Once Upon a Christmas Wedding Read online

  Copyright

  All twenty-seven books within this anthology are works of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. With the exception of well-known historical figures and places, any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events or locales is entirely coincidental.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, now known or hereafter invented, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the applicable author, except for the use of brief quotations in a critical article or book review.

  The license granted herein is to read this ebook for entertainment or literary criticism purposes only. Without limiting the generality of the forgoing, any use of this work for machine learning or artificial intelligence training purposes is not included under the license and is expressly prohibited.

  Copyright © 2019 - applicable to all authors listed within this boxed set.

  Full copyright remains with each author.

  Stock Photography by Period Images

  Cover Design by Erin Dameron-Hill

  The purpose of copyright is to encourage writers and artists to produce the creative works that enrich our culture.

  The scanning, uploading, or distribution of this book without explicit written permission is theft of intellectual property. Thank you for your support of our authorial rights.

  Being an international collection, you’ll find both American and British conventions for spelling and punctuation in this edition. No error is intended. Each author has written according to their preferred (and usual) style.

  This copyright applies to the following stories

  HELL’S WEDDING BELLS - by Annabelle Anders

  TWO LADY SCOUNDRELS AND A DUKE - by Tessa Candle

  A WICKED WEDDING - by Laura Trentham

  THE LADY’S GUIDE TO MISTLETOE AND MAYHEM - by Emmanuelle de Maupassant

  THE RUSSIAN BETROTHAL - by Elsa Holland

  BEAUTIFULLY RECKLESS - by Virginia Taylor

  THE MISTLETOE MISTRESS - by Maddison Michaels

  DEEDS NOT WORDS - by Ashe Barker

  HOLLY AND THE BEAST - by Annabel Joseph

  THE WINTER BRIDE - by Emma V Leech

  MISTLETOE KISSES - by Elise Marion

  THE CHRISTMAS COUNTESS - by K.J. Jackson

  MISCHIEF AND MISTLETOE - by Stacy Reid

  KIDNAPPED WITH THE KNIGHT - by Emily Murdoch

  THE RUSSIAN PRINCE’S BRIDE - by Mariah Stone

  CHRISTMAS CHARITY - by Beverley Oakley

  THE ANGEL OF AN ASTRONOMER - by Linda Rae Sande

  WASSAIL, WAGERS AND WEDDINGS - by S. Cinders

  HIGHLAND YULE - by Sky Purington

  MARRYING MISS BRIGHT - by Dayna Quince

  KISS ME, MACRAE - by Amy Sandas

  HOLLY AND OLD LACE - by Vanessa Brooks

  HOME FOR CHRISTMAS - by Celeste Jones

  A SPINSTER AT THE HIGHLAND COURT - by Celeste Barclay

  THE HOLIDAY HUSSY - by Merry Farmer

  DECEMBER DEBAUCHERY - by Em Brown

  WEDDED IN WINTER - by Scarlett Scott

  Contents

  Your Invitation

  Reviews

  Foreword

  Twenty-Seven Gorgeous Novellas

  Wedded in Winter

  Hell’s Wedding Bells

  The Holiday Hussy

  The Winter Bride

  The Mistletoe Mistress

  Two Lady Scoundrels and a Duke

  The Lady’s Guide to Mistletoe and Mayhem

  Kidnapped with the Knight

  The Russian Prince’s Bride

  Beautifully Reckless

  A Wicked Wedding

  Mischief and Mistletoe

  The Christmas Countess

  Kiss Me, Macrae

  The Angel of an Astronomer

  Christmas Charity

  Highland Yule

  The Russian Betrothal

  Mistletoe Kisses

  Holly and the Beast

  Marrying Miss Bright

  Wassail, Wagers and Weddings

  Deeds Not Words

  A Spinster at the Highland Court

  Home for Christmas

  Holly and Old Lace

  December Debauchery

  Your Invitation

  Reviews

  Your Invitation

  FROM THE HISTORICAL HARLOTS

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  Dear Reader

  Welcome to our anthology. Here, you'll find mystery, drama and secrets. The magic of Christmas combined with the journey of love and the path to sexual awakening.

  There’s something utterly delicious about historical romance. Men and women bound by the era's rules and restraints, yet craving something more: True love. Adventure. Grand passion.

  You’ll find lashings of sexual tension and anticipation, and at least one smoulderingly steamy scene in every story, because we believe our desire for physical connection is as strong as our desire for love, and deserves to be explored on the page.

  We hope these romances provide welcome escape and entertainment, that they inspire you and transport you.

  The characters in our stories battle many of the same challenges we do today—striving for independence and self-determination, while yearning for true love.

  While you’re cheering for our heroes and heroines, we want you to cheer for yourself. Like the women and men in these tales, you’re stronger than you may realize, more resourceful and more determined.

