This box set contains all four Nocturne Falls Short Stories:The Witch’s Halloween HeroThe Werewolf’s Christmas WishThe Vampire’s Valentine SurpriseThe Vampire’s True Love TrialsAll were previously published as standalonesFor the Official Nocturne Falls Reading List: http://kristenpainter.com/reading-list/
3.5 stars
Overall rating is the average of the following ratings.
Title: The Witch’s Halloween Hero
Series: Nocturne Falls #4.5
Rating: 4 stars
When Bartholomew Stanhill arrives to pick up his love, Corette Williams, for the annual Black & Orange ball he finds that a spell went wrong and she has no memory of him. Now he has until midnight to fix it before it is permanent.
We finally have a Stanhill and Corette story! These two lovebirds have been main side characters since the first book and I have been eagerly awaiting a story with them. Corvette and Stanhill were racing against the clock to break the spell and with each passing hour it seemed helpless. It was an emotional and tense story that ends in happiness. I couldn’t get enough of these two!
I really wish this story had been longer but maybe we will get lucky and there will be more Stanhill and Corette stories in the future. Overall, this was a wonderful Halloween novella and a great side story for the series.
Title: The Werewolf’s Christmas Wish
Series: Nocturne Falls #4.6
Rating: 3 stars
Bridget Merrow has almost everything a werewolf could wish for. She has a wonderful family, a popular business, and a cute nephew. What she doesn’t have is someone to share it with. The one she wants doesn’t want her. But when they get trapped together on Christmas eve they are forced to deal with the feelings between them.
Another short and sweet Nocturne Falls novella. Bridget and Sam’s potential relationship were introduced at the end of The Werewolf Meets His Match but then they haven’t been mentioned since. We find out why in this novella. Bridget finally stops letting Sam push her away and makes him realize that their relationship deserves a chance. I liked Bridget and Sam but I wish the story was a little bit longer so we could have gotten more development in their relationship. This story takes place over Christmas eve night so we don’t get a lot of development but there is still a lot of emotion portrayed in that short amount of time.
Overall, another great holiday novella for the series. I do hope these two pop up in future books so we can see how their relationship develops.
Title: The Vampire’s Valentine Surprise
Series: Nocturne Falls #5.5
Rating: 4 stars
Delaney Ellingham is determined to win the Nocturne Falls Valentine’s Day Bake-Off, but an old rival is trying to create havoc for her. Her husband and friends come to her aid but they get a bigger surprise in the end.
This was a fun and cute holiday novella. It was nice to check back in with Hugh and Delaney. Delaney is determined to win the bake-off and has been obsessing over it for weeks. Both Hugh and Stanhill are sugared out and can’t wait for the event to be over. I loved revisiting this original couple and the surprise that is in store for them.
Overall, this was a cute, fluffy novella that is filled with love. I really love these slice-of-life novellas and hope we get more in the future.
Title: The Vampire’s True Love Trials
Series: Nocturne Falls #6.5
Rating: 3 stars
Vampire Sebastian Ellingham just wants to marry Tessa Blythe, the Valkyrie he is madly in love with. But meeting her parents puts a kink in his plans, especially since they have found her a husband.
So I love that we got another Sebastian and Tessa story but I didn’t love all aspects of this story. With this novella, we get to learn a little bit more about Valkyrie’s and Berserkers and their traditions. I found the trials part of proving their abilities to prospective parents interesting, but at the same time I hated it. It could mean you would have to marry someone who you didn’t love. I definitely did not like Tessa’s parents. They definitely are very set in their ways and see their daughter as less because she doesn’t embrace her Valkyrie side.
Now I did love seeing the bond between Tessa and Sebastian growing with each new challenge and obstacle they faced. You could really feel the love between these two with this one and I was all into that. Overall, I liked this novella even with hating on her parents and the situation they put Tessa and Sebastian in.