Valentine Nook

A Grumpy Sunshine Age Gap Romance (The Valentine Nook Chronicles, Book 1)

By: Lulu Moore

Narrated by: James Joseph, Andi Arndt

Lando Burlington, the eleventh duke of Oxfordshire, is back on the market as England’s most eligible bachelor. It’s a title he’d sooner burn to the ground, especially following the fallout of his ‘almost’ wedding. It doesn’t help that his mother is trying to set him up with every single woman in the country, none of whom he’s interested in. The final straw is when she rents out his former pre-marital home to Holiday Simpson. . . America’s sweetheart and box-office favorite.

Holiday needs a break from the chaos of Hollywood—replacing red carpets for green fields—and Valentine Nook, Oxfordshire, seems just the place to do that.

But she didn’t count on her new landlord. With his piercing blue eyes and hard set jaw, he’s as handsome as he is grumpy. And that’s nothing to say of his bronze, sculpted muscles she wishes she hadn’t noticed when she took a wrong turn down a country lane.

For Lando, avoiding Holiday is impossible in a village as small as Valentine Nook, but he starts to wonder if maybe she’s not as terrible as he originally thought. Especially when she smiles at him.

It doesn’t matter though, Holiday’s visit is temporary. This isn’t the movies. She’s not looking for her one true love, and doesn’t need to be swept off her feet. Except as summer turns to autumn it’s clear they’re going off script, and Lando must find a new ending to their story before it’s too late.

©2025 Lulu Moore (P)2025 Lulu Moore

Super cute!

Holiday and Lando are beyond adorable in this cutesie small town romance. James Joseph blew me away with his accents, and Andi Ardnt was also stunning in this dual audio. I adored watching these two pretend they weren’t into each other and then fall hard and fast. I love their support of the other, and I thought the whole family was hilarious. I am BEYOND ready for Alex and Haven!

Stunning, fun quintessential romance!

After a very public scandal with his fiancé cheating on him on the night before their wedding, Orlando, The Duke of Oxfordshire, is not interested to meet another person or entertain the idea of love in the slightest. When a Hollywood Starlet, Holiday, moves into the cottage on their property he is not pleased - but the moment he lays eyes on her and realizes who she is, he is instantly enamored by her beauty and tenacity.
Holiday is at the height of her career after winning an Oscar and at the lowest in her personal life. Burnt out and exhausted, she books a cottage in the countryside of England to recenter herself and recuperate. Their first meet is one for the books with her running away from him, but once they discover their identities, there is a level of tension that neither of them anticipated. Their attraction for one another is palpable and as much as they try to fight it, they end up falling deep into it instead.
Watching them both soften and show vulnerability with each other made their love story a beautiful one. They compliment one another in the best ways and inspire each other to be the best versions of themselves. With demanding careers where one requires constant travel and the other requires constant presence in one place, navigating how they can make their budding romance last for the long haul becomes their biggest challenge - prompting the age old question - can love conquer all? I read the novella last year and was looking forward to this story. It did not disappoint and I am excited for the rest of the series!
James Joseph and Andi Arndt were phenomenal on this title. Andi is a staple in the audiobook community and can do no wrong in my eyes - or my ears! Her work is impeccable every time and as many dozens of times I've listened to her I never tire of it. I haven't listened to a title with James on it in a long time and I am so glad I came across this one! He is incredibly talented and I hope I get to hear him on another title soon.

Delightful, Fun, and Spicy Romance!

This is a delightful, fun, and spicy romance featuring Lando, an English Duke, and Holiday, an American actress. Holiday takes to the English countryside to escape the rigors of living her life as a famous, award-winning actress, only to come across the Burlingtons, the family whose land she is staying on. Lando, the oldest of 5 siblings, takes his job and life a bit too seriously, especially after a dramatic breakup. The Burlingtons are such a fun family, and I’m excited to read the rest of the series as each sibling gets their turn at love.

Lando and Holiday’s connection is flirty and spicy as they bond over working too hard and needing to find fun in their lives. The audiobook is especially well done with the talents of Andi Ardnt and James Joseph. I loved their performances as well as the story!

In this book:
Small town/village
English Duke/Hollywood actress
Billionaire/Millionaire
Age gap
Farm living
Siblings dynamic

A terrific new book from Lulu Moore

alentine Nook is the first book in Lulu Moore's new The Valentine Nook Chronicles series and boy does it deliver and is a terrific start to this series.

Holiday Simpson is exhausted, fresh off of the awards circuit and years of back to back (to back) movie productions and press junkets, she takes six months off to just do nothing and find out if she wants to even keep acting anymore. The place she chooses? Valentine Nook, England an incredibly quaint and amazing village that is owned by Orlando Burlington, the eleventh duke of Oxfordshire.

Lando is still reeling after finding his best friend and fiancee doing the deed the night before their wedding and is very, very unhappy to find out that his mother has rented his cottage to someone.

Holiday and Lando have an epic first meet and their relationship escalates from there and we are fortunate enough to go along for their ride from not quite enemies to lovers. The chemistry between the two is amazing and believable. I love the vulnerability they both show each other and their willingness to, albeit reluctantly, open themselves up to love when they aren't looking for it and the all-in support they give to each other when its desperately needed for self-confidence.

Ms. Moore writes the best secondary characters and hopefully all of Lando's siblings get their own book and while they spoke on the phone, I was aching for a little Tanner in person.

The narrators, James Joseph and Andi Arndt embody the characters in a terrific manner that drew me in from the beginning. They captured the author's characters and brought them to life in a believable way and made them so much fun.

