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Wicked Holidays #1
The Heart of Winter
A prince on the run…
Alexander is the spare—the third son of a cold-hearted winter king who only wanted to protect his legacy as a scion of Saint Nikolas himself. There is a darkness inside Alexander that doesn’t belong in paradise, a darkness he's tried to drown out with pleasure and whisky but can never truly hide. When his eldest brother is killed, Alexander only knows two things—he is next in line, and he is not suited to rule. In a moment of desperation, he runs fast and far before the Mark of the Saint can take root in him. But fate has other plans...
A woman on the brink…
A week before Christmas Eve, thirty-three-year-old Lia Espinoza sets off for a wintery retreat in the Black Forest. Lia is faced with a huge decision—say yes to a stable, albeit loveless, marriage, or die a virgin. When she gets lost in the forest during a freak snowstorm, the choice may already be made for her. But then a devastatingly handsome winter god on the back of an enormous reindeer comes to her rescue—a winter god straight out of her childhood stories about Father Christmas. Except the stories got it wrong. Like, way wrong.
Long live the king…
Snowed in together—and despite being a bitter winter god and a very mortal woman—Alexander and Lia do their best to weather the storm in a secluded cabin. When the nights grow long and cold, Lia wants this fallen prince to be her first everything, and he is more than willing. But as the Mark of the Saint takes hold of Alexander, and an ancient evil is unleashed, he is called back to the kingdom he abandoned—even if it means losing the woman he loves in order to save her life.
The Heart of Winter is the first in a fantasy series that reimagines three holiday legends as they fight and bleed for their HEAs.
Alexander is the spare—the third son of a cold-hearted winter king who only wanted to protect his legacy as a scion of Saint Nikolas himself. There is a darkness inside Alexander that doesn’t belong in paradise, a darkness he's tried to drown out with pleasure and whisky but can never truly hide. When his eldest brother is killed, Alexander only knows two things—he is next in line, and he is not suited to rule. In a moment of desperation, he runs fast and far before the Mark of the Saint can take root in him. But fate has other plans...
A woman on the brink…
A week before Christmas Eve, thirty-three-year-old Lia Espinoza sets off for a wintery retreat in the Black Forest. Lia is faced with a huge decision—say yes to a stable, albeit loveless, marriage, or die a virgin. When she gets lost in the forest during a freak snowstorm, the choice may already be made for her. But then a devastatingly handsome winter god on the back of an enormous reindeer comes to her rescue—a winter god straight out of her childhood stories about Father Christmas. Except the stories got it wrong. Like, way wrong.
Long live the king…
Snowed in together—and despite being a bitter winter god and a very mortal woman—Alexander and Lia do their best to weather the storm in a secluded cabin. When the nights grow long and cold, Lia wants this fallen prince to be her first everything, and he is more than willing. But as the Mark of the Saint takes hold of Alexander, and an ancient evil is unleashed, he is called back to the kingdom he abandoned—even if it means losing the woman he loves in order to save her life.
The Heart of Winter is the first in a fantasy series that reimagines three holiday legends as they fight and bleed for their HEAs.
234 pages, Kindle Edition
Published December 21, 2021
6 people are currently reading
108 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
November 24, 2022
Santa romance 🎅🏼
December 5, 2022
Such a fun and adventurous Kinky Santa book
Set in modern day but with an alternate universe of a Magical Santa-verse with scary creatures and wintery monsters. There is family turning against family and a whole hierarchy of hot santas lol
The happenstance of the characters meeting sets the tone to the action pact moments that come later on...
The sex in this book is soooo good too!
This is by a mysterious Latinx author and its my mission to find out who it is!
Set in modern day but with an alternate universe of a Magical Santa-verse with scary creatures and wintery monsters. There is family turning against family and a whole hierarchy of hot santas lol
The happenstance of the characters meeting sets the tone to the action pact moments that come later on...
The sex in this book is soooo good too!
This is by a mysterious Latinx author and its my mission to find out who it is!
December 9, 2024
*Review originally posted on the re-release edition by Zoey Castille*
4.5/5 stars
3.5/5 spice
Tropes:
Santa Claus/St. Nicholas retelling
Portal romance
Magic system
Human/Magical royal
Forced proximity
Insta-lust
Hurt/Comfort
Virgin FMC
Both MCs in 30s
Dual POV
HFN
Cliffhanger
This one took me by surprise... in the sense that it was spicier than I expected. Also... I had NO IDEA there was a cliffhanger, lol...
But I'm not mad. Now, I'm eagerly awaiting the next installment. I really liked the MCs. Even though Alexander plays into the playboy persona, you could tell right away he was lonely and hated it. This is why it wasn't surprising he found comfort in Lia. She didn't have any other information to go off of other than what he did for her. You do get the insta-love vibes because they are instantly attracted to each other, but in these fantasy settings, it comes across as soulmates or fated mates. It's not expressly stated in this book, but I wouldn't be surprised if it was mentioned later on in the series.
I'm really hoping the author continues this series 🙏🏽 I seriously want to see what happens with the other two sisters and how things are resolved for the kingdom.
Overall, this was a fun read for the holiday season. Just beware if you aren't ready to dive into an incomplete series. But I would definitely recommend this for fans of portal romance, retellings, Romantasy, and diverse characters.
4.5/5 stars
3.5/5 spice
Tropes:
Santa Claus/St. Nicholas retelling
Portal romance
Magic system
Human/Magical royal
Forced proximity
Insta-lust
Hurt/Comfort
Virgin FMC
Both MCs in 30s
Dual POV
HFN
Cliffhanger
This one took me by surprise... in the sense that it was spicier than I expected. Also... I had NO IDEA there was a cliffhanger, lol...
