Anyone who knows me very well, knows I'm not typically a huge fan of novellas - not long enough for my tastes - but I'll have to change my opinion now, because I loved this one! :)
Description:
While gathering walnuts, someone throws a bag of money into Lucy Langdon’s wagon. Now Chad Prescott, a Texas ranger, is determined to recover the bag, but not before he is shot as a prowler. Waking up in a house full of German nutcrackers is rather disconcerting for this lawman, but not as troublesome as feeling his heart fall for the lovely Lucy.
Bestselling author Margaret Brownley has penned more than thirty novels. Her books have won numerous awards, including Readers’ Choice and Award of Excellence. She’s a former Romance Writers of America RITA finalist and has written for a TV soap. Happily married to her real-life hero, Margaret and her husband have three grown children and live in Southern California.
(description, about the author, and cover photo copied from Christian Book - no infringement intended.)
My Review: 4 stars
Great novella! The Nutcracker Bride is the second novella in Barbour Publishing’s 12 Brides of Christmas series. If you read my review for the first book, then you know I wasn’t a huge fan of it. I’m happy to say that this one is great!
Margaret Brownley is quickly becoming a favorite author of mine. Her books always make me laugh and smile, while also imparting some important spiritual truth. They take me back in time to a life so far removed from our modern one. I loved the historical details she includes, as she paints a picture of a past life and draws me into a story.
The story follows Lucy Langdon and Chad Prescott around Christmas time. I loved getting to know the characters! Lucy is a great heroine, strong and determined, while also showing a softer side on occasion. She has a very strong desire to always do the right thing, though she doesn’t always know what that is. I also loved her care for Chad and her grandfather, though they got on her nerves and definitely kept her on her toes, she was never intentionally unkind to them.
Chad is an interesting hero and I really liked his character. He is a Texas Ranger who ends up shot and being nursed by Lucy. I really enjoyed his wry sense of humor, which had me chuckling several times. He is also kind, stubborn, and strong, which means he and Lucy butt heads more often than not. My favorite thing about him? The care and attention he lavishes on Lucy, as he tries to shoulder some of her burden.
I also really enjoyed their relationship. They start as nothing more than strangers, then slowly become friends. The romance was understated for most of the story, which I appreciated. There were also no unrealistic declarations of love, something that generally bothers me. Novellas are so short, that most of the time, the characters don’t know each other well enough to have fallen in love. That was another thing I particularly enjoyed about this story. The characters spent a fair amount of time together, talking, getting to know one another and in the process, allowing the readers to know them better.
One thing I did find a little strange and is actually what kept me from giving this novella five stars, was something in the spiritual aspect. Lucy has nutcrackers all over the house, which explains the title, and at one point she tells Chad a bit of the history behind them. Which was fine, I enjoyed that part, but what bothered me is that while Lucy prays, there was a reference made to her turning a nutcracker face out, because the house needed all the protection it could get. That just sounded strange to me, because I would think that if you trust in the Lord, then you wouldn’t be thinking a wooden object would be any help whatsoever at protecting your home. It may not bother anyone else, but I felt that could have been left out.
Overall, I would say this is one of the best novellas I have read and I highly recommend it!
I received a free download of this book from the publisher for my honest review, which I have given. I was not required to write a positive review and have not been compensated for it in any way. All opinions expressed are my own.
Thank you so much for taking the time to stop by! I hope you enjoyed my review and will consider checking out the book, which is only $0.99!
Here are a few links, in case you're interested:
Amazon
Barnes & Noble
Christian Book
If you are new to my blog, I do want to add that I'm not trying to convince you to buy anything. I add the links as a convenience to my readers and to help promote books I have really enjoyed. If you're interested, feel free to use them, if not, then completely ignore them. Either one is perfectly fine with me. :)
I hope you're having a lovely day!
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