroine of this book from others in the series. We've actually seen quite a bit of her unconventional life in the books about the other couples. We see how she becomes fast friends with a young lady of the ton despite being a Romany traveler. As an adult, she continues to be unconventional, a part of a ladies-only gaming hell that also does things like teach ladies how to fence and even has a betting book on the female fencers! After seeing so much of her, I was looking forward to her romance. Unfortunately, I was a little disappointed, though not entirely, because her romance seemed a little ho-hum for such a fascinating, unconventional young woman (of both Romany and English aristocratic descent). I adored the first scene between her and the hero when they are both teenagers, and she tells him his fortune. She was so kind and understanding without making him feel awkward; it was just so sweet. After that excellent start, I was hoping for more along that vein, but this just felt like any other Regency romance without the spark I thought Lulia would bring to it. Not bad, but not as good as I hoped it would be.

CHRISTMAS HAPPINESS

A GYPSY'S CHRISTMAS KISS is the sixth book in the Connected by a Kiss series and the sixth book in the Scandal Meets Love series. IMHO this should have been book 3.5, since their relationship is mentioned in book four. If you haven’t started the series or haven’t yet read that far into the series, I would suggest reading this one before book four.

That said, I adored Lulia’s and Fin’s story. This is a second-chance romance with an interesting twist, starting with their meet-cute in her father’s store when she was about 16 years old and he was a new duke of 20 years old. They didn’t see each other again for 12 years, but each recognized the other, had never forgotten the other, were drawn to, infatuated with, and curious about each other.

I liked that Lulia was proud of heritage during a time when being Romani was looked down upon. Even more so, I liked that Fin didn’t care a fig about her Romani roots. He loved the woman, not her family tree.

Christmas is a hard time for Fin. He assumed his title during the Christmastide when his father broke his neck on a horse that Fin gave him as a Christmas gift. Losing a parent a Christmas is hard enough, but he is dealing with guilt as well. Isn’t it wonderful when the right woman can come along to help a man to heal? I was rooting for them both from word one.

This is the kind of story that never makes me sad, but adds to my happiness by the end. Right now (during this unprecedentedly depressing time in history), contentment is an especially desirable commodity.

Since this book is a cross-over between two series, I will be looking for more in each of the series.

Narration: Megan Green has a beautiful British-accented voice that is the perfect sound for this Regency romance. She did a wonderful job of differentiating between the different characters and it was a joy to listen to her.

Note: While I received this book as a gifted audiobook copy via Audiobooks Unleashed, my opinions are my own and are given freely.


Title: A GYPSY'S CHRISTMAS KISS
Series: Scandal Meets Love #7; Connected by a Kiss #6
Category /Genre: Regency Historical Romance
Recommended for: 18+ due to sexual content
Listenability: NSFW
Received from: Dawn Brower (as an Audible gifted copy)

Life needs to be lived

Rating: 3.5 stars


What I liked:

*The concept of the heroine being gypsy.

*This book was a clean read.

*The theme that life needs to be lived and not feared.

By the end of the second chapter, I surmised the story plot. There was nothing unexpected or unique in the story and that made the story less enjoyable to me. Others may not mind that and enjoy this story very much.

I requested a free audiobook from the author. My review was voluntary and my opinions were my own.

Short, Sweet, and Clean

Finley, the Duke of Clare, isn't the warm and fuzzy type. The Battle of Waterloo and a few personal tragedy hasn't exactly made him open to love and everything that goes with it. But while out feeling sorry for himself, he comes upon a shop and meets a mysterious young woman.

Lulia is the daughter of a Romany princess and a disgraced English nobleman's son. Her mixed heritage means she doesn't fit anywhere, and when she's left orphaned, she relies on her few friends to keep her company. Teaching fencing lessons pays her bills, as does telling fortunes. When a sad young man with a chip on his shoulder comes into her shop, she might see more than she plans.

Years later, Lulia has slipped into English high society, spending time with her pupil turned friend, Diana. But she carries many secrets, even from those closest to her. One secret is the strange bond she felt with the young man she met so many years ago. And when the same young man steps back into her life, will her hidden past ruin everything or will the pieces fall into place just in time for Christmas?

This instalove story is what I like to call "Grammy Safe." I can listen to it with my grandmother in the car on my way to drop her off at mass with no worries. I can also listen to it on my way to drop my daughter at ballet class. The sweet story is driven mainly by emotions and unexplainable ties that draw Finley and Lulia together. Of course they're both very attractive, but a few chaste kisses are all this late Georgian era couple share on their way to happily ever after.

I do wish this book was longer and a little deeper where the story was concerned. When I say it was instalove, I mean they were completely fixed on each other after ten minutes to the point where even after ten years, they were still mad for each other. I would have liked to see why they loved each other without the vague "he's perfect" and "she's strong." Lulia is such a vivid character with such different parents and Finley has such an interesting past that I'm sure has many stories, that I'm left wanting more.
But the story was short and sweet and great for a little feel-good diversion that makes audiobooks so special. It certainly helped that while listening, it was snowing in my area, mimicking the flurries Lulia and Finley saw in England.

This is my first listen to a piece Megan Green lends her voice to. She has a certain inflection to her tone that really gave an exotic feel to the book. Lulia's accent was distinct, making it clear who was speaking when she was sharing a moment with Diana. Even the men had a slightly different tone and everyone's voice was consistent throughout the work. While consistency doesn't sound like something to be applauded, I have listened to some audiobooks where a character loses their accent midway through!

Overall, I enjoyed the story and wished that the rest of the series delved into it more, particularly where Lulia is concerned. How did her parents meet and fall in love? What's it like being a Romany princess? Did she have to give up fencing? Will she try for the Romany throne? Dawn Brower, if you read this, I would like more Lulia, please and thank you.