But I'm not mad. Now, I'm eagerly awaiting the next installment. I really liked the MCs. Even though Alexander plays into the playboy persona, you could tell right away he was lonely and hated it. This is why it wasn't surprising he found comfort in Lia. She didn't have any other information to go off of other than what he did for her. You do get the insta-love vibes because they are instantly attracted to each other, but in these fantasy settings, it comes across as soulmates or fated mates. It's not expressly stated in this book, but I wouldn't be surprised if it was mentioned later on in the series.
I'm really hoping the author continues this series 🙏🏽 I seriously want to see what happens with the other two sisters and how things are resolved for the kingdom.
Overall, this was a fun read for the holiday season. Just beware if you aren't ready to dive into an incomplete series. But I would definitely recommend this for fans of portal romance, retellings, Romantasy, and diverse characters.
December 27, 2021
This is an interesting twist on the legend of Saint Nicholas, with magic and a kingdom of elves (the Tolkien kind). I liked the characters and will likely read the next in the series.
Be aware - this is a happy for now kind of ending as the next book is teased and the main couple is still in some unknown danger.
Be aware - this is a happy for now kind of ending as the next book is teased and the main couple is still in some unknown danger.
July 5, 2023
Did I read this in the middle of June? Maybe.
Was it exactly what I needed when I needed it? Absolutely. Sweet and spicy with a broody hero with all the angst that comes with the burden of responsibility, and a heroine who thrives off of making lists (relatable).
Was it exactly what I needed when I needed it? Absolutely. Sweet and spicy with a broody hero with all the angst that comes with the burden of responsibility, and a heroine who thrives off of making lists (relatable).
December 29, 2021
Really enjoyed this! Santa is not my kink at all, but this was more wintry fantasy romance and it really worked for me.
January 14, 2022
eh this was all right. Heads up to others that it ends in a cliffhanger of the overarching plot. I wasn't expecting that and I'm not sure if I'll be interested enough to keep reading.
December 26, 2025
It's a sweet and steamy romance of the trapped-in-a-cabin-during-a-snowstorm variety, but I wanted more world building and more plot based in this fascinating fantasy world.
January 3, 2024
Cute, ridiculous, and I am SO MAD it ended with a cliffhanger! Where on earth is the 2nd book?!
December 19, 2023
Some authors I love recommended this Saint Nicholas inspired fantasy romance, so I immediately downloaded it and OHMYGOD why isn’t this an internet sensation?! I loved it so much that I IMMEDIATELY dm’d the author to make sure we were getting a second installment, which we are! If you are a fantasy / Christmas girlie you must must check this out.
Alexander is not supposed to be Saint Nikolas in the hidden winter world. But when his brother, the actual heir, is murdered, the expectation is that he’ll step up. Instead he runs, crossing into our world just in time to save Lia Espinoza, who is trying to escape her own life. The two are thrown together halfway between their worlds, where they both realize that their love for each other may be the only thing they believe in. But they question if that’s strong enough of a force to ignore their pasts.
Holy cow this was so good. Most of the book is just the two of them together but we still get enough glimpses of their lives before each other to explain their baggage. There are some hints of Frozen in here, with the magical bff reindeer of Alexander’s, but it’s the perfect amount with our feeling cheesy. I love that there is political fantasy drama outside of their love too. On top of being from literally two worlds, Lia is also Latina, so even isolated her culture shines through. While this has a happy ending for Alexander and Lia, it does end on a fantasy cliffhanger for the worlds at large, so I cannot wait for the next one to come out!!! Add this to your holiday reading list pronto!
Alexander is not supposed to be Saint Nikolas in the hidden winter world. But when his brother, the actual heir, is murdered, the expectation is that he’ll step up. Instead he runs, crossing into our world just in time to save Lia Espinoza, who is trying to escape her own life. The two are thrown together halfway between their worlds, where they both realize that their love for each other may be the only thing they believe in. But they question if that’s strong enough of a force to ignore their pasts.
Holy cow this was so good. Most of the book is just the two of them together but we still get enough glimpses of their lives before each other to explain their baggage. There are some hints of Frozen in here, with the magical bff reindeer of Alexander’s, but it’s the perfect amount with our feeling cheesy. I love that there is political fantasy drama outside of their love too. On top of being from literally two worlds, Lia is also Latina, so even isolated her culture shines through. While this has a happy ending for Alexander and Lia, it does end on a fantasy cliffhanger for the worlds at large, so I cannot wait for the next one to come out!!! Add this to your holiday reading list pronto!
December 28, 2021
Purchased in the middle of the Fated Mates holiday episode and it did not disappoint. I was not into any of the Santa romance recommendations that started to roll through my feeds the past few weeks, but this was an excellent fantasy read with interesting world-building that only started to lose me towards the bananas end. Kept the “cabin in the woods” vibe I enjoyed so much from Amor Actually’s “Love in Spanglish” going just one more day.
January 6, 2022
Sweet and Spicy
It is hard to find truly sweet romances that are also super interesting. Rose accomplishes this by doing a great job of world building, while at the same time giving readers a couple you that you cannot help rooting for. So happy to have found this new author and looking forward to what comes next.
It is hard to find truly sweet romances that are also super interesting. Rose accomplishes this by doing a great job of world building, while at the same time giving readers a couple you that you cannot help rooting for. So happy to have found this new author and looking forward to what comes next.
January 3, 2022
4.5 stars. Not 5 stars for me since the ending felt somewhat unresolved, but set it up well for the next book.
dnf
December 18, 2023dnf for now but I wan't to try reading this again next month.
May 17, 2025
This book was AMAZING! It’s imprinted in my memory, and I’m dying for the next one. Sooo spicy!
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews