All I Want for Christmas is a Duke Anthology | Book Review + Giveaway

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MY THOUGHTS

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All I Want for Christmas is a Duke is an anthology written by 4 historical romance authors: Valerie Bowman, Tiffany Clare, Vivienne Lorret, and Ashlyn Macnamara.  It also features four heartwarming Christmas stories perfect for the Holidays.

Is it a series?

Because it is an anthology, it follows a theme: there is a Duke, and it is Christmas.  For those of you who are not familiar with anthologies, this is not a series but a collection of four separate stories centered on one theme.

Four Dukes?  Say it isn’t so!

Instead of reviewing each novella extensively, I decided to review my overall enjoyment of this book and just add a few thoughts about each story.  I know it’s an anthology so I was expecting the four novellas which weren’t an issue for me.  In all honesty, there were a couple of stronger stories here that I really enjoyed.  On the downside, there are also two weaker stories, which is not to say they were horrible stories at all!

I really enjoyed Sophie and the Duke by Tiffany Clare and The Duke’s Christmas Wish by Vivienne Lorret.  I felt that those stories were pretty strong and inspiring and perfect for the holiday season.  Sophie and the Duke is a Cinderella retelling and I thought it was cute!  This is also a reunited friends romance, which is a theme that I absolutely adore.  The Duke’s Christmas Wish is a retelling of The Frog Prince and is just adorable.  I love my heroes to be a little on the serious side paired with a fun, and outgoing heroine.  The Duke and Duchess Trap by Valerie Bowman is a retelling of The Parent Trap (see the title there) and felt a little too cheesy for me.  Sure, I enjoyed the movie, The Parent Trap (especially the older version), but this one felt too short for me to even think it was believable for the Duke and Duchess to reconcile.  One Magic Season by Ashlyn Macnamara was also enjoyable but it was an okay read for me and I didn’t feel that anything stood out.  I really love a good second chance romance but again, this too felt so short.

Recommendations

If you love holiday Christmas stories, definitely grab a copy.  These stories can be read in one sitting or one at a time, perfect for reading in-between any New Year preparations that you have.

If you want a longer Christmas themed story, then read ‘Twas the Night After Christmas by Sabrina Jeffries.

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