Title:  The Earl’s Christmas Colt
Series:
Author:  Rebecca Thomas
Genre:  Regency Romance, Christmas Romance
Published:  December 30, 2013
Publisher:  Entangled
My Rating:  4 stars
Source:  NetGalley
Cover Description:

Lady Arabella Sutton is stunned to learn her brother has betrothed her to a stranger despite his promises for a season in London. Although she is the first to admit no man would suit, since she’s more interested in horses than marriage, the last thing she wants is to become a brood mare to a stuffy old earl. Facing a future she cannot abide, she takes an impetuous ride to clear her head and ends up tending her injured mare instead.


Oliver Westwyck, the Earl of Marsdale, can’t believe his luck when he stops at an inn the night before he’s to meet his fiancée. In the stable, while tending the colt he intends to give to his future wife, he happens upon her—rain-drenched but beautiful. She assumes he’s a stable hand, a fine joke he means to end…until Lady Arabella declares all noblemen are egotistical, conceited, and arrogant. How can he reveal his true identity before he’s managed to change her mind and win her heart?

Read on for my thoughts on The Earl’s Christmas Colt.  No true spoilers, promise.

If you’re looking for a sweet, charming and short Christmas story this holiday season then The Earl’s Christmas Colt should be on your reading list.  Although it is a few years old, it’s still available and is well worth the search.

Arabella is a lovely young woman who enjoys the freedom she has with her horses.  She knows that one day she must marry but surely that is in the far future.  Unfortunately, that time is now as her brother has betrothed her without her knowledge or even asking her what she thinks of his choice of a husband for her.  In reality her brother has picked a perfect match for her, even if she refuses to see that right now.  In agner she takes her horse out for a pounding ride hoping to flee her new reality for a time at least.

When her horse comes up lame, Arabella is surprised to find a rescuer in the form of Oliver, a man she mistakes to be someone who works with horses as he is leading a lovely colt.  Never realizing that she has just met her intended husband, Arabella tells him exactly what she thinks of the nobility in quite a detailed rant.  Looking upon his upcoming marriage as a necessity, Oliver is pleasantly surprised to find that he likes this fiery, opinionated lady and is actually attracted to her.  Knowing that she will be furious, and rightfully so, when she finds out exactly who he is Oliver sets out to calm and charm his future bride in the hopes that she will at least like him before she learns the truth.

The Earl’s Christmas Colt is a charming, enjoyable short Regency Christmas tale.  I wish it had been longer for these characters captured my attention and my heart.  But their romance was well handled and definitely held my attention.  Arabella is a lively young woman, not a spoiled, entitled brat but a woman who loves her horses and doesn’t want to have to give up the freedom she has with them by marrying what she thinks is an old, crotchety earl.  Oliver is a gentleman who would have done his duty by his wife, but once he met Arabella saw a far different future for them than he had ever dreamed possible.  I enjoyed this one very much, and if you are in the mood for a short romance full of charm and interesting characters then this would be perfect for you.

*I received an e-ARC of The Earl’s Christmas Colt from the publisher and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. That does not change what I think of this novel.*

Available for the Kindle