Published November 13th 2007 by Avon
Magic under the mistletoe…
One spectacular Christmas, Lady Perdita Selby, known to her friends and family as Poppy, met the man she thought she would love forever. The devilishly attractive Duke of Fletcher was the perfect match for the innocent, breathtakingly beautiful young Englishwoman, and theirs was the most romantic wedding she had ever seen. Four years later, Poppy and the duke have become the toast of the ton... but behind closed doors the spark of their love affair has burned out.
Unwilling to lose the woman he still lusts after, the duke is determined to win back his beguiling bride's delectable affections...and surpass the heady days of first love with a truly sinful seduction.
My Thoughts
An Affair Before Christmas is an entertaining holiday historical from the Desperate Duchess series, which I haven’t read yet, but I’m now eager to pick up. I think this is how many authors entice you to pick up their novels, which is by writing holiday stories that tie into their series in order to whet your appetite. Well it worked!During a beautiful holiday afternoon, Lady Perdita Selby, otherwise known as Poppy to her friends and family, accepts a betrothal from the Duck of Fletcher with the hopes that she is lucky enough to marry someone she’s in love with. To all of the ton, Poppy and Fletch are the perfect match, but after the vows are exchanged and the relationship is taken behind closed doors, their romance has fizzled out completely. Fletch has no idea how to entice his wife Poppy behind closed doors and after four years of a cold response, he begins to drift away and give up on his marriage.
As a result, Poppy takes their estrangement as a time to find herself and indulge in her own peculiar interests, including her curiosity cabinet and intellectual conversations about different species of animals. Fletch finally comes around to court his wife after he discovers her new adventures and realizes he’s dealing with a new person.
I really enjoyed Poppy and her odd interests. I found her quite entertaining and intriguing as she indulged in her hobbies and interests. I admired her for taking the time to discover what she enjoyed rather than worrying about her mother or husband’s preferences and wants. The second half of the novel, I saw Poppy develop in character from more of a child to a young lady, which was refreshing to see.
Fletch, being the more mature of the two, I’m surprised he didn’t communicate better with Poppy when it came to their marriage and wants. It was disappointing to see that their spark and romance died out over a simple miscommunication, or lack thereof.
There were a cast of secondary characters that I really enjoyed meeting, which is why I want to continue on with this series including Charlotte and the Duke of Villiers, as well as the Duke and Duchess of Beaumont, Jemma and Elliot.
Overall this holiday read was very entertaining. It had all the elements of a perfect winter getaway, which I’m glad I picked up!
3 Suns
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