The Nutcracker Bride by Margaret Brownley
Book 2 in the 12 Brides of Christmas series
Kindle e-book, 51 pages
Shiloh Run Studios
October 13, 2014
★★★★☆
Genre: Christmas, Historical Romance, Christian Fiction, Western, Short Story/Novella
Source: Purchased from Amazon for Kindle
“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.”
The Nutcracker Bride is the second book in the 12 Brides of Christmas series, but they are not connected to each other except in theme, so you can read them in any order you choose (me being me, I have to read them in order). This series of short story/novellas features the stories of love/courtship/marriage for one woman during the Christmas season. From what I have read so far (4 books) they appear to all be sent in the American western frontier in the late 1800s – a relatively new setting for me, and an entirely welcome change. As the description implies, they are historical romances and Christian fiction as well – however they all feature a different depth to the religion.
Lucy is a home baker who is known for the German delicacies that she makes and delivers to local friends, family, and customers. She is also taking care of her elderly grandfather in the home and all that entails. Oh, and she is also caring for the man who suddenly showed up on her property and whom she also shot out of fear. Seeing the interactions between Lucy and Chad develop from fear to care felt natural – considering it is a forced relationship and when you are with someone all the time a relationship can develop faster.
Chad Prescott was a very fun romantic hero. He certainly grew into the relationship faster than Lucy. He was also one that was a little hard to pin down – is he a good guy or bad guy? What is his mission? Will Lucy ever see him again? Lucy was a little more straightforward. She is caring for her grandfather and that is her sole mission at this point.
At the real heart of this story is the nutcrackers, as the title implies. I loved learning the old German tradition of the nutcrackers and how it was woven into the story plot, not just as a brief note in passing. It was also nice to see the interplay of old family traditions with Lucy’s Christian beliefs. It felt very, very natural.
Overall, I loved the characters and could certainly see myself enjoying them in a longer story arc.
Author Margaret Brownley also has written several other novels, including the following series: The Brides of Last Chance Ranch and The Rocky Creek Romance series, and stand-alone books: Courting Trouble, Then Came Spring, Head Over Heels, and High Button Shoes. You can visit Margaret’s website for additional information about her books. If you would like to know more about The Nutcracker Bride or the 12 Brides of Christmas series, follow the links.
Reviews of this book by other bloggers:
Here are some choices for purchasing the book: Amazon and B&N.
Copyright © 2015 by The Maiden’s Court
This sounds like a cute book to read during the holidays!
ReplyDeleteSounds ideal reading for Christmas holidays!
ReplyDelete