A Christmas Abduction
Madeline Hunter is a talented writer, but this novella did not work for me at all. Adam Prescott, the Baron of Thornhill, is kidnapped by a mysterious lady and gentleman after he briefly exits a mail coach on his way to his cousin’s home for Christmas. He’s held at gunpoint and carried off to a mysterious estate. Caroline’s animosity and kidnapping bewilders Adam, but he is nonetheless attracted to her. Because falling in love with an unknown kidnapper is normal behavior in Romancelandia.
Caroline’s younger sister got pregnant and blamed Adam as the fiend who compromised her. The kidnapping is Caroline’s way of forcing him to face her sister and forcing a marriage (for some reason, sending a letter isn’t an option for Caroline). To no one’s surprise, the sister was lying and Adam is innocent. The father of her baby is a married man, and the sister picked out Adam because she didn’t think Caroline would publicly call out the rakish baron as the culprit.
This story is well-written but requires suspension of disbelief. Adam has a ridiculous number of opportunities to escape and doesn’t take advantage of them. When he’s first kidnapped and taken into a wagon, he and Caroline sit across each other. He lends his leather gloves because her fingers are cold (she literally just kidnapped you, but okay. The Stockholm Syndrome starts early in this one), she puts the pistol on her lap, and finally she put the gloves on with his help (why are you helping your kidnapper?!). Then Adam casually takes the pistol from her lap to prove she got distracted and then gives it back to her.
WTF? She’s dumb enough to put the pistol (the thing that is making Adam cooperate) in a position where it’s easily accessible and he gives it back to her? This is the point where Adam should’ve taken the pistol as leverage and threatened his kidnappers to secure his release. Nope. Strange, considering that he was predicting grimly that his kidnappers would be hanged for this crime less than two pages ago.
The novella makes less sense as it goes on. Adam escapes from the house, but chooses to stay voluntarily when she sees him on horseback. Because he is a man of honor and he gave her his word earlier to not escape. He just wants her to know that he could escape, but chooses not to. Yes, my eyes are rolling to the back of my head.
The most infuriating thing occurs after the truth (see above spoiler tags) is revealed and it turns out that Adam shouldn’t have been kidnapped after all. But no one really apologizes to him? It’s just, “Oh, that’s a shame and [spoilers redacted] is bad for lying. Whatever will we do now?” They all should’ve been groveling to him for the mistake, but nope.
The saving grace is that the writing is engaging and the angst (“why am I attracted to the person who [spoilers redacted]?”) is semi-entertaining. But if you poke too hard at the novella’s plot, the seams fall apart and very little makes sense.
– Aarya
This winter, steal away with the reigning queens of Regency Romance… plus one or two dukes, one heiress, and one headstrong beauty—to a surprise snow storm, the comfort of a blazing fire, and the heat of a lover’s kisses…
A CHRISTMAS ABDUCTION by Madeline Hunter
Caroline Dunham has a bone to pick with notorious rake Baron Thornhill—and a creative plan to insure his undivided attention. Yet once in close quarters, she finds herself beholden to their smoldering connection.
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