The Heiress Who Dared Me - A Christmas Novella

I missed the characters of the Dare series so much! And I was so happy to find that all the Brutes are slowly changing for the better, regardless of their despicable father.
Josiah is yet another sweet cinnamon roll, the kind of hero that Charlie Lane writes so well that she almost makes me forget that I prefer a-hole heroes… Almost (ha ha). I loved this novella so much! Wonderful characters, a gorgeous plot, a healthy dose of angst and some humor made for a perfect reading.

Somewhere between cake and pretend they found bliss! Brace yourself, I’m about to gush! I could not love this any more if i tried! I knew from the first sneak peek that I would fall for Josiah, but I was not prepared for him to shatter the mold. He absolutely tops my Lane Book Boyfriend list, no other brute stood a chance (sorry Xavier!). This story stole into my heart with the playful banter, the tender secret longings and the pure combustion of their chemistry. Georgie is every bit the independent, fierce heroine that I love, coupled with a delicate vulnerability that only her perfect cinnamon roll can heal. But since this is Georgie & Josiah, maybe we’ll have to forgo the “cinnamon roll” title for the perfect ooey gooey “cupcake”! Josiah is every bit of delectable frosting covering a soft and tender heart just searching for someone to protect and love unconditionally. The way these two see each other for all their faults and all their successes is simply beautiful. My cheeks hurt from smiling so hard. If I wasn’t smiling, laughing and cherishing every word of their story, I was sobbing for the hurts they’ve endured. Seeing Georgie embrace Josiah by confronting his father was a pure “hurrah!” moment. It was the absolute best declaration! I could go on and on, there was nothing I did not like in this story. I devoured this delicious slice of cake in one sitting, and am seriously considering going back for seconds! If you want my recommendation… I Dare You! Read this story.

I enjoyed this short read. The story centers around two people who don’t really want to marry, but they engage in a fake courtship so she isn’t bothered by fortune hunters. They end up at a house party through some manipulation of her best friend and his brother. The characters were very well written with some good banter. It is a nice story for the holidays.

I initially read this story as part of the Christmas Belles anthology in October 2023. Since it is now released separately, here is my review:

Charlie Lane never disappoints me. Heiress Lady Georgina is best friends with Sarah of "Daring Done Right." Josiah is the younger brother of Xavier Evans, Viscount Flint, married to Sarah. Georgina and Josiah meet over cake at the wedding. She complains about fortune hunters seeking to marry her, and he admits he hasn't the time to marry because he's busy running his father's primary estate. They form an agreement to rescue one another from persistent suitors by pretending they're in a relationship. Over time, that relationship becomes a deep friendship—to the point that both are afraid to act on their attraction for fear of losing the other.

And then, Sarah dares Georgina to kiss Josiah, while Xavier dares Josiah to kiss Georgina. Coordinated attack? Unknown. But it works. Next follows the efforts of each to deny the obvious.

The book is filled with clever dialogue which leads the reader to think, "I could be friends with these people." When Georgina is invited to attend a Christmas gathering, she tells Josiah "she'd rather clean her naval with a dirty boot scraper." She ends up attending anyway, supposedly because Sarah dares her. Truth is, she enjoys spending time with Josiah.

Georgina was traded to her widowed Aunt when she was only ten years old, in exchange for an annual stipend to cover her father's gambling habit. Sent there on Christmas Day, she does not have fond memories of Christmas. Add to that her aunt's deep-seated hatred of men and her indoctrination of Georgina, and you have a young woman bitter and distrustful of men. It's a sad background that makes her eventual surrender to Josiah and the love she feels for him even sweeter. His love for her sneaks up on him, and he has to work hard to convince Georgina he will never try to curb her freedom. The story ends with a scene about cake, strongly reminiscent of their first meeting. Their tongue-in-cheek response to this call-back has the story ending on a laugh.

I must admit that I rather enjoyed this entertaining novella with its headstrong young heiress who was brought up to believe that it was not worth her while to marry and a man who preferred work befitting a commoner rather than settling down to married life.
What a surprise it was for Georgiana and Josiah to find that they could indeed have more than just an attraction for one another.
I read this story as part of an Advance Reader Copy of the Christmas Belles anthology and voluntary leave this review.