A review by momwithareadingproblem
Summer in Snow Valley by Kimberley Montpetit, Jeanette Lewis, Cami Checketts, Taylor Hart, Lucy McConnell, Cindy Roland Anderson

4.0

I received an eARC of this anthology from the authors in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of this review.

Note: I will update review as I read through the anthology


Review of First Love: Love First by Taylor Hart

First Love: Love First by Taylor Hart is the fourth novella in the Summer in Snow Valley Romance Anthology and focuses on a character that was introduced in the Christmas anthology. Janet Snow has beaten all odds, she's survived terminal cancer, and now she's raising her daughter alone in Snow Valley. Then at her brother's wedding, who should appear but the man she's never stopped loving...Michael Hamilton. Can they find their way back to love?

Old Flames

I adore Janet! You first meet Janet in Taylor Hart's The Christmas Eve Kiss and she is dying of cancer. Then as the book starts you realize she beat the odds and is restarting her life. My heart broke for her during the first few pages as you see the character struggle with the reality of her life. She's divorced, a single mom, everyone walks on egg shells around her. But Janet, she just wants to be normal, to live her life. Is she angry? Not really. Is she scared? Nope. But she's a great runner ;)

Michael Hamilton.....let's all take a moment to swoon. Michael was Janet's high school sweetheart and first love. We all remember those, right? Well, for Janet Michael wasn't just a first love, he was her only love. Though she did marry, I don't think she ever loved the guy like she did Michael. He's handsome, single, never forgot Janet, and he's in town for Kevin's wedding which causes a whole heck of a lot of trouble.

Clean Reading

One of the things I love about not just this novella but the whole anthology is that it is clean romance! You don't get that a lot in the adult world and when you do it's usually really corny. However, this author and the rest do a great job of conveying the romance, infusing it with Christian values and all the while still making it swoon-worthy.

The sweet relationship between Michael and Janet left me rooting for them and my heart aching for them all at the same time. Michael knows what he wants and he's willing to give up anything to get it. Janet knows she loves Michael but in her mind she can't. The story focuses on what a lot of recovered cancer patients feel like: fear of the cancer returning and what it does to those she loves. She wants to save Michael from that, but also she's a bit scared for herself. She's been married and left before. She now has a daughter to think of. The story looks at Janet and if she's willing to risk her heart again.

My Conclusions

Overall this story is super sweet. It will tug at your heart-strings, may make you cry, but ultimately leaves you happy. Honestly it's a Hallmark movie in a book :D That's the best way I can describe it. If you enjoy clean, Christian romance, I highly recommend the anthology. It's worth every penny!