Autumn is firmly here with the beautiful changing of the seasons and arguably one of the best times of year to curl up and read cosy romance and dive into magical fantasy worlds. This month I read mainly romance and novellas as a quick and easy read while on holiday to the coast and as we slowly creep towards Christmas I hope to read more festive books. Once again thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
*Beware spoilers ahead!*
Review
*Thank you to Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.*
First up is, Snowed in with you by Heidi Stephens follows work colleagues Lucy and Nate as they embark on a work trip to the Swiss Alps and navigate big personalities in a snow storm, while discovering more about each other.
The concept of being stuck inside during an avalanche on a mountain on a work trip was really interesting and how these characters found comfort within a group of strangers. Lucy and Nate are opposites and somehow scratch below the surface of their facade of Lucy as an extrovert and Nate as quiet and almost rude. Heidi Stephens sensitively explores grief and mental health and how this impacts both Nate with his anxiety and Lucy and grief of losing her brother. I did feel at some points Nate was treated like a child because of his anxiety despite being in his 30s. Lucy was also at points selfish and self absorbed and used her grief as an excuse for avoiding serious relationships.
I loved the situation and diverse characters stuck in the avalanche, but the story took an unexpected turn. I thought the book would continue to be set within the mountains instead of following Nate becoming a musician, which slowed the pace slightly. I would have preferred the mountain theme instead of the time jump as this felt a little disjointed from the original premise.
Overall, I enjoyed reading the book and was hooked from the start but had a few problems with Lucy and Nate’s characters. I really enjoyed the well rounded and funny side characters like Jonno and Sasha and the twists throughout the story. A hooking winter read with fun characters.
Next, I dived into the holiday novella, Spectacular by Stephanie Garber set within the world of the YA fantasy series Caraval. Disclaimer I never finished reading this series as I had a few issues with the writing styles and plot, but I did read the sequel series, Once upon a broken heart and reviewed the books in my April reading review – read here. I was interested by this novella and have to say the illustrations and cover design is beautiful. The story follows Donatella trying to find the perfect holiday gift for Legend and worries that he doesn’t love her as much as she loves him. Then the games and magic familiar to Caraval takes places and the problem I have with this book is Tella is adamant that there is a Legend imposter and she is determined to find out what is happening, but at the end reassures Legend that she knew it was him all along. However, I disagree which makes certain romantic and kissing scenes a little uncomfortable and complicated with that information in mind. This book was very short – hence the novella title, but appeared to be a little thin in plot and had so much potential to expand on Scarlett and Julian’s point of view and have a sub-plot that cross over.
Overall, I enjoyed the story but I don’t think I’ll be returning to the Caraval world and completing the series. However, I would adore a Jacks and Evangeline novella or holiday edition.
Another novella perfect for autumn is Fall Inn Love by Elise Kennedy that follows two rivals, Iris and Sam on a work trip comparing all the Inns in Vermont for a magazine. These journalistic rivals have to spend three weeks in close proximity that can only mean tension and a few revelations. I really enjoyed this romance and I think this book could have easily become a full length novel that allowed time for the chemistry between Sam and Iris to become a slow burn. I think they moved from one Inn to another rather quickly and I would have preferred the characters to stay in one or two, but allowed a deeper exploration of their characters and back stories. It was a quick read with a good amount chemistry.
Two people, one job in a book shop – who will win? This was far too short at 66 pages which really didn’t allow enough time for Becca and Leo to create much of a connection before falling completely in love with each other. I liked the idea of Becca meeting a stranger on the train and already having differing opinions then realising they’re competing for the same job. It was an easy read but I prefer books to have more plot instead of being full on romance and this would have benefited from another 50 pages to build tension and chemistry.
Final thoughts
October has been the month of romance and novellas and snowy escapades. I’m looking forward to reading more winter and Christmas themed books in November and December.
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Amy is a writer and reviewer and is currently querying literary agents with her debut fantasy novel inspired by the magic and adventure of Pirates of the Caribbean. For more content click here to read book reviews, short stories and updates on Amy’s writing journey.
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