Crítica: Antología “Mischief and Mistletoe”

La Regencia, época navideña, ¿cómo no vamos a tener una antología de las Word Wenches?

DATOS GENERALES

Título original: Mischief and Mistletoe

Subgénero: histórica

Fecha de publicación original en inglés: septiembre de 2012

NO TRADUCIDA AL ESPAÑOL

SINOPSIS (según la contraportada)

Desenvuelve las más románticas delicias de la Regencia en esta resplandeciente colección de vacaciones…

Es Navidad en Inglaterra, un tiempo para secretos apasionados, deliciosos susurros, y regalos perversos  y dulces junto al fuego.

Desde una dama decidida que se dispone a salvar a su canallesco mejor amigo de un compromiso inadecuado, a un atrevido espía que logra una oportunidad inesperada de ganar a la mujer a la que siempre ha amado, a la hija de un vicario que pretende ser una insolente moza, estos cuentos vacacionales te harán acurrucarte frente al fuego para una memorable temporada de travesuras y muérdago.

¿Entra dentro de “Lo mejor de la novela romántica”?

No, la verdad es que ni la antología en su conjunto ni tampoco los relatos aislados tuvieron críticas destacadas o ganaron ninguno de los premios habituales del género.

CRÍTICA

Para mi TBR Challenge de diciembre tuve que escoger una historia navideña, y decidí entonces leer las historias que me quedaban de este volumen. Del relato escrito por Joanna Bourne, “Intrigue and Mistletoe”, ya hablé aquí. Ahora cuento, partiendo de la traducción de aquel post, un poco de qué van las otras siete historias:

Las Word Wenches es como se llaman a sí mismas un grupo de escritoras de novela romántica histórica. Suelen hacer este tipo de antologías navideñas, relatos cortitos en los que predomina el espíritu festivo y con escasa sensualidad. Son de esas Kisses only, algo que parece propio de la época.

Competentes. Lo que tienen en común todas las Wenches es que escriben muy bien, incluso cuando sus argumentos no sean muy originales. Sus personajes no son ñoños, sino que hablan, piensan y sienten como adultos.

Es verdad que la Regencia no parece que las mujeres tuvieran una vida muy activa. Pero claro, no sólo con gente guapa, bailes y paseos puedes montar una historia, bueno Julia Quinn sí lo hace, pero en general las escritoras prefieren darles un poco más de vidilla que la que debían tener en la realidad las mujeres de esa época y clase social. Y yo, qué quieren que les diga, agradezco que los personajes femeninos tengan iniciativa.

Mary Jo Putney firma “She Stoops to Wenchdom”.

                        3.5 ***

Disfraces y engaños para seducir a un capitanote mohíno

Lucinda “Lucy” Richards, virtuosa hija del vicario, se reencuentra, en una fiesta navideña, con el hombre del que siempre ha estado enamorada: el capitán Gregory Kenmore. Lo que ocurre es que Greg ha vuelto de la guerra bastante mustio; aunque le gusta la chica, no cree merecerse a alguien tan inocente y virginal.

¿Qué puede hacer Lucy? ¿Languidecer en la vicaría? ¡Ni hablar!

Sabe que el capitán se abre con las joviales muchachas de la taberna así que, ni corta ni perezosa, se pone una peluca, se disfraza de tabernera y allá que va una noche, a ver si puede lograr que el capitán se abra con una joven desconocida. Tendrá más éxito del que espera.

Una historia con su puntito de intriga por ver cómo el capitán descubrirá que la muchacha de la taberna no es otra que la atractiva hija del vicario.

Jo Beverley es la autora de “Miss Brockhurst’s Christmas Campaign”.

4 ****

Delicioso lo perversa y hábil que puede ser una enamorada en su campaña por frustrar un compromiso inadecuado

Han hecho falta tres compromisos rotos para que Penelope “Pen” Brockhurst se dé cuenta de que solo podría ser feliz con Cardross “Ross” Skerries, su mejor amigo. Así que de lo que se trata es de conquistarlo estas navidades. Lo que ocurre es que se lo encuentra tonteando con una muchacha joven, ideal, y más delicada y femenina que ella.

¿Qué puede hacer Pen? ¿Hacerse dignamente a un lado? ¡Ni de coña!

Emprende una campaña con planificación cuasi militar, usando como armas su inteligencia, su afilada lengua en diálogos ingeniosos a veces con cierta maldad, y mostrando todo el paganismo de los ritos navideños ante una familia de lo más sobria.

Lo bueno de esta historia es el toque de humor que Beverley sabe darle. Además, como te lo cuentan desde la perspectiva de Pen, lo que piensa o siente Ross es todo un misterio.

