Once Upon a Winter's Eve by Tessa Dare

Some wallflowers bloom at night...

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.

Warning: The heroine packs a pistol, the hero curses in multiple languages, and together they steam up a cold winter’s night.

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This novella is a short story that is part of Dare's Spindle Cove series. This story follows A Night to Surrender and comes before A Week to Be Wicked. I've not read either and found that this story was an intriguing insight into the series and didn't need to be read in order to be understood.

The characters in this story were great. Violet was a quiet girl but didn't fall into the cliche of being shy with it. She was feisty, honest and bold - I really liked her. Equally, the hero was everything I like in a leading man - brooding, mysterious and willing to sacrifice anything for the woman he loves. The pair had great chemistry and I really liked them as a couple.

This is an implausible, fun and feisty romp with characters I really enjoyed and an almost farcical, fast-paced storyline that was a delight from start to finish. It will only take you a little while to read, but the price is right and the story is a great way to spend an hour or so. If you're a fan of Tessa Dare or just looking for a light and frothy tale to take your mind off things for a while then I would recommend this to you. 5 stars.