It’s my honour to host three lovely ladies who have invited readers back to the era of Austen and manners and lords and ladies in their recent Christmas collaboration, Joy to the World! And don’t we all need some of that joy this year?!

Regency romance, a beloved Christmas Carol, and three stories for the price of one. You can’t go wrong! Each author has shared a little about their characters, a favourite Christmas tradition, and a Christmas recipe which we hope you all enjoy! I’m definitely going to try Erica’s Microwave Peanut Brittle 🙂

Thanks to the generosity of Kregel we have a copy to give away to one joy-filled reader, so enter below!

The Novel

In Joy to the World, three popular authors come together to offer a heartwarming collection of holiday Regency romance.

Based on lines from a beloved Christmas carol, these three novellas in one book have depth, faith, and satisfying stories all packed into the perfect length for readers to curl up and take a brief break from their holiday busyness.

Amanda Barratt

Far as the Curse is Found by Amanda Barratt

One winter night, a woman struggling to provide for her illegitimate child encounters a scarred veteran of the Napoleonic Wars on the streets of London. Can love conquer the darkness of two broken pasts?

Please share a little about your main characters.

My hero, Dwight Inglewood, the Earl of Amberly, is a veteran of the Napoleonic wars. The Battle of Waterloo left him scarred in body and his fiancée’s rejection inflicted wounds deeper still upon his spirit.  He lives in isolation at his remote Yorkshire estate while whispers swirl like mist over the moors that a curse is responsible for the tragedies that have befallen his family for generations. My heroine, Jenny Grey, is an unwed mother struggling to provide for her infant daughter in the slums of London. Her meeting with the hero one winter night comes at a turning point in both of their lives. Tucked within the pages of this novella are a few nods to The Phantom of the Opera and Beauty and the Beast, both of which provided inspiration for the story.

Describe your story in 5 adjectives

Dickensian. Romantic. Heartfelt. Atmospheric. Redemptive.

What is one Christmas tradition your characters observe in your story?  

I loved researching the way Regency era households went about “keeping Christmas,” comparing and contrasting their traditions to those we observe today. In one of my favourite scenes in the novella, the characters partake of Christmas dinner, including the festive dessert of the day—plum pudding. When I first read A Christmas Carol, I wanted to sample the holiday sweet beloved by Bob Cratchit and his family and set about replicating it for my own family’s Christmas dinner one year. When I sat down to write the Christmas scenes in my novella, I knew my characters’ Yuletide celebrations wouldn’t be complete without a slice of this oh-so-English dessert.

What Christmas tradition does your family enjoy the most?

Candlelight service on Christmas Eve is one of my favourite moments of the holiday season. In the midst of the hustle and bustle of the month of December, there’s a stillness to that hour, a centering, a sacred reverence as we gather to hear the Word and join our voices in the choruses of age-old carols. During that time, I’ve often reflected on how believers across the world are gathering in churches and cathedrals for unique, yet similar services. There’s a hallowed beauty in that unity, reaching beyond denominational boundaries and bonding us together in universal celebration of our Saviour’s birth.

Share your favourite Christmas recipe.

Though I eat mostly gluten-free and sugar-free, I give myself permission to enjoy a treat or two during Christmas baking season. Russian tea cakes are a favourite in our family—rich and buttery and oh so delicious! Here’s a recipe: https://www.bettycrocker.com/recipes/russian-tea-cakes/3af8664b-6c3e-4022-b686-cd961521e59

Relz Reviewz Extras
All Things Barratt @ Relz Reviewz
Visit Amanda’s website
Buy at Amazon: Joy to the World or Koorong

Carolyn Miller

Heaven and Nature Sing by Carolyn Miller

Two music lovers, deeply devoted to each other, were on the brink of engagement when family circumstances drove them apart. How can they ever overcome their obligations and fears to find their way back into each other’s arms?

Please share a little about your main characters.

Edith hides disappointed hopes behind the Mansfield stiff upper lip, all too conscious of family obligations that broke her heart last year. She’s kind, encouraging, and a wonderful singer.

George Bannerman is also very musical, but his ability to enter into Christmas cheer has been hampered by his struggle to understand the rejection from the only woman he’s ever loved. But his compassion, wit and faith-fuelled determination might just help him find a way back to her heart.

Describe your story in 5 adjectives

Romantic, Christmassy, tender, witty, warm.

