These two stories were both so sweet! What I loved most about these stories is that the heroines weren't your typical heroines. They were older and disappointed in both life and love. One even had children, though I realize that's not all that unusual in contemporary romances.

I definitely have a favorite, and it's a Christmas Bride. Helena was such a complex character. She wasn't a good girl, as she'd wronged someone close to her in the past. In my opinion, her sin wasn't unforgivable, but I could see how she viewed it that way. In the hands of a less skilled writers, a heroine's insecurities often come across as wishy-washy and foolish. However, Balogh manages to capture the complexity of Helena's insecurities and show how she powers through them. I really enjoyed reading about her redemption. And, I really enjoyed the hero's perseverance in helping his wife. So romantic!

A Christmas Beau was a huge letdown after that. It actually made me downright uncomfortable at times. The heroine, Judith Easton, is physically uncomfortable and sometimes afraid of the hero for about 2/3 of the book. Reading about her fear of him made it difficult to view his actions as romantic. He literally stalks her, following her around in the park and only going to parties she'll attend. It's super creepy.

Towards the end, it also got very didactic about the power of Christmas, which became nauseating by the end of the book. Because it's Christmas and because everyone loves each other and everything is so wholesome, no one gets angry, not really. No one fights or shouts. By the end of the story, the characters were flat and unrealistically sweet, like in those basic Christian novels where God solves everything and the characters don't even have to lift a finger. Except, instead of God here it was the spirit of Christmas spread by God.

Depending on how saccharine you like your stories, one or the other of these two Christmas stories will appeal to you. Personally, I like a little drama and realism mixed in, and if you're like me, then you'll really like A Christmas Bride. ( )

A Christmas Bride - Helena Stapleton is a proud widow, cleverly hiding deep emotional scars beneath a confident facade. Along comes Edgar, a wealthy merchant and not one of the ton, in search of a titled bride. He has no need for wealth, but his father yearns for him to achieve some level of status as a result of their hard work. When Helena and Edgar lock eyes, sparks fly, but Helena is certainly not loveable, much less worthy of someone's forgiveness. That does not stop her from treating Edgar as if she is far an away his better. Separate from his interaction with Helena, Edgar pursues an eligible bride, but neither of them can forget a night of abandon, which ultimately produces consequences and changes both of their plans for the future.

I am a fan of Ms. Balogh. She writes deeply troubled characters who must struggle to overcome self-inflicted emotional obstacles, and this story is as keenly written as I have come to expect from her. Deeply touching, she instills the sense of hope that is lost when all appears to be bleak.

A Christmas Beau - This one is another tale of redemption, albeit much more active than most of Ms. Balogh's works. She has created an utterly evil hero, which I noticed from someone else's review was very hard to redeem. And yet, this is the type of character one would expect from Ms. Balogh (though usually not on the page). I thought it was well done and just at the moment when you believe all is lost and there is no hope, there is redemption.

I do enjoy the Regency era stories and the happily ever afters. I do not enjoy modern day heroines plunked into a previous time period. These stories ring true to their era and as I enjoy a good old fashioned romance novel, enjoyed these books. ( )

Two delightful tales. I like the Christmas Bride one more. These are the older Mary Balogh novels, shorter and simpler but definitely still among my favorites. ( )

Two stories set at Christmas.

The first features the wealthy Edgar Downes who has promised his elderly father that he will find a wife, preferably a titled wife. The widow he finds is damaged and she believes he's out of her class, she also has secrets that haunt her. The two of them find that leaving each other behind may not be as easy as it looks.

Christmas Beau has the Marquess of Denbigh trying to settle a score with Judith Easton, a widow who jilted him for another man years ago. There were times when I just didn't like either characters in this story but overall it ended well.

Not a bad pair of seasonal romances but in some ways it felt rushed and somewhat trite. ( )

Two regency romances. In A Christmas Bride, Edgar promises to marry by Christmas, but it's not a simpering miss that has caught his eye. And in Christmas Beau, the Marquess of Denbigh was jilted by Judith, and he has a score to settle, or does he? Maybe shr's the injured party too? ( )