Skip to content

New Release Review! CHRISTMAS WISHES by Lana Williams (A Collection of Holiday Romances)

Christmas Wishes box set

Just in time for the holidays, indulge in this collection of FOUR previously published Christmas historical romance novellas. If you love kisses under the mistletoe, second chances, snowstorms with forced proximity, and house parties, this is the perfect collection for you. Available only for a limited time!

Wishing Upon a Christmas Star

Will a Christmas wish offer a new start?
When Violet realizes the elderly couple next door is in dire straits, she jumps at the chance to fulfill their wish to recreate a cherished Christmas from their past.

Baxter has spent years in India rebuilding his family’s fortune but a letter from his parents brings him back to England as he fears that fortune is in jeopardy from a do-gooder only to find someone who just might steal his heart.

Enchanting the Duke

Eleanor married her secret crush, but her new Scrooge of a husband is determined to keep their agreement of a marriage of convenience.

Douglas is focused solely on restoring the duchy. He only needs his bride’s money and an heir, not her love. But that lie becomes difficult to believe when they’re forced to share more than a bed at a Christmas house party.

A Knight’s Christmas Wish

Weary and injured, Sir Rylan longs to return home for Christmas, but first he must deliver terrible news to a newly widowed lady.

After a miserable marriage, Lady Kayte is relieved to find herself a widow. Yet her future is far from certain unless she can convince the strong, handsome knight to aid her escape.

A Rogue’s Christmas Kiss

The arrival of an old flame might just be the answer to Mary’s prayers for a ride home to visit her ailing mother. She only hopes he never discovers her past.

Arthur never expected to be reunited with the girl who broke his heart but can’t refuse her request to make the journey home. A snowstorm and heated kisses might just be what they both need to heal old wounds.

add to Goodreads button

Review:

Such a fun collection of holiday novellas!

Wishing Upon a Christmas Star is a sweet little story with plenty of wishing on Christmas stars and a heroine who literally falls into the hero’s arms at their first meeting. I loved that Violet wanted to “do good” like her sisters but decided to start close to home by helping her neighbors–and ended up with such a lovely HEA (though of course that wasn’t at all her initial intention!)

A lovely intro to the Seven Curses of London series, this Victorian romance both works fine as a standalone *and* tempts new readers to add the others to their TBRs.

Rating: 4 stars / A-

Enchanting the Duke is a marriage-in-trouble story, though said marriage was a business arrangement and only half of the couple realizes that it *is* in danger for much of the story. (The other half has no real experience with what a good marriage looks like and has had his emotional growth completely stunted by growing up with his real piece-of-work grandfather.) A Christmas house party where they have to share only one bed(!) might help save their relationship–if the Duke can manage to quiet the internal (and external) voices around him to see how lovely a true partnership with his spouse can be.

(Also part of the Seven Curses of London series, this works as a standalone as well. If you have read the others, though, the epilogue offers a fun, albeit brief, look into the HEAs of all the other series characters–in book order, even!)

Rating: 4 stars / A-

A Knight’s Christmas Wish takes readers back to medieval times with Sir Rylan de Bremont and Lady Kayte Dufrane’s story. He’s a battle-weary (and injured!) knight who just wants to get home for Christmas, but first he has to deliver some bad news. She’s newly widowed and anxious to escape an increasingly dangerous life–can she convince the handsome knight to help her? Or will she need a Christmas miracle?

This somewhat angsty but sweet novella is part of the author’s Falling for a Knight series. It’s the prequel story, so it works great as either an intro to the series or a standalone.

Rating: 4 stars / A-

A Rogue’s Christmas Kiss is a second chance romance from her The Rogue Chronicles series. Back in their village, a young Mary Alice knew she wasn’t ready for marriage, and turned down Arthur’s proposal. She never suspected they’d meet again in London a few years later, and that getting home to see her sick mother on Christmas would depend on his generous nature. The close quarters of a post-chaise soon have them wondering–is it ever too late to start over?

This is the final book in the series, but the story’s near complete focus on Arthur and Mary makes it work really well as a standalone.

Rating: 4 stars / B+

Overall this is a lovely collection of historical romances set during the Christmas season, offering a taste of the three time periods Ms Williams is known for–Medieval, Regency, and Victorian. Two stories also offer sneak peaks at other books in their series, and a complete book list by the author can be found at the end. It’s a nice selection for those readers who may be new(er) to her books; for those who have read some or all, it offers a way to satisfy a craving for a holiday re-read (or four!)

Rating: 4 stars / A-

I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book.

Published in4 starsA-Book reviewsBOOKS!new releasespotlight