Regency Christmas Magic

Rating:
Summary: Is Signet losing its touch?
Review: I am the only person I know who has not read Harry Potter. So there! Magic (the theme of this collection), time-travel, fantasy and so forth are not my idea of what to read. However, as ever the annual Signet Regency Christmas anthology is always an auto-buy. Well, maybe next year I will have to think again.

"Upon a Midnight Clear" by Amanda McCabe was the least "magical" offering and was unusual in that it was about a black woman, living in early 19th century Cornwall who has inherited an interesting African legacy of voodoo or some sort of ability to help the suffering and heal the hurt. So, a very different sort of premise on which to stage her story so - well done. I liked the somewhat out of the ordinary hero as well!

Alison Lane - I skipped this one. I don't even try with this author any more.

Edith Layton's Two Dancing Daughers" was just too silly for words. I guess it was cute but this long time favourite author did not catch my imagination at all with this rather boring offering. Maybe I just didn't "geddit".

Barbara Metzger's "The Enchanted Earl" was a little better although as a reworking of Beauty & The Beast crossed with The Sleeping Beauty, it was a litte too twee for my taste. The reader knows what's coming but at least Metzger's prose is in tune with the concept and she is a talented stylist as always.

Sandra Heath's "The Green Gauze Gown" was probably the best of the lot. Not quite so fantastical it's the story of an old and unrequited love that gets a second chance. How nice to have a hero in spectacles! And one who is literate and clever. Very attractive he was in an unexpected way.

Well, I won't give up on Signet's Christmas anthologies but I do hope for something better next year. This one filled in a few hours and I have no regrets but it didn't really do the job for me.

Rating:
Summary: A worthwhile Christmas collection
Review: If you purchase this book, you likely know what you're getting: a collection of 5 Christmas stories by top-selling Regency authors. And this collection, like others of its kind, does not disappoint.

The first story, "Upon a Midnight Clear", is a follow-up to one of Amanda McCabe's earlier novels. The story would be made more rewarding if you take the time to read "A Loving Spirit." The short story is about Antoinette, the Jamaican woman who went to England with her friend (who found her love in "A Loving Spirit"). Antoinette nearly faces the prospect of a lonely Christmas--until fate intervenes and lands her in the company of a scarred ex-soldier who is just as lonely as she is. 4 stars for this one.

"The Ultimate Magic" by Allison Lane is also a follow-up to a previous novel ("Emily's Beaux"). In this story, governess Edith Knolton is chaperoning a troublesome young girl. Edith hopes to catch the eye of the man who has already caught hers. I thought there were too many characters in this one, especially in the beginning, and it was difficult to follow--even though I had read "Emily's Beaux." I give it a somewhat disappointing 2 stars.

In Edith Layton's "Two Dancing Daughters", a penniless ex-soldier is hired to keep an eye on a man's daugthers. The ex-soldier finds one of the daughters especially intriguing... The story itself was intriguing, but it didn't seem to have a lot to do with Christmas. Also, there could have been more interaction between the two leads. 2 1/2 stars.

"The Enchanted Earl" by Barbara Metzger was my favorite of the bunch. In the story, a widow seeks out a magician to entertain guests at her Christmas party. Instead, she conjures REAL wizards and REAL magic... including an odd, old half-mage named Spinrod. This is exactly kind of story one hopes to read when they pick up something called "Regency Christmas Magic." It was fun, light, atypical, and is riddled with the Barbara Metzger's humor. Metzger proves to be just as adept at writing fantasy as she as at writing romance. 5 stars.

In "The Green Gauze Gown" by Sandra Heath, a widow with two sons moves back to England... and reunites with the man she's always loved. A scheming sister, missing letters, and a green gown are a few of the elements they must face. I enjoyed this story, particularly the hero, a bespeckled man with a limp. I give it 3 1/2 stars.

I beg to differ with the other reviewer. I think this book is well worth your while. Barbara Metzger's story alone makes it worth the price. If you're looking for pleasant, light reading for the holiday season, look no furthur.

Rating:
Summary: Better than average anthology
Review: McCabe's Once Upon a Midnight Clear was definitely mediocre. Having a black woman as the romantic heroine in a Regency piece was different certainly (if implausable), but the whole story seemed contrived and the resolution was far too easy.

Lane's The Ultimate Magic was very nice. Although the disclosure of confidences was rushed due to the short story format, there were excellent romances and characters with lots of interest to bring it all together.

Layton's entry, The Two Dancing Daughters, was contrived as usual. I rarely like her stuff. This one was a trite rehash of a fairytale/folktale. Although the hero was interesting, the heroine was dull.

Metzger's The Enchanted Earl was somewhat interesting, perhaps hitting the middle slot of the 5 stories. The ending was too easy; he told her the secret when she should have guessed. A bit of a magical scare thrown in.

Heath's The Green Gauze Gown was an embedded fairy tale done right. The characters are well conceived but the youthful actions/beliefs are a bit suspect. Overall, very nice, well done.

Rating:
Summary: DISAPPOINTING
Review: The early regency anthologies were better as they had stories which were fun and interesting. The last several releases have had either one or two good stories and the rest, well, were not very good. When I saw the Barbara Metzger and Edith Layton were included in this issue, I figured I was in for a treat. But I was diappointed. All 5 stories were just boring, no real standouts. Edith Layton's "Two Dancing Daughters" was the best of the 5 with the lame soldier Henry being hired to basically babysit 2 sisters who had unearthly beauty and beau's. "The Enchanted Earl" by Barbara Metzger had the typical lyrical writing of Ms. Metzger but the story also fell flat. If you must read this regency holiday issue, save your money and get it from the library.

