I voluntarily read this advanced readers copy of this book.  Strong characters and a great story line.  I just couldn't put it down once I started reading it and neither will you.  I so can't wait to read more work from Nina too.  I don't know how but I misses books two and three of this series, so I have to go back and read those books of this series too.  You will love reading about John and Winter.

Just could not pass up this one especially since I have tasted the Order before this one. This is really then a holiday treat that you can eat. Little ones too do have a way to bring some together like you watch this one do. In this one see how Winter and John interact together thanks to a request. She also has a job to do with it being one that you will find intriguing once you discover what it is. Her offer is what opens the door for her. You will get through it quickly eating up every bit of it. John is unique himself too. This is one you can also read by itself.

Orphan Liam Ryan isn’t asking for much this Christmas just his Uncle John. And he’s counting on Father Christmas to find a way to make that happen. But when Father Christmas tosses Liam’s letter, claiming that the kid is asking the impossible, his daughter, Winter, takes over. Half-pixie, Winter, longs to do something important with her life, starting with getting a job at the Order of the Shadow Accords.The book is amazing. When I started reading I couldn't put it down I read the book is one day.Nina is magnifysent writer.I cannot wait to read more of her books.Keep up the great work.

Bittersweet Christmas by Nina Croft has family, love, a Scrooge like character and Father Christmas all rolled into one. BUT, don’t be fooled by that, it is definitely not the sweet stories that you heard as a child. Steamy, darker, and full of paranormal activities with right much foul language in this bittersweet story of one Order member’s Christmas. I thought after Father Christmas comment on the language factor it would improve but atlas it did not. Perhaps it clearly reflects the bad year that John and Liam are having.

For those who have read the series, John Ryan’s situation finally coming to a head which the outcome can’t help but be met with their approval. As far as Christmas goes, it is a part of the story mostly because of a letter to Father Christmas, aka Norse god, Odin. However, Christmas is only the vehicle in which the events unfold in this short novella. I read it in about an hour, so there is not a lot of time for complex character building or world building. If familiar with the series that wouldn’t be a problem, new readers may find it to be scare in those areas. The author states that this a fan based novella, so it should be accepted and enjoyed as such.

Being the youngest in her family has made Winter a very sheltered girl. Working for the 
the Order of the Shadow Accords, an organization that polices the supernatural, would be a dream come true for her. But her father is crazy overprotective and has shot down the idea too many times already. 

While helping her dad (who just so happens to be Father Christmas himself) Winter comes across a heartbreaking Christmas wish from a lonely boy asking for the only family he has left, his Uncle John. When her father dismisses the boy's wishes, Winter steps in to once and far all prove her father wrong and show him she has what it takes to join the Order. She'll make this boy's wish come true and in exchange her father will finally allow her to seek a job within the Order.

It should have been an easy two for the price of one deal. She would track down this John character, reunite him with his family on Christmas and she would that much closer to her dream job. But that was before she met Uncle John. 

John has been keeping his distance from everyone but especially his nephew, to protect him. When he was attacked by werewolves and left for dead a year ago, the Order gave him vampire blood to save his life. But the mix of werewolf and vampire in him is an anomaly that has every one on edge, including John. With his life so drastically changed, he flat refuses to bring his nephew into this world. 

It starts off as a challenge, but John and Winter realize there's more than meets the eye between them and that maybe, just maybe, Winter can bring a little holiday cheer and magic to a small family in desperate need of the holiday spirit.

What I liked: 
I definitely want to read more from this author and this series because I love sci-fi/paranormal reads for their unique take on shifters, vamps, demons and angels, ect. and this delivers on all counts. The Order of the Shadow Accord was amazing and I am definitely intrigued by the going ons involving other members but most of all, I loved how comfortable the whole supernatural world seemed to me. I haven't read any of her previous books but I'm so glad I gave this one a chance because it was a nice intro to the series and it all sounds amazing. 

I just wish it was longer! I only had one issue and that was the length of the novella. I wanted more page time to explore the relationship that sprung between Winter and John. I needed more time with them as a couple. They had potential to really explore their characters and I'm a little bummed we don't get more. (Greedy reader here!)

Nina Croft has provided a wonderfully romantic holiday story that warms the heart while providing a thrilling adrenaline rush!

The Order is an exciting series full of brilliant characters that takes place in a vibrant world and Nina Croft brings it to life with well written words that grabs the reader’s attention and refuses to let go and this latest edition to the series is no exception. I fell in love with John Ryan and Winter, whom make a special love connection overcoming all odds and a murderous alpha. Nina has a way with adding special traits or characters to her stories that add a little something extra to her stories and really keep readers wanting more and I have to tell you the suspense in Bittersweet Christmas keeps building throughout the story which kept me on the edge of my seat while the romance sparkled with pixie dust and Father Christmas added his own touch to The Order as well and I really hope that Nina Croft intends to continue expanding the world of The Order.

a good story for the most part with a very different plot.

