Loved all these stories - even the one featuring the Scottish duke. (Which is a feat because I hate the trope.) I expected Tessa Dare's to be good but Sarah McLean's got me with the emotion around two people who have spent so many years pining for each other. And I loved the last one, which started out to be a gilded age Christmas in Connecticut but thankfully found its own twist. Thoroughly enjoyed the entire collection. ( )

How the Dukes Stole Christmas is another anthology that didn't match my expectations. I have enjoyed stories from Tessa Dare and Sarah MacLean in the past, so I was hopeful that I would at least enjoy their novellas. Unfortunately, Tessa Dare's Meet Me in Mayfair was the only one I liked.

Read my full review. ( )

This was a delightful collection of four regency romance novellas, each with a Christmas theme.

In “Meet me at Mayfair” Louisa attends a ball hoping to catch a wealthy husband because her family is about to become homeless due to her father being unable to pay the debt that has suddenly come due on the house they live in. At the dance, she unfortunately catches the attention of the very Duke who is threatening to turn them out in the street. This was very cute, with a midnight walk, snowball fighting and Christmas caroling.

In “The Duke of Christmas Past” Evan and Jac were lovers when they were children, but a disagreement over a decade ago caused a split. Jac shows back up in Evan’s life, but with news that distresses him. All the stories feature magical shortbread that causes the person who eats it to fall in love, which was a fun addition.

In “Heiress Alone” Anise is left behind in the midst of a terrible snowstorm and is rescued by a reclusive Scottish duke from criminals threatening the countryside. This novella had lots of steamy scenes. Anise is planning to become a nun, but a night with the Duke changes her mind.

In “Christmas in Central Park” Rose is an advice columnist who gives household tips, but can’t even do the simplest cooking herself. When her boss requests a dinner party hosted by “Mrs. Walker” she has to find both a house to hold the party in and a fake husband. This one was funny. ( )

"Meet Me in Mayfair" by Tessa Dare- Maybe I was particularly in the mood for this sort, but I was just delighted all the way through. I like pretty much all Dare's other work too though, so I lean toward believing it's just a solid novella. Great premise, wonderful execution. 5 stars.

"The Duke of Christmas Present" by Sarah MacLean- I tend to not enjoy stories that bounce back and forth between past and present as much, but this one was handled pretty well. I enjoyed the slight Christmas Carol vibes. I would have liked for the hero to out with his feelings earlier, but I did enjoy the great access to his inner thoughts and feelings. And there were some very sweet moments. 4 stars.

"Heiress Alone" by Sophie Jordan- This one seemed sort of simplified compared to the others. Not complex, the plot was more unlikely. It wasn't painful to get through or anything, but it wasn't great. 3 stars.

"Christmas in Central Park" by Joanna Shupe- I haven't read any from Shupe previously, so I can't say wether she just let holiday whimsy carry her away, or if she simply doesn't concern herself much with grounding her writing in reality. But this story was preposterous. Ridiculous scenarios, numerous inconsistencies, very apparent contortions of circumstances to arrange for drama. Also, the side characters weren't well developed and I didn't particularly care for either of the leads. I just did not enjoy this story. All the way to the climax of the story I just kept thinking 'seriously?... really??...'. It was like watching a car wreck in very, very slow motion. Their make-out scene was better written I think, but also the plot was set aside during that, and that may have been part of the seeming improvement. I will still try Shupe at another point, anyone can write a weaker piece here or there, and some people just don't shine as much at short stories. But this one did not inspire much interest in me for more. 2 stars.

Despite getting worse (for me) as it went, I'm still giving this 4 stars overall. I liked the variation between the stories, different times and settings, and it was fairly cute how they were tied loosely together by Dukes, Christmas, and a cookie recipe. ( )

Incredible anachronisms aside, why didn't the title of this anthology include the word "shortbread" in it somewhere? That was the link between each of the stories. Sure, there were dukes (of one kind or another) too, but nary a one "stole Christmas." How confusing.

Also, that last novella? I felt like I was watching the film Christmas in Connecticut if it were set in Gilded Age NYC. Good movie, but the story here lacked in humor. ( )