The trouble with anthologies of any kind is having to give a single rating for the whole volume. I'd rate Marvelle's MERRY CHRISTMAS, MRS. ROBINSON about 4 or 4.5, whereas I didn't even bother to finish Claremont's THE TWELVE DAYS OF SEDUCTION. ( )

'Merry Christmas Mrs. Robinson' by Delilah Marvelle

This story was extra special to me because of its pairing of the older woman/younger man. In my personal life, I am the older woman...

Lady Jane was only in her early twenties when she decided, and was encouraged by her younger friend Martin, to defy the society and reach for her dream of becoming an opera singer. A decision like that came with a heavy price of being estranged from her family and being shunned by most of the society. I say most, because men of that society adored and pursued her relentlessly. One of them in particular caught not just her attention, but the attention of the papers as well. To all of them he was only known as Mister X and his letters were something she looked forward to, knowing that his words brought her closer to that elusive thing called love. And then one day, a man shows up and claims her heart in the name of Mister X...

Martin Pierce, the sixth Duke of Somerset, is worried about his elderly Aunt who was neglected by his family because many years ago she defied Society and ran off with a man not worthy of her station. He is trying very hard to have her see and understand that the living quarters she resides in are roach infested and not suitable to her station. Through his discussion with her, he finds out that the woman he adored and never could forget is now impoverished and residing in the same building as his Aunt. This news crushes him and he realizes that the time has come for him to act on his deep feelings for her.

It's no secret to any of my followers how much I love anything this author writes and this short novella is no different. I loved the way she portrayed both hero and heroine as two lonely souls that connected as friends first, and lovers later.

As they grew older, they seemed to have reversed their personalities. Long ago, Martin was all of seventeen; shy and reserved young fellow with a deep feeling for an `older' woman of twenty-two. The only relationship he could offer Jane was that of a friend. That, however never stopped him from secretly declaring his love for her through his letters.

Jane had been strong and forward thinking female filled with excitement and not shy at all. She believed in herself and her dreams, wanting to absorb all that life had to offer, most of all the love of a man whom she loved through his letters.

Years later, Jane's doubts and apprehension of the intimacy she knows she wants, but isn't sure of are now keeping her away from Martin.

Martin on the other hand is now a man to be reckoned with. Gone is the shy and timid youngster to be replaced by this gloriously handsome and love starved man who knows what he not just wants but needs with all his heart.

This is one of those stories that I'll be rereading from year to year, that's how good it was! My heart just went out to both of them. In this story you'll find a bit of everything, from wit to sensuality, but romance is the driving force and I highly recommend it for many Christmases to come.

REVIEW: `The Twelve Days of Seduction' By Máire Claremont

This story comes to us from an author that will blow us all away when her début book comes out next year. Keep an eye on `The Dark Lady: A Novel of Mad Passions' coming out February 5, 2013.

If y'all are `Jane Eyre' fans, this one will be a hit for you, no question about it. For all of those that never read `Jane Eyre' [or for that matter saw any version's offered to us from many filmmakers, notably the BBC series with Toby Stephens playing Mr. Rochester, who I thought did even better job than Orson Welles], I am sure you'll love it as well.

Adriana Flint's understated beauty and strong character were driving force behind this story of a woman who pulled herself out of the gutter, quite literally.

She is a survivor and through sheer determination alone, she reinvents herself as this proper English miss that takes the position of a governess, to a little girl who is challenged by a limp, the Duke of Berresford's ward. She adores the little mite and dedicates herself to teaching her ways to overcome her disability. Adriana also realizes that sooner or later, her secret identity and her `moonlighting' job will be discovered and crush not only her, but two people she had come to care for so much.

Alexander Hunt, Eighth Duke of Berresford is a man who adores his little ward and would do anything to keep her from harm. Over a year ago he had hired her Governess and watched the little girl thrive under her care. He respected and observed the boundaries he set by ignoring his secret desire for the prim and proper young woman under his employ and protection. That, however is about to change, as he confronts her and decides to either throw her on her ear, or keep her as his mistress and far away from his home.

As they both come to an understanding that would be amicable to both, Adriana accepts his offer to become his mistress, but only if he manages to seduce her for the next twelve days. Ms. Claremont writes the rest of the story with an easy prose, fast pace and gives us a look into the romance of these two lonely but headstrong people who will make your eyes mist.

Both of these stories were written with romance in mind first and will touch your heart with its unique characters, setting and sensuality.

