Review: One Snowy Night by Jill Shalvis

Posted January 26, 2017 by Lola in Contemporary, Review, Romance / 20 Comments

LolaReview

One Snowy NightOne Snowy Night (Heartbreaker Bay #2.5)
by Jill Shalvis

Rating: 3 stars

Blurb:
New York Times bestselling author Jill Shalvis returns to Heartbreaker Bay with a fun and festive holiday novella!

It’s Christmas Eve and Rory Andrews is desperate to get home to the family she hasn’t seen in years. Problem is, her only ride to Lake Tahoe comes in the form of the annoyingly handsome Max Stranton, and his big, goofy, lovable dog Carl.

Hours stuck in a truck with the dead sexy Max sounds like a fate worse than death (not), but Rory’s out of options. She’s had a crush on Max since high school and she knows he’s attracted to her, too. But they have history… and Max is the only one who knows why it went south.

They’ve done a good job of ignoring their chemistry so far, but a long road trip in a massive blizzard might be just what they need to face their past… and one steamy, snowy night is all it takes to bring Max and Rory together at last.

My Review:
One Snowy Night was a fun winter themed novella. It’s not a full length book like the other books in this series, but I was happy we got to see a bit more from Rory. Although at the same time I wish it had been longer as it was a tad short and some things happened a bit fast. The plot of this one is that Max and Rory don’t like each other, but also have this attraction between them and now they are forced to spend Christmas eve together in his car while driving back to their home town.

Overall this was just a fun read, a bit too short to really get to know the characters, but it helped we already saw a bit of Rory in book 2. And I liked getting her point of view in this novella. Things did progress a bit fast due to the short length, but I think it is a good addition to the series. The forced proximity of the two characters brought all their issues to the surface and it was nice to see them have the chance to talk things through. And there’s a pet as well in this book that places a role, Carl. Carl was a fun addition, he added some comedy to the scenes at times and he just seemed adorable.

I didn’t quite care for the conflict in this book, it’s a bit similar to the conflict in book 2 at the start. Max still sorta blames Rory for something that happened while they were in high school, but Rory didn’t realize the consequences her actions had and doesn’t know why max is angry at her. The conflict didn’t drag on too long luckily and I was glad when they got it resolved. Although they did went a bit too fast from trying not to like each other to being in love, but I guess that’s the downside of this being a novella. I wouldn’t mind having to spent a bit more time with these two.

The focus is pretty much on Max and Rory and ofcourse Carl. There are a few side characters, but they don’t play as big of a role. But that’s also because of how the story is set-up with them stuck in a car together for the drive home. Both Max and Rory were interesting characters, they both had enough personality to get a view of them. They both had been gone through some difficult times and it was nice to see them find some happiness.

To summarize: this is a fun and quick read. It’s a nice addition to the series and I am glad I read it, although it was a tad short and I wouldn’t have minded spending a bit more time with these characters. Due to the shorter length a few things got resolved a bit quickly. And it was nice to see these two forced together for the ride home and finally get everything out in the open. And Carl, the dog was such a cutie and I liked reading about him. I would recommend this to fans of the series or those looking for a fun Christmas themed novella.

Links:
Goodreads
Amazon
B&N
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You can also read my review on Goodreads and Amazon

Have you ever read a Christmas book after Christmas?

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20 responses to “Review: One Snowy Night by Jill Shalvis

  1. I liked this book, but I had some issues. Certainly it was short. But my biggest issue was with the conflict. In my opinion, Max had nothing to be angry about when it came to Rory and what happened in high school. It was his idiot decision to that, and if someone turned them in, it’s still on him for doing something stupid. Especially since it had been years, and he should have accepted his role in everything.

    • I totally agree, I didn’t really care about the whole conflict and why Max was angry at Rory as he still made the wrong decision back then. I thought it would make sense if he regretted that, but I didn’t understand why he was still angry at Rory, especially after all those years.
      Lola recently posted…Review: One Snowy Night by Jill ShalvisMy Profile

    • She’s a pretty popular author, I’ve been seeing lots of reviews for her books as well. Book 3 in this series just got released. I really like her writing style, but not always a fan of the conflict she puts in her romances. The second book in this series was my favorite so far.

  2. I haven’t read this series, but it sounds like something fun and fluffy. I’m not sure I’d like to the quick resolution, though. Those always get to me. Thanks for sharing!

    • It is a fun series, very well written. The full length books in this series resolve the conflicts a bit better, but here as it was a novella it got resolved very quickly.

  3. I’m sure I’ve read a Christmas book after Christmas before…I have one (a cozy mystery) that I really want to read, so I might do that soon. 🙂 Hey, it’s still winter where I live. It works! And thanks for sharing. I’ve never read a Shalvis book but I hear I should. Sorry it was too short to really get to know the characters, etc. though.
    Let’s Get Beyond Tolerance recently posted…Can’t Wait Wednesday: We Are Okay by Nina LecourMy Profile

  4. Fun and quick is good sometimes when you’re busy and still want to feel like you’re finishing a book. Bummer that it rushed things and set up the same way as the last one. I’m already iffy on the holding grudges from high school thing especially if the person acts very different years later.

    Hmm, yes, I’ve definitely read holiday books after the holidays. I just read a Christmas one last week. I sometimes read Christmas ones in July to cool off from the summer heat. 🙂
    Sophia Rose recently posted…Interview with Elyse SpringerMy Profile

    • It just seems unrealistic someone would hold a crush that long and like you said people have changed by then. It was a fun one, but it was too bad about the conflict and the rushed parts.

      Sometimes it’s fun to read a book so totally out of season 🙂

  5. I like when characters who don’t like each other are forced to spend time together lol. And the pet’s name is Carl? Idk why but that just seems like a really strange name for a pet, haha. That’s too bad the book was so short! Glad you enjoyed it anyway though.

    • Forced proximity is one of my favorite tropes in romance, it’s just fun to see two people being forced together and work through whatever is between them. Yes the dog his name is Carl. The name grew on me and seemed to fit the dog, if that makes sense.

  6. I’m glad you enjoyed this overall, Lola. I love this trope – watching sparks fly when two people who have a contentious relationship are forced to be together. 🙂 From other reviews I’ve read, you’re not the only one who didn’t get the conflict but I’m happy Shalvis delivered a pretty good read. I haven’t gotten to this series yet as I only started reading Shalvis recently but I really like her writing.
    Yes, I’ve read Christmas-themed books after Christmas. Honestly, I think that’s when I read them most often. *haha*
    Bookworm Brandee recently posted…New Release Review ~ Rock Chick Reawakening ~ Kristen AshleyMy Profile

    • The forced proximity thing is always fun to read about. I saw a few other reviews as well who mentioned they didn’t care for the conflict. I am just happy it was only a small part of the book and it was still a good read overall. I really like her writing as well. I’ve read her Cedar Ridge series and now the first three books in this series. I hope to read some of her older books eventually as well.

    • I read all 3 main books now and this novella, book 4 isn’t released yet. So far it’s a great series. I really like the author her writing style and how she writes the romances. Book 2 was my favorite so far. Each book has a bit of conflict, but not too much drama. And except for book 3 they all have a pet as side character too.

    • Exactly sometimes the shorter format works great for a story and other times like with this one it just ends up feeling a tad rushed or fast. I do think it’s a good addition to the series, but I wouldn’t have minded a slightly longer story.

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