What is one Christmas tradition your characters observe in your story?

I had so much fun exploring various Regency Christmas traditions! One of the important ones was the collection and lighting of a Yule log. A large tree trunk was cut down and transported inside to a main room’s fireplace, then lit with flint and remaining remnants of wood from last year, to remain alight during the twelve days of Christmas. I love the symbolism of the burning up of the old, and the way the light overcomes the darkness, something that was very meaningful in Regency times.

What Christmas tradition does your family enjoy the most?

Here in Australia we celebrate Christmas during summer, which means no snow (I’m still waiting for MY white Christmas!), visits to the beach, celebrating around the pool, and eating yummy cooling desserts like pavlova.

But one of my family’s favourite traditions is our local community Christmas carols. I’ve sung at our town’s Christmas carols (long sponsored by local churches) for the past twenty years, and it’s an awesome thing to be singing a song like O Holy Night and see all these people who aren’t Christians listening to words about the hope and joy that is found in Jesus.  My daughter is involved now, too, and it’s wonderful to see this Christmas tradition continue.

Share your favourite Christmas recipe.

My mum makes this most delicious dessert every year – perfect for a summery day (or any day, really)!

Dessert Divine:

Mix together one carton of sour cream (light sour cream makes it healthier 😉 ),

one can of (drained) pineapple pieces,

½ packet marshmallows (must include pink bc they’re the best!),

½ jar of (drained) Morello cherries. Serve with cherries and sliced strawberries on top in a nice bowl that makes it look like you worked harder than you did and enjoy!

Relz Reviewz Extras
All Things Miller @ Relz Reviewz
Visit Carolyn’s website and blog
Buy at Amazon: Joy to the World or Koorong

Erica Vetsch

Wonders of His Love by Erica Vetsch

A Scots portrait painter with a hidden identity finds work at a noble manor house over the holidays. He never imagined he’d fall in love with the emotionally frozen widow there. Now he wants nothing more than to thaw her heart.

Please share a little about your main characters.

Cilla Haverly is a widowed mother of an infant girl. Cilla married a man who was to inherit a title, but he died before that occurred. Consequently, Cilla feels ‘stuck.’ She is the companion of her mother-in-law, but does her future hold anything more? Hamish Sinclair has struck out from his home in Scotland determined to make his way as an artist, but he lacks the connections and influence necessary to be admitted into the Royal Academy of the Arts, the ticket he needs to command the prices he deserves for his portraits. I love that Cilla and Hamish each see in each other qualities that are often overlooked, and that the recognition they feel ignites other emotions, too.

Describe your story in 5 adjectives

Romantic, Artful, Warm, Generous, Delightful

What is one Christmas tradition your characters observe in your story?

Church on Christmas morning. Walking together into the church, seeing the greenery, being part of a family, and the Family of God, hearing the bells pealing out after the service.  In Wonders of His Love it marks the completion of one period in the characters’ lives and the beginning of something new.

What Christmas tradition does your family enjoy the most?

Christmas Waffles! Every Christmas morning, our family has waffles for breakfast before we read the Christmas story from Luke 2 and open our gifts. The tradition started when my kids were small and I received a waffle iron as a gift. We tried it out that day, and ever after, waffles have been our go-to breakfast on Christmas day.

Share your favourite Christmas recipe.

Microwave Peanut Brittle

Ingredients

1 cup Granulated Sugar,

½ cup Light Corn Syrup,

1 cup Unsalted Peanuts,

1 pinch Salt,

1 teaspoon Butter,

1 teaspoon Vanilla,

1 teaspoon Baking Soda.

Instructions: Butter a cookie sheet or spray with non-stick cooking spray.

In a 2 quart microwave safe glass bowl, combine sugar and corn syrup and microwave on high for 4 minutes. Stir in peanuts and microwave on high for 3.5 minutes more, then stir in butter and vanilla and microwave for 1.5 minutes.  (Microwaves vary greatly, so adjust the times to fit your machine! Also, use care as the content is MOLTEN HOT!)

Stir in baking soda until light and foamy. Pour onto cookie sheet and spread thin. Cool completely and break into pieces and serve!

Relz Reviewz Extras
All Things Vetsch @ Relz Reviewz
Visit Erica’s website
Buy at Amazon: Joy to the World or Koorong

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