I am always happy when I read Ms. Marvelle's work, but now my curiosity is peaked by the new author I discovered and am eagerly awaiting and looking forward to making room for on my Keeper shelf.

Book provided by NetGalley. ( )

This is actually two separate novellas, "Merry Christmas, Mrs. Robinson" by Delilah Marvelle and "The Twelve Days of Seduction" by Maire Claremont. I'm a fan of Marvelle's work but haven't read Claremont's before. Normally I try to get multi-author collections from the library, but none of my libraries bought this, and at 99 cents I figured paying for something I might only read half of was better than missing a Marvelle book.

"Merry Christmas, Mrs. Robinson" was a very good story that may have suffered just slightly from the amount of space it had as a novella. It's a friends to lovers story, in which after several years of separation, the widowed Mrs. Robinson reconnects with her old friend Martin, whom she never knew was actually, as a teenager, the mysterious Mr. X with whom she fell in love via letters. (She believed that her late husband was Mr. X when they married, but found out he wasn't before he died.) Over the course of the story she discovers how the two sides of the man that she knew fit together. He's a little older and more confident. She's a little wiser. My one complaint was that Mrs. Robinson's issues seem a little under explored, to the point where some of them maybe could have been skipped. From the beginning, I expected her issues to stem from the circumstances of her first husband's death, but near the end she brings up problems in their sex life that appear to have come out of nowhere to take care of the rule of romance that says that if the heroine is not a virgin, she can't have had a good sexual relationship before the one with the hero. Delilah Marvelle can do better than that. Still, overall, this was a lovely story.

I was less sold on "The Twelve Days of Seduction," because I had trouble understanding Adrianna's motivations. At the beginning, she appears to be attempting to live a respectable life. She has secured a position as a governess, probably the most respectable employment to which she can aspire. She publishes her novels under a different name. (It appears that her pen name is her original name and she's going by a false one, but it' still not the name she's currently using otherwise.) But when Alexander discovers her and says she may stay if she stays as his mistress, she doesn't appear to consider the reputation she has built for herself at all. Her only concern is for whether, as his mistress instead of his ward's governess, she will still be able to associate with the girl or if she will be kept away in London, and not at all for what might happen to her if she becomes his mistress and *then* gets tossed out. And although she says she wants him to seduce her for twelve days first, she doesn't actively do anything to try to persuade him not to separate her and his daughter/ward, or object to the eventual separation (she asks in that first conversation, he says it would be cruel to separate them too quickly, that's that), and her agreement to be his mistress doesn't seem to be contingent on how well he does in the twelve days. The three of them were charming together in all combinations but I had trouble seeing what the point of the whole exercise was supposed to be. ( )

Read for Review (NetGalley)
Overall Rating: 4.25
Story Rating: 4.00
Character Rating: 4.50

Part of my 25 Books for the Holidays for 2012

*NOTE: I only read Merry Christmas, Mrs. Robinson by Delilah Marvelle*

How Merry Christmas, Mrs. Robinson put me in the Holiday Spirit: I am a SUCKER for second chance love stories that are led by the man! Throw in family reconnecting at the holidays and I am a goner.

What I thought of the characters/story: Merry Christmas, Mrs Robinson was a delightful read full of wonderful characters. From the mysterious Mister X to the jaded Mrs. Robinson (and all the characters in-between), you couldn’t help but root for them to reconnect, fall in love, and “do it up properly” this time around. I loved that it all started with Martin wanting to treat family (specifically an aunt he didn’t know) better than his father did. Martin was a beyond swoon-worthy leading man and I kind of hope we get to see a story for his brother!

This dualogy features two Christmas short stories. Delilah Marvelle's story, Merry Christmas, Mrs. Robinson, involves a secret admirer and a reunion. I loved the hero in this one. He's slightly younger than the heroine, a little lonely, and determined once he gets a sort of second chance with the heroine. I would've liked to have had the heroine's intimate insecurities explored a bit more. They seemed resolved a little too easily. Otherwise, it's a very sweet romance. 4 stars

The second story, The Twelve Days of Seduction by Màire Claremont had a really good beginning and end. The hero and heroine have a great physical connection. There is a lovely bond between the hero, the heroine, and the hero's young daughter. And it was nice seeing that bond strengthen throughout the story, especially between the hero and his child. But I think I needed more beyond the physical and the bond with the child to make the story more enjoyable for me. I needed more seduction. 3 stars

ARC provided through NetGalley. ( )