A Nutcracker Christmas by Laurie Winter

I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy from Prism Book Tours. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

A Nutcracker Christmas

by Laurie Winter

Published by Champagne Book Group on October 11, 2021
Genres: Holiday Romance
Pages: 291
Format: Kindle
Source: Prism Book Tours
Goodreads
BookBub
Get Your Copy at: Amazon, Book Depository, Barnes & Noble

Suddenly let go from her news anchor position, Aria Roberts heads north to stay at her late Great-Aunt Clara’s house. She has many good memories there and wishes to give Clara’s Christmas Shoppe, which is located on the first floor of the Victorian mansion, one final holiday season. When Aria arrives, she finds the special gift Clara left for her—an antique nutcracker with a poem hidden under the back lever. Aria reads the poem out loud. At sundown that night, those words magically bring the nutcracker to life.

Kort Zellner awakes inside the familiar surroundings of Clara’s house but learns she has passed away and now her great-niece resides there. The curse placed on him three hundred years ago traps him in the form of a nutcracker but allows him to return every December 1st through midnight on Christmas Day—only between sundown and sunrise.

After some convincing, Aria believes Kort’s strange story. She helps him experience life as he is gifted so few hours alive and in doing so, falls in love. He knows his curse makes it impossible to give her the constant relationship she deserves. His plan to leave her forever on Christmas Day collides with Aria’s desire to build a future together, even if for only twenty-five nights a year.

A Nutcracker Christmas by Laurie Winter is a sweet holiday romance about discovery and forgiveness.

Will Aria find a way to move forward, and can she help Kort break the curse?

Aria

Aria is our heroine. She was a television news anchor until her station didn’t renew her contract. You see, Aria is in her late 40s, and apparently, that is too old for television. Really? Anyway, Aria decides to honor her Aunt Clara, return to Appleton, and open Clara’s Christmas Store one more time before her parents sell everything. Aria feels terrible for not making Aunt Clara a priority before she passed. With the letter that Aunt Clara left, especially for her, she will try to set things right with the store, Aunt Clara, and possibly figure out her next steps in life.

Oh, Aria is independent, intelligent, and has spunk. I immediately was rooting for her. She is a fabulous character with just enough flaws to be realistic and the strength that we all hope to find when it is needed.

Kort

Kort has been cursed since the late 1700s to live for 25 nights each December and spend the rest of the year as a nutcracker that he carved. Well, technically, he can only live if someone reads the poem on December 1 that wakes him. Kort has been staying for the last thirty years with Aunt Clara. He helped her in the store and took care of her when she needed his help. They were the best of friends. However, when it comes to Aria, Kort feels utterly different chemistry. She makes him feel hope for the first time in forever.

Kort has this old-world charm with a touch of the tortured soul type. I enjoyed his memories and the way that he brought Aria out of her funk. Although Kort is still finding a way to deal with his past, he seems to grow under Aria’s love. One thing that they have in common is they both adored Clara.

The Story

I truly enjoyed this spin on the nutcracker ballet. Ms. Winter does such a marvelous job of creating a wonderful setting and characters that step entirely out of the pages and make you feel that you are there in Clara’s Christmas Store listening to Kort read a children’s story. It honestly came to life, complete with the mice running around the store causing mischief. The supporting characters are so fantastic too. Ginger and Mia Noel are just perfect, and then there is Ella. She helps to keep Aria grounded and reminds her about what is essential in life.

Five Stars

As you can tell, I love this story. It was in the back of my mind the entire time that I had to walk away from the book. And seriously, who doesn’t love a happy ending. My rating for A Nutcracker Christmas by Laurie Winter is five stars. If you are looking for a sweet holiday romantic read, look no further, as this one is perfect.

Organized by:

To find all the tour information, click the banner at the top of the page.

Thank you for dropping by! I hope you enjoyed this review of A Nutcracker Christmas by Laurie Winter.

Until the next time,

 

Related Posts