Rowena’s review of Once Upon a Winter’s Eve (Spindle Cove #2) by Tessa Dare.
Hero: Christian
Heroine: Violet Winterbottom
Some wallflowers bloom at night…
A Spindle Cove Novella
Violet Winterbottom is a quiet girl. She speaks six languages, but seldom raises her voice. She endured bitter heartbreak in perfect silence. The gentlemen aren’t beating down her door.
Until the night of the Spindle Cove Christmas ball, when a mysterious stranger crashes into the ballroom and collapses at Violet’s feet. His coarse attire and near-criminal good looks would put any sensible young lady on her guard. He’s wet, chilled, bleeding, and speaking in an unfamiliar tongue.
Only Violet understands him. And she knows he’s not what he seems.
She has one night to draw forth the secrets of this dangerously handsome rogue. Is he a smuggler? A fugitive? An enemy spy? She needs answers by sunrise, but her captive would rather seduce than confess. To learn his secrets, Violet must reveal hers—and open herself to adventure, passion, and the unthinkable… Love.
Warning: The heroine packs a pistol, the hero curses in multiple languages, and together they steam up a cold winter’s night.
After finishing and loving A Week to be Wicked, I just knew that I had to read this one. This is a short story but it was still an enjoyable one.
Violet is in Spindle Cove, escaping a heart break that she suffered while at home. She gave her heart to a boy who took her innocence and then fled without a backward glance and let Violet behind, heart broken and crushed. She has no idea where he went or why he left without a word to her but she escapes to Spindle Cove to get over him and to come to terms with her life as a spinster. When a huge storm washes up a lone man who speaks a different language, the folks of Spindle Cove turn to Violet (who is the town’s linguist) to help understand who this stranger is and what he’s doing in Spindle Cove.
One look at the dark stranger is enough to have Violet sitting up straight in her chair because he looks so much like the man that broke her heart but it couldn’t be him because 1) he doesn’t speak English and 2) what is he doing in Spindle Cove?
Tessa Dare knows how to tell a captivating story, no matter how many pages she uses. I enjoyed this addition to the Spindle Cove series and thought that Dare did a pretty bang up job of telling Christian and Violet’s story. I thought it was romantic for Christian to risk all in an attempt to make Violet his but as much as I enjoyed getting to know Christian and Violet, there were times when I wanted to strangle the both of them.
I wanted to strangle Christian for leaving as abruptly as he did after he shagged Violet the first time and then I wanted to strangle him again when he took his time about alerting Violet to just who the hell he was. I admit to being in a rush to find out just who the heck he was and what the heck was going on but even though there were a few things that made my eyes cross, this was still a good book. One that I enjoyed and know fans of the series will enjoy as well.
Grade: 3.5 out of 5
This book is available from Samhain. You can buy it here or here in e-format.
sounds like a good book. I might have to pick this series up.
Sounds good! I so need to start reading this series!