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Marry Christmas (2008)

by Jane Goodger(Favorite Author)

3.56 of 5 Votes: 4

ISBN

1420103784 (ISBN13: 9781420103786)

languge

English

genre

Romance

publisher

Zebra

series

Christmas

review 1: As promised, here’s my recommendation of Jane Goodger’s 1st book in her Christmas trilogy.Elizabeth Cummings is an American heiress and in love with a man who, unbeknownst to her, wants her for her money.The Duke Randall Blackmore is an aristocrat who needs to marry money and so he agrees to meet Elizabeth, whose mother wants nothing more than a duchy for her girl.While Rand falls for her as soon as they meet, Elizabeth sees only a man who is settling for her money and is heartbroken to be forced into this farce of a marriage while her heart belongs to another.Despite the predictability of the story, especially on the part of the heroine, I liked both characterization, and plot of this interesting little tale. Out of all three though, I liked this one the least, and th... moreat’s because of my feelings toward Elizabeth. Still, worth the read because it is the start of the series.Melanie for b2bBook provided by the publisher through NetGalley
review 2: Too much conflict and separation due to a stupid and foolish heroine.REVIEWER’S OPINION:I immensely dislike Elizabeth. Randall is wonderful. Most of the book is conflict, anger or separation between these two, which is her fault. There is a sprinkling of happiness in the middle (22 pages) and a touch at the end (18 pages). The rest of the time is spent in frustrating conflict. I don’t mind conflict when there are other interesting things happening, but this isn’t the case. This conflict is based on Elizabeth’s stupidity, foolishness and vague communication. I think the author is a good writer, but I didn’t like the plot and main character in this book.STORY BRIEF:Elizabeth is the wealthiest heiress in the U.S. She has a few dances and a bike ride with Henry and believes she is in love with him. He wants her only for her money. Randall is an English Duke with no money. He needs to marry an heiress to support his tenants, his mother, his home, etc. Elizabeth’s parents arrange the marriage giving millions to the Duke so their daughter will have a title. Randall visits the U.S. and right away starts to fall for Elizabeth. She only has eyes for Henry and hopes to elope with him to escape her parents and Randall.DATA:Story length: 345 pages. Sexual language: mild. Number of sex scenes: 4. Length of sex scenes: 1, 2, 4 and 9 pages. Setting: 1892 Rhode Island, NY, and England. Copyright: 2008. Genre: historical romance.OTHER BOOKS:To date, I’ve read one other book by Jane Goodger which was wonderful! My 4.5 star review of “When There Is Hope,” Copyright 1996, was posted under 5 stars on 6/21/08.CAUTION SPOILERS:IF YOU ARE THINKING OF READING THE BOOK, THEN DO NOT READ BELOW. IT GIVES AWAY MOST OF THE STORY. If you have already read the book, feel free to read below to see if you agree or disagree with me.Elizabeth’s father tells Henry that if he elopes with Elizabeth, the couple will be cut off financially. Henry agrees to leave her be. Elizabeth believes her father when he tells her Henry wanted money more than Elizabeth. The day before her wedding to Randall, Henry sees Elizabeth shopping in a store and gives her a necklace with a note. He asks her to wear the necklace always as a reminder of their love. Randall asks her if she has seen Henry recently and she lies, saying no. She wears the necklace during the wedding and during the honeymoon. (Why would she do this after she had been told the truth about Henry? The author claims it was a symbol of rebellion against the arranged marriage.) After three days of honeymoon, she realizes that she is falling in love with Randall. She still wears the necklace! Then Randall accidentally sees the note from Henry and confronts her, she claims she forgot she was wearing it. The letter from Henry said “Do what you must to deceive and be safe, pretend anything to get you through the months ahead and know that I will always know the truth: that you love me alone.” (What kind of person would carry a letter like that on her honeymoon?) Randall didn’t trust her because she had lied about seeing Henry in the store and continued to wear Henry's necklace. He felt betrayed and angry which caused their separation for the rest of the book, until the last 18 pages. I was angry with her and felt no sympathy for her. I couldn’t enjoy the rest of the book because I needed someone to root for, and I sure couldn’t root for her.Later, she receives a letter saying Henry married another heiress. Elizabeth is crying because she knows she hurt Randall due to her own foolishness. Randall sees her crying and thinks it is because she is hurt that Henry married another. She doesn’t even try to explain the truth to Randall. Again, I am unsympathetic. less

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