The Lord Who Sneered and Other Tales (Miss Delacourt #5)

A Christmas anthology combining three short romantic tales in the Regency period: "Ghosts in the Graveyard", "A Rose for Christmas", and "The Lord Who Sneered". 

In the first, a grieving widow goes to stay with the Dowager Duchess of Dunsmere and meets a handsome stranger who helps her solve the mystery of the ghost in the graveyard, and perhaps her grief.   "A Rose for Christmas" involves a rose competition the Dowager Duchess competes in and the gardener’s daughter Ginny, who helps her do it. Finally, in "The Lord Who Sneered and Other Tales" the Marquis of Trevelin has been misunderstood for a long time. He never thought the sudden friendly interest Sophie shows in the truth could change things.

A delightful anthology, and a great companion to Ashworth’s other work “Miss Delacourt Speaks her Mind"!  Read separately or with the series, this anthology is a great quick read for regency fans with a bit of romance, mystery, and competition all mixed together. None of the characters have much depth due to the length of the stories, however their actions and decisions explore the human mind and character which makes this collection well worth reading if only for the warm fuzzies and sighs of approval that reader will end up with after finishing!

Sarah E Bradley