I want to live in Valentine's Nook and be their neighbors and can't wait to get the next in this series and this book isn't even out yet!

LOVED THIS

Lulu did such a wonderful job setting the scene for this book. I felt like I was in the English countryside and in fact I want to go! Holiday is an actress who escapes to Valentine Nook for a much needed break. She has a hilarious meet cute with grumpy Lando and I was kicking my feet while listening. I felt for Lando and everything he went through and I love that both Holiday and Lando found some healing in each other. The Burlington family dynamic is hilarious and there were so many funny moments. I am giddy excited for the rest of this series!

Read if you love:
- small town romance
- billionaire
- grumpy x sunshine
- duke mmc & celebrity fmc
- found family
- age gap

Swoon-worthy

Y’all. I’m officially ready to pack my bags and move to Valentine Nook. Where else do you get hot brooding dukes, English countryside views/vibes and a bar called The One True Love?!

The narraton by James Joseph and Andi Ardnt really brought these characters to life. So glad I chose the audio version

Tropes:
💌 Grumpy x Sunshine
💌 Royalty x Hollywood
💌 Forced Proximity
💌 Small Town / Village

Duke meet-cute

I adored this couple. She is an actress trying to have quality me time where she's left alone. He gets his cottage rented without his authorization to said actress. And the foundations for a great story are set in motion. I loved the story, the different characters and of course the story. This was a rather entertaining book. It is my first by Lulu but I know I'll be reading more.
I read to it with my ears, and the narration was spot on. Both actors where fantastic in their characterizations. As a long time Andi fan, everytime I know she's narrating a book, I know it will be good.

The cutest small English village and the perfect couple!

Ever since Once Upon A Christmas Tree I was itching to get to know more about the Burlington family! And then finding out Holiday was going to be the FMC in this book, I was even more stoked! I love the way Lulu crossed over from the New York Lions into this book!

This book was absolutely perfection! I have always loved Lulu’s writing but man does she make you fall in love with everything that is the English countryside and Valentine Nook. I could visualize all of the different locations, from The One True Love, to Bluebell Cottage, and the Burlington Estates.

We first met Lando, the Duke, in OUACT when his brothers take him to Aspen after he catches his fiance and best friend together the night before he’s supposed to marry (which is how we get introduced to Alex and Haven’s story!) and since then, he’s been such a grump. All that changes when Holiday takes a break from acting and ends up renting Lando’s cottage for some peace. Holiday makes fast friends with Lando’s sister Clementine, which allows for multiple run-ins with each other.

I loved how everyone was drawn to Holiday, from Lando’s horse Thunder, to his wild brother Miles! This was the sweetest story and I loved how we saw Lando become less of a grump and fall for Holiday. I could absolutely see this story and series as a movie or television show!

On top of the story, the audio was absolutely phenomenal! Andi Arndt is one of my top female narrators and she did such a great job flipping between Holiday and Clementine with the different accents. I almost forgot this was dual narration with each narrator voicing all the voices in their chapters because I was so wrapped up in the story and they were just that good! And I could listen to James Joseph read a menu! I cannot wait to continue this series!

And I am STOKED for the continuation of Alex and Haven’s story, especially after that ending!

funny, heartwarming, swoony, and full of life

Lulu Moore nails that cozy small-town feel and drops it right into the middle of a swoony little English village. Valentine Nook feels so real. I was ready to pack my bags and move in.

Lando and Holiday...(or should I say Gracey and Hollywood), Total opposites in the best way. He’s the broody Duke still nursing some brutal heartbreak, and she’s the Hollywood actress hiding out from the spotlight. Their first meet (not so cute) at the waterfall had me laughing, and by the time we hit the fireworks scene, I was fully gone for them. Add in the Burlington siblings with their hilarious banter, Holiday’s instant friendship with Clemmie, and Thunder (who 100% steals the show every time), and it’s just chef’s kiss. Lulu has a way of writing main energy side characters that makes you desperate for their books, too.

And let’s talk about the audiobook… James Joseph and Andi Arndt crushed it. James gave us all of Lando’s grumpy, guarded edges but still let the softer side slip through, and Andi’s take on Holiday was warm and witty in all the right ways. I also loved how well they handled the dual narration style; both did a great job doing the female/male voices, which just pulled me in even more. I mean James's female voices....so good!

Valentine Nook has everything I want in a romance: funny, heartwarming, swoony, and full of life. Between Lulu’s storytelling and the incredible narration, I didn’t want to press pause once. If you’re looking for a cozy village romance with banter, chemistry, and side characters you’ll immediately want their books, this audiobook is a must. And you won't have to wait long for the Alex and Haven's book because book 2, Wylder Ranch, comes out on November 28th. If you want to read were they got started beforehand, then grab Once Upon a Christmas Tree, a prequel to the Valentine Nook Chronicles.

Loved!!!

Prepare to be swept away to the beautiful English Countryside to a small village called, Valentine Nook. This village, the charm, the donuts, the mischievous goat and the Burlington family all made me fall in love with this story. It made me want to book a plane ticket to England and find a small cottage to escape for a while. In this story we meet a grumpy Duke who has sworn off love and a tired and overworked American actress longing for a break. Their undeniable chemistry brings about so many swoon worthy moments and laugh out loud hysterics with their banter.

The audiobook is narrated by James Joseph and Andi Arndt. These two were the perfect voices for Lando and Holiday and really brought the personalities of the characters to life. Perfectly casted to really get you immersive into this story and these characters.