"Snowy Night with a Stranger" by Jane Feather, Sabrina Jeffries, and Julia London

This anthology of short historical romances takes place at Christmas.  "A Holiday Gamble" by Jane Feather finds Ned Vasey, the new Viscount Allenton, stranded at a neighbor's estate after being caught in a blizzard on his way to his familial manor.  His host's ward and niece, Lady Georgiana Carey, beguiles him at once, but she is engaged to a large, insensitive brute who is really only interested in the land she's set to inherit.  She and Ned fall in love but can they escape her fiance and uncle and find happiness?  This story plodded along and was full of unnecessary details and not enough action.  I've read a book by this author and enjoyed it, so I was surprised to be unhappy with this one.

"When Sparks Fly" by Sabrina Jeffries was much more interesting and had faster pacing.  Ellie Bancroft, her aunt, niece, and nephews are stranded at the home of Martin Thorncliff after a carriage accident on an icy road.  Known as the Black Baron, Martin is tormented by the death of his older brother in an explosion, and society believes that he was responsible.  He does, too, and is now obsessed with developing a slow burning fuse for use in his coal mines.  Ellie and her relatives have intruded on his lonely life, but will that make him see what he's been missing since his brother's death?  I really enjoyed this story and its unusual characters.

"Snowy Night with a Highlander" by Julia London was also a well written and interesting story.  Duncan Buchanan, the Laird of Blackwood, was disfigured and disabled in a devastating fire three years ago.  Before that, he was a self-centered man who cared little for the feelings of others.  Lady Fiona Haines is journeying back to her homeland of Scotland in search of her rakehell brother.  She had a crush on Duncan eight years ago when she came out in society, but his insults to her at the time caused her to move to London with her brother.  Now she is back and needs help finding him, but she doesn't recognize Duncan as the scarred, stoic man helping her get to her family estate.  Duncan soon begins to fall for her, and she him, but can she forgive him for his past behavior once she realizes who he is?

Overall, I'd recommend this book for two of the three stories.  404 pages.