Okay, this was so fun! Not that I didn't expect it to be, but anthologies can be so hit or miss and this one, by and large, was a hit! The perpetually positive part of anthologies is that there's almost always something for everyone depending on your particular faves.

If we're going to split out each of the stories here, I gave Suzanne Enoch's "Great Scot" 4.5 stars. I vaguely recalled that I had read one of her books before, and it was actually a book in the same series in which this is an installment, though I read #3 in the series not realizing it was the third in the series! Anyway, this one was candy just for me. An older (for the time period) unmarried heroine, a dashing one-eyed widower architect who plans to build her a dream library? Sign me right up. I appreciated how forthright and communicative they were, which is a thing you're more able to do when you plant your hero and heroine into their particular circumstances. I loved the big family vibes as well. Lovely.

I gave Amelia Grey's "Christmas at Dewberry Hollow" a solid 3 star. I don't think it's one that will stay with me, but it gave me "Hallmark movie in Regency era" vibes, and who doesn't want that during the holiday times? (By which I mean, the day after Labor Day to mid-January, lol) Set in a small town at an inn, the hero Gate brings his grandfather to help him honor the last request of his dying wife: to find the tree they carved a heart into decades earlier and tie her ribbon around it. But Gate wasn't anticipating Isabelle, the feisty, independent daughter of the inn owner, who shakes up his plans in the best way. It has a little bit of holiday magic, and while there's definitely chemistry, nothing is too explicit or descriptive, including a fade-to-black sex scene. Very Hallmark, in the best way!

And I gave Anna Bennett's "My Mistletoe Beau" a full five stars and definitely plan to keep an eye out for her work in the future! I had never read anything from her before, and what a delightful introduction. This is my favourite of the possible outcomes of an anthology - coming away with a new-to-you author on your radar! This one truly hit my romance book bingo: historical, fake dating, very steamy, low-ish angst, good communication. Eva is caught breaking into rakish earl Jack's house to steal back a beloved and sentimental pocket watch that her father lost to him in a card game. In a surprising turn of events, Jack has basically been lying to his grandmother about courting someone in order to get her to leave him alone a bit, and he proposes that Eva pose as said person he's courting in order to get the pocket watch back. But then they catch feelings! I love how much control Eva is allowed to have in this relationship - they're very communicative about where they're both at, how things are progressing, but she's the one who is bold enough to ask for more on the physical side. Their banter is super cute, and the cozy holiday vibes are high, especially towards the end. It's pretty low drama, although there is reasonable conflict, and I just loved it so much.

Overall, a holiday historical romance anthology that offers something for everyone, but a little something extra for folks who like similar things to me.