a christmas to remember by lisa kleypas, et al.

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A Christmas to Remember features four historical romance novellas that are tangentially Christmas stories. The first, I Will by Lisa Kleypas, didn't feel like a Christmas story at all. Rather than centering on Christmas events, I Will is about a man manipulating a woman into pretending to be his significant other only to have the pair fall for each other. This one, like the second novella (Deck the Halls with Love) in this collection, is part of a series; that I'm unfamiliar with either of the series these first two novellas belong to could have contributed to my not liking them. Although it seemed like these should work as standalone stories, I had a feeling that some background would've made them more interesting. Deck the Halls with Love is about a couple who wants to be together, but aren't because he first proposed to someone else causing her accept another man's proposal. The fourth novella was also pretty ho-hum, in my opinion. The Duke's Christmas Wish features a man of science confused by the concept of love. Megan Frampton's No Groom at the Inn, the third story in the collection, is the gem in this group. Here a woman left destitute after her father's death accepts a deal to be paid (quite handsomely) by a man who must attend a lengthy holiday gathering and wishes to have a woman at his side to prevent interference from his mother. I appreciated the agency given to the female character. Frampton also injects a lot of humor which makes the story a fun read.
2/5
(4/5 for No Groom at the Inn)
Review copy provided by the publisher, Avon.