Veena’s review of What a Lady Needs For Christmas (MacGregors, Book 5) by Grace Burrowes
Historical Romance published by Sourcebooks Casablanca 07 Oct 14
I live in Southern California, so the weather never quite supports the fantasy of a white Christmas with cheerful fires burning in fireplaces, but reading this book in early October in near 100-degree weather is something else. Nevertheless, the story definitely spreads joy and bonhomie and comes complete with its very own holiday miracle.
The story starts off on the right note when Lady Joan, unable to convince the station master to find room for her on the train, is invited to ride in a private carriage with the Hartwell family as a concession to the holiday spirit. It doesn’t end there. She’s then invited to share the warmth of a sleigh, complete with hot brick and lap blanket, shared with Dante Hartwell himself and ends up at the very house party that her family is attending. It’s hard to believe all these coincidences, but it is Christmas and it is a story.
I have not had the occasion to read the earlier books in the series, so these half-Scottish aristocrats are a very refreshing change from the stuck-in-the-mud titled lords that we usually meet. Dante is such a contradiction. A great business man, a wonderful father, and yet uncertain as a man and as a husband. He seems to love Joan from the beginning and is willing to lend her his name, his heart, his home – whatever she needs for happiness.
Joan is a little less predictable. Clearly she has a lot on her mind. Her uncertainty regarding her ruin. Her creative talent that is so inappropriate in a lady of her station but just so perfect for her. I love how she breaks down every encounter into tactile terms. Her initial impression of Dante with his perfect blend of wool and cashmere clothing is the way she judges him as a person. She is delightful as she designs dresses and talks fashion and clothes even with poor Dante, whose background and upbringing have definitely not prepared him to talk fashion and fabrics, even if he does dress well.
The villain is dastardly. I am so glad that Dante finally has free rein to deal with him and put him in the right place. Overall, the holidays are great fun as the reader gets to laugh at the antics of the entire house party but most particularly the men. These men are friends and they band together and bring Dante into their fold, all because he understands what’s important to Joan and puts her above his own needs and desires.
The children add a wonderful note to the story – Charlie, Phillip, Fiona, and most importantly the rabbits. A great Christmas story which hits all the right notes for the holidays. If you’ve been good, then you’ll definitely get all things nice.
Grade: B
Summary:
The Best Gifts are the Unexpected Ones…
To escape a scandal, Lady Joan Flynn flees her family’s estate in the Scottish Highlands. She needs a husband by Christmas, or the holidays will ring in nothing but ruin.
Practical, ambitious mill owner Dante Hartwell offers to marry Joan, because a wellborn wife is his best chance of gaining access to aristocratic investors.
As Christmas—and trouble—draw nearer, Dante and Joan’s marriage of convenience blossoms into unexpected intimacy, for true love often hides beneath the most unassuming holiday wrapping…
Other books in this series:
