Fabulous Story & Narration🎧Charming & Delightful!

Wow, this is not only a wonderful holiday story, but it is also a wonderful introduction to the characters of Lulu Moore’s newest series, “The Valentine Chronicles”. It is also my first Lulu Moore, and I loved everything about it, from her fabulous writing style to the characters and storylines she created to the perfectly cast narrators who bring it all to life, from the pages to your ears. We meet the Burlington brothers, all royalty, the eldest, Orlando “Lando”, the Duke of Oxfordshire, and his younger brothers Lord Alexander and twins Hendricks and Miles. I loved camaraderie amongst the brothers, the dynamics between them, and how they were there for one another in the time of need. After a scandalous event involving Orlando, his fiancé, and his best friend, the brothers need to get away, so they head to Aspen, Colorado, until things settle down. Alexander, who has his reasons, is not a fan of Christmas and they call him the Grinch, and despite hating the holidays, he involved himself in some holiday festivities, all because of her, Haven Wylder. Haven runs the family Christmas tree farm, which she inherited after the passing of her father, along with the debt he left, so she also works at the bakery in town and the bar. Alex and Haven meet each other at the bar and there is an instant connection, and then he runs into her other places of employment. This novella sized book packed a lot of story and I loved how it all played out, with a perfect balance of drama, charming and heartwarming moments, heartfelt emotions and steamy romance. Lulu Moore, thank you for this fabulous story and emotional rollercoaster ride. A fabulous story to start your holidays or to enjoy anytime of the year.

🎧📚🎧 CJ Bloom and Shane East did a fabulous job portraying the characters, giving each a voice that was fitting and was believable in every role. East is a natural as British royalty and CJ Bloom nailed it as Haven, each grasping their character’s personalty and demeanor perfectly. They set the perfect tone for the story, captured all the characters’ emotions and have you feeling them all. These two made a great team, with voices that complement each other and a performance that elevates this already wonderful story to another level. Thank you for another amazing listen.

This was such a fun, short, and spicy listen!

Alex and his brothers have taken it upon themselves to fly their Duke elder brother to Aspen for a weeklong getaway, after he called off his wedding due to his fiancés infidelity…with his best friend. Unfortunately for Alex, Aspen is full of Christmas cheer at the moment, and he is definitely a Grinch. But then he meets Haven, the Christmas Tree/Shop Owner, and a definite Christmas lover. And somehow, sparks still fly.

So this a prequel novel, setting up a series that I assume will revolve around The Burlingtons, a British aristocratic family (4 brothers, 1 sister) from Valentine Nook. (Yes, I am hoping there will be more seasonally related books in this series! 🤞)

Along with the budding (and 🔥) romance between the two MCs, we also get to know the four brothers, and I’m definitely excited to see where the series takes us with them. Besides the MMC in this one, there’s also a single dad, a playboy, and the Duke himself. And that epilogue has me so excited for the Duke’s book…do I sense enemies to lovers? 👀

As this is a “prequel” we don’t quite get our MC’s HEA, but it is definitely a happy for now, and I’m actually very happy about that, because I’d love more time with these characters than this little snack.

Audiobook notes: Shane East is really working hard this Holiday Romance season voicing these British MMCs, and I’m loving it! CJ Bloom is amazing as always; definitely one of those voices that always pull me in immediately. Maybe it’s just the books she tends to narrate, but her voice always has me feeling super cozy vibes.

Thank you to Lulu Moore and @valentine_pr_ for providing me an early copy of this audiobook. All opinions are my own.

What this book is giving:
✅ Holiday Romance
✅ Prequel
✅ Dual POV
✅ Christmas/Tree Shop Owner
✅ British Aristocratic Grinch
✅ F—king Eggnog
✅ Intro to new characters
✅ Happy for now

Rating:
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️½ / 5
🌶️🌶️🌶️ / 5

Right off the bat this is not your typical holiday romance. 30% into it and our MMC & FMC still had very little interaction. You have been warned, this is a prequel not a holiday novella. Which I know it says on the book but I still wasn’t expecting it. 🙈

That being said it’s a great audiobook. Alexander & Haven are sizzling together and I can’t wait for more. 🥵 Both narrators do a fabulous job but I was putty for Shane East’s accent. The whole Burlington family is a riot, you can see the potential there for some much more. That epilogue left me wishing book 1 was going out sooner.

Thank You Lulu Moore and NetGalley for the advanced listening copy. All my opinions are my own.

What a cute, spicy Christmas romp!

If you're looking for a quick holiday read, this is a good one! It's about 4 English aristocratic brothers who escape to Aspen during the holidays for a week to help their eldest brother, who just got cheated on by his fiance and best friend! When they arrive, their intentions are to have some quality time, ski and have fun, but when Alexander, the second eldest brother, meets Haven, a local townie, all bets are off.

Haven loves all things Christmas and works multiple jobs in town to help pay off debts from her parents after they've passed, but when she meets Alexander, a blatant holiday hater, the intrigue is there and the attraction is instant. Their flirty banter and hot chemistry made this story a lot of fun. And it's a prequel, so I'm interested to see how the rest plays out in future novels.

CJ Bloom and Shane East are a lot of fun on this title and add so much color to the story! CJ Bloom is my favorite female narrator and this one did not disappoint. Her performance was hilarious 😂 I haven't listen to a title with Shane in months and I don't know how that happened but I hope it doesn't happen again because he's such a great performer.

This audiobook was exactly what I needed to kick off my holiday reads. Set in Aspen, a grinchy Lord Alexander Burlington comes into town to help his brother escape his failed wedding, and in the process, meets Haven, a local who holds just about every job in town. Haven loves the holidays and most of all, the town gingerbread decorating competition. Alex does everything he possibly can to get closer to her, and in the process, decides maybe the holidays aren’t so bad after all.

This was a really fast listen, and the narrators were a perfect match for these characters. The spice was great and was the perfect amount to balance the cuteness of this story. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!

Lulu did it again. This book was amazing. I read it first but the audiobook just makes it a thousand times better.
The narration just sucks you in the story and you found yourself giggling and blushing.
I love the Burlington siblings' dynamics, how much they care about each other even when they're bantering and annoying the others they still feel like an unity and that they love each other.
With Haven, she was amazing. I love how caring and good she was with everyone in town. As a people pleaser, i related to her struggles of saying no and putting herself first, and I was cheering for her the whole time.
With Alex, I adored him. He was sweet and amazing even when he was a grump.
Overall, this was a wonderful start for the series, and I can't wait to read more about them.

Thank you so much to Netgalley and Lulu for the chance to listen to this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you Netgalley anf Dreamscape Select | Lulu Moore for the alc. My opinions are being left voluntarily. Whew this far exceeded my expand had me blushing the whole time. Excited to see where the rest of the story takes us. Very steamy very good.

4.5/5☆

4⭐
Genre ~ holiday romance
Series ~ The Valentine Nook Chronicles prequel
Setting ~ England & Colorado
Publication date ~ November 15, 2024
Publisher ~ Dreamscape Select
Est Page Count ~ 220
Audio length ~ 5 hours 39 minutes
Narrators ~ Shane East, C.J. Bloom
POV ~ dual 1st, present tense
Featuring ~ Grinch/Christmas lover, billionaire, insta~lust, opposites attract, slowburn~ish, fling, some steamage

Alexander & Haven (25)
Alexander is a Lord in England and has headed across the pond with his brothers to Aspen for the holiday season. He's not too thrilled about it since he hates Christmastime and the reason is super sad. But his brother needs him right now, so off they go.

Haven has a sad backstory, too. She's trying to make ends meet in every way possible, from working at a Christmas shop to selling Christmas trees. Will she ever get out of the debt her parents left after their passing?

I love that the town has a gingerbread making contest every year. And oh my heart with the creation Alex made. It was like the most adorablest ever!

This is marketed as a novella, but at 220 pages/over 5 hours it doesn't read like one. I didn't feel like I was gipped. The character development was great, as were all of the characters. The siblings have brilliant brotherly banter as did our FMC and MMC. Overall, delightful, but cliffhangery.

Narration notes:
Both did fine overall, but her male British accent is much better than his female American accent. He made her sound so breathy 🤣

Series notes:
This is a prequel to the series The Valentine Nook Chronicles, which will follow Alex's family and this introduced the whole family. I'm sad I have to wait until September 2025 for Valentine Nook.

This is another great read for the holiday season! It was adorable, cozy, and just the right amount of spice! This is a prequel to Lulu's new series coming next year, and it gave us a tease of all these wonderful new characters!

Alexander's brother gets left at the altar, and him and his brothers decide to leave London and jet off to Aspen to enjoy the snow and the Christmas cheer. He runs into Haven Wilder, who is a lover of all things Christmas. She soon finds out that he is Mr. Grinch himself. Despite that little difference, they end up spending a very hot week together. Alex has duties to return to in London, and he is finding it very difficult to leave.

This book gave me all warm and cozy holiday feels! I loved Alexander's grinchy vibes! It just made him melting for Haven so much better! Haven was a breath of fresh air. She was so sweet, and her love for Christmas shines through! Alex and Haven were amazing! They had incredible chemistry, and the banter had me giggling! Lulu gives us a little taste of each of Alex's siblings that makes you love each of them already. This is an addictive, fast-paced, quick, easy read that will make you fall more in love with Christmas!

AUDIO: LOVED IT! Like I devoured it in one sitting! Narrated by CJ Bloom and Shane East, and they were amazing! They had me smiling and giddy throughout the whole book. I could listen to Shane's voice all day long! And CJ! She is phenomenal always! I was amazed by how good her British male voice was! Perfect pairing for this holiday treat!

Thank you, Lulu, Valentine Pr, Netgalley, and Dreamscape for this ALC!
2 likes

4.5 Stars

Once Upon a Christmas Tree by Lulu Moore follows Lord Alexander as he saves his brother from marrying his cheating fiancée by taking him to Aspen, CO where he meets Haven, who is paying all the bills left by her parents' medical expenses. This is an instalove sort of book so they look at each other and are immediately attracted to one another. They just have to figure how to get together as Haven is still working a million jobs knowing that they will only see each other for the holiday season.

I got to listen to it and I thought this novella was so good!! I found it super entertaining, I couldn't put it down. My favorite part was the relationship with all the brothers which I hope we see more of in the future. My least favorite part was that there is no happily ever after, just a "let's meet in a year" sort of arrangement. I did think that the main characters had a lot of chemistry so I enjoyed that a lot. This is my first Lulu Moore book but it will definitely not be my last as I thoroughly enjoyed the audiobook. I highly recommend it to all the romance girlies as it is so much fun.

Thank you to NetGalley, Dreamscape Select, and Lulu Moore for giving me the opportunity to listen to this ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

"Once I decide I want something very little will stop me"

This is the perfect read if you're looking for a spiced filled Christmas story.

Personally, I felt there was too much spice and not enough relationship building. Haven and Alexander are a classic case of insta-love or maybe insta-lust?

However, I did love that our MMC Alex is British!! I love him and all three of his brothers. The relationship between them is what really pulled me in. They tease each other but obviously care deeply. I feel invested in their stories, so I'd definitely continue the series.

This was the perfect little holiday novella. It was so fast paced and I loved it so much!! I am so thankful for the opportunity to read it early!!

This was a perfectly spicy, holiday rom-com. I adored Alexander and think he is so sweet. Haven is a hard working, small town girl and she immediately finds herself attracted to Alex and I don't blame her one bit! Definitely looking forward to reading more about these characters and Alex's siblings in future novels.

The narrators, Shane East and C.J. Bloom made this audiobook outstanding and they were the icing on top of this gingerbread house of a novel.

Thank you NetGalley and Dreamscape Select | Lulu Moore for access to the ALC in exchange for an honest review.

I LOVE a grumpy x sunshine Christmas romance so having a Christmas-hater Alexander instantly fall for “the mayor of Christmas town” Haven, I was giddy to keep reading!

This book, while a romance for A&H, is more of an introduction to the Burlington’s - Lando, Alex, the twins - Miles and Hendricks, and their sister, Clementine. I wish this book ended in an HEA and/or that the next book was still of A&H, but while I’m bummed it isn’t, I give Lulu credit because now I’m COMMITTED to this series just off the epilogue 😂

🎄Grumpy x Sunshine
🌲Holiday Fun
🎄Opposites Attract
🌲 Vacation Fling for him
💚 Novella - Start of a Character Series

“ I like her love of all things Christmas, because her parents loved it. Her parents died and they loved Christmas, so she loves Christmas. My dad died, and it killed any love I had for Christmas. The irony. I can’t stop thinking about it. It’s why I made her store out of gingerbread. It had been one of those lightbulb moments where you can’t quite pinpoint exactly where it came from.”

I loved the Epilogue being a teaser of the next book! I can’t wait to get more of Lando’s story and who this mysterious actress he’s about the fall for 🤩 LULU, give me these books faster! 🙏🏼 pleaseeeee

Final Rating: 4⭐️, 2.5🌶️ - Read this if you want a cute and spicy Christmas novella, but know it’s not an HEA and this couples full length book isn’t til the second of the series (book one is out September of 2025).

Thank you Lulu Moore, NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for an ALC of this book in exchange for my honest review!

I was really looking forward to this read during the holiday season and it didn’t disappoint! What a better into to a series then a few British royals heading off to a trip that gets an unexpected turn!

We are introduced to a charming small town where Alexander meets Haven, a hard working small business owner!

This has festive fun, laugh out loud moments, swoon worthy moments, and the spice of course! 🤭

I can’t wait to dive more into this series and what an amazing way to start! The audio was done by @shaneeastreads & @ CJ Bloom! And I enjoyed every second!

Thank you @lulumoorebooks , @netgalley , and @dreamscape_media for this audio in advance!

