Snow Angels

fun and entertaining read that brought heart and steam.

There is a certain expectation I have for a book from Sabrina York: snappy dialogue, smart-mouthed and sassy heroines, a hero that is in need of his ‘one’, a feisty and interfering animal or two, bacon, and stories that will leave you smiling long after the last page is finished.

In this story, Wade has retreated to an isolated mountain cabin with his companion and now only friend Bo a three-legged German Shepard. Wade has skittered off to the isolated space to lick his wounds, and try to learn to deal with overwhelming guilt at the death of his friends, his lover and the damage to Bo.

A calendar shoot to benefit wounded warriors had turned his quiet life into chaos, so he pushed and prodded his sister Val to let him retreat to her cabin, where no crazy women would be stalking him in the men’s room and showing up on his doorstep. His daily routine of running and hiking through the mountains followed by a long hot shower is soon interrupted by a knock at the door.

Enter a tiny snow-clad woman buried under layers of clothes toting a cat carrier. Lyssa had borrowed the cabin from Val to close a chapter on her relationship with Jax. And, of course, she couldn’t leave Biby the cat to his own devices: since Jax’s death Lyssa had been out-of-sorts, and his constant chattering and expounding on every subject was wearing thin. Oh, I did forget to mention that Lyssa, aside from being elfin and possessing a horribly pushy cat is also a sympathetic: able to hear spirit voices and intuit memories, emotions and intentions by touch. Yeah, she’s got plenty on her plate. Not the least of it is a car stranded in a ditch under the ever-increasing snowfall.

The interactions between these two are clever: from Lyssa’s fear of Bo to Wade’s belief that she is a stalker gone to nuclear-level crazy to hunt him down. And, he hates cats. With a passion, and Biby is not always a wonderful cuddle buddy – prone to temper and stealing food, and a near-obsessive passion for bacon. Of course, Lyssa sees the pain that Wade is in physically, and does her utmost to relive his headache, with gentle and not so gentle nudges from her deceased boyfriend Jax and some interesting interruptions from Wade’s ex Sam.

I loved the build between these two characters: both are instantly attracted, but the interactions and conversations on the way to the steam and sweet are clever and keep you guessing and laughing. Giving both characters a scare with a bear only looking for a mid-winter snack, and the lessening of guilt that comes from both characters learning to move forward and closer together is heartwarming. From tentative flirtations to solid steam, these two will find a way to overcome talking ghosts, fear of touch, guilt and a pair of pets with bacon obsessions, this was a fun and entertaining read that brought heart and steam.

I received an eArc copy of the title from the author for purpose of honest review. I was not compensated for this review: all conclusions are my own responsibility.