I received a copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Dashing All the Way: A Christmas Anthology is a collection of novellas by Celeste Bradley, Eva Devon, Elizabeth Essex and Heather Snow set in the Regency period. Featuring a wallflower and rake, a high society widow and a thief, two former lovers/ code breakers and a thief and a spy this collection is an interesting mix.
“A Rake for Christmas” by Eva Devon follows the typical regency trope. Wallflower seeks help from a notorious rake to secure a husband. It was a lighthearted read, the characters are appealing and for a novella, the story does not feel rushed.
“Up on the Rooftops” by Elizabeth Essex follows the story of Tobias McTavish, a former thief and war hero and Caledonia Bowmont a high society widow. McTavish needs to clear his name after a thief impersonates his style of break-in. Caledonia has long been enamoured with the Scottish Wraith. This was my least favourite of the Novellas. While I was intrigued by McTavish, I found Caledonia to be selfish and did not take the situation as seriously as she should.
“The Very Debonair Lady Claire” by Heather Snow features Lady Claire, who impersonates her brother in order to solve his murder. Complicating matters, her new spymaster is the man who broke her heart. This was a fast-paced well-written novella. Lady Claire is an intelligent heroine who captures the reader’s attention.
“A Liar Under the Mistletoe” by Celeste Bradley tells the story of Amie Jackham who steals from the rich to feed her sisters. While attempting a heist, she is beaten to the safe by Lord Elliot Hughes who is a spy searching for documents. The secondary characters are what interested me most in this novella. The Liars club is something I will have to visit.
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