One Candlelit Christmas: Christmas Wedding Wish\The Rake's Secret Son\Blame It On The Mistletoe (Harlequin Historical Series)

This Christmas trio of short stories has one bright star - "The Rake's Secret Son" by Annie Burrows. It is the moving story of widow Nell Tillotson and her small son. They live in near-poverty conditions and are scorned by the entire village, all because of the reprehensible actions of her late husband Carleton. He neglected her shamefully, blackened her name, broke her heart, then ran away overseas and got himself killed. Well it turns out Carleton is alive - just barely - and perhaps by some Christmas miracle things can finally be set right.

"The Rake's Secret Son" is a perfect Christmas tale. It is sweet, endearing, and undeniably hopeful. The author hooks the reader early on by creating some mystery and ambiguity, and then bit-by-bit as the story unfolds she reveals the pieces of the puzzle. Nell and Carleton's interactions are charming. Despite their wariness of the other, they cannot hide their true feelings. It is fun to watch as their two distinct versions of the past steadily become one...as too does the couple. Very uplifting.

Justiss' "Christmas Wedding Wish" gets off to a good start, and the hero is likable enough, but the heroine behaves irrationally and ruins the romance. Meredyth Wellingford is pretty, intelligent and well-dowered, yet is unmarried at 27. Her fiancé died many years ago, and since then no one has tempted her to give up her comfortable, albeit unfulfilled, single life...that is until her brother's friend Allen Mansfell comes to visit them at Christmas. Allen, who is nursing a broken heart, is instantly attracted to Meredyth and makes no attempt to hide it. But she is insecure and doubts his devotion, setting off a series of unfortunate events. I do feel there is real heat and affection between these two, and the first half of the story is good, but Meredyth's later callous treatment of Allen makes no sense and completely bursts the romantic bubble.

Brisbin's "Blame it on the Mistletoe" also starts well, but numerous inconsistencies drag it down. It is the story of childhood friends Julia and Iain whose circumstances have changed, thwarting a possible match. Julia is now ward to a wealthy Earl, while Iain is a mere "mister" who has been crippled in an accident. Unfortunately, it is never quite clear why their families, who are best friends, are SO dead set against the match. Then suddenly they're all for it...with no adequate explanation. And Julia's beloved aunt and step-niece are oddly ignored or are given no dialogue. I do like how Julia is up-front about her feelings for Iain, and Iain's grit is admirable, but overall the story lacks cohesion.

loved each and every one of them. just enough to let you know what happened and a happy ending.