How the Dukes Stole Christmas

A Holiday Romance Anthology

By: Tessa Dare, Sarah MacLean, Sophie Jordan, Joanna Shupe

Narrated by: Justine Eyre

Christmas magic is in the air.... From the ballrooms of London, to abandoned Scottish castles, to the snowy streets of Gilded Age New York, four best-selling authors whip up some unforgettable romance...with a little help from some enchanted shortbread.

"Meet Me in Mayfair" by Tessa Dare

Louisa Ward needs a Christmas miracle. Unless she catches a wealthy husband at the ball tonight, the horrid, heartless Duke of Thorndale will evict her family from their beloved Mayfair home. But when her friend begs to switch dance cards, Louisa finds herself waltzing with the enemy: the horrid, heartless - and unexpectedly handsome - Thorndale himself. Now the duke's holding her future in his hands...and he's not letting go.

"The Duke of Christmas Present" by Sarah MacLean

Rich and ruthless, Eben, Duke of Allryd, has no time for holidays. Holidays are for whimsy and charm - the only two things his money cannot buy. Lady Jacqueline Mosby is full of both, even now, 12 years after she left to see the world. When Jacqueline returns for a single Christmas, Eben can't resist the woman he never stopped loving...or the future that had once been in reach. It will take a miracle to convince her to stay...but if ever there were a time for miracles, it's Christmas....

"Heiress Alone" by Sophie Jordan

When Annis Bannister's family leaves her behind in the rush to escape an impending snowstorm, she finds herself stranded in the Highlands, left to fend off brigands terrorizing the countryside, robbing homes locked up for winter. Her only hope falls on her neighbor, a surly hermit duke who unravels her with a look, then a kiss...until she fears the danger to her heart outweighs the danger of brigands and snowstorms.

"Christmas in Central Park" by Joanna Shupe

Women all over America devour Mrs. Walker's weekly column for recipes and advice. No one knows Rose, the column's author, can't even boil water. When the paper's owner, Duke Havemeyer, insists she host a Christmas party, Rose must scramble to find a husband, an empty mansion, and a cook. But Duke is not a man easily fooled and she fears her perfect plan is failing - especially when Duke's attentions make her feel anything but professional. To save her career will she give up her chance at love?

©2018 Eve Ortega, Sarah Trabucchi, Sharie Kohler, and Joanna Rotondo (P)2018 HarperCollins Publishers

Only one story worth the credit.

I was disappointed in this anthology, particularly the second story, which was so tedious. The only story that earned an A was the one by Joanna Shupe.

A Delicious Taste of Christmas

The continuing thread of shortbread cookies will make your mouth water. Okay, the magic cookies sound vile but the results are positive. I enjoyed each unique story of finding unexpected love during the holidays. Christmas is a time of romance and magic, add in strong characters and you have a recipe that will delight. You don’t have to wait until next Christmas to enjoy these holiday stories.

4 Fun Christmas Novellas

Each of these 4 short stories still felt like full novels due to the details & character development where I felt immersed. So fun to have 4-in-1! Three ongoing themes throughout all 4 stories are: Dukes, Christmastime, and Shortbread (hilarious descriptions of Shortbread in each + a recipe at the end).
All four read like regency novels, but the third story for whatever reason the narrator does not have an accent.
Loved the first story, enemies to lovers and so sweet how they come together, some found family. The banter!
The second story was a little more depressing in that bone deep long-lost intense love with some Notebook vibes (but happier ending), past and present, and some comedic relief. 12 years apart is rough!
The third story is sweet, a great plot resulting in found family and change of plans, with a little danger along the way. Funny characters in this one!
The fourth story was another great plot resulting in found family as well. Super funny at how she accepts she cannot cook/bake. Intriguing deception & ruses!
All in all, all four were great plots and I enjoyed them. Note: Open door bedroom scenes in all but the first story.

Disappointing narration

I hate to speak ill of Justine Eyre’s narration, but it was painful at times to listen to. Her voicing of the male leads, in particular, was distracting and disappointing. And the attempt at annunciating every word (i.e.- “I do not wish...”) made the interaction feel unnatural.
The stories were “ok”.

Good

I like this grouping of fun Christmas stories. The 1st and last stories where the best. The middle 2 stories were good. The third story was sort of a Home Alone take off. My biggest issue with it was the sudden ending. I was hoping for some epilogue where her family comes back for her and her sisters realize she won the elusive Duke. Bit disappointing that it just ended with no real wrap up. The fourth story was a direct steal from a 1940s Christmas movie "Christmas in Connecticut"...one of my favorites. I don't mind a "redo" and this one was first rate. Justine Eyre was good, her male voice was good. Overall I would recommend. It was a fun Christmas compilation.

Charming

Four stories, four Dukes and some questionable shortbread.
Magical or not, shortbread is normally tasty, but somehow this magical shortbread is not very good.
From Mayfair to America, we find Louisa trying to save her family home from a Duke, but finding she is thrust into his company.
Eben and Jaqe cross the span of separation to come back to each other.
Annie is left behind in Scotland by her family to be rescued by the local Duke.
Then there is newspaper term oil for Rose walker.
Will magical shortbread bring them together, or is that all a myth?
Enjoyable stories and worth the listen.

Movie Adaptations as Historical Romances

I didn't realize when I bought this anthology that each story is loosely - very loosely - based on a Christmas movie. At least, each takes a premise from a classic Christmas movie and runs with it. The stories are also tied together by magical shortbread. Tessa Dare is one of my favorite authors, and she didn't disappoint with Meet Me in Mayfair. It had her usual humorous flair and translated "Meet Me in St. Louis" perfectly to a historical romance. Although Sarah MacLean is also one of my favorite authors, I was a little disappointed in her story, "The Duke of Christmas Present," which just seemed to drag. Maybe I'm just bored with remakes of "A Christmas Carol." However, MacLean's had an unusual twist (as her books so often do), giving the Scrooge character, Eben, a happily ever after while he was still a young man. I liked that. I loved Sophia Jordan's "Heiress Alone," which was a romance between an heiress and a reclusive duke in Scotland after her family left and forgot her, leaving her to be rescued by the duke. I also loved Joanna Shupe's "Christmas in Central Park," a twist on "Christmas in Connecticut" set in a newspaper office in New York in 1889. All four stories had creative twists that didn't follow the movies. It was a really fun listen that I was sorry to have end. Justine Eyre was the perfect narrator for all the stories. #ChristmasRomance #ChristmasAnthology

Historical Christmas Cuteness.... mostly...

Meet Me in Mayfair – Tessa Dare – 5 stars

Louisa Ward needs a Christmas miracle because without it her family will lose their home in Mayfair. Her only chance to save their home is to go to the ball and try to score a wealthy man who can save her and her family from trouble.

When Louisa’s friend Fiona begs for her to take her dance card so that she can escape the ball without being seen Louisa finds herself face to face with the man who is trying to steal her home, the Duke of Thorndale himself.

As she makes her way across the dance floor with the duke, she realizes that he might not be the heartless man she once thought he was and might indeed be a good man. As Christmas Eve wears on and Louisa gets to know the duke, she is saddled with the possibility that she might be falling for him. Now, she must make the decision of being honest with him about her family or risk losing him forever.

The Duke of Christmas Present – Sarah MacLean – 4 stars

Eben, Duke of Allryd is not much of a drinker except on Christmas Eve. Every year since Lady Jacqueline Mosby left him and his heart behind, he has gotten drunk on Christmas Eve to forget the loss that he feels every time the holiday comes around. This year brings on something new because upon hearing what he thinks is a ghost Eben heads to the kitchen to find none other than the woman herself. The woman who left all those years ago is back but is it just something in his mind or is she back.

Waking up the next morning leaves Eben with a terrible headache and only the memories of the night before. Did he dream her or is she here? It must have been a dream because after 12 years she wouldn’t be back now. A twist of fate he never saw coming brings back the only woman he has ever loved but can he win her back before she marries another man?

A second chance at love for Eben and Jac could mean a future that neither one of them planned for but if they aren’t able to see what is right in front of their faces their second chance at love might be lost forever.

Heiress Alone – Sophie Jordan – 3 stars

Abandon on Christmas Annis Bannister is left in the Highlands to fend for herself. How could her family have forgotten her on Christmas? With brigands terrorizing the homes closed off for the winter Annis’s only home is the duke next door. A hermit of a man who takes her breathe away with one kiss and leave Annis with a broken heart.

Honestly, I wasn’t that into this one. It could be a mood thing, but Annis just irked me for some reason.

Christmas in Central Park – Joanna Shupe – 2 stars

This one didn’t really work for me either, I never felt the chemistry between Rose and Duke. I kept waiting for it to happen or for it to get there but it just didn’t.

Excellent group of novellas

They were each very romantic, sexy, with sassy & witty female characters. Each story had a little connection which made it more interesting. Great narration by Justine Eyre. Highly recommend this group of stories.

The Perfect Listen for Christmas Time!

How the Dukes Stole Christmas is a fun compilation of four Christmas-themed novellas. The sweet, sexy historical romances are loosely tied together with a number of elements: Dukes (or men named Duke), the magic of snow, and some rather horrible (but possibly magical) shortbread. And like many Christmas stories, several are based on classic Christmas books/movies: A Christmas Carol, Home Alone, and Christmas in Connecticut.

I am always a little apprehensive when purchasing anthologies -- will the quality of the collection be uneven? No need to worry about this one. All four stories are wonderful and add up to a volume well worth the credit. Step away from the Hallmark movie... this is better!