A Christmas Bride / A Christmas Beau

Dear Reader
,

Over the years I have written a number of Christmas novels and novellas, all of them love stories, all of them as full of sheer romance as I can possibly make them. They vary, too. I try my best never to write the same story or create the same character more than once. I aim for originality. However, all my Christmas stories have something else in common apart from the romance. They all have three main characters—the hero, the heroine, and Christmas itself!

Christmas is never incidental to my stories; they are never love stories that just happen to occur over the Christmas season. Christmas is central to all of them. None of them could happen quite as they do at any other time of the year. Christmas has so many meanings. There is the religious, of course, and, yes, that sometimes appears in my stories. More than that, though, Christmas represents all that is finest in the human experience. It represents family and warmth and kindness and joy and peace and second chances and a whole host of other desirable things.

Give me a pair of star-crossed lovers, I have always said, and Christmas, and preferably a child or two, and watch me go! In
A Christmas Bride
, Edgar Downes falls in love with the wrong woman, Lady Helena Stapleton, who is carrying around with her a great deal of baggage from her guilty past. Aware that he cannot be happy with her, he nevertheless marries her. But when he takes his bride home for Christmas, the magic of the season contrives to bring her pardon and peace, and to bless the two of them abundantly. In
Christmas Beau
, Judith Easton, who had once jilted the Marquess of Denbigh for another man, finds that he is pursuing her relentlessly again now that she is a widow with two small children, and he invites her to a Christmas house party in the country. His motive is revenge—but he has chosen the wrong season, foolish man, for such a negative plan!

I hope these two classic stories from the 1990s will help warm your hearts over the Christmas season and beyond.

Mary Balogh

PRAISE FOR
THE NOVELS OF MARY BALOGH

THE PROPOSAL

“Balogh begins a new series with one of her most beloved characters, Lady Gwendoline Muir, in the tender, heart-tugging story of a wounded soldier and an emotionally scarred woman who find unexpected love. It is a mature romance with unforgettable characters, and a sweetness and depth of emotion that only Balogh can create.” —
RT Book Reviews
(4½ stars, top pick)

“Beautifully characterized and with a gracefully developed romance, this is a historical romance of unusual thoughtfulness and depth from one of the best writers in the genre.” —
Publishers Weekly

“Balogh contravenes the conventions of historical romance by introducing an ingredient the genre is not always known for: intelligence.” —
Kirkus Reviews

THE SECRET MISTRESS

“Regency romance doyenne Balogh … pairs a staid young nobleman with a vivacious debutante in this top-notch tale.… An unusually accurate portrayal of Regency society, laden with colorful period detail, makes a sparkling backdrop, and the supporting characters are delightful.… The charming mixture of sensual passion and hilarious confusion makes Balogh’s delightful tale a must-read for Regency fans.” —
Publishers Weekly
(starred review)

“A grand mistress of Regency romance, Balogh always gifts readers with delightful, enthralling love stories layered with depth, humor, emotional intensity, grand passion and just a touch of the unconventional. This prequel to the Mistress series is utterly delightful, charming and intelligent—a winner!” —
RT Book Reviews
(4 stars, top pick)

A SECRET AFFAIR

“Hannah, widowed duchess of Dunbarton, has set her sights on Constantine as the ideal lover—a handsome man of experience that she can seduce and set aside once she is done with him.… Constantine—dark, wicked, and cryptic—has a perfect foil in Hannah, and their encounters are steamy, their romance believable. Though series fans will be disappointed to see it come to a close, they couldn’t ask for a better way to go out.” —
Publishers Weekly

“The exquisitely crafted chemistry that develops between Hannah and Con is pure passion deftly leavened with tart wit, which ensures that
A Secret Affair
, the concluding volume in Balogh’s Regency historical Huxtable series, is a sweetly romantic, deliciously sexy triumph.”—
Booklist

SEDUCING AN ANGEL

“With her inimitable, brilliantly nuanced sense of characterization, elegantly sensual style, and droll wit, bestseller Balogh continues to set the standard to which all other Regency historical writers aspire while delivering another addictively readable addition to her Huxtable family series.” —
Booklist

“One of [Balogh’s] best books to date.” —A Romance Review

AT LAST COMES LOVE

“Sparkling with sharp wit, lively repartee, and delicious sensuality, the emotionally rewarding
At Last Comes Love
metes out both justice and compassion; totally satisfying.” —
Library Journal

“
At Last Comes Love
is the epitome of what any great romance should be.… This novel will leave you crying, laughing, cheering, and ready to fight for two characters that any reader will most definitely fall in love with!” —Coffee Time Romance

THEN COMES SEDUCTION

“Exquisite sexual chemistry permeates this charmingly complex story.” —
Library Journal

“Balogh delivers another smartly fashioned love story that will dazzle readers with its captivating combination of nuanced characters, exquisitely sensual romance, and elegant wit.” —
Booklist

“Mary Balogh succeeds shockingly well.” —Rock Hill
Herald

FIRST COMES MARRIAGE

“Intriguing and romantic … Readers are rewarded with passages they’ll be tempted to dog-ear so they can read them over and over.” —McAllen
Monitor

“Wonderful characterization [and a] riveting plot … I highly recommend you read
First Comes Marriage
.” —Romance Reviews Today

“Peppered with brilliant banter, laced with laughter … and tingling with sexual tension, this story of two seemingly mismatched people struggling to make their marriage work tugs at a few heartstrings and skillfully paves the way for the stories to come.” —
Library Journal