La tercera historia es el relato de Joanna Bourne, “Intrigue and Mistletoe”, de la que ya hablé y puntué con

3 ***

Una de espías de la Regencia, ¿cómo no?

Así que vamos a por la cuarta historia, “Wench in Wonderland” de Patricia Rice.

3.5 ***

Identidades confusas que son muy útiles para pillar marido.

Damaris Bledsoe, como pariente pobre, acompaña a la hija de este, Lady Alice, cuando esta decide fugarse con su amado. Que su amiga Damaris de las explicaciones a su prometido… lo que ocurre es que Damaris acaba teniendo un accidente.

Y la confunden con Lady Alice, la prometida del segundogénito.

¿Qué puede hacer ella? Pues como mujer práctica, no les desengaña, para que su pariente gane tiempo, y aprovecha para poner orden en esta mansión de los Trevelyan, que está un poco manga por hombro. Es tan excelente en lo suyo que el viudo Adam, vizconde Trevelyan, se da cuenta de que es una joya a la que su hermano no puede dejar escapar.

¿Qué creéis que pasará cuando se descubra que no es la novia del tarambana Mack, sino una competente pero pobretona huérfana?

“On a Wicked Winter’s Night” de Nicola Cornick.

3 ***

Una segunda oportunidad con tu mejor amigo de la infancia

¿Qué haces cuando tu amigo de la infancia aparece una noche de invierno? Cuando un canalla te deja dejó preñada, él te ofreció matrimonio y lo rechazaste, porque pensó que era sólo por deber, y por eso te fuiste lejos.

Lydia Cole, la hija de un duque, se hace pasar por viuda para cuidar a tu niña Eliza, y se encarga de llevar una taberna en la costa de Gales.

Pero en realidad Johnny, el nuevo barón de Newport, está colado por Lydia desde siempre y ahora que, hecho ya un hombre, la ha reencontrado, está decidido a que Lydia no se le escape. Una historia friends-to-lovers cuya resolución flojea un poco, me pareció una solución rebuscada para que Lydia se replantee su inicial rechazo.

“Weathering the Storm” de Cara Elliott.

3 ***

A veces saber pilotar una nave es más útil que dominar el vals.

Sophie Thirkell tiene una misión: llegar a Londres antes de Navidad para ver si consigue reconciliar a su familia inglesa con su padre. Pero queda varada en algún lugar de la costa de Cornualles. La única barca a la vista se la lleva, por la mano, Bentley, Lord Leete, diplomático a quien le urge llevar mensajes al gobierno.

¿Se va a quedar Sophie haciendo pucheros mientras ve alejarse a este antipático vizconde?

¡No!

Ella igual es torpe a la hora de bailar el vals, pero sabe perfectamente manejar la embarcación, mientras que Bentley no. Así que se hacen a la mar los dos, emprendiendo toda una aventura en la que aprenderán a limar sus diferencias.

Me encanta el tono aventurero de la historia y lo evocadoras que son las descripciones atmosféricas de esta autora, algo de lo que ya me di cuenta en el otro libro suyo que leí.

“The Mistletoe Bride” de Anne Gracie.

3 ***

¿Qué hacer cuando eres una solterona pobretona y tu futuro está en manos de un tío que tienes en Escocia y que es más roñica que el tío Gilito?

Pues aprovechar la oportunidad que te ofrece una agonizante y hacerte pasar por ella para casarte con Ronan James McAllister.

Por uno de esos locos testamentos de la novela romántica, Ronan tiene que casarse para heredar. Pero como tuvo un matrimonio infeliz, decide casarse con una mujer con una enfermedad mortal no contagiosa.

Lo que no sabe es que en lugar de la moribunda, le llegará la sanota Marguerite Blackett-Smith.

Buena, aunque el enamoramiento final me pareció repentino. Preferiría que la autora hubiese optado por formato “esto va por buen camino, vamos a darle una oportunidad a nuestro matrimonio”, en lugar de estar haciéndose promesas de amor eterno a los dos días de conocerse.

“A Wilder Wench” de Susan King.

2 **

¿Qué puede hacer la sobrina del vicario para liberar a su hermano de la cárcel?

Pues francamente, por razones que no acabé de entender para liberarlo ella decide asaltar una diligencia. Hay una explicación para ello pero no me hagáis repetirla, porque no le vi demasiado sentido.

Edward Armstrong, Lord Dunallan, el nuevo vizconde y sheriff en Stirlingshire, es testigo del delito y decide detener a este bandolero.

Cuál no será su sorpresa al descubrir que es la sobrina del vicario, guapetona y simpática, y a la que tiene la impresión de haber visto antes.

