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3.42 AVERAGE
3.42 AVERAGE
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
This is a novella in the Spindle Cove series and I thought it was okay. It a second chance type romance between with an identity mystery that is quickly revealed (and obvious!) in the book. I didn't like that the male character (Christian) felt so entitled to her (Violet) and initially ignored her feelings.
fast-paced
Tried out some historical romance... not impressed.
lighthearted
fast-paced
Continuing on with my foray into holiday historical romance and unfortunately for me, this one was a miss. Tessa Dare's work always seems to be uneven for me; some things I really like and some things I don't, and while there were things I liked about this novella, it didn't really appeal to me as a whole package. Thus, this novella gets a middling rating from me.
Writing: I don't know how to explain Dare's prose except that it feels like Dare is telling an oral story. This isn't a bad thing by any means; I just got the feeling that this book might have had a bigger impact if read aloud. Part of it may be that there's a lot of telling, but it didn't bother me so much because I think Dare knew how to keep it quick and relevant.
What I didn't like about Dare's writing was some of the dialogue. The characters in this novels make a lot of bold emotional declarations to the point where the tone felt somewhat melodramatic or cheesy. In bit above enjoying a cheesy romance, but this one stretched the limits for me and the overwrought emotion was a bit too much.
Plot: The plot of this book follows Violet Winterbottom, a wallflower who has come to Spindle Cove to forget what she calls "the disappointment." A year ago, Violet had sex with a man who she had loved for years, and the morning after, he disappeared without a word to go travel the world. Now, Violet is spending Christmas with some friends and is preparing herself to we'd in the upcoming season. Her plans are turned upside down, however, when a battered and bloodied stranger stumbles into Spindle Cove's Christmas party. He arrives speaking Breton, and only Sophie with her knack for languages can communicate with him.
I originally liked the premise of this plot. It felt like a fun adventure story, and I was interested to see Violet become more and more confident as she attempted to get information out of this man. Tensions are high as this book takes place during the Napoleonic Wars, so the added pressure of figuring out if the stranger is French was a nice touch.
However, I do think Dare gave away the answers too early. We figure out who the stranger is relatively quickly, and the rest of the story is an escape plan entwined with some dramatic declarations of love and hurt. I understand that this is a novella and that there isn't room to draw out certain things, but I think Dare could have held back and worked on complicating Violet's emotions a little more.
I also think that Dare could have made the ending feel a bit more intentional. As it stands, the ending feels rushed, like Dare wanted to communicate the passage of time but didn't make it feel like months and months were going by. As a result, it felt like Dare was skipping the emotional buildup that would have made her ending more impactful, and I didn't feel like this was a truly earned happily ever after.
Characters: Violet, our heroine, is fairly likeable in that she grows from a shy wallflower to a confident and feisty accomplice in the span of one night. I really liked that she found the courage to take charge of any given situation, and she didn't back down when confronted with an obstacle. The one thing I didn't like was that she seemed to get over her past a little too easily, though to be fair, she does insist on getting her way so the past isn't repeated.
Christian, our hero, is a little less likeable in my opinion in that most of his personality seems to be based on dramatic declarations of love and regret. While I appreciated that he struggled with his sense of purpose and his loyalty to his family, he seemed so overwrought all the time that it was hard to get a handle on him. I think if Dare had dialed it back a little, his arc might have been a bit more palatable.
Supporting characters were generally fine, but because this is a novella, there wasn't room for them to do much. I don't think I have much to say about them save for one character: Mr. Bright. Mr. Bright is the disgraced patriarch of the Bright family, who owns something of a general store in Spindle Cove. Bright stumbles in and out of his family's life and can be unpredictable, so of course, he conveniently shows up when the plot needs him. I haven't read the first book in this series, so maybe he's more of an established figure than I give Dare credit for, but I really didn't like him because he threatens (and attempts?) to sexually assault Violet. My guess is that Dare put this scene in to give Christian a moment to be heroic and for Bright to be a scapegoat for some shenanigans, but I could have done without the threat of assault.
Romance: Violet and Christian's romance is a little too dramatic for my tastes. It's not that the underlying idea is bad - as I said above, I was all for the premise. But emotions are so high and passions are flying hither and you, and I just wanted everyone to calm down.
Tone aside, there were a couple of things that weirded me out about this couple. First, their sexual attraction seemed to pop up at the most inappropriate moments. I know this is a romance novella, but I still thing Dare could have been a bit more subtle. Second, Christian's big orgasm moment happens at a really odd time, when he pictures Violet pregnant with his child and then breastfeeding that child. Personally, that just squicks me out. Third, Violet seemed to get over her past so fast that this book felt less like a romance and more like Violet giving in to her sexual whims, and personally, I like the relationship to be a bit more earned than that.
Still, there was one thing I enjoyed. I mentioned earlier that Violet has a knack for languages, and I liked the way Christian shows his affection by throwing out phrases in random tongues and asking Violet to guess what they are. It was a great way to show playfulness and for Christian to bond with Violet in non-physical ways.
