Joy to the World

A Regency Christmas Collection

By: Carolyn Miller, Amanda Barratt, Erica Vetsch

Narrated by: Sarah Coomes

In Joy to the World, three popular romance authors come together to offer a heartwarming collection of holiday regency romance.

Based on lines from a beloved Christmas carol, these three novellas have depth, faith, and satisfying stories all packed into the perfect length for listeners to curl up and take a brief break from their holiday busyness.

Heaven and Nature Sing by Carolyn Miller: Two music lovers, deeply devoted to each other, were on the brink of engagement when family circumstances drove them apart. How can they ever overcome both their obligations and their fears to find their way back into each other's arms?

Far as the Curse Is Found by Amanda Barratt: One winter night, a woman struggling to provide for her illegitimate child encounters a scarred veteran of the Napoleonic Wars on the streets of London. Can love conquer the darkness of two broken pasts?

Wonders of His Love by Erica Vetsch: A Scots portrait painter finds work at a noble manor house over the holidays. He never imagined he'd fall in love with the emotionally frozen widow there. Now he wants nothing more than to thaw her heart.

©2020 Carolyn Miller ("Heaven and Nature Sing"); copyright 2020 by Amanda Barratt ("Far as the Curse Is Found"); copyright 2020 by Erica Vetsch ("Wonder of His Love") (P)2023 Tantor

An Enchanting Regency Christmas-

Carolyn Miller-Heaven and Nature Sing
I loved Heaven and Nature Sing! The hint of Persuasion (my favorite Austen) had me invested from the start. And George…such a lovely H…so glad they finally got to share their hearts. Carolyn Miller is a regency author you will want to read!

Amanda Barratt-Far as the Curse is Found
I am used to reading Barratt’s WWII novels (which are stellar) but have not read her historical romance so it was nice to enjoy another facet of her writing. I must say it was brilliant! I always love her turn of phrase, characters and writing style. The spiritual thread was so well woven within this storyline. I can see why this novella won the 2021 Christy Award for Short Form.

Erica Vetsch-Wonders of His Love
I am always up for a trip to Haverly Manor and so enjoyed Hamish and Cilla’s story. As always, Erica Vetsch writes heartfelt stories with a beautiful spiritual thread. (Also, a 2021 Christy Award Finalist for Short Form).

This audiobook performance by Sarah Coomes is so entertaining. Her portrayal of these characters is exceptional and such an enjoyable, authentic listen.

This book is suitable for teens and older with no inappropriate intimate scenes and no bad language.

Sweet Holiday Romances

I enjoyed all 3 stories. The first is a second-chance romance and, while I don’t usually enjoy books/stories whose entire premise is built on a failure to communicate, this one was sweet and held my interest.

The second is a beautiful story of seeing past a person’s perceived flaws to who they really are.

The third was easily my favorite. Even though it is a short story, and I’ve never read this author’s work before, she was able to make me feel invested in the characters. This is clearly part of a book series but not in such a way that you feel you’re missing out on anything crucial. It works as a standalone.

Christmas romance

Great writers and true spirit of the season. God’s love is shown in each writer. Great love stories.

Wonderful stories and performance

Loved the stories, full of historical detail, sweet romances and holiday cheer. Highly recommend this book! The audiobook performance is wonderful too.

Fine, not very memorable

I’ve read a few similar short story collections and found them to be more interesting. My favorite was definitely the first story, perhaps the other two just brought it down for me. If you’re looking for light, somewhat holiday-ish, then this fits the bill. I just didn’t love them.