Fue la historia que menos me gustó. No le vi el menor sentido al argumento, los asuntos de las Tierras Altas me dejan bastante indiferentes, y no sé por qué debo sentir simpatía a gente que vulnera la ley.

Resumiendo, la puntuación de estas historias iría así: 3.5 – 4 – 3 – 3.5 – 3 – 3 – 3 – 2 = 3.125 de media.

Valoración personal: buena, 3

Se la recomendaría a: los aficionados a las antologías navideñas bien escritas.

Otras críticas de la novela:

Sólo he encontrado críticas en inglés. Empiezo con la reseña en Publishers Weekly. Para el blog Have you Heard my book review merece un 5 sobre 5. 

Luego puntúan 4/5 tanto Pretty Sassy Cool como Caffeinated Reviewer.

Literary Jungle hace crítica en rumano y, más breve, en inglés

Y, por último, está el artículo “Joyful Holiday Stories from Putney,Beverley, Elliott, Gracie, and More!”, en Heroes and Heartbreakers.

TBR Challenge: MISCHIEF AND MISTLETOE

The topic of this month is Holiday Themes

Published: Sept-2012

Genre: Historical

My Rating: 3.5-4-3-3.5-3-3-3-2 stars

In December we have to choose something related to Holiday. And as it’s December an obvious book was this Christmas anthology, as I did last year with another anthology written by the Word Wenches.

It was in my TBR pile because, as I have already written here, Joanna Bourne is one of my favourite authors. And I bought it because of her story, I read it and even published a review about it in September 2015, but then I didn’t keep on reading the rest of the book.

So I bought this Christmas anthology because of Joanna Bourne’s story, but I didn’t find the moment to read the rest of the tales until now. Anyway, these stories are written by great authors, and it shows.

They are the Word Wenches: Mary Jo Putney, Jo Beverley, Joanna Bourne, Patricia Rice, Anne Gracie, Susan King, Cara Elliott, and Nicola Cornick. They have written several Christmas anthologies, short stories in which there’s a celebration of the season and very little sensuality – these are ‘Kiss Only’ novellas.

These women are very competent, even if the plots are not quite original. Their characters are adults. These are Regency times, when women tend to have not very interesting things to do, because, do you know? Beautiful people, balls and walks under the moonshine do not a novel make. Well, some authors do it, but they tend to bore me.

So these wenches have tried to find interesting ways for their heroines to be active, in order to solve the problems that make their happy ending difficult.

It starts with Mary Jo Putney’s She Stoops to Wenchdom (3.5 stars). A story of disguises. Lucinda ‘Lucy’ Richards, very virtuous daughter of a vicar, goes to a party and there she finds the man she has always loved: Captain Gregory Kenmore. But Greg has come back from the war quite broody so, although he likes this girl, he thinks he does not deserve someone so innocent and pure.

What can Lucy do? Stay put in the vicarage? Of course not!

She knows that the Captain opens himself with the jovial girls of the tavern so she puts on a wig, disguises herself as a barmaid, and there she goes one night, to see if he can make him talk to her, a supposed stranger. She will have more success than she expected.

Then we have the story written by the late Jo Beverley, Miss Brockhurst’s Christmas Campaign (4 stars). Three broken compromises are enough for Penelope ‘Pen’ Brockhurst to find out that she can only be happy with Cardross ‘Ross’ Skerries, her best friend. So she wants to conquer him these Christmas. But there’s a problem: it looks like he is courting a young woman, ideal, delicate and feminine.

So what can Pen do? Go home to cry? Of course not!

So she decides that a campaign is necessary, and her arms will be her intelligence her wicked tongue –showed in very witty dialogues with a little bit of malice- and the knowledge of all the Pagan sense of the Christmas rites, something that horrifies his intended’s very Christian family.

The best thing of this story is the humour in it. Apart from that, as the story is told from Pen’s point of view, what she thinks and feels, therefor, Ross remains a mystery.

The third one is Intrigue and Mistletoe, by Joanna Bourne (3 stars). A young woman called Elinor had a father that was a scholar in Greek and Latin. She is travelling in Christmas time. There’s a snowstorm and she goes to a full inn to take shelter. There she meets Jack, a very handsome and tall man she had a relationship with two years ago. As it is a Bourne’s story, this man works as a spy, of course! In the end it is Elinor the one who solves the problem of who the spy is and where is the secret message that Jack is looking for.

Then, Patricia Rice tells us another story of disguises with Wench in Wonderland (3.5 stars).  Damaris is poor so she works as a companion for Lady Alice, who elopes with the man she loves. Damaris is the one who will have to explain things to the man Lady Alice’s father has chosen for his daughter. But there’s an accident, and she is confused with Lady Alice.

