Rating: 
Summary: Only worth buying if you haven't read the older stuff
Review: "A Family Christmas". Lady Templar detests the fact that her son-in-law Edwin is coming home for Christmas though he owns the estate because she believes he is beneath her. Her daughter Elizabeth married Edwin as Templar needed money. Both actually wed due to the respect they have for his now deceased father, but neither know that what they feel for each other is love."The Star of Bethlehem". Ellen tells her husband Allan that she lost the Star of Bethlehem diamond that he gave her. Angry he informs her she will go into exile. Though they love one another, this marriage looks dead even when three betrothal rings surface. "The Best Gift". Warren's sister dumps her teenage daughter on him. Needing a companion for his niece, he obtains the services of teacher Jane, who has no family. Jane and Warren fall in love during their family Christmas. "Playing House". Lilas asks Stephen for "payment" for the times her dad tutored him without remittance. She wants a last Christmas together for her younger siblings before they are scattered as orphans, but has no means of doing so. He agrees to host a grand holiday, but soon he and Lilas fall in love. "No Room at the Inn". The storm is so bad that everyone stops at the White Hart Inn seeking shelter even with Christmas coming. When Lisa goes into labor, Edward gives up his room for her and her spouse. Pamela sees Edward in a kind light and soon they fall in love. These five Christmas tales are delightful historical romantic gifts of the magi that fans of the author, sub-genre, or the holiday cheer will appreciate. Harriet Klausner
Rating: 
Summary: five delightful historical romantic Christmas tales
Review: "A Family Christmas". Lady Templar detests the fact that her son-in-law Edwin is coming home for Christmas though he owns the estate because she believes he is beneath her. Her daughter Elizabeth married Edwin as Templar needed money. Both actually wed due to the respect they have for his now deceased father, but neither know that what they feel for each other is love. "The Star of Bethlehem". Ellen tells her husband Allan that she lost the Star of Bethlehem diamond that he gave her. Angry he informs her she will go into exile. Though they love one another, this marriage looks dead even when three betrothal rings surface. "The Best Gift". Warren's sister dumps her teenage daughter on him. Needing a companion for his niece, he obtains the services of teacher Jane, who has no family. Jane and Warren fall in love during their family Christmas. "Playing House". Lilas asks Stephen for "payment" for the times her dad tutored him without remittance. She wants a last Christmas together for her younger siblings before they are scattered as orphans, but has no means of doing so. He agrees to host a grand holiday, but soon he and Lilas fall in love. "No Room at the Inn". The storm is so bad that everyone stops at the White Hart Inn seeking shelter even with Christmas coming. When Lisa goes into labor, Edward gives up his room for her and her spouse. Pamela sees Edward in a kind light and soon they fall in love. These five Christmas tales are delightful historical romantic gifts of the magi that fans of the author, sub-genre, or the holiday cheer will appreciate. Harriet Klausner
Rating:
Summary: Pick & choose or divide it up so you're not overwhelmed
Review: Anthologies are notorious for the varied quality included. Not even Mary Balogh hits it every time. The Star of Bethlehem and No Room at the Inn was barely passable fare. The former had a harpy for the heroine and a contrived plot involving a ring and a climbing boy. Most of the story was a downer and just failed to connect with me. The latter experienced overload in the symbolism department, and the romance was simply unbelieveable.
On the other hand, the other three entries were quite enjoyable. A Family Christmas is an emotional tale of misperceptions, misplaced pride, and erroneous fears. Although a bit simplistic at times, the story conjures up everything that's hopeful about fresh starts. The Best Gift exemplifies Balogh's mastery of deep emotions as she enables the reader to feel the heroine's loneliness and longing for a belongling and family. This is even more true with Playing House; I cried so often, I had to keep the Kleenex box handy. It is beautifully written and really touches the heart on many levels.
3 out of 5 good stories in an anthology is pretty decent. Those three, especially the last two, are classic Balogh. The two stories that I disliked drag the rest down with their heavyhandedness. The book as a whole is somewhere between 3 & 4 stars, and I am hard-pressed to decide exactly where it falls. Read back to back, they develop an irritating sameness in places (like gathering the greens and decorating), but if I had read only the best three and/or divided them with other stories, I might have enjoyed them even more and not noticed the occasional repetitious feeling.
Rating: 
Summary: Sweet and light reading...
Review: Christmas is just for children, God's children, that is. In these five, four classic and one new, stories, Mary Balough reminds her readers that the true gift of Christmas is love. A shaky marriage is almost broken by a loss, then mended by the same thing. Lonely hearts are pried open to let love in, families are patched together, and children tie lost souls together. ** These stories are quickly read, and lightweight, but with a sweet profoundness. You can read them all at once or just have one at a time for a mental snack. Fans will enjoy them.** Reviewed by Amanda Killgore.
Rating:
Summary: Mary Balogh is the best Regency author!