Story Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Narration: 🎧🎧🎧🎧🎧 (0-5)
Overall: ⅘
Steam: 🔥🔥🔥 (0-5)

What I'm Starry-Eyed Over:
🤩 I’ve finally read a Lulu Moore! I’ve been wanting to for quite some time.
🤩 Did this prequel novella get me interested in this family and their HEAs? Yes, yes it did.
🤩 These scrumptious voices are fabulous!! I need more Shane East in my life & CJ Bloom is always my most favorite!
🤩 Take me to Moonshine!! All the small, mountain town fun!!
🤩 Christmas lover & Christmas hater!!
🤩 Steamy goodness! ❤️‍🔥🥵

What I'm Wishing/Dizzy About:
💫 I really wanted to try a Lulu Moore, finally. But I was nervous from the start—she introduced the book as HEA to be continued. What?! 😳 Same time next year?! 🫨
💫 The epilogue is a different MMC—a bit confusing in audiobook with the same narrator.
💫 Valentine Nook! Yes, I wanna go!

Once Upon A Christmas Tree is the prequel novella to the new Valentine's Nook series. It was a good start and a great introduction to the Burlington brothers. They are an absolutely swoon worthy bunch, I need to get myself a British aristocratic man. it had all the right Christmas vibes but teasing us perfectly with what's to come in the rest of the series and it's highly promising.

Alexander & Haven have undeniable chemistry, they are absolutely hot together, the tension was palpable and the banter was hilarious. I loved that in the short amount of pages Lulu still let us dive deeper into these characters and see a more vulnerable side of them. See them live through their grief, see Alex start to find the joy of Christmas again.

This was a super fast paced Christmas novella. Perfect if you want a shorter book to make you laugh, swoon, sweat and kick your feet in happiness. The vibes were perfect !

✨️Thank you to @netgalley, @dreamscapemedia & @lulumoore for my gifted ALC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you Netgalley and Dreamscape Select for the opportunity to preview this gifted ALC.

If you're looking for a little bit of a Christmas story with a heavy amount of spice, this would be the story for you!

Alexander arranges for his brothers to take their private plane on an emergency getaway to Aspen after his brother catches his fiance sleeping with his best friend the night before the wedding.

The relationship between the brothers was the best part of the story! I wish we had more time to spend with them. From what I gathered from the story they don't get to spend a lot of time together so the trip was a great bonding experience.

Alexander feels he was the cause of their father's death 20 years earlier during the holidays. The guilt has turned him into quite the grinch and he hates everything about the holidays.

Haven's family ran the local Christmas Tree farm and Christmas shop that were left to her after the passing of her parents. She was also left with a mountain of debt and has been working multiple jobs to pay off the debt.

Alenader and Haven connect a little in an emotional way, but mostly in a physical way (3 Open-door scenes). She helps soften him towards Christmas a little.

My frustration is Alexander's family is loaded and he could have easily worked a Christmas miracle and taken care of some of Haven's debt and stress. Instead it was just a promise to see you this time next year. I feel like it was a missed opportunity!

The audio was a dual POV and both narrators did a great job. The male narrator had a British accent which fit with the vibe of the story.

Romance Content: 3 Open-door scenes and explicit language

Perfect fast paced holiday romance! Thank you Netgalley and Lulu Moore for this ALC. Shane East and C.J. Bloom were great. This novella had banter, Christmas vibes, and spice. I cannot wait to read The Valentine Nook Chronicles as they come out. The family had me laughing throughout the whole read. The brothers banter and relationship with each other was great, and the chemistry between Alex and Haven was perfection.

Holiday romance
Billionaire
Grumpy / Sunshine
Instalove
Small town
Spice
British MMC

Okay well I’ll be counting down the days until September when more of this series comes out.

This was a great introduction to the Burlington Family. Lando is running away from his wedding and his brothers Alex, Hendricks and Miles take him to Aspen for the week! This is a prequel book to introduce you to the family and follows Alex and Haven. Haven runs a Christmas tree farm and loves all things Christmas while Alex hates Christmas. The immediate connection and chemistry between these two 😮‍💨 I absolutely loved watching Alex do some of the Christmasy things and find some joy in Christmas because of Haven.

“Like Theo James soaked himself in a vat of honey. Is it possible to be turned on by an accent?” Listen. Shane East and CJ Bloom narrate this one. And if you love listening to a narrator with an accent? Shane East is excellent! And how can you not love CJ Bloom? I got the audio halfway through reading it and had to listen for the accent!

Warning though - this is a HEA to be continued. And I know their story doesn’t continue in the first book of this series but I’m betting on book 2!🤞🏻 Thank you to the author, Valentine PR and Dreamscape for my #gifted copies of this book. All opinions are my own.