Anthology - A stockingful of joy

An omnibus of novels by Jill Barnett, Justine Dare, Susan King and Mary Jo Putney, published October 4, 2005.
Genre: historical romance
Cover: lovely



A gentle woman shows a rugged man the meaning of love in Jill Barnett's Victorian New York of gaslit streets and snowy sleigh rides.

I really enjoyed this story, of a boxer and the woman who stole his heart. She is the granddaughter of his late landlord and his new landlady, and she moves in on the floor above him (she has no other place to go). But the roof is leaking like crazy and he ends up helping her after all. She is 40, and he is 32. I loved that.


An unexpected legacy sweeps a governess to a grand estate - where an impoverished nobleman discovers a woman to be treasured in Mary Jo Putney's poignant romance.

It is called The best husband money can buy, and that is exactly what the heroine does when she suddenly inherits a lot of money. She comes from a good family, but she lost contact when she became impoverished after her parents' untimely deaths. She still has a crush on her very handsome cousin, and he is in dire need of money to save his estate. He has no choice but to accept her offer. But can he come to love her?
Yes, I loved this story, it was heartbreaking at times, but of course it ends well.

Justine Dare brings us the heartwarming tale of a man who seeks shelter on an isolated Wyoming homestead … and discovers an orphan and a beautiful woman who need a miracle as badly as he needs forgiveness and love.

My first Justine Dare story, but I really enjoyed this one, so it won't be my last. It was sweet, and felt real, and yes, it has a big Christmas miracle. A drifter, a man who is known for his skills with his guns, needs shelter at Christmas and he comes upon a small homestead, where an aunt is trying to take care of her little nephew, and he doesn't want her there, the wants his mother back. She is not used to living on a farm, and they are struggling, but he helps out, and of course intends to leave the next day, or the next one …

In Susan King's touching story, a silver brooch seals a pact between a Highland lass and a Scottish laird as they find that the best gift to give is one's heart.

I liked this one the least, and it took me a long time to finish reading it (and it was the first story in the book). I do like Highlander stories, but this one was just a bit too unrealistic for me. Especially when the evil uncle wasn't all that evil after all.


All in all, a really good anthology, I enjoyed 3 of the stories and the 4th will appeal to others, it just wasn't my taste. If you like Christmas stories, try to find a copy somewhere. It does have some great author names too.

8 stars.

© 2015 Reviews by Aurian