Anthologies of this type are always hit or miss affairs. Even those with the big single title names vary in quality. This edition was, to my mind, utterly miserable. Even those authors who usually have something decent to contribute were a great disappointment.

I managed to trudge through Barbara Metzger's story, even though I couldn't stand any of the main characters. Two couples, and the only sympathetic person among them was the mistress! The mice were annoying.

I then forced myself to skim through Allison Lane's and Diane Farr's tales, but neither was worth it. Lane's situations were ridiculous and would never have occured in the time period. It started out well, but deteriorated once the house party ensued. As for Ms. Farr's story, I can't help but believe that the hero will one day rue marrying such a reckless girl. Her only redeeming quality was her peppiness, which was exhausting. I simply couldn't bring myself to even attempt the last two stories.

Avoid this one at all costs. It is dull and silly.

I've said in previous reviews that there are two downsides to anthologies: one being that the stories are frequently too short for good character and plot development, and the other that poor authors are mixed in with the better ones. This anthology suffers from both of these problems, and as a result is really not good enough to be considered a keeper.

The first story is Barbara Metzger's Little Miracles, an unusual tale centred around a poor and run-down parish church and the few remaining church mice, who try hard to hint successive vicars in the direction of St Cecilia's riches. Evan, the current vicar, is in love with Alice, daughter of the local squire. But his stipend is a pittance and the vicarage has a hole in its roof; how could he ever ask her to marry him? It's a sweet story with amusing moments, but too short for real character development.

Allison Lane's The Marriage Stakes is typical of this author; the characters are all far too informal with each other, and minor characters are one-dimensional caricatures. She uses a plot device which appears in many other novels, where the hero holds a house party in order to choose a bride. The heroine, Sophie, who has been offered shelter after her carriage met with an accident, somehow manages to spy on the various eligible young ladies and report back to Westlake. None of this is at all convincing, and there are a number of scenes which are simply embarrassing to read.

The Gift of the Spoons, by Nancy Butler, is an unusual story and I'm not entirely convinced that it works. It helps if you believe in magic and healing and psychic powers, which I don't. Christopher Herne's son is dying, and as a last resort he is tracking down a woman he's been told about, who has healing powers - Pippa Spoon. Unfortunately, the woman he finds is the original Pippa's daughter. Still, he persuades her to come home with him to treat his son. Lots of strange goings-on and fits of temper from Christopher, and the fact that he never calls his son by his name, make this a difficult novella to like. The resolution is also too quick, and the diagnosis pretty much incredible.

On to Diane Farr's Reckless Miss Ripley; shades of Georgette Heyer's Friday's Child here, but done very well in Ms Farr's usual style. Fred Bates is hurrying home to spend Christmas with his family. He's feeling very sorry for himself, and guilty, because the family's new state of poverty is all his fault. Taking shelter from the snow at an inn, he encounters a young lady travelling alone; it transpires that she's trying to get to Bath to stop her friend Harry from marrying someone else. Claudia persuades Fred to drive her to Bath, and a delightful story ensues.

Finally, we have Edith Layton's The Christmas Thief. Max Evers has lost all his money and can't even afford to buy his niece a Christmas present. Unable to come up with any other solution, he decides that he will steal something for her. But committing a crime turns out to be not as simple as he'd envisaged. This novella was a disappointment: there are too many unconvincing events and leaps of logic and I simply can't see how certain things would have happened. The element of romance is also far too brief: the heroine gets perhaps half a dozen pages in a 60-page story.

Overall, just about so-so.

Four of the stories in this anthology were entertaining and helped me pass several pleasant hours on a winter evening. The fifth one, by Diane Farr, was simply outstanding! I was practically giggling in delight the whole time I was reading, especially from the moment I figured out that this was Fred Bates's story--the Fred Bates whose honor Trevor Whitlatch was defending in Ms. Farr's second novel, Fair Game. In this novella, we discover why Trevor was so eager and willing to help his friend out. Fred Bates is one of the most likeable characters I've ever come across, and the heroine in this story, Claudia, runs a close second. Their story is interesting and engaging. At the inevitable happy ending, you're giddy with joy right along with them. If you are a Diane Farr fan, you must find this book! Her story alone made this book a keeper.

A Regency Christmas Eve features stories from two new-comers, two veterans and one in-between. To begin with, Barbara Metzger's tale of treasure hidden in a little country church and uncovered by the Merry Christmouse (and family) will have you holding your sides, laughing as you read. A rakish viscount is reformed, and made to recognize his true love, while the vicar receives the lady of his choice, as well. The humans may not realize it, but they owe it all to the industrious little Churchmouse dynasty.

The weakest story (for me, at least) was The Marriage Stakes by Allison Lane. Dreary and bleak, with a bit of preposterous thrown in, I couldn't like the characters and the setting wasn't much better. In fact, I nearly didn't finish it at all, but other readers may find this style to be enjoyable and should form their own opinion.

Nancy Butler (who won the RITA award for best Regency this year) shows yet another facet of her talent with a story that blends fantasy into romance for one enjoyable result. When Kit Herne goes into the forest looking for the wise-woman who lives there, he wants her to find a cure for his son's ailment. Instead, he finds her daughter, Pippa, who uses her own variety of magic to cure not only the son, but also his father.

Diane Farr serves up the lightest and happiest confection with The Reckless Miss Ripley and her hapless target, Fred Bates. A mere three minutes too late for the mail coach, Miss Ripley is forced to find another way to travel to Bath where she expects to meet up with her long-time (possibly imaginary) fiancé. She badgers the not-quite unwilling Mr. Bates into accompanying her, with all the travails, humorous and otherwise, that can befall such ill-prepared travelers.

And then, to close the book, Edith Layton tells a wonderful, heart-warming story with a twist. (Be sure to have the tissues handy--you'll need them.) On his way back from the wars to his home in England, Max Evers reads in the newspaper that his financial agent has been the victim of an embezzler and all is lost! When he sees his townhouse surrounded by clamoring bailiffs, that sad fact is made all too clear to him, so he turns away from all he'd been anticipating this Christmas season, taking great pains not to be found by anyone from his past life. Especially he turns from his fiancée who's been waiting patiently for him for five long years. However, all is made delightfully right again, however, on the most wondrous night of the year--Christmas Eve!

What a brilliant collection of stories! I hadn't read most of the authors in here - there are five stories and all by different writers - and they are about 1/3 of the length of a normal regency novel - maybe shorter. But all make really satisfying reads and at any time of the year, not just Christmas.

My favourite author of this bunch was Diane Farr who seems to have a special talent for making great fun characters - her Miss Ripley was a gem and the story a real cracker - about a very perservering young girl trying to make her way to Bath in time for Christmas. The story might seem a common one but Farr adds a fresh touch to it and it flows along with immense good humour.