sarahbook's review
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
I thought this book was pretty good. I liked the whole impetus for the story being that these boys are all snowed in together, but also that the folks from the city were also fleshed out and realized characters as well. I thought the turn between seeming to not like each other and making out was pretty quick, but the story itself wasn’t that long. I enjoyed the sex scenes. But I struggled to get over the fact that the other couple in the house was having noisy sex and that our main characters could be heard as well.
donttakemybooks's review against another edition
4.0
Super cute. I want to read the others in this series, as this little town and winter time grew on me.
myzanm's review
4.0
A sweet holiday read. Nice characters and lovely setting. I guess I have a thing for Small Town, Nowhere, Anywhere....
ruthie's review against another edition
3.0
this book is a little ridiculous, but in a very hallmark/lifetime-y way, which more or less is what I was looking for, so I guess I can't fault it for that.
Frankie is driving home from visiting his parents in Duluth, Minnesota, and somehow gets so lost that instead of driving south to Minneapolis, he ends up going north, and gets stuck in a tiny town called Logan. major suspension of disbelief aside - because like, literally all he had to do was go on I-35 south to go home, it's a straight shot, I looked it up - the set up was pretty cute.
Frankie ends up camping out in a cabin for a week with three bears (the gay kind, not the animal kind) because the storm's got the whole town trapped. He doesn't hit it off with Marcus right away, the grumpiest of the three, until he does, and then they are both smitten as hell. this part of the story dragged for me - normally it'd be the part of the movie where there was a montage of dates, bonding, having good ol' times, etc., but because they were snowed in and without power, the only thing Frankie and Marcus could really do was have sex. which is fine, but after a couple of times it got really boring, especially with cringey lines like "make love to me." (like, what year is it? we're still using that dialogue in 2013?)
but after a while the plot picked back up, in an enjoyably predictable way: happy times, big fight, last minute make up, fade to black. barring one incredibly rushed plotline that did not need to be included at all (and I'm just gonna say it, because don't tell me you were gonna read this, I doubt it: Frankie gets fucking mugged, in the last 20 pages of the book. it's nothing but a plot device to spur him into his "seize the day" moment, and it's dumb as hell), this was a formulaic christmas romance that was quick, cute and pretty fun to read.
I guess this is a series, but I don't care enough about the side characters to continue, and they're not available on libby anyhow. so. time to find more christmas reads!
Frankie is driving home from visiting his parents in Duluth, Minnesota, and somehow gets so lost that instead of driving south to Minneapolis, he ends up going north, and gets stuck in a tiny town called Logan. major suspension of disbelief aside - because like, literally all he had to do was go on I-35 south to go home, it's a straight shot, I looked it up - the set up was pretty cute.
Frankie ends up camping out in a cabin for a week with three bears (the gay kind, not the animal kind) because the storm's got the whole town trapped. He doesn't hit it off with Marcus right away, the grumpiest of the three, until he does, and then they are both smitten as hell. this part of the story dragged for me - normally it'd be the part of the movie where there was a montage of dates, bonding, having good ol' times, etc., but because they were snowed in and without power, the only thing Frankie and Marcus could really do was have sex. which is fine, but after a couple of times it got really boring, especially with cringey lines like "make love to me." (like, what year is it? we're still using that dialogue in 2013?)
but after a while the plot picked back up, in an enjoyably predictable way: happy times, big fight, last minute make up, fade to black. barring one incredibly rushed plotline that did not need to be included at all (and I'm just gonna say it, because don't tell me you were gonna read this, I doubt it: Frankie gets fucking mugged, in the last 20 pages of the book. it's nothing but a plot device to spur him into his "seize the day" moment, and it's dumb as hell), this was a formulaic christmas romance that was quick, cute and pretty fun to read.
I guess this is a series, but I don't care enough about the side characters to continue, and they're not available on libby anyhow. so. time to find more christmas reads!
govmarley's review
2.0
M/M love story set in cold Minnesota. Lots of stereotypes, and I found the main character to be pretty annoying with his whining and pity party, but hey, sexy lumberjacks in a cabin. The second star is because I am a marshmallow who loves a HEA. Shut up. 2.5 stars overall.
novel_nomad's review against another edition
3.0
A fairly fluffy bear Christmas romance with the forced encounters of the couple being snowed in a cabin during a freak blizzard. Obviously a lot of tension and miscommunication but they managed to deepen their connection by helping in the community during and after the storm.