An Affair Before Christmas

By: Eloisa James

Narrated by: Susan Duerden

Magic under the mistletoe.

One spectacular Christmas, Lady Perdita Selby, known to her friends and family as Poppy, met the man she thought she would love forever. The devilishly attractive Duke of Fletcher was the perfect match for the innocent, breathtakingly beautiful young Englishwoman, and theirs was the most romantic wedding she had ever seen. Four years later, Poppy and the duke have become the toast of the town. But behind closed doors the spark of their love affair has burned out.

Unwilling to lose the woman he still lusts after, the duke is determined to win back his beguiling bride's delectable affections - and surpass the heady days of first love with a truly sinful seduction.

©2007 Eloisa James (P)2010 HarperCollins Publishers

Critic reviews

"Eloisa James’ elegantly written historical romance, sparkles with her distinctive brand of delicious sensuality and wicked wit." ( Chicago Tribune)

I can read anything by EJ. 50/50

Is there anything you would change about this book?

The series should be put in the right order. Had I not read some of the books in the series it would not have been easy to know what is going on.

Would you recommend An Affair Before Christmas to your friends? Why or why not?

Yes, but I would make sure they know the order of events. Any friend of mines has already read EJ books.

Would you listen to another book narrated by Susan Duerden?

Yes, I like her narration. She really makes some the characters in EJ books for real and funny.

Could you see An Affair Before Christmas being made into a movie or a TV series? Who should the stars be?

Yes, but not on it's own. The back ground of other characters would have to be added, It could not stand on it own without that information. Then it would be a great made for TV movie.

Any additional comments?

As I said before, I have listen to or read almost all of EJ books. She can do no wrong.

Book 2 in a series!

I can understand the frustreration in the previous reviews as this book can not stand alone. Only two characters situations are wrapped up as the others stories continue to progress until their stories are told further along in the series. Poppy and Fletch are not introduced in the first book so a great deal of time is spent developing their characters. James creates an entire world for her characters to live in. There are complicated connections that must be explained and read in order to understand. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and will read the other books in the series to find out what happens to the others. A decent love scene is not revealed until the last part of the book, but is entirely worth the wait. Of course the problem between this married couple could be solved by honest conversation but that is not how things were done in those times. In my opinion that is whay I read this type of novel. I enjoy the long suffering periods of struggle between the characters as it makes the resolution so much sweeter. I missed the characters after the story was over. Since an audio book does not exist for the last remaining books in the series, I have ordered the paperbacks. I must say I haven't read a book in years preffering the flexibily of audio titles. Worth it if you like the long suffering, minimal interaction that is characteristic of this genre. Also, PLEASE READ IN ORDER!

An odd sequel

Not nearly as much fun as the first in the series, but interesting. I didn't much care for the primary character, Poppy, for easily half the book, but I'm glad I persevered because she comes alive in the second half. The book addresses an unusual aspect of sexuality for a historical romance, and I found it compelling by the time I had finished it. Duerden does a good job, though it always takes time to adjust when a reader changes in a series. Fortunately they keep Duerden throughout the rest of the series. There are a lot of cliff-hangers at the end, so be prepared to continue on in the series. I'm glad I read it, but it wasn't as much fun as the first.

Light and entertaining

Would you consider the audio edition of An Affair Before Christmas to be better than the print version?

I was very entertained. Performance was well done and she has a great command of voices.

Marriage for Love?

This book was hard to get into for me, but soon picked up as our leading lady finally stood up for herself. I would recommend this for someone who needs a good marriage feel good romance.

just ok, not sure worth the credits

Good story line but took forever to get to the good parts. The reader was good, again just took too long, mushy parts was only in last hour.

Could have been a short story

I liked the story but the substance was weak. A lot of filler. Some of the story line had me shaking my head like REALLY?!?!

Love it

Love it. Heroine finds her strength. Christmas themes throughout. Narrator gave a good performance.

Just plain fun

Eloisa James must have such fun writing her books because she sure writes fun books. She has endless imagination in dreaming up her clever plots and "An Affair Before Christmas" is no exception. The redemption of sweet little Poppy at the hands of her confused, disappointed and frustrated but devoted husband, the Duke of Fletcher, is full of detail, suspense, erotica and James' wonderful sense of humor.

Poppy's mother is the perfect villain and saving Poppy from her wicked control sets both Poppy and Fletch free. The perfect symbolism for this release is the scene in which Fletch frees Poppy from her hair and we discover not only the miseries that Poppy endured to try to please her husband but one important cause of her inability to respond to his amorous attentions..

Subplots also sparkle and I'm quite taken with the Duke of Villet. I enjoy James' plot devise wherein characters move through her books as we travel this world she has invented.

I will also note that every single James book I've read so far has sent me to the internet to learn more about some historical detail revealed in her book. In this case, it was fashion as it applied to hairdos of fine ladies.

Ms Duerden's narration is spot on. I'm so glad they replaced the person who narrated "Desperate Duchesses."

I'm also very glad I've discovered Eloisa James.

Loved, loved, loved this book

Initially I thought what if I done? But after the initial 15 minutes....wow. Interest brewed over characters which got developed and a story that took a turn for the better. Although I have read all other books in the series, I am going back to read about the other two stories also developed here. This book allowed me to escape away from all the horrific things currently happening in my life and gave me an escape. Thanks you Eloisa James and Susan Duerden. I thoroughly enjoyed myself .