Wednesday, July 30, 2014

Sleigh Bells in the Snow - Christmas in July Read-a-thon Review


Sleigh Bells in the Snow by Sarah Morgan

Rating: 4 Stars

Source:  Purchased

Description:  Jackson O'Neil is looking for a miracle to save his family's Vermont Resort, Snow Crystal.  He thinks PR genius Kayla Green is just the miracle he's looking for.  He just has to convince the rest of his family.

Kayla Green is good at her job but not so interested in having a personal life or in celebrating Christmas.  In fact spending Christmas at the secluded Snow Crystal resort seems just the way to avoid all the elves and Christmas trees.  Instead she stumbles into a family like no other she's ever seen before and maybe Jackson might prove to be the last thing she was looking for but what she wants most.

Genre: Romance

Why I Picked This Book:  I had this strongly recommended to me by a friend and book blogger (Lisa at Books Lists Life) but it's been sitting on my Kindle until this past weekend's Christmas in July Read-a-thon.

My Impression:
Pros:  The characters.  Normally in a romance I tend to prefer one of the main characters to the other but I thought they were both strong.  Well okay, I probably liked Kayla a little better but Jackson was pretty great.  The supporting cast was fantastic and I was surprised that even Walter redeemed himself in a way that felt authentic to his character.  The setting was fantastic.  I don't like snow AT ALL.  I've never had any desire to snow ski or ice skate or build snowmen and all the other stuff that one does in the cold.  However, this book made December in Vermont sound magical and like a place I want to be.  This is pretty impressive considering I consider July in Alabama to be a time when air condition is still optional.  I thought Kayla's demons and her reactions were realistic.  With her background it was completely logical why she wouldn't want to celebrate Christmas but it was also sweet to watch her start to relax a bit.

Cons:  I'm getting really nitpicky here because I hate to not have a con but maybe the timeline was a bit too quick?  A week felt a little unrealistic for the amount of transformation that was occurring.

Overall:  This was a fun contemporary family oriented romance with great characters and a wonderful setting.  I'm looking forward to book #2!

Would I Read More of this Series/Author?: Yes!  Can't Wait!

Would I Recommend this Book?:  Definitely!

10 comments:

  1. Great review! I've been seeing a few Christmas books here and there. I haven't read one in a few years, but I'm starting to get the urge to pick one up. This sounds like a good choice.

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    1. This one is really fun and the Christmas aspect is really essential to the plot. This is probably the best Christmas themed romance in awhile.

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  2. I am glad you liked this one so much, Katherine. It does sound good. I love that you had to stretch for a con. :-)

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    1. It was really a fun read. Expect to see the review for #2 next week!

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  3. I loved this one and cannot wait to read more by this author! Such a great romance :)

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    1. Glad you enjoyed it too! I'll definitely be reading #2 very soon!

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  4. I agree with the week being too short.

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    1. It made sense why it was only a week but that was a seriously busy week!

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  5. I am smitten with this series and yes the timeline may have been quick, but there relationship continues to develop which we see glimpses of it future books.

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    1. Oh good to know! I'll be starting #2 really soon. Can't wait to read it and I'll look for more from Kayla and Jackson.

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