Review: Every holiday season I always purchase the regency christmas novella and each year, it is with mixed results that I finish. Some of the stories are interesting, good and just plain bad. I ususally like Mary Balough's stories. I had read 3 of the 5 before, so I was okay with buying it. Sometimes I feel the authors of these short stories do not complete them. It always seems an extra page would do to complete the story. For instance, in The Star of Bethlehem, was Estelle pregnant or not? Why leave it up in the air. In "The Best Gift", I enjoyed this story but what happens? Yes, the Viscount will marry Jane and keep Veronica, but they were both born on the wrong side of the blanket so were they accepted by society and his family? Even just a paragraph describing their chistmas 5 years down the line would have helped. I enjoyed "A Family Christmas" best. I like the Cit and the Noble family intermarrying but more could have been made of the class difference. All in all, not terrible.
Rating:
Summary: something old and new
Review: Every holiday season I always purchase the regency christmas novella and each year, it is with mixed results that I finish. Some of the stories are interesting, good and just plain bad. I ususally like Mary Balough's stories. I had read 3 of the 5 before, so I was okay with buying it. Sometimes I feel the authors of these short stories do not complete them. It always seems an extra page would do to complete the story. For instance, in The Star of Bethlehem, was Estelle pregnant or not? Why leave it up in the air. In "The Best Gift", I enjoyed this story but what happens? Yes, the Viscount will marry Jane and keep Veronica, but they were both born on the wrong side of the blanket so were they accepted by society and his family? Even just a paragraph describing their chistmas 5 years down the line would have helped. I enjoyed "A Family Christmas" best. I like the Cit and the Noble family intermarrying but more could have been made of the class difference. All in all, not terrible.
Rating: 
Summary: Light-hearted Christmas fare
Review: Five Regency Christmas stories, one original and four previously published, are contained in this collection by Mary Balogh. I consider Mary one of the best writers in her genre. Her stories are character driven rather than plot driven. I alternated read one of the Christmas stories with other books so I would no be overwhelmed with all the Christmas good cheer. I worked out nicely. All the stories are good, but the first and only original story in the book is the best one. Fans of Mary Balogh won't be disappointed and new fans will be in for a treat.
Rating:
Summary: Mary Balogh is the best Regency author!
Review: I know that if you read Regencies, you must recognize Mary Balogh is really one of the best writers of this genre. She writes with so much soul and class that it places her far above other Regency authors. I am certain I have read everything she has ever published and have her books stored away. Therefore, it's a lot easier to buy a new, albeit recycled version of her stories than it is to dig out the old ones. I thoroughly enjoyed this anthology and was surprised that I did not remember all of the stories. Yes, they're brief...and resolution comes quickly, but that's the nature of an anthology collection. I think if you're a huge Mary Balogh fan, you will enjoy this. And buy it...so she can continue to write the type of Regencies we crave!
Rating:
Summary: A disappointment
Review: It's not easy to tell from the description that only one of these stories is new and the remainder are republished stories. When Mary Balogh is "on" she writes as well as Georgette Heyer, and I can't praise anyone more highly than that. Unfortunately she doesn't have as high a batting average as GH. This anthology is particularly disappointing as I consider Balogh to be one of the most gifted short story Regency authors. This is definitely not her best work.
Rating:
Summary: Too much Christmas sweetness
Review: This is a collection of 5 short stories by Balogh - one completely new and four published in previous Christmas collections.
I liked them all - but definitely felt I had overdosed on Christmas cheer and symbolism. Too much holly, ivy, mistletoe, snow, snow fights, snow angels, sledding, etc. I began to feel like Scrooge and almost uttered an exasperated, 'humbug'. Perhaps here in the nearly 40 degree heat of an Australian Christmas I was not happy to read of snow and wrapping up in ultra-warm clothes.
No, it was just too much of everything, including the overt messages of reconciliation and redeeming love. I would have enjoyed the stories individually, but together I was going into sugar shock.
The best tale was the new one - 'A Family Christmas', a story of an arranged marriage between Edwin, the son of a 'Cit' and Elizabeth, the daughter of needy aristocracy. The hero and heroine were sympathetically drawn and each point of view presented realistically and individually. No obvious siding with the female point of view, or that of the 'worthy' son of the unpretentious. Not only was their realization of mutual love touchingly portrayed, but the growth of Elizabeth into herself was well done. She felt able and strong enough to make a stand for her life and self in opposing her overforceful mother.
The next three all had charm, but were not nearly so good.
'The Star of Bethlehem' - a story of a marriage going wrong, saved by the loss of a precious engagement ring and the appearance of a climbing boy.
'The Best Gift' - the story of a teacher being drawn into the new relationship between a pupil and her uncle.
'Playing House' - the renewal of an old romance between the father of a lonely, young girl and the orphaned eldest daughter of a family contemplating their parting at Christmas.
However, the last,- No Room At the Inn, annoyed me profoundly. The teeth-grindingly allegorical nature of paralelling the birth of a child to a poor, unmarried couple forced to seek shelter in dreadful weather at an isolated inn, was more than too much. The smug vicar/doctor holding off his help regarding the imminent birth, to bring out the best in the other occupants of the inn, made me angry instead of touched. Child birth in this era was definitely not something to be taken lightly.
Probably better to read these over a long period of time and not all at once.
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