Blog Tour Book Review: A Bluestocking Christmas by Monica Burns

Sinful words, wicked pleasures and a ghost all add up to A Bluestocking Christmas with a Dickens of a twist.
As a young man, Simon, Viscount Wycombe learned the painful truth that a tradesman’s daughter is suitable only for liaisons and nothing more. But Ivy Beecham is a far cry from his preconceived notions, and he’s determined to have her. But when she rejects him, it only increases his determination to seduce her into a world of sin and pleasure.
Ivy Beecham knows first-hand that handsome aristocrats like Simon can’t be trusted. But the intellectual scoundrel is hellbent on making her his mistress, using every means at his seductive disposal. When she refuses to give away her heart on Christmas Eve, a ghostly specter shows her in one night why her surrender can be the greatest gift of all.

This book was certainly steamy, especially for a historical romance novel! It had A Christmas Carol theme to it with a romantic, charming hero and an emotionally-scarred girl of mixed classes. Ivy is no stranger to rejection. As a young girl, her parents died and she was sent to love with her aunt, uncle and cousin. Upon stepping foot into her new home, she was met with hostility and constant ridicule because her mother married outside of her social circle. The verbal, emotional and mental attacks on  a young girl left scars that shaped her world view on the aristocracy. Her disdain for them increased more after a betrayal by her first love and the cousin she thought of as a sister. Where does the Simon come in? Viscount Wycombe knows what it's like to be betrayed by family and a loved one. He and Ivy are very much alike, though Ivy likes to deny it. Their first encounter was a confrontation of sorts and much miscommunication by the hero. Simon, had perceived Ivy as a social climber who used her womanly woes on his nephew. A kiss, a caress and an intellectual game of "catch me, if you can" has the heroine falling head over heels for the dash and quite sexual hero. I really liked this book, though there were some parts that annoyed me. The tension and bad juju between Ivy and her cousin caused a strain in their relationship and after many years has passed, Ivy still can't see pass the betrayal to forgive her cousin. I thought Ivy was extremely selfish and a bit of an ostrich. Because of this perceived betrayal of confidence by Simon, she breaks up their liaison. She starts hallucinating and sees a ghostly figure who shows her how she and Simon came to be and how precious it was. Overall, I loved the premise of the book. There was passion and heartache with plenty of steaminess to go around.

Available for purchase at 

               

About the Author

A bestselling author of spicy historical and paranormal romance, Monica Burns penned her first short romance story at the age of nine when she selected the pseudonym she uses today. Her historical book awards include the 2011 RT BookReviews Reviewers Choice Award and the 2012 Gayle Wilson Heart of Excellence Award for Pleasure Me. She is also the recipient of the prestigious paranormal romance award, the 2011 PRISM Best of the Best award for Assassin’s Heart. From the days when she hid her stories from her sisters to her first completed full-length manuscript, she always believed in her dream despite rejections and setbacks. A workaholic wife and mother, Monica believes it’s possible for the good guy to win if they work hard enough.

You can find Monica here: 

            

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