TL;DR: Once Upon a Winter's Eve is a bit too dramatic for my tastes. Though there were individual things I liked, the overwrought emotions and several plot elements made this novella a bit too intense, thus pushing it from an adventure story to something of a cheesy melodrama.
Writing: I don't know how to explain Dare's prose except that it feels like Dare is telling an oral story. This isn't a bad thing by any means; I just got the feeling that this book might have had a bigger impact if read aloud. Part of it may be that there's a lot of telling, but it didn't bother me so much because I think Dare knew how to keep it quick and relevant.
What I didn't like about Dare's writing was some of the dialogue. The characters in this novels make a lot of bold emotional declarations to the point where the tone felt somewhat melodramatic or cheesy. In bit above enjoying a cheesy romance, but this one stretched the limits for me and the overwrought emotion was a bit too much.
Plot: The plot of this book follows Violet Winterbottom, a wallflower who has come to Spindle Cove to forget what she calls "the disappointment." A year ago, Violet had sex with a man who she had loved for years, and the morning after, he disappeared without a word to go travel the world. Now, Violet is spending Christmas with some friends and is preparing herself to we'd in the upcoming season. Her plans are turned upside down, however, when a battered and bloodied stranger stumbles into Spindle Cove's Christmas party. He arrives speaking Breton, and only Sophie with her knack for languages can communicate with him.
I originally liked the premise of this plot. It felt like a fun adventure story, and I was interested to see Violet become more and more confident as she attempted to get information out of this man. Tensions are high as this book takes place during the Napoleonic Wars, so the added pressure of figuring out if the stranger is French was a nice touch.
However, I do think Dare gave away the answers too early. We figure out who the stranger is relatively quickly, and the rest of the story is an escape plan entwined with some dramatic declarations of love and hurt. I understand that this is a novella and that there isn't room to draw out certain things, but I think Dare could have held back and worked on complicating Violet's emotions a little more.
I also think that Dare could have made the ending feel a bit more intentional. As it stands, the ending feels rushed, like Dare wanted to communicate the passage of time but didn't make it feel like months and months were going by. As a result, it felt like Dare was skipping the emotional buildup that would have made her ending more impactful, and I didn't feel like this was a truly earned happily ever after.
Characters: Violet, our heroine, is fairly likeable in that she grows from a shy wallflower to a confident and feisty accomplice in the span of one night. I really liked that she found the courage to take charge of any given situation, and she didn't back down when confronted with an obstacle. The one thing I didn't like was that she seemed to get over her past a little too easily, though to be fair, she does insist on getting her way so the past isn't repeated.
Christian, our hero, is a little less likeable in my opinion in that most of his personality seems to be based on dramatic declarations of love and regret. While I appreciated that he struggled with his sense of purpose and his loyalty to his family, he seemed so overwrought all the time that it was hard to get a handle on him. I think if Dare had dialed it back a little, his arc might have been a bit more palatable.
Supporting characters were generally fine, but because this is a novella, there wasn't room for them to do much. I don't think I have much to say about them save for one character: Mr. Bright. Mr. Bright is the disgraced patriarch of the Bright family, who owns something of a general store in Spindle Cove. Bright stumbles in and out of his family's life and can be unpredictable, so of course, he conveniently shows up when the plot needs him. I haven't read the first book in this series, so maybe he's more of an established figure than I give Dare credit for, but I really didn't like him because he threatens (and attempts?) to sexually assault Violet. My guess is that Dare put this scene in to give Christian a moment to be heroic and for Bright to be a scapegoat for some shenanigans, but I could have done without the threat of assault.
Romance: Violet and Christian's romance is a little too dramatic for my tastes. It's not that the underlying idea is bad - as I said above, I was all for the premise. But emotions are so high and passions are flying hither and you, and I just wanted everyone to calm down.
Tone aside, there were a couple of things that weirded me out about this couple. First, their sexual attraction seemed to pop up at the most inappropriate moments. I know this is a romance novella, but I still thing Dare could have been a bit more subtle. Second, Christian's big orgasm moment happens at a really odd time, when he pictures Violet pregnant with his child and then breastfeeding that child. Personally, that just squicks me out. Third, Violet seemed to get over her past so fast that this book felt less like a romance and more like Violet giving in to her sexual whims, and personally, I like the relationship to be a bit more earned than that.
Still, there was one thing I enjoyed. I mentioned earlier that Violet has a knack for languages, and I liked the way Christian shows his affection by throwing out phrases in random tongues and asking Violet to guess what they are. It was a great way to show playfulness and for Christian to bond with Violet in non-physical ways.
TL;DR: Once Upon a Winter's Eve is a bit too dramatic for my tastes. Though there were individual things I liked, the overwrought emotions and several plot elements made this novella a bit too intense, thus pushing it from an adventure story to something of a cheesy melodrama.
1.75 ⭐️
Our fmc goes back to dipshit mmc in one night after reciting all these big wonderful speeches about empowerment. The end.
.75 star is honestly for the setting, that’s all
Our fmc goes back to dipshit mmc in one night after reciting all these big wonderful speeches about empowerment. The end.
.75 star is honestly for the setting, that’s all