Winter Ward

Winter Warmers #1

by Cassie Mint

I let her stay as a favor to an old friend. But her father doesn’t realize...

He sent a lamb to the big, bad wolf.

Bellamy is a violin student. That’s why her father picked me to take care of her for the university holidays—a famous composer. A maestro who can pass on his skills.

But inspiration is golden, and this girl wakes parts of me which have been dormant for decades. I need her. And not just her music—her body, her heart, her soul.

Old friend or not, her father may regret sending her here. Because now that I’ve found my little lamb...

I’ll never let her go.

Winter Ward is a short and steamy age gap instalove story, starring an obsessed maestro and his darling muse.

Genres: Novella, Romance, Contemporary Romance, Contemporary, Forced Proximity, Forbidden Romance, Forbidden Love

71 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 18, 2021

About the author

Cassie writes outrageous, OTT insta-love with tons of sugar and steam. She loves cookie dough, summer barbecues, and her gorgeous cat Missy.

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Reviews

[QuinnReads · Rating 4 out of 5]

Maestro and His Muse

3.5 stars - While I found it strange that a twenty year-old who seems quiet and responsible can't be left alone for a few weeks, I mostly liked it. There was tension early on but it was mostly the interloper variety.

There was a point where the story felt a little forced. It did level out and the passion becomes more natural. I did like Bellamy's attitude when she and Felix were caught in a very compromising position. Embarrassing as it was, it was also entertaining.

I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book.

[*˚Remnant Light ‧͙⁺˚*･༓☾ · Rating 4 out of 5]

**3.8/5 stars**

This was a very sweet novella. It had a quite simplistic plot but was very well done in terms of characterization, pacing and romance; which are things I always look for. Even if very short, nothing felt rushed or sudden. We followed Felix, a famous composer who lost his spark and inspiration, who had to share his home with his friend's daughter Bellamy for the Holidays. If at first he was annoyed by her presence, he quickly realized that she might be the inspiration he had been looking for. His muse...and possibly more.

Felix was an interesting hero. I really liked the changes he went through; starting grumpy, cold, reclusive and serious...to someone a little bit more playful and charming, the more he spent time with his muse Bellamy. He even became slightly possessive of her and demonstrated borderline OTT behavior but nothing too crazy. I really liked how with time, he started softening up towards Bellamy, and developing feelings for her. We even got glimpses of insecurities hidden under that tough exterior.

I finally heard it: the music I’ve been missing. The faint notes, whispering through my brain. Bellamy is the key. She’s my muse.-Felix

As for Bellamy, she was very sweet and innocent. She lacked a bit of confidence in certain areas but also showed some boldness when it mattered. Although she was the type of heroines who makes assumptions on her own, finding it hard for her to believe someone truly appreciated her presence, I could easily understand where that flaw came from. With her parents neglecting her, it gave her just enough doubt to wonder if she really was wanted. Normally, this flaw would've annoyed me but here I thought it was okay, and not even that notable.

No wonder the city is famous for artists and musicians. Everyone here is too caffeinated to ever sleep.-Bellamy

The romance was cute and they had a nice chemistry. It had a little grumpy/sunshine vibe to it too, which is a trope I loooove. I also really liked the little game that they played together. It was daring and flirtatious, and showed the facets of themselves that they kept concealed. The music theme was a plus.

✔️HEA Epilogue: 5 years later, they are married and h is pregnant with their 3rd child
✔️Novella
✔️Dual POV
✔️Age gap H is around 40 and h is 20
✔️Grumpy/Possessive H
✔️Sweet/Virgin h
✔️No OW/OM
✔️No cheating
✔️Safe
🔥 Steam level: 2/5 Only two scenes that were not super detailed, but pretty hot for what they were 
⚡Content warning No condom/ No safety talk/ No mention of birthcontrol. Foreplay/ Fingering/ First time/ Rough/ Against a wall...

Would I recommend this novella? Simple, quick and sweet. Enjoyable on a snowy day!❄️☕

**Note that I do not rate novellas and full-length books by the same standards**

Winter Warmers Series
(Series Rating: ⭐⭐⭐.7 /5)
1. Winter Ward - 2. Thin Ice - 3. Cold Wood
- 4. Snow Storm - 5. Clock Work - 6. The Gift

[MG *Bury Me with My Kindle.. & a REALLY Long Charger* · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars
This was an okay short read. I finished it in about 30 minutes.

Older man (intense artistic type) and younger woman (20 year old daughter of H's bff).... Kind of went from 0 to 60, but it was a short story, so the author didn't take a lot of time to develop the relationship. Very steamy to erotic. Lack of communication but acted like the other person should read his/her mind, and when one of them actually said that they wanted to be together, the other thought they weren't serious (for no particular reason) - that was kind of annoying, but I guess had to manufacture some angst. Quick ending with a short epilogue.