This was a cute little holiday read. I haven't read any of the other books in the series, and I think it holds up fine as a quick standalone. I found it to be well written and well paced. The plot was engaging and intrigued me enough that I will be checking out the other books in the series. There was no angst or OW/OM drama. The relationship with the couple moved quite quickly, but there wasn't much sex in the book. 

There weren't a lot of secondary characters, but the couple from book two make a brief appearance. Both the main characters were intriguing (if a little underdeveloped). Lastly, it was wrapped up in a heartwarming happy for now ending. Personally, I felt a bit let down with how the romance aspect was left. I would have preferred a more solid relationship base. Perhaps they will pop up in other books at some point? Still, it was enjoyable overall, so it gets two solid thumbs up from yours truly.

I received an ARC from Netgalley. This book was just not my cup of tea.

4 - "I've wanted you from the moment I saw you..." Stars!

It was really great to return to get a chance to return to The Order series with this short and sweet seasonal novella.

Fitting in was so hard…

If you have read the previous books in the series you will know who John Ryan is. The once policeman, who is now a newly turned Vampire/werewolf hybrid. This novella gives him his Christmassy happily ever after, and with a Pixie no less!

"Go on, admit it… You like me."

I love the way the author tied the characters and the story line in and around Christmas, and although a quick read, it was really enjoyable, but then I usually find Nina’s characters and story lines to be pretty agreeable.

This book was very short but sweet. It was a cute, fluffy kind of story. Of course, with it being for Christmas, everyone gets their happily ever after. Take a small time and read this book if you want something to just warm your insides. I would like to see a series with these characters, maybe with the focus being Ryan.

I was so disappointed to realise I’d missed the first three books of this series; but that said, I really enjoyed Bittersweet Christmas and will definitely be going back to read what came before.

Strong characters, great world building and a gripping storyline, made this a thoroughly engaging read.

Ryan knows when he's in deep doo-doo, "they all trooped out, Winter at the rear. She hesitated at the door, cast a look over her shoulder, and blew him a kiss. His ***k twitched. Yup, he was definitely in trouble." Ryan can be a territorial man, “I’m glad. I don’t want you feeding any other vampire.” One last tug and she fell against him, bracing herself with her free hand, her palm against his chest. “Just me.” I really loved this novella, it was such a fun read.

Three and a half stars.

Father Christmas is a lot less like the Hallmark stereotype we know and love and a lot more like Odin, the one-eyed Norse god. His daughter Winter is half-pixie and desperate to get a real job with the Order of the Shadow Accords, the organisation that polices the supernatural world. When Father Christmas refuses to help Liam Ryan with his request for his uncle John to come home for Christmas (because he is too old and swore too much), Winter decides to take matters into her own hands.

John Ryan is having a very bad Christmas. First he was attacked by werewolves and left for dead, then his friends from the Order decided the only way to save his life was to make him a vampire, so now he's some monstrous vampire/werewolf hybrid (BTW they are called Dhamphirs) and no-one knows whether he is safe so his best friend is hovering around him ALL THE TIME.

When Winter finds out that Liam's uncle works for the Order she thinks she can kill two birds with one stone and manages to wangle a job babysitting John Ryan whilst his best friend spends Christmas with his wife, but her attempts to manoeuvre John into seeing Liam backfire hideously when John is ambushed.

This reminds me of the early Sookie Stackhouse books, with vampires and shifters and secret orders and pixies, all mixed up with Christmas and a teen boy's letter to Santa. It was silly and funny and heart-warming all at once. I would be interested to see where Nina Croft takes this series and whether the novels can live up to the delightful nonsense of this holiday novella.

What do you get when determined half pixie sets her sights on making a Christmas wish come true for a lonely orphan? You get a fast paced, fun story that will keep you glued to the pages just to see what happens next. 

Let's not forget that the wish is for an a uncle that is a vampire/werewolf hybrid and still trying to find his feet in his new world. Can you say awkward family reunion? 

Add in the smoking hot chemistry that flares between pixie Winter and vampire Ryan and you will be entranced watching these two fight the attraction, bad guys and more.

This is the perfect addition to The Order series and only makes me crave more.

Winter is the daughter of a pixie and Father Christmas. John Ryan is a human turned vampire/werewolf working for a supernatural organization called the Order. I thought it was a rather engaging story. So, Pier is his boss and wants to go on a holiday with his lovely witch wife, Roz. He is worried about Ryan and since Winter wants a job with the Order, she is appointed to babysit – oops, my bad, Winter is his bodyguard not babysitter. 
There is also Liam, Ryan’s 15-year-old nephew, who wrote to Father Christmas asking for his uncle Ryan to show up for Christmas. Of Course, Winter reads the letter and wants to do something about that. I liked it, it is engaging, romantic, and suspenseful story. Good for getting in a Christmas mood. 

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2173164406