I received this book for free from the library in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Source: the library
“One Snowy Night”
by
Jill Shalvis
contemporary romance in a Kindle edition that was published by Avon Impulse on November 8, 2016 and has 160 pages.
Explore it on Goodreads or Amazon
Other books by this author which I have reviewed include Beach Blanket Bad Boys, Instant Attraction, Instant Gratification, Instant Temptation, The Night Before Christmas, "Under the Mistletoe", Animal Magnetism, It Had to Be You, Simply Irresistible, The Sweetest Thing, Animal Attraction, Rumor Has It, Rescue My Heart, It’s in His Kiss, Head Over Heels, Lucky in Love, , He's So Fine, At Last, One in a Million, Forever and a Day, Second Chance Summer, My Kind of Wonderful, "Wrapped in You", Get A Clue, The Trouble with Mistletoe, Chasing Christmas Eve, Rainy Day Friends, Merry and Bright, Always on My Mind
A short story, 2.5, in the Heartbreaker Bay contemporary romance series and revolving around the friends who live and/or work around the Pacific Pier Building in Cow Hollow in San Francisco. The couple focus is on Rory Andrews and Max Stranton. Oh, and Carl.
My Take
A too-short story, more of a blip in the life and using third person point-of-view. The story was a bit irritating as both characters had this I-wanna-don’-wanna attitude going on. The fact that Rory and Max were incredibly decent characters made up for it. What made it great was their individual reactions to Carl, *grinning*.
It’s an “interesting” conflict. Or should I say sets of conflicts? Max wants Rory, but he doesn’t want her. And it all has to do with high school. Rory wants Max, but is shut off from him. And p-r-i-c-k-l-y…hoo, boy. And it has nothing to do with high school…
One thing to take away from the story is to always remember there are two sides to a story. Too often people hear one side and make up their minds from that.
The Story
Hours stuck in a truck on Christmas Eve 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.
The Characters
Rory Andrews fled her home in Lake Tahoe when she was seventeen and has been working for Willa for years. Her mother remarried and she has three half-sisters and a disappointed step-dad.
Max Stranton is a lethal weapon who works for Archer. Turns out, he also used to go to school with Rory back in the day. Carl is his big, lovable Doberman, who has been visiting Willa’s shop quite often. Cass is Max’s older, know-it-all sister.
Kendall is a friend of Cass’. Tabby is a friend-with-benefits. Cindy had been a very popular girl at their high school and the daughter of the basketball coach. She was also toxic as hell.
The Pacific Pier Building
Willa owns South Bark Mutt Shop, selling pet supplies as well as providing spa and babysitting services for pets. Old Man Eddie is a homeless man who is a fixture, and everyone does their best to take care of him.
The Cover and Title
The cover is steamy with Rory, wearing a Nordic-style cream sweater with diamond banding across the shoulders in gray, with her back to the steering wheel as she sits on Max’s lap. He’s wearing a deep khaki green sweater with a thin cream stripe with what appears to be a cable knit sweater in gray. Rory has a cat-who’s-liked-the-cream expression on her face while Max seems to be storing up the memory. Max’s snow-covered truck is a deep red with the title in a yellow script, each word angled across the door. The series information, in white, is below the title. In the upper third of the cover, the night is lit with old-fashioned streetlamps, casting a light royal blue glow in the background, although the sides are cast in shadow and bare tree branches. An info blurb is at the top in yellow while the author’s name is large and in white, centered above the truck roof.
The title is definitely a hazard that forces that confrontation, on this One Snowy Night.
