LynneC’s review of Sleigh Bells in the Snow by Sarah Morgan
Contemporary Romance published by HQN 29 Oct 13
This is Sarah Morgan’s first book for HQN – which means a longer length and more Morgan goodness! It’s a very, very Christmassy book. It’s set in a snow resort, and there are people who cook a lot in it. That’s all I’m saying.
Well, it isn’t, actually. All I’m saying, that is. While I don’t think this is classic Morgan, she’s still finding her way with the extra length, it is still a good read. Kayla is a career-driven woman who has recently transferred to New York from London to get her promotion in the PR industry. She’s asked to go to a resort called Snow Crystal to assess it for a campaign, and since she hates Christmas and her boss tells her this place is isolated, she sees it as a way to avoid her most hated season.
When she gets to Snow Crystal, she finds the family that owns it is obsessed with Christmas. She’s met by Jackson, who she feels an instant attraction to, as he does to her. Jackson has built up his own business, but he’s come home to deal with the failing resort. He thinks that the resort needs more publicity. His mother and his grandparents can’t see the point of it and Kayla’s first meeting with them is a disaster.
Jackson and Kayla have chemistry. I know because we keep being told that. I think that word should be banned for a couple of years now, just to give it a rest.
There are other characters lining up for their own books—Jackson’s twin, surgeon Sean, the ski instructor Brenna, the cook Elise, the other brother Tyler, who has a daughter. And the family. This is definitely a family book, where every person has their nugget of wisdom to impart but has to have their crusty exterior broken down. In fact, everybody but Jackson has to go through that process.
The resort is almost an extra character. There is snow everywhere. And being a winter resort, there are things like skiing and sleigh rides and snowmobiles and thermal underwear. And skating, I nearly forgot skating. The cabins are a dream, with hot tubs and beautiful views. I enjoyed reading about that part.
Jackson’s mother is British, but she has lived in America for thirty-five years. However, the family still has tea and biscuits and they get their beers from a fridge, not a refrigerator. It explains the Britishisms sprinkled throughout. I’m fairly familiar with that technique!
The book is a small-town family set romance. The romance isn’t as developed as in some of Sarah Morgan’s other books and follows a fairly predictable path, by which I mean that the big-city girl is tamed and learns to love the great outdoors. I have to admit I’m not entirely convinced by that, because Kayla is so very city at the beginning and so very not at the end, that it seems like two different people.
She has a trauma in her background, which was a really heartbreaking one, but I won’t spoil it, because it’s the crux of her dilemma. However, it’s clear from the start that there is a problem, so that’s not a spoiler.
Fear not, I will not spoil you!
This book is also great if you like skiing. There’s lots of talk of edges and black diamonds and stuff like that, and I’m guessing that Brenna’s book will probably be packed with it. I do like watching the fools hurtling down slopes, but the appeal of doing it has escaped me, much as going down an iced tunnel on a tea-tray has. But while there’s a lot there, it’s not too much.
Jackson is a businessman with a love for snow. It’s his brother who’s the champion, but Jackson is also at home on the white stuff and loves it. There isn’t much development in Jackson, it seems to be on Kayla’s side. He’s her facilitator and the person who forces her to take a hard look at her life.
But if you want a good old wallow in snow and trees and skis and suchlike, with a romance between two beautiful people in an idyllic setting, this is the Christmas read for you.
Grade: B
Summary:
USA TODAY bestselling author Sarah Morgan heats up the season with the O’Neil brothers in a brand-new holiday series!
Once upon a time, Christmas was Kayla Green’s favorite time of year. Now all the workaholic wants for Christmas is for it to be over—as fast as possible! So when duty calls her to snowy Vermont to close a deal with a new client, Kayla is grateful for an excuse to avoid the holidays for another year.
Jackson O’Neil left a thriving business behind to return home and salvage his family’s resort—it’s in his blood, and he can’t let it fail. Now that he’s got marketing whiz Kayla Green working with him to put Snow Crystal on the map, success is on the horizon. The fact they strike enough sparks off each other to power all the Christmas lights in Vermont is just an added bonus.
Kayla might be an expert at her job, but she’s out of her depth with Jackson—he makes her crave the happy-ever-after she once dreamed of, and it’s terrifying. As the snowflakes continue to swirl, will the woman who doesn’t believe in the magic of Christmas finally fall under its spell?
Read an excerpt.
