When Snowflakes Fall (#1)
Like Fresh Fallen Snow (#2)
Author: Tara Wyatt
Reviewer: Nima
Ratings: B+ and B
What I’m Talking About:
I have a soft spot for novellas, especially holiday ones. They are these little mini escapes in the midst of chaos; something I can start and finish while juggling shopping, baking, and obligations. They are a little reminder that sweets are not just cookies from the neighborhood exchange. Both of these holiday offerings are wonderfully sweet and fat-free.
When Snowflakes Fall is the first of two stories about the twin Grayson brothers, Luke and Matt. I preferred Luke’s story over Matt’s, Like Fresh Fallen Snow, probably because there were more characters, more family, and that feels more like the holidays to me. Both stories are hot and steamy with plenty of sexual tension. Both have happy, tidy endings.
I liked the threads of music throughout both stories, one at a New Year’s party and the other with Christmas songs leading up to the big day. I could mentally hear it in the background of different scenes. Subtly, it added a mood and some depth that would otherwise necessitate a higher word count. Unfortunately, in their brevity, Wyatt relied a little too much on the clichés that seem to be forever hitching a ride on insta-love’s sleigh. Frankly, I could do without another reference to exploding ovaries. It’s actually kinda gross when you think about it. Wyatt is not alone in this, multiple contemporary authors need to find a new metaphor. It’s not a deal-breaker though. Grab a cup of hot chocolate, one of those delicious cookies, and curl up next to the fire with one of these sweet novellas as a holiday gift to yourself.
My Ratings: B+ Liked It A Lot & B, Liked It
About the Books:
When Snowflakes Fall:
When Dr. Christie Harmon up and moved to Cheyenne, Wyoming to escape a vicious scandal, she expected a quiet, lonely Christmas on-call as a pediatrician at the local hospital. But when she’s treating a little boy with a bump on the head, she doesn’t expect his dad to be so distractingly handsome…or single.
In the wake of his ex-wife’s abandonment five years ago, Luke Grayson has been focused on raising his son Ethan. The scars from the split run deep, and Luke hasn’t trusted another woman to come into their lives. But there’s something about the sweet—and sexy—Christie that has him wondering if something’s been missing.
Can new love help lonely hearts find a way? After all, Christmas is a time for magic…
Like Fresh Fallen Snow:
Ellie Richards’ New Year’s Resolution: this will be her year, no men necessary. Who needs them when she has a successful website, a great apartment, and plans to ring in the New Year at a ski lodge with her best friend. That’s until Ellie gets stuck in a snowbank and a gorgeous, blue-eyed cop throws a wrench in her plans.
Matt Grayson intended to spend his last day of the year getting everything ready for his move across the country. But when he helps dig Ellie’s car out from the side of the road, something about this cute blonde who spews out pop culture references makes Matt wish he didn’t have to leave the next day.
When fate brings Ellie and Matt together that same night at a party, the sizzling tension between them bubbles like a bottle of champagne. As midnight looms closer, their time together grows shorter. Is their budding romance doomed to be nothing but a night of memories, or can it survive the changes the new year will bring?
Release Date: October 25, 2016
Publisher: Swerve
Series: The Graysons #1 and #2
ISBN: #1250118085 and #1250118077
Genre: Contemporary Romance (Holiday), novella
Format(s): paperback novella (85 pages), e-book
Book Source: Publisher/NetGalley
Purchase Info:
When Snowflakes Fall
Like Fresh Fallen Snow