Lord Jeffrey Eddington is back in London after being in France for a year. The illegitimate son of the Duke of Rathmore, he will not inherit the title and estates. His cousin James Granger Eddington will become the heir instead. Jeffrey has always been nearly like a brother to the five beautiful Hamilton sisters. His friend Lucien Sinclair, Marque of Stancliff, and married to Colette, has asked him to discretely watch out for the youngest sister, Yvette, while they travel to America until Christmastime. Yvette has her own secret agenda; aiming high to marry a duke and become the Duchess of Lansdowne. Status obsesses Yvette more than finding true love.

Jeffrey's cousin proposes a wager that Jeffrey cannot be engaged to Yvette by Christmas to keep her from accepting a proposal from William Shelley, the older duke Yvette has her hat set for. Jeffrey is intent on stopping Yvette from entering into a loveless and unhappy marriage. As he spends more time with her, the tables begin to soundlessly turn on Jeffrey and he ends up falling in love with her himself. He can't consider marriage to her because she deserves someone that can give her the status in life that she desires. Jeffrey has been secretly working as a spy for the government, and has his own wealth from shipping, but still doesn't consider himself an equal. The closer the time comes for William's proposal to Yvette, the more desperate becomes Jeffrey. Realization has finally sunk in that his love for her is deep and sincere. Yvette feels William's kisses are "nice" but Jeffrey's leave her burning and yearning for more. Finally declaring their love for each other and planning to announce a public engagement, Jeffrey is terrified his world is about to collapse when Yvette learns the truth of the wager.

HIS BY CHRISTMAS is a fast and exciting read and I was completely entranced with the story. The warmth shared between the sisters is one that every family desires. The characters are charismatic and entertaining. This is the last in the Hamilton series and now I will have to go back and read all the others. This is a spell-binding series that will capture the heart and curiosity of the other sisters. Full of love and romance, HIS BY CHRISTMAS is a tale sure to capture your interest and your heart.

Book Summary

Yvette Hamilton knows just what she wants for Christmas—a dazzling marriage. And if marrying the ton's catch at the height of the Yuletide season is how she can prove herself, she'll be the most respectable of the many ladies competing for his hand. But one accomplished rake has other, much more tempting ideas. . .

The illegitimate son of a duke, Lord Jeffrey Eddington knows society will never truly respect him. He thought he'd found acceptance as a friend of the Hamiltons, but Yvette's seeming snobbery makes him wager to win her hand no matter what it takes. Too late, he finds her frivolity conceals an intelligent, appealing woman. Now they face a hard choice between the holiday dreams they think they want most. . .and the very real love they can't resist.