A Maiden Lane Christmas Special

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Synopsis

Artemis Batten, the new Duchess of Wakefield, goes to the Home for Unfortunate Infants and Foundling Children to celebrate Christmas with all her friends from the Ladies Syndicate. She's a bit miffed with her husband, Maximus, who said he had urgent business elsewhere, for not escorting her to the party. Artemis eagerly awaits his arrival, not knowing he has a special Christmas surprise in store for her.

Review

A Maiden Lane Christmas Special is a short and sweet Christmas story for fans of Elizabeth Hoyt's Maiden Lane series. It takes place after Duke of Midnight and is essentially an epilogue to that book. The story is told from Artemis's perspective as she attends a Christmas celebration with the Ladies Syndicate at the Home for Unfortunate Infants and Foundling Children. All of the previous heroes and heroines up to that point in the series were in attendance except Godric and Megs, because she was in confinement, awaiting the birth of their first child. Even future couple James and Phoebe made an appearance, but since this is before their story, they're still at odds over him being her bodyguard. I was particularly excited to see Silence and Mickey who, of course, was in disguise. Because of Mickey's past exploits, they've essentially been in hiding and haven't popped up in any of the stories since their own, so it was great to get a brief update on them, even though it was little more than a cameo with no lines. I was also thrilled that Joseph Tinbox, who hasn't been seen since Thief of Shadows, made it home from his sea voyages for the holidays. He's growing up fast, and I'd still love to see him as a hero of his own book someday. There's a little romantic thread running throughout as Artemis awaits the arrival of her husband, Maximus, who has a special Christmas surprise for her. This story may have been short, but overall, I really enjoyed this little peek into the lives of the Maiden Lane characters at the holidays. A Maiden Lane Christmas Special can be read for free on Elizabeth Hoyt's website.

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Elizabeth Hoyt

Themes

Christmas Stories
G/PG-Rated Romance