My #BookReview of #RegencyRomance His Mistletoe Wager by @VirginiaHeath_ #SundayBlogShare

His Mistletoe Wager by Virginia Heath
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

His Mistletoe Wager is a Christmas Regency romance. The prologue opens with Lizzie Wilding jilted on her wedding day.

Five years later: two characters are unwilling to join in the parties and balls of the festive season. Lizzie is being paraded by her father in the hope of snaring a husband. Meanwhile, reknowned rake Hal Stuart, the Earl of Redbridge, fears the hordes of single young ladies and their determined mothers who see him as an ideal catch.

To add a little excitement to an otherwise dull occasion, Hal’s brother-in-law, Aaron, challenges Hal to obtain five kisses from a lady of Aaron’s choice, before Twelfth Night. Unable to refuse a tantalising wager, Hal agrees, assuming the task an easy one.

However, Aaron choses ‘sullen Lizzie’, who has a reputation as a frosty wallflower and Hal must look for a new tactic to charm his way to her side.

For five years Lizzie’s family have kept a secret. But now her father’s constant attempts to find her a husband are relentless; Lizzie has decided that after Christmas, she will leave London and make a new life for herself away from the gossips and prying eyes of society.

Lizzie knows of Hal’s scandalous reputation, so is very surprised when he offers to form an alliance with her; he would act as a suitor and her interest in Hal would deter other young ladies.
What begins as a game soon becomes serious when one persistent suitor threatens to expose Lizzie’s secret. Hal finds himself wanting to do all he can to protect Lizzie, the woman who has inched her way into his heart.

This is easily a stand alone novel, but links to Her Enemy At The Altar. I enjoyed, once more, meeting the characters from the first book, and Hal was a lovely rogue. I especially liked how he set out to teach his nieces to be hellions. Lizzie was a strong, wronged woman and I liked seeing her bloom under Hal’s attentions. Not just for Christmas, this book is an ideal Regency romance for any time of the year.

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“Five berries equal the five separate kisses I challenge you to steal.”
Notorious rake Henry Stuart, Earl of Redbridge, is certain he’ll win his Christmas bet—until he learns he’ll be stealing Lady Elizabeth Wilding’s kisses. A woman who refuses to be charmed!
Once jilted, Lizzie must guard her heart, because the ton is unaware of her scandalous secret—her son! Despite their increasing attraction, she can’t risk the persistent Hal bringing down her defenses. But when her former fiancé returns, Lizzie realizes that perhaps Hal’s the one man she can trust—with her heart and her son…

I live on the outskirts of London with my understanding husband and two, less understanding, teenagers.
After spending years teaching history, I decided to follow my dream of writing for Harlequin.
Now I spend my days happily writing regency romances, creating heroes that I fall in love with and heroines who inspire me.
When I’m not doing that, I like to travel to far off places, shop for things that I do not need or read romances written by other people.