What can Damaris do? As she is a very sensible and pragmatic woman, she keeps the charade in order to Lady Alice to elope successfully but at the same time she organises Trevelyan’s manor. She is so good at this that widower Adam, Viscount Trevelyan, thinks she is so great that his brother has to keep her. But, what do you think is going to happen when he discovers that she is not his brother’s fiancée?

Nicola Cornick tells the story of a second chance with your best friend who has loved you for years. It’s called On a Wicked Winter’s Night (3 stars). Lydia Cole, a duke’s daughter, has got a child and is not married, so she went away to the Welsh coast. Her best friend wanted to marry her, but she said ‘no’ because she thinks that he did it for friendship but as a matter of fact he has loved her for years. Now Johnny, the new Baron of Newport finds her again and wants her in his life forever. A friends-to-lovers story with a little rushed end.

The adventure and the atmospheric quality of the style in this anthology is given in Cara Elliott’s story, Weathering the Storm (3 stars).  It shows that sometimes, knowing how to steer a boat is more important than to waltz. American Sophie Thirkell has a mission –she has to arrive to London before Christmas time because she wants to reconcile her English family with her father. But she is stranded in Cornwall. The only boat is one that Bentley, Lord Beete, buys. He is a diplomat that needs to go to London to give same messages to the government.

Do you think that Sophie is going to start crying while this not very nice viscount? No!

She is not very good with the waltz but she knows her way in a boat, whereas Bentley doesn’t. So they go to the sea, and that’s the beginning of an adventure for both of them.

In The Mistletoe Bride (3 stars), Anne Gracie tells the story of a poor spinster whose future is the home of a very stingy uncle. What is she going to do? She sees the chance to marry Ronan James McAllister, a man who needs to be married in order to inherit. As he had an unhappy marriage before, he has decided to marry a woman who is going to die soon. But what he ignores is that, instead of an agonizing woman, he will meet a very healthy Marguerite Blackett-Smith. Again, here we have got a story with a little bit rushed end. It does not sound very believable that they profess eternal love two days after they meet for the first time.

And last and –in this case- least, Susan King and her A Wilder Wench (2 stars). This is the story that I liked less. What can the vicar’s niece do in order to free her brother form jail? She decides to become a highway-woman, and this twist of the plot is something very difficult to understand. How is this going to help her brother? I just don’t know. The thing is that Edward Armstrong, Lord Dunallan, the new viscount and sheriff of Stirlingshire, sees the crime and wants to stop this bandit. He is very surprised to discover that the culprit is the very beautiful and charming vicar’s niece. The plot made little sense to me and, apart from that, Scottish stories are not my thing and moreover I cannot feel sympathy towards people that goes against the law. So it was a bittersweet end to quite a competent anthology.

I have written about short stories before. That it’s a format that usually works well if the couple knew each other beforehand, with the topic second chance at love in full swing. Otherwise, two people meeting and falling in love in few days do not make a very believable end.

I still think the same, although, in this case, two stories of people meeting and falling in love in very few days is convincing and charming. I prefer the way that Elliott has done it in Weathering the Storm: it’s clear that they have fallen for each other and they will keep on exploring that attraction in the future.

This is the last TBR Challenge of this year. I say the same as last year, I’m sad that my English is not as good as it used to be. But anyway, I’m ready to keep on doing the TBR Challenge in 2018. Hope to see you next year. 

TBR Challenge: THE LAST CHANCE CHRISTMAS BALL

The topic of this month is Holiday Themes

Published: Oct-2015

Genre: Historical

My Rating: 5-3-2-2-3-3-4-4 stars

In December we have to choose something related to Holiday. And as it’s December an obvious book was this Christmas anthology.

It was in my TBR pile because, as I have already written here, Joanna Bourne is one of my favourite authors. And I bought it because of her story

As I said last year, I’m not a very Christmas person. I will not repeat myself, but the basic idea is that I cannot stand people feigning to care for me when they have ignored me the whole year. I prefer to spend my time and enjoy my good times with those precious and wonderful people that have shared the bad times I have gone through. And they do not usually belong to my family.

So I bought this Christmas anthology because of Joanna Bourne’s story, but I didn’t find the moment to read it until now. But, of course, the rest of the stories are written by great authors, and it shows. They are the Word Wenches: Mary Jo Putney, Jo Beverley, Joanna Bourne, Patricia Rice, Anne Gracie, Susan King, Cara Elliott, and Nicola Cornick. They are great. Even if they chose such a trite time as a Regency ball, they are so elegant; they still find interesting characters to make us fall in love. There is more talent in each one of these short stories than in the majority of historical novels I’ve recently read.

