|
Fourteen-year-old Mary Ann Whittaker is rescued
from a brutish attack by Lionel St. James while on her way to pawn
her pearl ring for funds to buy a Christmas goose. St. James is
touched by the girl’s unselfishness. He escorts her to the
pawnshop and makes up the difference from his own purse when the
ring fetches far less than the ten pounds she’d hoped for. In
addition, St. James pays off the family’s account at the
butcher, sends them a goose on Christmas Eve, and returns the ring
to Mary Ann. Mary Ann loses her adolescent heart to her golden
rescuer and vows to herself that he is the man she is going to
someday marry.
Seven years later, Mary Ann encounters again
Lionel St. James and is as determined as she was at fourteen to
marry him. Yet Lionel is totally unsuitable, not only as the
disinherited son of Lord St. James, but also because he earns his
living through gambling. Then there is the old scandal from the
supposed abduction of his stepmother’s sister. Mary Ann’s
brother in law, the Earl of Stoneham, is determined to keep St.
James away from his family, but after Mary Ann, her sisters and
mother see their savior from years past, they insist that he
accompany them to the country for Christmas. Stoneham agrees to
the plan only because he wants to please his wife and her family,
but warns Lionel that once New Year’s rolls around, he must be
gone…and to make sure Lionel agrees, he offers him two thousand
pounds. Once at Stoneham’s country estate, Lionel learns that
included among the house party guests are his father, stepmother,
half- brother and sister, and Lady Barbara, the woman from the
scandal in his past. As Lionel confronts these unexpected
complications, his love and desire for the forbidden Mary Ann
grows.
A ROGUE FOR CHRISTMAS with its themes of
forgiveness, reconciliation, hope, redemption, and the miracle of
love, is a joyous addition to the holiday reading season. Chapter
one is a delightful first chapter with it reading almost like a
Christmas fairytale. And fairytale brings to mind the adjective
for A ROGUE FOR CHRISTMAS: enchanting. A ROGUE FOR CHRISTMAS is
the latest entry in what Ms. Huntington calls her Whittaker Bride
series. Despite characters from previous books making their
appearances, this book stands alone with the various past
relationships satisfactorily explained. I strongly urge readers to
give themselves a Christmas present and hunt down Ms.
Huntington’s backlist, which includes THE CAPTAIN’S COURTSHIP,
THE LIEUTENANT’S LADY, LADY DIANA’S DARLINGS, and MISTLETOE
MAYHEM.
Kate
Huntington is indeed a rising star of Regency romance!
|