Rating:
Summary: I loved them.
Review: Upon A Midnight Clear by Amanda McCabe
Antoinette is a Jamaican beauty that lives in Cornwall with a friend's family. The family goes off to Bath for Christmas, but Antoinette elects to remain in Cornwall. She is facing a publication deadline for her next herbal book. THIS holiday season though, she will meet a once-handsome naval caption who is a hermit in the area.

The Ultimate Magic by Allison Lane
Edith Knolton only needs to keep her charge from causing a scandal for four more days. That is when the lovely Diana is due to wed Giles. But it is going to take the combined efforts of Edith and Lord Charles Beaumont to succeed.

Two Dancing Daughters by Edith Layton
Major Gabriel Blanchard (retired due to wounds) takes a job to find out how two daughters keep disappearing from their home every night. No one in the house ever hears a thing, but the dancing slippers of the two daughters are clearly worn out the next morning.

The Enchanted Earl by Barbara Metzger
It is said that Laurel's grandmother was fey. When her awful husband dies and her time of mourning is almost over, Laurel decides to throw a huge Christmas party for everyone, no matter their stations in life. And her shrew of a sister-in-law will not stop her! But during a magical night Laurel makes a wish for true magic. Now she has warlocks, bogeymen, shape-shifters, apparitionists, and pyromages (fire mages) all over the place. Then there is the old magician, Spinrod, who claims he is there to protect her from the others.

The Green Gauze Gown by Sandra Heath
Widow Rosalind Harwood and her two sons left their Albany, New York, home and returned to Brighton. Rosalind's nine-year-old son, Peter, has become the sixth Marquess of Southdown. Her eight-year-old son, Jake, can see fairies and specters. Everyone, including Rosalind, believed Jake made up the ghost stories. Yet Jake insisted all those stories were true. He also insists that a Pharisee (fairy), named Master Dobbs, resides in the kitchen pantry. Rosalind is about to believe in magic.

***** Five wonderful and magical stories by five talented Regency authors within one cover. Smashing! They are set during the Holiday Season, but may be read at any time of year. I, honestly, do not know which I enjoyed most. Usually anthologies tend to have at least one tale that I consider unimaginative. Yet all five stories in this novel are great. I loved them! *****

Reviewed by Detra Fitch of Huntress Reviews.

Rating:
Summary: Wonderful and Heartwarming
Review: What a fabulous book, filled with rich characters and holiday charm. I admit, I sighed a dreamy sigh when I finished, wishing for more. You won't be disappointed.

Rating:
Summary: It's magic, indeed --
Review: [...]Christmas is magic, you know, so why not a book wrapped around that idea? Some of the stories are more magical than others, to be sure. Amanda McCabe's "Upon a Midnight Clear" was delightful in its presentation of a heroine other than petite, blond and barely out of the schoolroom. Hurrah for that! Antoinette Duvall's presence in England and this book are a welcome addition to the genre, as well as being a perfect match for Captain Mark Payne, invalided out of His Majesty's Navy. Other than a slightly commercial, rather modern sensibility regarding buying gifts for everyone imaginable, this is a charming story.

Based on past experiences, I wasn't overly hopeful of `The Ultimate Magic' by Alison Lane. When the first paragraph contained a young lady `snarling' and slamming a door, followed by the next paragraph with a different young lady cursing, I decided to follow my initial inclination and proceed to the next in line, Edith Layton's "The Two Dancing Daughters".

This one is magical, but how could it not be with Ms. Layton in command. It's whimsical, yet grounded in the tale of two sisters, `Rose Red' and `Rose White' who don't seem to leave their home of an evening, yet wear out pair after pair of dancing shoes. A recuperating army Major is hired to find the solution, which of course he does, and he also gets one of the sisters for his own, as a reward. Delightful in its whimsy, it's just not as Christmas-y as some of her previous stories.

On the other hand, "The Enchanted Earl" is about as magical and Christmas-y as it's possible to be! Barbara Metzger always delights with her sometimes slightly cock-eyed take on various situations, and this tale is no exception. Laurel Mumphrey is a youngish widow, just out of mourning for her late, unlamented spouse. To celebrate her inheritance as well as Christmas, she plans a celebration at her home, and recalling magicians from her childhood, she sets out to engage one for her party. Little does she realize the hazards involved in trying to find one real magician. Spinrod the Sorcerer could hardly be the fulfillment of her dreams; he was elderly and not very magical. Or maybe she was wrong?

Magical and romantic describe "The Green Gauze Gown" by Sandra Heath. Two years after the death of her husband, Rosalind Harwood's older son-nine-year-old Peter-had become the sixth Marquess of Southdown, necessitating their return from America to Puckscroft Park, near Brighton. Her other son, six-year-old Jake, has seemingly formed an alliance with an invisible man, Mr. Dobbs, who does all sorts of wondrous things. Rosalind's first love, Sir Henry Trafford, still lives almost next door to the Park, with his sister and mother. His well-intentioned gift threatens to produce a major scandal until Jake and Mr. Dobbs intervene, clearing the way for the Rosalind and Henry to re-affirm their love.

Volume Sixteen is a splendid addition to Signet's tradition. Have some eggnog, light the candles, and enjoy the sounds and smells of the holiday season as you read this book. Happy Holidays!