Lila writes the best fiery fairy tales I've ever read. The research that goes into these re-tellings is obvious and goes a long way to making each story she writes rich and entertaining. ( )

I read some of Hans Christian Andersen stories, but I never read the one that this novella was based on, ‘The Little Match Girl’ so I really can’t compare the two, but I can tell you that even though this is one of Lila DiPasqua’s Fiery Tales series it can be read as standalone.

Leo, a French Duc and Suzanne, a daughter of his family’s physician, grew up together developing a deep friendship, and when they were 18 and 20, they became lovers.

Soon after, on Christmas, Leo does something that breaks her heart, but not her spirit.

Seven years after that Christmas, Leo means to repair the damage and comes up with a plan to win his one and only love.

Even though this is a short novella, it lacked nothing that a full novel can offer. Characters of Leo and Suzanna were strong and well-rounded, entertaining and very interesting.

This story is for everyone, especially for those of us that believe in second chances, plus need I tell you that if it has Lila DiPasqua name on it, it will always be sensual and very steamy.

Melanie for b2b
Book provided by the publisher through NetGalley
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Suzanne, orphaned daughter of a physician, and apothecary and chemist in her own right (hence the "match girl" part), and Leo, Duc d'Ermart, were childhood pals who grew up to be lovers. I was intrigued by the idea of the Hans Christian Andersen story The Little Match Girl being retold as a historical romance with a Happily Ever After, and at the current price (.99) this novella is well worth the read.

There is much about these two I enjoyed, from the smoking hot chemistry between the two, to the relief of finally reading a Duc who was French, rather than English Regency. However... there was an inherent cruelty/"Papa knows best" quality about Leo that I found off-putting. As young lovers, after spending a night making love with Suzanne, he told her that she was just a fling and meant nothing to him, breaking her heart. It's explained that he did this because he was being forced into marriage with another woman (nobility, arranged marriages and all that), and thought it would be easier for SUZANNE if he made her hate him, not because that's how he really felt.

Leo does something similar when as a widower he courts her again, he doesn't TELL Suzanne that his intention this time is marriage, allowing her to believe he only wants her for a fling, so he can surprise her later. This allows the scene of the flaring matches that burn out, and the glimpses of the magnificent banquet to be played out in dramatic fashion, but... Despite Suzanne being a strong, smart character otherwise, she seems too easily played by a man who could be kind, could be cruel, as it suited him.

Considering that the HCA story was a tragedy, it is hard to imagine a way to rewrite the story that doesn't include some bittersweetness, yet is still true to the original. This does many things quite well; I loved the beginning, where Leo camped out in the street to force Suzanne to accept his "commission," quite funny. There is plenty of Christmas cheer around his home estate, family, sumptuous dresses, etc. But it does leave me with mixed feelings about the hero, sexy as the descriptions make him. ( )