One Night with a Nutcracker by Jana Aston

Unfortunately, she thinks I’m a player in all aspects of the word, but I’ve got a plan to win her over. Wrapped up in the feisty, bespectacled package of the town librarian. But it won’t last forever and every player needs a long-term game plan.Īnd I just found mine. Sure, playing professional baseball is great. In fact, when I learn I have to return home in order to collect an inheritance-my uncle’s dog-it puts life into perspective for me.

My name is Carter Sheppard and I actually like Christmas and my Christmas-themed hometown of Reindeer Falls. All three of this year’s Aston novellas have hero issues, though this is the strongest of the bunch.Ĭoming November 18: The Bachelor on the Shelf

Side note: Initially, I rounded my rating up to 5 stars for this, but The Bachelor on the Shelf was disappointing enough that I got to thinking about One Night with a Nutcracker, and I’ve bumped my rating down to 4 stars. I received an early copy and am voluntarily leaving a review of this holiday romance. This was just what I wanted to get me in the holiday spirit, and it’s got me looking forward to the final installment. The enemies to lovers dynamic worked here, and I loved that so much of the novella is focused on Jake and Sutton spending time together. But it’s a lot of festive fun with a little bit of spice thrown in. We also don’t get Jake’s perspective, which I would’ve liked having. That means that the story remains light and low angst, the relationship is surface level, and things move at a rapid pace. This is a quick, easy read that you’ll likely get through in an hour or two. Sutton may hate the man and everything that he represents, but she can’t deny that she’s attracted. The two immediately clash, and the situation doesn’t improve as they’re forced to share close quarters. Jake – one of the trio of brothers introduced in Elves with Benefits – inherited land from his uncle, and Sutton has been running her business on that land. That is, until a sexy grump of a lawyer comes to town and informs Sutton that she’s trespassing on his property. She’s rescued a few goats and has found herself running a goat milk business that keeps her happy. The story follows Sutton, a free-spirited woman who does things her own way. The romance is much more prominent, the characters are more compelling, and the storyline – while a little ridiculous and over the top – had me interested to see what would happen next.

While the first in this trio of seasonal novellas left me wanting more, I enjoyed this one from start to finish. This had everything I could want in a short and sexy holiday novella – chemistry, playfulness, and some lighthearted Christmas fun.

One Night with a Nutcracker by Jana Aston