Violet Winterbottom came to Spindlecove after she was abandoned by a man with whom she’d been in love with. He left her abruptly after she’d given herself to him. Now, she only refers to him as “The Disappointment.” Living at Spindle Cove she is considered a wallflower. One evening, during an officers ball, a beaten and bloodied stranger bursts in falls at her feet. Even more suspicious, the language he speaks is unknown but Violet is fluent in many languages and so she steps up as the interpreter. There is something familiar about this man and Violet must find out if he is a simple farmer as he claims, or if he is someone far more dangerous.

Believe it or not this is my first time reading Tessa Dare. All my trusted bookish friends have recommended this author but I just haven’t found the time to try her out. Catherine reviewed A Night To Surrender here at Fiction Vixen and loved it so I decided it was finally time to take the plunge.

There is quite a lot going on in this novella. Action, intrigue, romance, and sexy times. With so much going on I was surprised at how easy the story was to follow and how easily I was taken in and whisked away into Spindle Cove. I really liked the hero and heroine however there were some things about the heroine I wondered about. Without giving away anything, I’ll just say that as smart as she was, I think she would have picked up on a few clues much earlier than she did. But, that aside, I loved the chemistry and romance between her and the hero so much that I was willing to toss that little niggle aside.

Once Upon a Winter’s Eve is a great Christmas time romance. I love the concept of Spindle Cove and look forward to reading about the other ladies that seek refuge there.