Her Christman Prince: A Holiday Regency Romance

Be Swept Away to Czarist St. Petersburg I had read this author's Viking time-travel romance series and enjoyed it very much. But I had read none of her traditional historical romances until this one. Just like the other series, I found this to be a great read. The prologue takes place in England ten years before the bulk of the book. In it, we meet two Russian princes (the Russian equivalent of dukes)--sons of the Russian ambassador to England—fighting over a precious black pearl necklace that the older one intends to give to a ballerina hoping to curry favor with the popular woman. Things get heated and escalate quickly, to the point where the older brother is holding a knife to his younger brother's throat after he crushed the pearls under his heel. Our heroine, as a young teen, is horrified. The older brother stalks off, but not before making a hurtful comment that will impact the heroine’s self-image for years to come. Ten years later, the heroine arrives in St. Petersburg, Russia, as the younger brother’s betrothed. But she has a surprise in store for her; her betrothed has disappeared, though the family is trying to locate him. Their wedding date is set, so the heroine rightly fears what will happen if he doesn't show up by then. But she still finds the older brother dark and moody; she wonders if he still finds her to be the “little mouse” that wouldn't be loved, as he said in his parting shot ten years earlier. But, of course, he is actually our hero, and he is now flabbergasted by the change in her. He is drawn to her beauty and her sense of wonder about all the new things she sees and experiences in Russia. As his parents want to keep her entertained and keep bad thoughts of her wayward betrothed from her mind, they set up a variety of experiences for the couple. These, of course, help build the attraction between them, though both feel so wrong about it. For a good while, she doesn't have a clue that his opinion of her has changed, despite some conflicting things he says, does, and exhibits. How will this work out for them? You'll have to read it and see! I thought the author did a fantastic job describing St. Petersburg. I agreed with the awe that the heroine felt as I was so able to imagine the scene. The author made it feel real and alive. I also thought the description of other cultural aspects was excellent; the author did a lot of research. You couldn't help but feel for the poor heroine, a kind-hearted orphan taken in by wealthy relatives who has her world upended just by choosing to go to Russia (in her cousin’s stead, as she found a love match in England; the cousin was originally betrothed to the younger brother) to only then find out about her betrothed’s disappearance. Another well-done book by this author, and if you enjoy historical romance, you may very well enjoy this book. I received a free copy of this book, but that did not affect my review.

A delightful story that takes the reader to St Petersburg, Russia where the heroine is to wed a Russian Prince she had know when she was younger. Actually Helen's cousin was to wed him but she ran off to marry for love and Helen decided to take her place. Roman and Alex were totally different. Alex was the playboy and the one Helen was to marry and Roman the more serious. When she arrives in Russia, she finds that Alex is away and she is left to spend time with Roman (my fav male name!) Loved this story of love found when least expected, but all is not smooth and it is a rocky road to a happy ever after!

I cannot remember when a story has touched me so deeply. But it was so much more then a story. It felt more like a friend sitting by my side telling me about her life. It had drama, times you wanted to get angry, perhaps even cry. You have no idea how things will turn out. One thing that reverberated throughout was the strength of character that was Helen. No matter how hard it was, Helen did whatever was the right thing to do, to honor her commitments. I was emotionally drained by the end of the book but had enough wherewithal left to enjoy it. I received a free book from the author in exchange for my volunteer review.