Wednesday, November 16, 2011

Review: Once Upon a Winter's Eve (Spindle Cove #1.5) by Tessa Dare

Synopsis (Goodreads):
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.
My Thoughts:  This is another one that was a perfect match for my reading mood when I picked it up.  Don't you love it when that happens?  Well, I do.  I really, really enjoy Tessa Dare's writing style and her characters - especially poor Violet - jumped off the page.  From the moment the stranger makes an appearance, she begins to blossom.  Her sadness, the slow way she's managed to put her life back together, and her heartache over the past all made her an immensely likable character.  Her suspicions over the stranger's identity and the way she deals with it made me like her even more.

This part is going to be hard to write without giving away any spoilers but I thought the stranger's reasoning behind his actions was both horrible and sweet.  If that even makes sense.  I didn't necessarily agree with what he did but I understand the position he was in.  Violet's acceptance and forgiveness pushed her up several notches in my eyes.
**Okay, rereading this makes it sound like he did something so vile that she shouldn't have forgiven him.  Honestly, that's not the case at all.  He made a bad call and they both had to pay for it.**

Well-written with lovely characters, this was a fabulous way to spend the evening.

More books by Tessa Dare

Disclaimer: As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

1 comment: