Review: The Kissing Bough - Madelynne Ellis

Viola Marsh has been forced to live an austere life, locked away under the watchful eye of her spinster aunt. Only on Christmas Eve is she allowed her freedom, to take part in the tradition of wassailing.

Cousins, Percy Gilling and Lord William Ricborough share a close and special relationship, and they require a very particular woman to satisfy their needs. What they’re not expecting is to find her poised beneath the mistletoe on a wintery hilltop.

Forbidden Lovers Series:
The Kissing Bough
Pure Folly

Visit Madelynne Ellis' website for more information

Review:
Viola's first (and only) season ended in disaster when she was caught in a closet with two partially dressed men. Not even her family believe her protests that she was completely innocent and had just stumbled into the wrong place at the wrong time. Now she has spent the last three years in disgrace hidden away from the world in the care of her spinster aunt. The only time she is allowed to mix with society is for the family's Christmas Eve Ball and every year she dreams of finding a man who will finally share her first kiss.

William and Percy are lovers who long to find a woman who will accept their relationship and be willing to join them. William must marry and produce an heir but he refuses to give up Percy as part of the bargain. When they hear of the scandal surrounding Viola they think they have found their ideal match, a woman who is open to sharing herself with two men. Viola is shocked by their offer but also intrigued. This could be her only chance at marriage but can she willingly accept two men into her bed and will they still want her when they realise that she isn't as experienced as they assume?

At 90 pages The Kissing Bough is a fairly short story but Madelynne Ellis did a great job of introducing her characters and making it easy to root for them. I loved all three characters and thought there was a great balance between sweet, emotional scenes and hot spicy ones. The Regency setting was great and I enjoyed the glimpse into Christmas traditions of the time. This really was a perfect holiday read and I'm now looking forward to picking up more books from this author.

Source: Purchased

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