Once upon a Christmas Tree

A Swoony, One Night Stand, Holiday, Vacation Romance (The Valentine Nook Chronicles)

De: Lulu Moore

Narrado por: Shane East, C.J. Bloom

A swoony, one night stand, holiday, vacation romance by bestselling author Lulu Moore.

Alexander, Lord Burlington, hates the holidays.

But duty calls. This year he’s willing to set his feelings aside for the sake of his eldest brother who’s just been left at the altar—sending shockwaves through British high society—as they escape London for the snow capped mountains of Aspen.

However, it soon becomes obvious that Colorado in December wasn’t the best place to go for someone who usually out-grinches The Grinch.

Haven Wylder has spent the last four years paying off debts her parents left when they died. Between working on her ranch, or in her Christmas store and taking on every other job she can, there’s been no time for fun. But if there’s one thing guaranteed to put a smile on her face it’s the holidays and the annual gingerbread decorating competition.

What she wasn’t expecting was the tall, handsome stranger with the accent to die for who, *gasp*, hates Christmas.

It doesn’t take long for Haven to start changing Alex’s mind. It has nothing to do with her berry red lips and glossy caramel curls tumbling down her back, or her big doe eyes as green as the Christmas trees she's selling. Or the way she fills out her jeans.

None at all.

Alexander will never not despise Christmas, but a fling with Haven Wylder might be just the thing to make it a little more bearable. That is… if he can leave her and their unforgettable connection behind.

©2024 Lulu Moore (P)2024 Lulu Moore

4.5 stars

perfect set up for the new series! I loved the narrators and how they brought the story to life. I'm really excited to see what happens next!

All the Christmas spirit here

What a fun Christmas book! I loved the setting of this one! The tree farm, bakery, aspen mountain range was so atmospheric for Christmas/winter! Haven and Alex’s Christmas fling was hot & I loved seeing her get him out of his broody anti Christmas mindset. The gingerbread house was adorable🥹 & I was just overall happy while listening.

I did feel like the timeline jumped around a little bit and I was questioning how we got from A to B a couple of times, but overall it was a good decent novella. I’m interested to read Landon’s story after that epilogue.

The audio was pretty good, too. I love a British mmc & was swooning over Shane East. CJ bloom always does an amazing job with the fmc & if you’re thinking of reading this one I think audio is the way to go!!

Alex + Haven

5 ⭐ 2 🌶️ 5 🎧

I picked this up after Valentine Nook and while I think it would have been better before it, seeing Alex and Haven fall for each other after the hints of them getting together was so much fun. They were perfect and it has me so excited for what's next in the series.

The audio was amazing. Shane East and CJ Bloom are two of my favorites and they did a phenomenal job with these characters. I loved this listen. Thank you so much to Valentine PR for the advanced copy!

Spicy Christmas

Okay but HELLOOO Christmas!! 🎄🔥 This was such a fun, quick little teaser and I was eating it UP. Alexander and Haven?? HOT. ASF. Like I am officially feral for their full story and I need the rest of this series injected into my veins immediately.

It was short, it was spicy, it was festive..aka the exact energy we all need in our Christmas-time TBRs. Cheery and hot?? Sign me the hell up. Besties, add this one to your list because it’s giving Santa-but-make-it-sexy vibes and I loved every second.

LOVED!

Now this is a holiday romance! Alexander is grumpy as he truly hates Christmas and Haven loves Christmas. He is on vacation with his brothers when they met while she worked at one of her many jobs. The chemistry is fantastic! I loved every minute of the book! The romance is hot and well written, and the plot has heart. There is enough holiday cheer to have the vibes I really want during this time of the year. The secondary characters well developed to be more than just place holders. The banter was very entertaining. The plot explores how dealing with grief is very individual, and it was very realistic.

I want more of Alexander and Haven! For a novella, Once Upon a Christmas Tree is a fully developed and well executed romance. The romance book is fantastic! Shane East and CJ Bloom were cast as Haven and Alexander!

Spicy Holiday Novella

This was such a fun listen! I love an accent and Shane East always delivers with his British accent and boy is his character Alexander swoony and a bit of a dirty talker! Haven is basically the queen of all things Christmas related in Aspen and Alexander is a bit of a Grinch, but once he locks eyes with Haven his feelings about the holiday definitely start to soften. Their chemistry is so great and CJ Bloom narrates her beautifully! I can't say I loved that little bit of a cliffhanger ending, but I also can't wait to get the rest of their story and the brothers as well! This is a prequel and it definitely sets you up for wanting so much more!

Cute Christmas Book

✨ALC Review✨
⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
🌶️ 🌶️

I got everything I crave in a cozy Christmas romance book, from this book!

I was laughing, loving the family chaos and family group chats (I love with its brother having the chaos even more), then add in the meet-cute. I am in! They had one glance that changed everything between them.

The family group chat alone was hilarious. I can’t wait to for of that in the next book.

This was a fast pace book but it was good. I didn’t want to put it down.

I hadn’t read a Lulu Moore book before and I love her writing! I enjoyed the humor she brought into the book.

Don’t even get me started on the audiobook! Shane East and CJ Bloom were absolute perfection together!! I love how they brought the characters to life.

Thank you to Lulu Moore and Valentine PR for the ALC of this book.

Short, sweet, and utterly addictive

Once Upon a Christmas Tree is a short but swoony holiday novella that delivers everything you want from a festive fling, spark, chemistry, and just enough emotion to leave you wanting more. Lulu Moore introduces us to the Valentine Nook Chronicles with a charming enemies-to-Christmas vibe, pairing a grumpy British lord with a holiday-loving ranch girl. Fast-paced, addictive, and brimming with holiday charm, this story is a perfect appetizer to the larger series still to come.

Alexander, Lord Burlington, is every inch the grumpy aristocrat who despises Christmas. Haven Wylder, on the other hand, embodies warmth, cheer, and resilience despite the hardships she’s faced. Together, their one-night-stand-turned-holiday-romance is a clash of personalities that sparks into something unforgettable. While this novella doesn’t give us a full HEA (yet), it sets the stage beautifully for what’s to come and makes it impossible not to root for Alex and Haven to get their full story.

The Story
When Alex flees to Aspen with his brother after a family scandal, he’s determined to keep his usual dislike for the holidays intact. Haven, meanwhile, juggles running her ranch, her Christmas shop, and multiple jobs just to stay afloat but she still finds joy in holiday traditions. Their worlds collide when Alex meets Haven, the exact opposite of his Christmas grumpiness. What starts as a fling quickly becomes more as Haven chips away at his icy demeanor, while Alex discovers that maybe just maybe Christmas isn’t so unbearable when she’s around.

What I Loved
✔️ The grumpy x sunshine holiday dynamic that sparks from the first meeting.
✔️ Alex’s dry, aristocratic charm paired with Haven’s warmth and sass.
✔️ A fast-paced, bingeable novella that serves as the perfect gateway to the Valentine Nook Chronicles.
✔️ Lulu Moore’s witty, heartfelt writing style that makes you crave more of this family.
✔️ The cozy Aspen winter setting that adds just the right holiday magic.

🎧 Narration
Narrated by Shane East and C.J. Bloom, this audiobook is an absolute treat. Shane East nails Alex’s British charm and grumpy edge, while C.J. Bloom captures Haven’s warmth, resilience, and holiday spirit with ease. Together, their performances bring the chemistry and banter to life, making the novella even more addictive. The accents, the emotion, and the pacing all worked seamlessly I couldn’t stop listening.

Tropes & Vibes
🎄 Holiday Romance
☀️ Grumpy x Sunshine
🏔️ Vacation Romance (Aspen setting!)
💋 One Night Stand → Something More
📖 Novella / Series Introduction
⏳ No HEA yet

Final Thoughts
Once Upon a Christmas Tree is a festive, flirty novella that perfectly sets the stage for Lulu Moore’s Valentine Nook Chronicles. It’s quick, fun, and full of addictive banter, with just enough heat and heart to leave you desperate for more. Even as someone who doesn’t usually gravitate toward Christmas romances, I found myself charmed by Alex and Haven’s dynamic and now I can’t wait to see where their story goes.

This is where you should start if you’re diving into Valentine Nook. Short, sweet, and utterly addictive Lulu Moore has me hooked once again.

I loved this story! The narrators fit the characters!!

When Alex, the Christmas Hating Aristocrat travels to Aspen with his brothers, he meets Christmas Loving Haven. Will a steamy week together in the mountains change Alex mind about Christmas?

“The way you kiss someone for the first time when you know you’re probably never going to see them again. When there’s nothing to lose.”
🌶️🌶️🌶️.5

3.5

This is a cozy prequel set in snowy Aspen, where Alex hates Christmas with a passion and Haven lives for it. Toss them together with gingerbread competitions, holiday cheer, and some chemistry, and you’ve got the perfect grumpy-meets-sunshine setup.

The audiobook was everything. Shane East could read a phone book and I’d still swoon, and CJ Bloom was the perfect match. They brought so much charm to Alex and Haven that I didn’t want to stop listening.

Now, the ending… yeah, it frustrated me. Prequels always walk that fine line, and this one definitely left me dangling. Still, it was a sweet holiday escape with plenty of charm.