One Snowy Night
Author: Jill Shalvis
Reviewer: Jen Twimom
Rating: B
What I’m Talking About:
Picking up from events started in the previous full-length book, it’s Christmas Eve and both Max and Rory want to get home. Rory, who ran away at 17, hasn’t been back to see her family since she’s gotten her life straighten out. Rory’s friend and boss asks Max to drive her from San Francisco to Tahoe, unaware the pair shares a history.
Unknown to their friends, Max and Rory went to high school together, and they themselves don’t ever talk about it. While Rory was a quiet kid with a huge crush on big-time jock Max, she remains unaware of the events she triggered just before she left town, changing the course of Max’s life forever. Now the pair must overcome hours in a car together while fighting an undeniable attraction.
Rory and Max were adorable in the previous book, The Trouble with Mistletoe, and so I was excited they got their own book. The story was fast-paced and generally lighthearted, with just-a-touch of Christmas romance. However, I felt the entire relationship moved a tad too fast for my liking. I appreciate that Ms. Shalvis built a past for the pair, and seeing them make eyes for each other in the previous book, helped validate their passion. Yet, the couple goes from flirting to forever in a matter of hours.
Overall, One Snowy Night is very quick and easy to read, although you may need to suspend reality for a bit. Rory and Max’s story is uncomplicated and breezy, despite their history and the weather. The drama is a bit over the top and the relationship goes from zero to 100 in a very short period. But still, it is an enjoyable, lighthearted story that I finished in one setting.
Warning: The digital ARC copy I read had a lot of backend material, with the novella actually ending at the 58% mark.
My Rating: B, Liked It
About the Book:
It’s Christmas Eve and Rory Andrews is desperate to get home to the family she hasn’t seen in years. Problem is, her only ride to Lake Tahoe comes in the form of the annoyingly handsome Max Stranton, and his big, goofy, lovable dog Carl.
Hours stuck in a truck with the dead sexy Max sounds like a fate worse than death (not), but Rory’s out of options. She’s had a crush on Max since high school and she knows he’s attracted to her, too. But they have history… and Max is the only one who knows why it went south.
They’ve done a good job of ignoring their chemistry so far, but a long road trip in a massive blizzard might be just what they need to face their past… and one steamy, snowy night is all it takes to bring Max and Rory together at last.
Release Date: November 8, 2016
Publisher: Avon Impulse
Series: Hearbreaker Bay #2.5
Genre: Contemporary Romance, novella
Format(s): paperback (160 pages), e-book, audiobook
Book Source: Edelweiss
Purchase Info:
Amazon
Reviews in the Series:
Sweet Little Lies by Jill Shalvis (Heartbreaker Bay #1)
The Trouble with Mistletoe by Jill Shalvis (Heartbreaker Bay #2)