  As for happy endings, we all need to believe that things can get better if we persevere, that there is hope, and the chance to embrace a life of love and friendship and contentment.

  Go get ‘em!

  'Tis the season... for wedding bells!

  But, the path of true love never did run smooth... as our brides and grooms soon discover.

  From the snowbound Highlands to candlelit ballrooms, follow our fearless heroines as they scorn etiquette and defy danger in pursuit of their heart's desire.

  Happy Christmas!

  We hope you enjoy unwrapping these twenty-seven gorgeous novellas.

  Our authors, hailing from all over the world, are thrilled to have come together to create this sumptuous set of heartwarming historical romances.

  Browse the teasers below, to help you choose where to begin.

  WEDDED IN WINTER

  by Scarlett Scott

  There is only one man Beatrix Winter has ever desired, but as her brother’s loyal right-hand man, Merrick Hart has never spared her a glance. When her family departs to celebrate Christmas in the country, unintentionally leaving Beatrix behind, Merrick agrees to escort her. Beatrix is the one temptation Merrick has always resisted, but a man can only endure so much time
alone with the woman he has been secretly longing for…

  HELL’S WEDDING BELLS

  by Annabelle Anders

  Lady Lila’s father would have her be a duchess at all costs, even if her groom must be blackmailed into saying his vows.

  The Duke of Pemberth only seeks to maintain his honor but finds himself falling for his Christmas bride. Can two hearts overcome a marriage built upon deceit or is their love forever doomed by the lies of the past?

  THE HOLIDAY HUSSY

  by Merry Farmer

  The last thing Alice Marlowe wanted for Christmas was a wedding, but her father has arranged for her to marry the handsome and intimidating Count Fabian Camoni. Is she about to kiss goodbye to her freedom, or is Fabian everything Alice has ever wanted to find under the mistletoe and more?

  TWO LADY SCOUNDRELS AND A DUKE

  by Tessa Candle

  Her fall from grace leaves Katherine Blake dirt poor and friendless but for a stray dog. Some Christmas this will be: she cannot even pay the rent. Robbery is a desperate scheme, but then the blasted Duke of Foxleigh shows up to ruin her life all over again.

  THE MISTLETOE MISTRESS

  by Maddison Michaels

  A notorious rake accepts a Christmas wager to seduce the next lady to walk under the mistletoe. The lady however, is a woman from his past, whom he has sworn to protect, but whose bold antics drive him to distraction…and temptation. Can he protect her from himself?

  THE WINTER BRIDE

  by Emma V Leech

  Widowed farmer Ned Hardy is facing a bleak winter and a lonely Christmas, when a beautiful young woman turns up on his doorstep in the middle of the night, frozen and terrified. Stunned by the arrival of a fine lady who looks like a Christmas angel, Ned can’t help but wonder if all his Christmases have come at once…

  THE CHRISTMAS COUNTESS

  by K.J. Jackson

  A shunned lady determined to keep her secrets. A new newly minted earl looking for a fresh start. A love gone wrong gains a second chance in the light of the Christmas moon.

  MISCHIEF AND MISTLETOE

  by Stacy Reid

  Callisto Middleton desires to see her mother married to the Earl of Deerwood and, unknown to the couple, plans to help their romance along! Deerwood's son Graham, Viscount Sherbrooke, intends to stop the mischief but finds himself irresistibly drawn to the scheming minx. Once in close quarters, mistletoe enflames the situation and passion ignite…

  KIDNAPPED WITH THE KNIGHT

  by Emily Murdoch

  A man disowned by his family and a woman with absolutely no interest in him - and their kidnappers have left them all alone. After being disowned, the ex-Marquis of Dewsbury wakes up on Christmas day with a woman who doesn’t want him and no way to escape…

  THE RUSSIAN PRINCE’S BRIDE

  by Mariah Stone

  Born and raised in England, Helen moves to St. Petersburg to get married to a Russian Prince on the day before Christmas. When her fiancé is nowhere to be found, his older brother, Prince Roman Lipov, steps in to entertain her. Amidst a whirl of balls, soirees and ice skating, she's falling in love with the wrong brother. Once her groom returns, what will she choose—duty or forbidden love?

  THE LADY’S GUIDE TO MISTLETOE AND MAYHEM

  by Emmanuelle de Maupassant

  On the run from an unwanted marriage, Ursula assumes the identity of an etiquette teacher and heads to a remote Scottish castle for the Yuletide season, but her 'young charge' turns out to be more than she bargained for.

  Texan rancher Rye Dalreagh, the long lost Dunrannoch heir, has been thrown in the deep end. During what should be the merriest of seasons, he must choose a bride, navigate an ancient curse, avoid being murdered, and try not to fall in love with his manners tutor.