[Penny · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wanted something short to read so I thought that it would be a good idea to read the new release by Cassie Mint. I enjoyed the stories I've read so far by her but this one disappointed me.

I absolutely loved the premise, a well known maestro and a music student, (it reminded me of Dark Notes) so I had to read it. Unfortunately, I didn't like it even though I really wanted to. The steamy scenes were great but other than that something was missing. Maybe if it was a full length novel it would be better but unfortunately I didn't like it as much as I hoped.

2⭐ 😞

[bookgalbrock 🐝✨ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Winter Ward

star rating: 3 stars
spice rating: 2 🌶️🌶️

Novella
Age Gap
Student/Teacher
Dads Best Friend
Musical Romance

I enjoyed this.

[Nova · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am voluntarily reviewing an advanced reader copy of this book.

Bellamy is on her way to stay with her father’s best friend Felix Herr Vogel a famous maestro known throughout the world, so her father can take a winter break with his new wife. Its obvious from the minute she arrives that she is an unwanted guest and being a music student all her dreams of learning from a master disappear. But over the weeks things between them change in ways she had ever imagined and there time together is passing too quickly. But when her father comes for her will Felix push her away and break the strings of her heart?


Felix is a world-famous composer that has lost his inspiration, and the last thing he needs is any distractions but when his oldest friend asks for a favour, he can’t say no. He hasn’t seen his friend’s daughter since she was a child so when he sees her, he is shocked to say the least, but he is determined to block her out for her stay. That turns out to be easier said than done and soon he is seeking her out, falling for her was never his plan so when the time comes for her to leave will he be able to let her go?

This was a fantastic read; I have to say that I love this author easy to read with a story that always keeps me in the moment until the end and this story was no different. If this story is the start to winter warmers, I can already see myself huddled up with a hot chocolate and the rest of the series. 4.5* Read.

[Lolina ⋆]

I loved this- people who play instruments???? 🧎‍♀️🧎‍♀️🧎‍♀️🧎‍♀️🧎‍♀️

[*CJ* · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Winter Ward" is the story of is the story of Bellamy and Felix.

Hero is a recluse famous composer, heroine is a violin student. He has lost his inspiration, until she enters his life. He soon regains his love for music, and she wins his heart.

Short and sweet.

Safe
3/5

[Katie Utterly Unashamed · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well this one was awesome!

I loved both the hero and heroine. This was a perfect example of why I love novella. You can get this quick and dirty story right before bed.

What you get:
✅Grumpy hero
✅Age Gap
✅Virgin Heroine
✅Instalove
✅Dads Best Friend
✅Stuck together

I'm definitely finishing this series ASAP!



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[girlwithhearteyes · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. Age gap / dad’s friend + forced proximity instalove novella that is higher quality than a lot of the KU novellas. Simple plot, engaging writing and pacing. Not super steamy, but it had a nice build up. I wasn't completely invested in the characters, but still found this to be an easy and enjoyable read.

[Averie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Felix is a very talented classical musician who has unfortunately lost his muse. He has not been able to compose any music for weeks. Then Felix's oldest friend calls him for a favor. He asks Felix for his 20-year-old daughter Bellamy to stay with him in the city for her college winter break. Bellamy is hoping to get some lessons from the older grumpy man since she is also passionate about music. But she is a little disappointed when Felix makes himself scarce whenever she's around. Felix might be struggling to keep his hands off of his oldest friend's daughter.

This was such a great read to escape into! If you want a forbidden romance filled with music, you should definitely check out this novella!

TROPES: age gap, forbidden, musicians, novella

[Granger McGringot · Rating 4 out of 5]

Virgin h, Celibate H
No condoms
Dad's BFF
Age gap (h was 20 y.o)
OTT instalove
No crush before the legal age
Dual PoV, 1st person
No cheating
No drama/angst
Things bit weird when the dad found out their passionate tryst
Safe read-ish, HEA, epilogue
Overall score: 3.5 age gap romance stars

[Tilly · Rating 3 out of 5]

It didn't give a backstory so I had to guess what was supposed to be happening and the whole point of them meeting is for her to live and play music at her father's best friends house so I don't even want to know how old he is 👎 there was no ending they just stayed together. The only good thing was that they were cute when I forgot about the age difference

[Devanshi]

The dad scene? Unsettling, inappropriate and repulsive. I really don't understand the need for that scene.
Would have been three stars but that painted a very distasteful image, which i didn't want, in my head.

[Viv “BookVixen” Gutierrez · Rating 5 out of 5]

Steam n swoon

This was a short, fast read but it delivered a building tension between the MCs, their loneliness and attraction and their explosive passion. The story vibrated with emotion and had enough steam to melt my kindle.

