"A wonderful collection of Christmas adventures"

The Christmas Portrait by Megan Daniel Cassie Douglass is a designer of window displays for a well- known department store in New York City. She puts huge amounts of time and effort into designing the Christmas window to duplicate the exact portrait of a famous Christmas Ball from 1882. As she stands looking at the window, she imagines what it must have been like to be at that party. Suddenly, Cass finds herself at the ball, and face to face with Nicholas Wright, the portrait artist in the flesh. As Christmas draws nearer, so do Cass and Nicholas, in spite of the mental scars he faces from a time in his past. Now Cass is frightened... will she be whisked back to her own time or will she remain with Nicholas and the love they have found?

This was a delightful Christmas tale, taking place in a Victorian era New York City. Ms. Daniel paints a vivid imagery of the city at the peak of the holiday season. One will feel as if one is actually at the balls and galas, wearing the glittering jewels and fabulous gowns. The passion between Nicholas and Cass is immediately obvious, as is Nicholas' angst over his present lifestyle.

The Spirit of Things to Come by Vivian Knight-Jenkins Taylor Kendall is a kindergarten teacher from Massachusetts, on her way to her parents' home, and dreading every minute of it. She sees a deer in the road ahead and swerves to miss it, sliding in the snow and going off the road, knocking her head on the steering wheel. When she comes to, she finds herself in 1692 Massachusetts, and in the heart of a puritanical town. She ends up in jail for openly and knowingly violating one of their laws she feels is stupid. Jared Branlyn, the local smithy, takes her in as his apprentice, keeping secret that she is a female. The more time he spends with her, the more attracted to each other they become. Taylor finds herself wishing she can stay with him, yet scared that her own time may call her back.

This tale takes place in an often neglected period of American history. The restrictions placed on the every day lives of the Puritans makes one more appreciative of the rights found in today's society. This is a good story for making people remember just how special Christmas is.

The Ghost of Christmas Past by Eugenia Riley Jason Burke is a news reporter for a New York paper, who has lost his drive to write and has no desire to pen a series of "fluff" articles on Christmas traditions in England. He is touring the old Simmons hotel and is led on his tour by the hauntingly beautiful Annie Simmons. He cannot get her out of his mind and when he returns to visit the hotel, he ends up in 1852 where he meets Annie alive and well. He realizes his purpose there is to save her from a horrible fate destined to occur on Christmas Eve and he goes to work on his self-appointed mission, falling in love in the process.

This is an excellent story with a paranormal twist such as this reviewer favors. The way Jason focuses so completely on his self-proclaimed mission to rescue Annie, backfires in a fascinating way, adding to the story. A true gem, Ms. Riley has written another wonderful tale.

Twelfth Night by Flora Speer Aline Bennett is mourning her beloved Grandfather's death, looking through his ancient Book of Hours, admiring a Christmas painting of Medieval times. She blinks and unexpectedly finds herself living the life depicted in the painting. She meets her soul mate at the same time and longs to stay with him forever. But will she be able to stay when fate calls her to return to her own time?

This is yet another delightful story by one of the masters, Ms. Speer. Aline blends right into her new life, enriching the lives of all who come in contact with her. Her passion for life is real, as is her agony of wondering if she will be sent home with no warning. This is a great story to round out an even better collection.

Who doesn't dream of life in another time and place at least once in their lifetime? Christmas is a time about taking one back to wonderful memories and treasuring loved ones. So what better way to showcase such a theme of time travel then at Christmas? Let this book warm the reader's heart, and encourage reminiscing over Christmases past. This reviewer's only regret is in not having discovered this delightful read at an earlier date.

© Kelley A. Hartsell, 2002. All rights reserved.

Reviewed by Kelley Hartsell
Courtesy Love Romances
Posted January 21, 2002

Summary

A collection of romantic encounters in different time periods brings out the joy of the holiday season. This novel includes "The Christmas Portrait" by Megan Daniel, "The Spirit of Things to Come" by Vivian Knight- Jenkins, "The Ghost of Christmas Past" by Eugenia Riley, and "Twelfth Night" by Flora Speer.