I first found Tabetha Waite's writing through an anthology I purchased on Amazon (Yuletide Happily Ever Afters: A Merry Little Set of Regency Romances) and her tale, Twelve Gifts by Christmas. I thoroughly enjoyed the story (and you can get it here: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07NDVZCSB/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i8 for 99 cents or free with KU) So when I got the chance to join her review team, I jumped at the chance! The first story up for review was Why the Earl is After the Girl, and this is my review.
Athena Hawthorne never imagined that she would lose everything she'd ever had. But after the death of her father, his prosperous jewelry store is sold off to pay his supposed debts. Athena, now destitute, embarks on a mission to discover the truth, but circumstances force her to accept an offer from a handsome stranger to work as a governess. She's determined to clear her father's name, but a certain earl is making matters far more difficult than necessary. And she can't be in danger of losing her heart to a member of the aristocracy...
Orion Ashcroft, the Earl of Rockford, is convinced that Athena is a grasping thief who stole a priceless family heirloom, the rare sapphire known as the Couleur Magnifique. When he offers her the position of governess to his sister's children, he only intends to catch her in some nefarious scheme and get back the sapphire—his grandmother's dying wish. But he soon discovers that keeping his distance—and his sanity—around the beautiful Athena isn't as easy as he'd planned. It certainly doesn't help that his sister and his best friend plead her innocence at every frustrating turn. Soon he's struggling between honoring his promise and his growing attraction to Athena.
But there's danger closer than either expect. Even a masquerade can't hide Athena from the curiosity of the ton forever...and there's a threat hiding among the highest members of society...
Why the Earl is After the Girl is a witty story about a missing heirloom and how it brings together two people from different walks of life. The earl is absolutely convinced of the guilt of Miss Athena Hawthorne...after all, she is the daughter of the jeweler who last had possession of his grandmother's broach! Athena is at first baffled by the attentions of the earl, but then captivated by his charm and attention. Can the two of them find common ground in the setting of the ton, against all the odds?
Ms. Waite's writing is crisp and witty. She has a fine sense of dialogue and her characters are sympathetic and believable!!
Ms. Waite's writing is crisp and witty. She has a fine sense of dialogue and her characters are sympathetic and believable!!
I was then sent How it all Began for the Baron, the prequel novella, to read. I loved learning the story of how The Baron and Baroness of Ambrel came to fall in love.
All it takes is a little Christmas spirit for love to appear.
Lady Cassiopeia Ashcroft never really liked her brother’s friend from Eton, but when her grandmother told her that Lord Gregory was coming home with Rion for Christmas, she decided that she would make the best of it – as long as he stayed out of her way. But the moment he stepped out of the carriage, she knew that this time, things would be different. Not only had Gregory matured and become rather infuriatingly handsome since she’d last seen him, but he also made her feel things that she never thought possible. And that was dangerous.
Lord Gregory Dawson never really considered Cassie to be anything other than Rion’s annoying older sister, but time had changed the girl he knew into a rather enchanting woman – so long as she kept her razor-sharp tongue inside that lovely head. He could think of many other uses for it, but he knew she was firmly off limits. The trouble was that he couldn’t seem to keep his hands to himself.
As a lively, Christmas house party begins to commence they finally start to succumb to the attraction between them. But when sudden tragedy breaks them apart, is their love strong enough to withstand the storm?
Lady Cassiopeia Ashcroft never really liked her brother’s friend from Eton, but when her grandmother told her that Lord Gregory was coming home with Rion for Christmas, she decided that she would make the best of it – as long as he stayed out of her way. But the moment he stepped out of the carriage, she knew that this time, things would be different. Not only had Gregory matured and become rather infuriatingly handsome since she’d last seen him, but he also made her feel things that she never thought possible. And that was dangerous.
Lord Gregory Dawson never really considered Cassie to be anything other than Rion’s annoying older sister, but time had changed the girl he knew into a rather enchanting woman – so long as she kept her razor-sharp tongue inside that lovely head. He could think of many other uses for it, but he knew she was firmly off limits. The trouble was that he couldn’t seem to keep his hands to himself.
As a lively, Christmas house party begins to commence they finally start to succumb to the attraction between them. But when sudden tragedy breaks them apart, is their love strong enough to withstand the storm?