Hero’s past isn’t mentioned. Heroine is a virgin and belongs only to the hero. No others. No abuse or cheating. HEA with epilogue years out.

[Christi (christireadsalot) · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a temporary, sort of guardian moment but didn’t really feel like it. Bellamy is 20 and on winter break from college, her father and his new wife are going out of town and apparently don’t want her at their place while they aren’t home so they set her up to stay with her father’s best friend. Felix, or Herr Vogel as she calls him, is a famous composer who is feeling uninspired for the past 6 months and doesn’t want Bellamy in his space. He quickly changes his tune while she’s there and finds himself falling for the violinist. This was a super quick novella, they both have feelings for one another really quickly. I did want more steam and more between the couple.

[Sandra R · Rating 3 out of 5]

A well written steamy romance novella.

[help · Rating 4 out of 5]

“If you want me to stop, you’ll have to disturb me, Bellamy.”

Damn why all daddy issues has given me is mental health issues, when is it my turn to smitten a music composer?
This was just the perfect read to end a day, low on angst and high on simping
chef's kisses

_______________________

Winter Warmers Series

1. Winter Ward (4/5)
2. Thin Ice
3. Cold Wood
4. Snow Storm
5. Clock Work
6. The Gift (3/5)

[FeFe · Rating 5 out of 5]

1st person/dual pov
Spice: 4/5

Hellooooo grumpy dads best friend! Ok so I loved the whole composer and violinist pairing going on here. Music is so special to me, all forms of it, so that instantly grabbed my interest because I love to read anything that includes music within the story. So A+ there already lol. Then we have this grumpy and sexy older man who agreed to let his friends daughter crash at his place for a few weeks since the dorms at her university were closed over the break. The tension is instant between them and it’s mouth watering! But the moment they both realize that they can’t ignore it anymore and stop trying to fight it I was squealing! The flirting, the teasing, the naughty little games they play with each other while playing their instruments - mmmph I MF loved it! Plus this man has a wicked way with words. 😏🥵
Then there’s this whole moment when her dad shows up to take her home that was just so damn perfect I can’t even stand it! The interaction in the music room between the three of them is possibly my favorite scene. 😆 Then it wraps up with such a sweet ending. Another five star read from Cassie!

[Alison · Rating 4 out of 5]

The maestro and his muse.

A nice little read with a grumpy hero and a very thin reason for a twenty year old to need a place to stay over the holidays. But whatever, it’s a romance. You’ve got to just go with it. With all the music, winter weather, and a dark and cold townhouse, the entire thing felt a little gothic. Bellamy’s dad was a total jerk so I didn’t feel bad for him at all.

[Kate Russo ❦ (Rina Kent’s Version) · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was cute although I think them getting together the pacing around that was a little fast and it felt like it went from 1 to 100 real quick. Some of the things she was saying is so me that it made me giggle. Thanks to this book I have a new dream of getting fucked on a piano by a maestro. I didn’t rly enjoy her dad walking in on them getting it on but it made me giggle how Felix was like “Peter you shouldn’t have come down” LIKE STFU.
Also her family sounds like real dick heads

[RachelReadsandSings · Rating 5 out of 5]

So I was really enjoying this age gap grumpy composer/innocent violinist romance, but then there’s a scene where Felix is playing the piano and he challenges Bellamy to distract him to the point where he’ll stop playing, and…it was 🔥🔥🔥 to say the least. Probably one of the hottest scenes I’ve read from Cassie Mint 🥵

[Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fingering The Keys!

I do love me an age gap and the fact that it's her dad's friend? Chefs kiss. I liked that you got some of the heroines backstory but without it being a whole exposition. And the game they play? Oh my! Will definitely be carrying on with the series.

[atomickitten · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars rounded up

Ok, so maybe this wasn't my favourite from Cassie Mint, but damn, this woman knows how to write a novelette.

[A ☾ · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars

Short novellas are saving my sanity in this last month of my degree.

[ertisakalaci · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.75

[Bailey Peale · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was so ridiculous and unrealistic but I was entertained none the less.

[A · Rating 3 out of 5]

Star Rating:⭐⭐⭐
Spice Rating:🌶🌶
HEA

Small spoiler alert❗️❗️


I did not like the scene of the h's dad walking in on the h & H. For that, I had to knock it down a star.

[Kendra | lit.erallykendra · Rating 1 out of 5]

1.5 stars

This was just not it. It had such weird vibes. I also did not like the fact he literally knew her when she was a little girl. Also the scene where her dad walks in on them was so unnecessary. This one gave me major gross vibes.

[Aneesah · Rating 1 out of 5]

Ok I may have to lay off Cassie Mint for a while because they are starting to get increasingly worse. I hated this one so much.