“The incomparable Balogh delivers a masterful first in a new trilogy.… Always fresh, intelligent, emotional and sensual, Balogh’s stories reach out to readers, touching heart and mind with their warmth and wit. Prepare for a joyous read.” —
Romantic Times

SIMPLY PERFECT

“A warm-hearted and feel-good story … Readers will want to add this wonderful story to their collection.
Simply Perfect
is another must-read from this talented author, and a Perfect Ten.” —Romance Reviews Today

“With her signature exquisite sense of characterization and subtle wit, Balogh brings her sweetly sensual, thoroughly romantic Simply quartet to a truly triumphant conclusion.” —
Booklist

SIMPLY MAGIC

“Absorbing and appealing. This is an unusually subtle approach in a romance, and it works to great effect.” —
Publishers Weekly

“Balogh has once again crafted a sensuous tale of two very real people finding love and making each other’s lives whole and beautiful. Readers will be delighted.” —
Booklist

SIMPLY UNFORGETTABLE

“When an author has created a series as beloved to readers as Balogh’s Bedwyn saga, it is hard to believe that she can surpass the delights with the first installment in a new quartet. But Balogh has done just that.” —
Booklist

“A memorable cast … refresh[es] a classic Regency plot with humor, wit, and the sizzling romantic chemistry that one expects from Balogh. Well-written and emotionally complex.” —
Library Journal

SIMPLY LOVE

“One of the things that make Ms. Balogh’s books so memorable is the emotion she pours into her stories. The writing is superb, with realistic dialogue, sexual tension, and a wonderful heart-wrenching story.
Simply Love
is a book to savor, and to read again. It is a Perfect Ten. Romance doesn’t get any better than this.” —Romance Reviews Today

“With more than her usual panache, Balogh returns to Regency England for a satisfying adult love story.” —
Publishers Weekly

SLIGHTLY DANGEROUS

“
Slightly Dangerous
is the culmination of Balogh’s wonderfully entertaining Bedwyn series.… Balogh, famous for her believable characters and finely crafted Regency-era settings, forges a relationship that leaps off the page and into the hearts of her readers.” —
Booklist

“With this series, Balogh has created a wonderfully romantic world of Regency culture and society. Readers will miss the honorable Bedwyns and their mates; ending the series with Wulfric’s story is icing on the cake. Highly recommended.” —
Library Journal

SLIGHTLY SINFUL

“Smart, playful, and deliciously satisfying … Balogh once again delivers a clean, sprightly tale rich in both plot and character.… With its irrepressible characters and deft plotting, this polished romance is an ideal summer read.” —
Publishers Weekly
(starred review)

SLIGHTLY TEMPTED

“Once again, Balogh has penned an entrancing, unconventional yarn that should expand her following.” —
Publishers Weekly

“Balogh is a gifted writer.…
Slightly Tempted
invites reflection, a fine quality in romance, and Morgan and Gervase are memorable characters.” —
Contra Costa Times

SLIGHTLY SCANDALOUS

“With its impeccable plotting and memorable characters, Balogh’s book raises the bar for Regency romances.” —
Publishers Weekly
(starred review)

“The sexual tension fairly crackles between this pair of beautifully matched protagonists.… This delightful and exceptionally well-done title nicely demonstrates [Balogh’s] matchless style.” —
Library Journal

“This third book in the Bedwyn series is … highly enjoyable as part of the series or on its own merits.” —
Old Book Barn Gazette

SLIGHTLY WICKED

“Sympathetic characters and scalding sexual tension make the second installment [in the Slightly series] a truly engrossing read.… Balogh’s sure-footed story possesses an abundance of character and class.” —
Publishers Weekly

SLIGHTLY MARRIED

“
Slightly Married
is a masterpiece! Mary Balogh has an unparalleled gift for creating complex, compelling characters who come alive on the pages.… A Perfect Ten.” —Romance Reviews Today

A SUMMER TO REMEMBER

“Balogh outdoes herself with this romantic romp, crafting a truly seamless plot and peopling it with well-rounded, winning characters.” —
Publishers Weekly

“The most sensuous romance of the year.”—
Booklist

“This one will rise to the top.” —
Library Journal

“Filled with vivid descriptions, sharp dialogue, and fantastic characters, this passionate, adventurous tale will remain memorable for readers who love an entertaining read.” —
Rendezvous

WEB OF LOVE

“A beautiful tale of how grief and guilt can lead to love.” —
Library Journal

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

2012 Dell eBook Edition

A Christmas Bride
copyright © 1997 by Mary Balogh
Christmas Beau
copyright © 1991 by Mary Balogh
Epilogue for
A Christmas Bride
copyright © 1997 by Mary Balogh
Excerpt from
The Proposal
by Mary Balogh copyright © 2012 by Mary Balogh

All rights reserved.

Published in the United States by Dell, an imprint of The Random House Publishing Group, a division of Random House, Inc., New York.

D
ELL
is a registered trademark of Random House, Inc., and the colophon is a trademark of Random House, Inc.

A Christmas Bride
was originally published in paperback in the United States by Signet, an imprint of Dutton Signet, a division of Penguin Books USA Inc., in 1997.

Christmas Beau
was originally published in paperback in the United States by Signet, an imprint of Dutton Signet, a division of Penguin Books USA Inc., in 1991.

The epilogue for
A Christmas Bride
originally appeared on the author’s website.

eISBN: 978-0-345-53579-5

Cover design ; Lynn Andreozzi
Cover photograph : © Herman Estevez

www.bantamdell.com

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