  THE RUSSIAN BETROTHAL

  by Elsa Holland

  Fourteen years ago, the betrothal of Miss Georgina Franklin’s betrothal to Prince Vladimir Demetri James Petroski caused a fluster in parlors across London. Fourteen years later the Petroski brothers arrived in London setting it alight with their breathtaking presence, bone melting accents and heart fluttering masculinity; eligible women were all interested in their availability. And yet the Prince's betrothed, Miss Georgina Franklin, was yet to receive a visit.

  BEAUTIFULLY RECKLESS

  by Virginia Taylor

  Nineteen-year-old debutant Rose Darnell plans to compromise the man she loves, war hero Sir Ian Temple, when he escorts her back to the country for Christmas. Ten years her senior, Sir Ian, an ambitious politician, has no intention of falling for the wilful charmer.

  However, perhaps a snowstorm, two cardsharps and a grumpy cat can divert Sir Ian’s path from a suitably staid wife to a reckless beauty he can’t resist.

  A WICKED WEDDING

  by Laura Trentham

  Marcus, Lord Linley, never thought to ascend to the title. After all, he was not the heir or the spare, but a lowly third son. Miss Diana Grambling is painfully aware her blood isn’t blue enough for an earl to consider her as a match. When the childhood friends stumble across a smuggling ring operating along their coast, they are in need a Christmastide miracle. If they can survive, will they be strong enough to follow their hearts?

  CHRISTMAS CHARITY

  by Beverley Oakley

  Reluctant courtesan, Charity, has found true love with Hugo, her first and only client. But when poet and artist, Hugo, is tricked into gambling away his impending inheritance, Charity finds herself at the mercy of Madam Chambon and her infamous house of ill-repute.

  Can the two young lovers thwart the conspiracy between Hugo’s social-climbing father, and slippery cousin Cyril, so Hugo can make Charity his Christmas bride?

  HIGHLAND YULE

  by Sky Purington

  Following a trail of mysterious letters left by her deceased betrothed, Rona joins his brother in a journey to uncover the truth. Can they reach a place of forgiveness and reignite their long-lost love? Or are some wounds too deep to ever heal?

  MISTLETOE KISSES

  by Elise Marion

  Lieutenant Maxwell Davies returned from the Crimean War wounded and broken. Miss Josephine Brewer is an outcast of society due to the scandalous nature of her birth. Beneath the mistletoe during a Christmas house party, the two will succumb to a powerful attraction. Will Maxwell’s plans for a solitary future and Josephine’s unsuitability make any sort of future impossible for them—or will their burgeoning love prove strong enough to overcome it all?

  MARRYING MISS BRIGHT

  by Dayna Quince

  Bella and Carina must break Carina’s disastrous betrothal. However, Sir Sebastian is no longer a boy but a virile man who awakens Bella’s deepest yearnings. Sebastian is bound to Carina, but it’s Bella who ignites his desires. When Sebastian lifts the veil, he discovers Bella took Carina’s place. Will he stop the wedding or heed the cravings of his heart?

  KISS ME, MACRAE

  by Amy Sandas

  Burned by betrayal, Allegra Smithson leaves New York for Scotland, determined to forge a new life of independence. An innocent mistake has her waking in the bed of brawny Baird Macrae, whose wide smiles and shameless kisses conceal a grieving heart. Does she dare trust the Scotsman who rouses her deepest desires, and claims they’re fated?

  THE ANGEL OF AN ASTRONOMER

  by Linda Rae Sande

  When a neighbour appears to be spying on her from his garden observatory, an incensed Lady Angelica is determined to give him a piece of her mind. Will Sir Benjamin end up with her heart as well, as mistletoe and moonlight work their magic?

  WASSAIL, WAGERS AND WEDDINGS

  by S. Cinders

  Ten years ago, Lizzie accepted the Viscount’s middle of the night, highly inappropriate, drunken proposal. Ten years ago, Lizzie had through she was hopelessly in love. After ten years of waiting, Lizzie is through with being a laughingstock. This Christmas, Lizzie is set on getting her life back—without Jack.

  HOLLY AND THE BEAST
r />   by Annabel Joseph

  Holly’s been given in marriage to a beastly Scottish laird in order to broker Yuletide peace between warring kingdoms. It’s a terrible fate for an Englishwoman, and she steels herself for her new husband’s unbridled savagery. Except that Laird Cochrane’s not that savage.

  Or beastly.

  Or anything she expected…

  DEEDS NOT WORDS

  by Ashe Barker

  James has never entertained the slightest doubt that Clarissa will be his viscountess. He’s loved his younger half-cousin for almost as long as he can remember and was only waiting for her to be old enough …