Review: Timeless Victorian Collection: The Queen's Ball by Anthea Lawson, Rebecca Connolly, Jennifer Moore

My rating: 4 stars / I really liked it

Synopsis

THE QUEEN'S BALL: Three brand new Victorian Romance novellas by Anthea Lawson, Rebecca Connolly, and Jennifer Moore.

WALTZED by Anthea Lawson
Eleanor Tremont never expected her father to pass away unexpectedly – leaving her with a horrible stepmother, two grasping step-sisters, and no dowry whatsoever. Relegated to a servant in her own home, she struggles to come to terms with her bleak new life. Summoned to Queen Victoria’s Stuart Ball, can Ellie find her happily-ever-after despite impossible odds? Add an absent-minded Godmother, an orange carriage, and a dancing-slipper mishap, and prepare to be swept away into this fairytale romance…

A LOVE TO CLAIM by Rebecca Connolly
Abigail Sterling is not at all pleased to see that the man who broke her heart is in London, and even less pleased that he wants to renew their friendship. But, against her better judgment, she finds herself drawn to him, just as she always had been. Letters from a secret admirer keep her from completely giving into Matthew again, and soon her heart is torn between a familiar love and a mysterious one.

COMING HOME by Jennifer Moore
After the sudden death of her father, Clara Brightly is sent far from her home in India to live with relatives on the Isle of Wight. The islanders are suspicious of newcomers, and none more so than a local landowner, Grant Mason who, at first meeting, considers Clara to be arrogant and disdainful of the island he loves. When the two are appointed to lead the church choir in an island-wide competition, Clara discovers that she may have a place on the island after all. Grant comes to realize that what he took as haughtiness was merely shyness, and Queen Victoria’s ball at Osborne house seems the perfect place to tell her. But when Clara is offered a chance to return to India, she must decide once and for all what “home” really means.

My Review

I can always count on the stories in these collections to be unique, creative, and very different from each other despite a common theme! I liked getting to know the writing style of a new-to-me author, Anthea Lawson, and her Cinderella retelling. Rebecca Connolly and Jennifer Moore are favorites, and I really felt they shined with bringing the emotions of the characters to life and making me hope for a happily ever after. Each story felt fully formed and took me through the obstacles the couples had to overcome in order to find their true love.

(I received a complimentary copy of the book; all opinions in this review are my own)

Books in the Timeless Victorian Collections:
SUMMER HOLIDAY
A GRAND TOUR
THE ORIENT EXPRESS
THE QUEEN'S BALL

Books in the Timeless Regency Collections:
AUTUMN MASQUERADE
A MIDWINTER BALL
SPRING IN HYDE PARK
SUMMER HOUSE PARTY
A COUNTRY CHRISTMAS
A SEASON IN LONDON
FALLING FOR A DUKE
A NIGHT IN GROSVENOR SQUARE
ROAD TO GRETNA GREEN
WEDDING WAGERS