Review: A Great little Christmas Present - for yourself!
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 10 29, 2013
THE THEFT BEFORE CHRISTMAS is a wonderful "special" addition to Cheryl Bolen's The Regent Mysteries Series.  I love when authors write in a Christmas novella into an established series.  It gives a chance for readers to see existing, familiar couples experience the joy and love of their first holiday together as well as a naturally romantic setting to help a secondary couple find true love.  That's just the case in this wonderfully written little treasure from one of the Jewels of Historical Romance.In the last few days before Christmas, Lady Daphne and her husband Captain Jack Dryden, are making preparations to head to her family's estate in the company of two very good friends, Miss Charlotte Huntington and Colonel Hugh Bond.  At the very last minute, the pair of super spies are summoned once again by the Prince Regent to handle a matter of utmost importance and secrecy.  Unable to explain to Miss Huntington their temporary diversion, Daphne and Jack send Charlotte away on an errand and then quickly slip away to meet with the monarch.The invitation to join Lady Daphne's family for Christmas arrived via a most unusual messenger---an unfamiliar yet lovely young woman Colonel Bond quickly noticed was not accompanied by a chaperone.  When he was able to recover from the shock of the unexpected visitor, he quickly returned to the decorum expected of an officer and once packed for the trip, escorted the young lady back to the Dryden's home.  When they find it still empty, they sit to uncomfortably wait for their friends' return.  When the hour becomes late they decide to go and look for the pair, despite the fact that it is "most improper" to be in a carriage together without a chaperone.One of my favorite passages in the novella is when, faced with this situation, Charlotte says "If Captain Dryden vouches for you, I know you're a worthy man."  To which Colonel Bond replies "I vow to protect your person--as well as your virtue--with my life."Ahhhhh.  No one talks like that anymore.  Men rarely vocalize vows to protect anything anymore--person or virtue.  That is what makes reading historical romances so magical.Of course, as the two spend time with each other while Jack and Daphne are off trying to locate a stolen statue that threatens to jeopardize England's fragile relationship and alliance with Spain, they begin to have feelings for one another.  When the time comes to take actions of their own to protect their country and monarch, the eagerly join together into the fray.As with all of the books in The Regent Mysteries, the romance is very sweet---not graphic or gratuitous.  These books are about half mystery and half romance, which combines to a book wholly worth reading.  Having read the previous two books in the series will give readers greater understanding of relationships and the dastardly yet unnamed villain in this book, but THE THEFT BEFORE CHRISTMAS is also capable of standing on its own as a delightful holiday read.Give yourself a little early holiday gift and download today!