Christmas at Fortuna's Parlor

Scandal Meets Love

By: Dawn Brower, Amanda Mariel

Narrated by: Claire Nicholls

You are invited....

Fortuna's Parlor is hosting a Christmas celebration. All of its members are invited along with their special guests. For one night only men will be allowed inside the gaming hell's hallowed walls. Anything is possible when magic is in the air and love is the strongest lure of all. Enter the parlor and discover the miracle of Christmas and perhaps steal a kiss under the mistletoe or holly....

"Love and Mistletoe" by Dawn Brower

Will a kiss under the mistletoe lead Evelina and Luca to an everlasting love....

"Love and Holly" by Amanda Mariel

Will the magic of holly bring Josephine and Ace together for an unforgettable Christmas....

©2019 Dawn Brower, Amanda Koehler (P)2019 Dawn Brower, Amanda Koehler

Disappointing Duo

This audiobook doesn't even weigh in at an hour and a half, and it contains two stories. I honestly believe that short-form fiction is much harder to write well than longer-form fiction. I definitely had issues with both of these books. The first novella/short story was more told than shown, always a disappointment. It didn't just have a prodigious initial information dump, but information dumps seemed to alternate with actual scenes throughout the entire story. If you need more room and time to tell the story, well … take it! The second book had some charming moments, especially when the hero and heroine sang together, but again, it simply was too short to show anything meaningful. I didn't like the narrator at all. Her voice is so flat that it is mostly monotone, and at times I thought her dialogue sounded as if it were spoken by a robotic voice, not a human one. Seriously! As you can tell, this set didn't quite do it for me. These two authors have written wonderful stories, but neither of these could be termed that.

Christmas at Fortuna's Parlor

It Christmas and what could make things nicer than to invite the men of their lives to the Parlor a party. I love how everyone banded together to get all the details just right at the last minute. The story brings out the love for family of birth and choice. A nice narration made the story easy to listen to!

Holiday Diversion for the Morning Commute!

I listened to the audiobook version of this duet of short stories and enjoyed each story written by Dawn Brower and Amanda Mariel and narrated by Claire Nicholls. Each story embraces a snapshot into Fortuna's Parlor, a gaming hell for women, and the one night of the year when men are allowed a glimpse behind the mystic of the parlor. It is Christmastime in Regency England and each short story is a perfect listen (or read) during a lunch hour or short commute into the office around the holiday season.

Quick HEA

Evelina and Luca their HEA in this quick sweet and clean Christmas story very enjoyable

2 short, romantic whirlwind stories

I was able to start and finish this all in an afternoon that was filled with interruptions a plenty. These are 2 separate love stories. One about the muse of a prince, who couldn’t imagine he actually liked her. The other about a woman who waited too long to get married - focusing solely on her business - until it seemed too late to find love.

They are both set around the holiday, and the couples live in a time where spontaneous decisions to wed were a common occurrence and you got what your got. Both stories were fun, endearing, and chaste, with very little innuendo, while still maintaining a romantic feel.

The narrator Claire Nicholls did a great job. Her accents were understandable from one another. Her voice is pleasant.

I was given a copy of this book by the author, narrator, or publisher in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.