O'er The River Liffey (Power of the Matchmaker) by Heidi Ashworth

From the Power of the Matchmaker series:

Irish heiress Caroline Fulton knows this house party, ostensibly celebrating the victory of Waterloo, is really an audition: will she make a suitable wife? Her host, an English lord, has already won over her father, who’s determined to buy a title with Caroline’s dowry. She is far from taken with the baron, however, especially once she meets Niall Doherty, the impoverished, perceptive tutor to her host’s younger brothers. He shares her love of Irish fairy tales and seems to guard a troubled past…but neither quality will earn Caroline’s father’s approval.

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Here is another book in the Power of the Matchmaker series.  I love this series because each book is so different as they are written by different authors but they carry a common thread that ties them all together.  Each book is meant to stand on it's own which is awesome because you can read these books in any order, at any time.  My only suggestion would be to read the prequel novella to understand the common thread of Miss Pearl, the matchmaker.

This book has a more sedate pace to it.  It is gentle and very proper in it's romance.  Caroline and Niall are both kind and intelligent characters.  It was easy to sit back and enjoy them.  Niall is a storyteller and his Irish fairy tales are woven throughout the book.

I enjoyed this book but it was pretty slow moving.  It wasn't something that captured my attention in a way that I felt compelled to press forward.  I missed the presence of Miss Pearl.  She appeared at the beginning of the book but wasn't really a part of the rest.  I missed her.

If you enjoy regency books, you should pick this one up.  It is well written and presents the time period perfectly.

Oh, and I love the cover.  :)

Content:  Clean

 

I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

A Midwinter Ball (Timeless Regency Collection) by Heidi Ashworth, Annette Lyon, and Michele Paige Holmes

Join three bestselling authors for three new regency romance novellas in A MIDWINTER BALL.

MUCH ADO ABOUT DANCING by Heidi Ashworth. Two years have passed since Lord Northrup declared his intentions for Miss Analisa Lloyd-Jones and forbade any other man to court her. Angry at the neglect, Analisa stopped reading his letters, never even breaking the seals. Tired of waiting, Analisa joins the house party at Mrs. Smith’s famous country home, determined to find a beau. When Lord Northrup unexpectedly joins the party, Analisa discovers she is no longer repulsed by the man who first laid claim to her hand.

SWEETER THAN ANY DREAM by Annette Lyon. Olivia Wallington is firmly established as a spinster, but that doesn’t stop her from dreaming about the perfect man. Ever since her father’s death, Olivia has been forced into seclusion by her mother. When her brother and his wife come for a visit, they discover the extent to which she lives under their mother’s thumb. With their help, Olivia sneaks out to attend a local ball, where she meets Edward Blakemoore. For a few divine moments, all of her dreams seem possible. But even someone like Mr. Blakemoore would be hard pressed to get past Mrs. Wallington’s fortress of protection—or past Olivia’s pride.

AN INVITATION TO DANCE by Michele Paige Holmes. Lady Ella has been isolated on her father’s estate since her mother’s death as her father travels the world. When Alex Darling arrives with a letter from her long-dead fiancé, and a demand that she travel to London for a series of engagements, Ella thinks her father instigated the strange demands and agrees. In London, she discovers the truth behind her fiancé’s death, and that new love might be possible in the arms of the most unexpected man. 

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A Midwinter Ball consists of three different regency stories, all novella length and each by a different author.  Regency romance is one of my favorite genres so I was excited to read this!  I love the pictures regency romances paint in my head- especially at the ball!

Sometimes when I read novellas I feel a bit disappointed because I feel like they were over too fast and I wanted more of the story.  These stories were all perfect though.  I felt like I knew the characters and had a firm beginning, middle and end.  They left me feeling satisfied in the end.  Romantic, sweet and sigh worthy.

Content:  Clean!