“A Christmas Surprise” by Cynthia Moore

Clara, Viscountess Bentley, is both excited and nervous when she receives word her husband will be returning from India to join her for the holidays.  She loves him, but fears he does not feel the same way for her, especially since they were married in exchange for her father cancelling his gambling debt.  Can Clara show Julian how she feels, or are they doomed to a marriage of convenience only?

“A Christmas Surprise” is a cute story and my favorite in the anthology.  The basic storyline is familiar, but sweet.  Both Clara and Julian are uncertain and hesitant.  I enjoyed watching them slowly fumble their way toward love. 

“A Tradition of Love” by Carolynn Carey

Robert, Earl of Maulton, is a busy man.  He has a great many properties to oversee.  His bride, Thea, has a huge family and he thinks she will be spending much of her time with them.  Because of that belief, he’s surprised when she angrily demands that they go to the country for Christmas.  Will Robert open his heart to Christmas and family?

“A Tradition of Love” is a cute tale of a man whose life is all duty slowly learning to appreciate love and family.  While I would have liked the story to be longer and everything between Robert and Thea seemed to be wrapped up very quickly, I enjoyed the story.

“Christmas Mishaps” by Amy Corwin

Two years ago, Caroline’s fiancé eloped with her sister on the morning of their wedding.  Since then, everyone has treated her with pity and her parents won’t let her go see her sister to mend the rift between them.  Determined to visit her sister, Caroline goes to her home, ignoring the tradition that a woman must not be the first to cross the threshold on Christmas morning…

“Christmas Mishaps” had an interesting premise, but I had a hard time connecting with the characters.  Caroline’s sarcasm and dry wit were fun, but she was kind of wishy-washy at times.  The hero, Edward, manipulated her several times, which annoyed me.  I couldn’t really feel the connection between Caroline and Edward, making the happy ending fall a bit flat for me.

“Country House Christmas” by Barbara Miller

Captain Richard Trent has come home from the war before he wanted to, badly scarred.  He isn’t happy to be home until his sister-in-law’s younger sister, Diana, arrives at the house.  Can Diana bring some of the joy back to Richard’s life?

“Country House Christmas” features a scarred hero and an independent painter heroine.  I liked both Richard and Diana, and Diana’s quest to discover who had asked Richard to take his brother’s place and go to war was interesting.  The only weak angle of the story was the romance.  It felt rushed and a bit unsatisfying to me.

I admit to being a little disappointed in A Cotillion Country Christmas.  I normally love Regency Christmas anthologies, but this one, while it features a couple of enjoyable stories, isn’t as good as others I’ve read.  If you really love Regencies and Christmas, you will probably find something to like in A Cotillion Country Christmas.