Snowed In out now from HarperCollins; 272 pages
About the Author: “Rachel Hawthorne believes in happy endings and adopting older rescue dogs. She also writes as New York Times bestselling author Lorraine Heath and as J. A. London with her son, Alex. She lives near Dallas, Texas, with her husband and is presently spoiling a pooch named Jake” (Bio from Barnes & Noble).
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Ashleigh Sneaux has always been a Texas girl, living in the city away from the seasons and snow. When her dad gets engaged to a new woman and her mother decides to move states and start over, Ashleigh finds herself helping her mom open a bed & breakfast on a tiny, car-less island on Lake Michigan. Stuck in a town with a population of barely anyone and an inn named after her, Ash has to navigate a completely new environment as well as her hopeless dating life and crippling fear of commitment. When she meets a handsome painter hired by her mother, however, those fears might just disappear—or grow.
Being someone from a small town where history is preserved and treasured, Snowed In felt genuinely nostalgic and warm to me. It was a light read but rich in details and cozy moments between characters. I enjoyed the emphasis on town-led events, which added tons of character to the island and helped it seem unique. There were also so many important themes in this book, which made it a valuable read for me as Ashleigh discovered things about her values and her parents’ seemingly tense relationship. Not only did Ash feel responsible for picking up the pieces of her mother after the divorce, but she also had to manage how her own view of love was ruined as a result of their broken family. I wasn’t expecting the amount of drama in this book, but I can’t deny that I enjoyed that aspect of the novel. The chemistry between Ash and Josh was extremely gratifying and exactly what I needed during the holiday season. Snowed In is a heartwarming, romantic read that is perfect for the days when snow is falling–or not.
Callie Andrews, Pine Reads Review Writer, Social Media, and Web