⭐⭐⭐ Was I hooked by that book? Not entirely. It’s a charming collection of novellas all set in the same location at Christmas time, but nothing too exciting.

When We Finally Kiss Good Night by Sabrina Jeffries

We met Konrad Juncker in the Duke Dynasty series. Some years ago, he had met and courted Flora Younger for a little while and left her behind in Bath with a broken heart. She hasn’t quite forgiven him for that and wasn’t all too pleased to run into him again at The White Rose Inn just before Christmas. But Konrad was determined to get back into her good graces and went out of his way to make it a very special Christmas for her.

It’s always fun connecting with the other characters from the series. Konrad was very solicitous and helpful all around. Things between him and Flora stayed tense initially, because of secrets they were unwilling to share. It was a sweet reunion story, but I wasn’t completely invested in them as a couple.

The Unexpected Gift by Madeline Hunter

Jenna, the owner of The White Rose Inn was hoping for a few quiet days over Christmas. Her inn had the bare minimum of staff on hand and not a lot of food supplies. Definitely not enough to cater properly to guests. But Jenna is a kind soul and gave shelter to all the lost travelers who needed to get out of the winter storm. She also found an injured man and nursed him back to health.

I quite liked Jenna and Lucas together and the way their relationship developed while she was taking care of him. The ending wrapped things up way too fast and I didn’t like it at all.

When Strangers Meet by Mary Jo Putney

Kate was in for quite the shock when she and her servants arrived at The White Rose Inn and discovered her long-lost husband there as well. Daniel had rescued her from a horrible situation years earlier and married her, but he never believed the marriage was actually valid. Kate, in the meantime, was investigating ways of declaring him dead, so that she can be free to marry another man.

I think a novella was maybe a bit too short to properly dive into this situation. Daniel and Kate had to decide fairly quickly whether they wanted to give their marriage a go or not. Kate was an interesting character, not the usual kind of lady. They talked a lot about why she shouldn’t marry another man just for comfort and convenience. In the end, Kate actually took the time to make a proper decision.

SUMMARY

It was great how everyone pulled together to make their unplanned stay at the inn a good experience. I liked that all the stories took place in the same place at the same time. The Christmas tree, their cooking efforts, and their Christmas Eve celebration were all sparkly and amazing. But the couples were a bit lukewarm for me. It was all very pleasant and sweet though.

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with a copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Were you hooked by that book? Let me know in the comments below.

Genre: Historical Romance