Review: Hot romance, cold snow, big-city mistakes, and small-town hope
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 01 29, 2014
Kim Golden’s Snowbound pulled me in despite myself. I didn’t like the protagonist at the start. Instead I shared her friend’s disapproval of her relationship with another woman’s husband. I felt frustrated too by detailed descriptions of furtive hook-ups in other people’s houses. But Mia is about to be betrayed, and it’s hard not to feel some kind of sympathy as she suddenly sees what everyone else knew so well.A long car trip, a few annoying phonecalls, and the lure of pleasant scenery takes the story from Thanksgiving’s betrayal into Christmas preparations in small-town Vermont. Suddenly the difference between big-city deception and small-town allure is clear. Reader and protagonist settle into a better place, and the presence of war-photographer Jake Groenewald, from South Africa, only adds to the allure.In a small town, there’s time to see beyond race and background, and to truly care. Mia moves out of her comfort zone, back into the comforts of home. Scenery and conversation sparkle, and sparks of a very pleasing romance start to fly. Occasional glitches in the first person present tense narration become less important as Mia and Jake tell their own tales against a backdrop of snow and memories. Meanwhile memories of Evan drive a wedge of unwanted ice between them.In the end, it’s almost sad to see this growing relationship reduced to physical union. But it’s pleasing to see torn hearts and relationships offered the chance of more. And the contrast of town and country in our souls is beautifully drawn in this fairly quick, romantic read.Disclosure: I won a free ecopy of this novella and enjoyed it over Christmas