Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

You know a romance isn't working for you when you are 85% through the story and wish the 'hero' would die in a fire, leaving the heroine a rich widow. Basically, the hero (if we must call him such) marries a girl because he gives not a single damn about her. When he proposed, he couldn't even be bothered to remember her name! He plans to wed her, screw her until she gets pregnant, and leave her languishing on one of his minor estates while he returns to his mistress. This is STILL his plan 85% through. Oh, and for at least 50% he does nothing but insult the heroine, as she rightfully points out. Clearly this man is no prize. Not that the heroine is a prize either. For one, she accepted the proposal of a man who doesn't know her name either at the proposal or the wedding. He insults her as they leave the wedding, then commands her not to cry, but, of course, she keeps thinking that somehow this will all work out... no matter how emotionally and verbally abusive he is. Oh, and the reason this grown man's emotional abuse is (supposedly) acceptable (it's not) is because of his manpain over his parents fighting when he was a kid. Lets break this down for a second: his excuse for verbally abusing his wife is that his mother emotionally abused his father. Oh boy, no red flags there. I'm sure things will work out juuust fine... Anyway, the heroine vascillates between thinking her husband is cruel and heartless, and somehow believing that they will miraculously evolve into a healthy relationship because he gives good sex or because of the magic of Christmas or...something. I don’t know, just anything other than man developing empathy by spanking his inner brat and growing up. Then she pulls the too dumb to live stunt. yadda yadda, HEA achieved with minimal introspection and even less communication. I've liked other Eaton books, but this goes into the pile with the forgotten fiance one and the one with the awful redhead. Stories where I just cannot stand one main character and think the other main character is either a damn fool or a masochist for sticking with the first one. This did not give me the warm fuzzy Christmas feels. There are better regency Christmas novellas. Eaton, herself, has written better Christmas novellas.