I received this book for free from Netgalley in order to prepare an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Betrothed by Christmas by Elizabeth Essex, Jess Michaels
Published by The Passionate Pen LLC on October 15, 2019
Genres: Historical
Pages: 355
Goodreads

This is a duet of two stories which are separate but take place at the same time and the characters do meet.

A LADY’S GIFT FOR SEDUCTION by Jess Michaels: Lady Evangeline doesn’t intend to submit to her father’s plans for her. If she doesn’t find a man to marry quickly, he intends to marry her off to someone “appropriate”. Evangeline is having nothing of that and intends to take her future into her own hands by marrying a “biddable” man who will allow her to control her own life. Evangeline sets her eyes on her friend Henry Killam. Henry has his own problems as his father has forbidden him to do his “work” as an astronomer and threatened to cut him off. Marriage to Evangeline might solve his own problems but things become complicated. I enjoyed this book as a reversal of the typical historical romance. Here, the heroine is the aggressive one and the hero is the wallflower. I liked both Evangeline who wanted control of her life and Henry, who was sweet and only wanted to do his scientific work in a world that would have respected him more if he was a drunken womanizer. This story works well in the novella format. Rating: 4 stars.

A LADY’S GIFT FOR SCANDAL by Elizabeth Essex: Tamsin Lesley wants only to be a bluestocking but she fears being married off to her father’s heir. She decides to get herself “slightly” ruined in order to avoid an unwanted marriage. And the perfect man to accomplish her goal is wallflower Colonel Simon Cathcart. Simon has his own secrets and the face that he puts on with the public does not fully represent the man. This story wasn’t quite as good as the other story, but it was a nice easy read. I liked Tamsin, but never felt that Simon’s situation and thoughts were as well developed. This was a story that could have been longer with the themes that were trying to be addressed. It was a nice read. Rating: 3.5 stars.