The interesting thing about this anthology is that it revolves around a Christmas Ball at Holbourne Abbey. It’s called the last chance because some people with no romantic relationship hope to find someone here.

It starts with Joanna Bourne’s My True Love Hath My Heart. Here you have Claire, a jeweller who has been cheated by a client and seeks revenge. In order to achieve that, she works as a maid in Holbourne Abbey. She discovers that Nick Lafford, a man she had a thing with, is a guest, and the sparkle between them has not vanished. I really enjoyed this one. She rejected him because of their different backgrounds, but he is quite an adventurous aristocrat, a diplomat who will live outside the formal English society. She will have her revenge and he will conquer her heart -again. 5 stars.

Then we have the story written by Susan King, A Scottish Carol. I really loved the beginning of this story. Here we have a doctor who teaches in University. Quite an absent-minded scientist, as he does not recognize that his best pupil is the woman he fell in love years ago, disguised as a man, as women were not allowed to study Medicine. Both of them are supposed to go to the ball, but then the snow starts falling and they are in a house all alone. Time to talk about themselves, their past and their future. It is solved in a very simple way, but precisely because of that it sounds so real. 3 stars.

The third one is Christmas Larks, by Patricia Rice. Ivo is a noble man who has fought in the war and likes painting. He goes to his home in town, suffering from nightmares. He does not know that the building has been bequeathed to Sarah, his childhood friend, in order to create an orphanage. They have loved each other forever but have not confessed their feelings, so they keep on pretending they are just friends. Well written, but quite boring, and in the end a little bit cheesy. I’m not very fond of novels ‘with children’. 2 stars.

Then, Mary Jo Putney explores the Beauty & the Beast topic with In the Bleak Midwinter. Kim, again a soldier with scars, lives in a tower and does not want to see anybody. Not even Roxanne, the woman he wanted to marry before the war. But she will not surrender without a fight, and before losing him forever, she wants to see him again and try to convince him that they can have a future together. Well written, nothing special and that uncomfortable view of the Napoleonic wars that is –well a little different from the History we are taught outside Britain 2 stars

Cara Elliott tells the story of people who loved each other a long time ago and now they meet again in the ball. It’s called Old Flames Dance and its main characters are Lily Tremaine, a widow that has lived in India for years and wants to see Edward, the man she loved in her youth, for a last time before settling in the South of England. Quite a lovely story of finding your true love again. 3 stars.

One of the main topics of these anthologies is ‘strangled marriage’. Here, it appears in Nicola Cornick’s A Season for Marriage. Lady Caroline Camden, Kim’s and Edward’s sister has been married for a few months. She loves her husband, but it looks as if he doesn’t love her. The last straw is that he is not going to pay the things she buys. So she decides to fly away and go to the ball. Alone. She expects her husband to react. The problem is that Piers Camden is afraid of love. He thinks that love is what destroyed his parents. Well done. 3 stars.

In Miss Finch and the Angel the late Jo Beverley told the story of a rake, Gabriel –handsome and charming- who falls for a quiet girl with a shady past, Miss Finch. I really enjoyed this one, even knowing how difficult it is to tell a believable love story in such a short format. They meet, they feel attracted to each other, they have some verbal skirmish, but will it last after Christmas? Yes, their happy ending is totally believable. 4 stars.

And last but not least, Anne Gracie and her Mistletoe Kisses. Alice is a woman certainly on the shelf. She has looked after her mother, then her father and the house and tenants... and now she has to leave everything because the house has been inherited by a cousin. She will go to work as a teacher in Bath. While having her last Christmas in her house, she gives refuge to a brother and a sister that have had an accident on the road. They have a happy Christmas time, with Mistletoe Kisses included, of course. I particularly loved the way the author resolved the problem of showing that their love is real and not something that comes with the unreal atmosphere of festivities and will melt with the snow. 4 stars.

I have written about short stories before. That it’s a format that usually works well if the couple knew each other beforehand, with the topic second chance at love in full swing. I still think the same, although, in this case, the two stories of people meeting and falling in love in very few days is convincing and charming.

One last thing, I have been reading quite disappointing historical books lately. Some were not very interesting stories. But other books have the problem of not been well-written. Here, in this anthology, I find stories that can be more or less of your liking and certainly nothing groundbreaking or particularly original, but the authors are great at their jobs, they know how to tell something in a very competent way.

This is the last TBR Challenge of this year. And although my English is not as good as it used to be, I’m ready to keep on doing the TBR Challenge in 2017. Hope to see you next year.