Christmas Bonus: Once Upon a Winter's Eve

Samhain Publishing Ltd.

Once Upon a Winter's Eve
Tessa Dare
2011

The Summary
"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."

The Good
Violet is a rather clever heroine.  Intelligent, unexpectedly witty if painfully shy, she's full of surprises.  Granted, it seems like a stretch for her to go from the timid wallflower in the first chapter to an outgoing, vivacious young woman primed for a wonderous London season, but I actually enjoyed following her growth as a character.

I liked her, quite more than I anticipated.

The Bad
Another Spindle Cove story!

Not that that's a bad thing.  I confess, I'm kind of committed to the series now.  I'm curious to see what becomes of all the Spindle Cove ladies I've had the pleasure to meet and, after enjoying A Lady by Midnight and When a Scot Ties the Knot, I found I was rather eager to read more.  Once Upon a Winter's Eve, however, feels a little different.

Different in that it just seems to fall flat.

Oh, I liked Violet, but I didn't care much for the "Mysterious Stranger."  You find out his identity later, but, even then, I still wasn't impressed.  Mr. Dangerously Attractive is not what he seems (obviously) and, despite his rugged good looks and charm, he strikes me as being terribly foolish--I like the term "addled"--or incredibly unreliable.  He irritated me, like more than I expected and I found myself hoping Violet would simply send him packing.

Overall, I was frustrated by Once Upon a Winter's Eve rather than enchanted.  The story felt like utter hogwash, ridiculous and contrived; the dynamic between the characters felt all wrong, weak and flimsy, like paper; and the construction of their relationship seemed tenuous, at best.  I might have enjoyed it more if I'd felt more invested in the characters, or if I'd had more of a story to go on; however, as it stands, I didn't care much for this latest novella.

The Ugly
Smugglers.

The Hanged Man

Tor

The Hanged Man
P.N. Elrod
2015

The Summary
"On a freezing Christmas Eve in 1879, a forensic psychic reader is summoned to the scene of a questionable death.  Alexandrina Victoria Pendlebury (named after her godmother, the current Queen of England) is adamant that the death in question is a magically compromised murder and not a suicide, as the police had assumed.  After the shocking revelation contained by the body in question, Alex must put her personal loss aside to uncover the deeper issues at stake, before more bodies turn up.

"Turning to some choice allies--the handsome, prescient Lieutenant Brooks, the brilliant, enigmatic Lord Desmond, and her rapscallion cousin James--Alex will have to marshal all of her magical and mental acumen to save Queen and Country from a shadowy threat.  Our singular heroine is caught up in this rousing gaslamp adventure of cloaked assassins, meddlesome family, and dark magic."

The Good
I really liked P.N. Elrod's latest novel.  As an ardent fan of her Vampire Files series (which she wrote during the 1990s), I found I was equally enchanted by her latest series, Her Majesty's Psychic Service.  It's an absurd, adventurous tale full of action and Victorian science and psychics--and, quite possibly, paranormal activity.

It's a great deal of fun and, luckily, it moves at a pace that's satisfying.  It's very much a novel that hits you with something new each chapter and, while it does skirt perilously close to having too much action, it manages to unfold without overwhelming the reader.  The Hanged Man is also full of surprises, not least of all the identity of the hanged man for which it's named; however, it doesn't attempt to throw out any roadblocks or smokescreens to hide the true course of the novel.

No red herrings, so no worries.

Likewise, I was pleased with the characters:  I loved Alexandrina, and I enjoyed Brooks.  She's a mercilessly witty narrator, quick as a whip and equally ruthless with her fists, but she's intelligent and self-sufficient--and she makes a heck of an investigator.  I loved that she was so competent, that she was able to confront and solve mysteries without batting an eye.  Brooks was similarly interesting.  Admittedly, I liked him for the fact that he poses such an intriguing plot twist for future novels.  I'm curious to see where the pair will end up next.

Lord Goldaming's character was also a nice literary touch.  It was a pleasant surprise to find the seamless melding of Victorian literature, history, and expectation--that is, the readers expectations of Victorian culture.

The Bad
The Hanged Man is one of those fun, guilty pleasures.  There isn't much to it, not a great deal of depth, but the ride was fun.  I went into the book knowing this, so I wasn't surprised or even disappointed.

If I have one complaint, it might be that the book feels as if it ended before everything was fully explained.  I've yet to understand the significance of mirrors or the origin of the strange creatures Alexandrina encounters, which was a little disappointing; otherwise, I had quite a lot of fun with Elrod's latest novel.

The Ugly
Betrayal.

It still stings.  Just a little bit.