The Last Chance Christmas Ball Anthology
Historical Romance
Released: September 29, 2015
Kensington
Reviewed by May
Christmas 1815. Upstairs and downstairs, Holbourne Hall is abuzz with preparations for a grand ball to celebrate the year’s most festive—and romantic—holiday. For at the top of each guest’s wish list is a last chance to find true love before the New Year…
In the introduction we discover that there are a great many people about to descend upon this house, and romance in the air. Though I think the author meant well, having an introduction that tries to give us information on all the characters was a mistake. My head was swimming and my mind tired by the time I waded through. I recommend knowing that there is a ball with lots of people coming (some of whom have a past together) and starting with the first story instead.
The wonderful news is that this is a very evenly written, high quality set of short stories. With so many top authors packed into this book I knew it would be a fun read and it was. I did wish for a little more action, a bit more heat, and a little more of a cohesive flow to make it feel a bit more like a story that builds a bit through each perspective and short story, but overall it was lovely.
These stories are so short it would be difficult to review each one without telling you the entire story, so instead I shall give you the overall feel of this book.
Second chances at love, and reuniting lovers was a big theme. It makes sense, as telling stories of total strangers turned true love in such a short period would be quite difficult. Each story was really easy to follow, each couple unique in their own way, and each with special touches that really let the author’s style shine. For example, Joanna Bourne’s tale has a nod to spies.
This was not a book with room to spare for graphic love scenes, so do not expect that. There is some heat, to be sure, but it is moderate at most.
If what you are looking for is a set of short stories with a common location and holiday feel (though not overly “Christmas”) that are well done, quick to read, and entertaining then this will be a book for you. I didn’t skip any which is very rare for a collection like this, and not one left me disappointed. As I mentioned before some things could have been done to make it feel a bit more like a building story, and some things could have been done to create a much better introduction. These things aside this is one of the best historical romance collections I’ve read in a long time.
Grade: B
I just finished reading this yesterday, and I agree with all that you said. It was an enjoyable read, and I did not skip any of the stories. I did go back at one point to re-read the prologue to better understand who some characters were. Some of the stories seemed better integrated than others, but I liked them all.