While it is a standalone story, Snowed In takes place a little over two years after Holiday Romance. This is determined by Zoe, Molly’s twin sister, who gave birth in Holiday Romance. In Snowed In, the story begins with Christian (Andrew’s brother) and Zoe hanging out with her now two year old toddler, Tiernan. Keeping the same snappy dialogue and Walsh wit, Snowed In takes us back to the small town we fell in love with before, reintroduces us to the Fitzpatrick clan, and shows us that with a little Christmas magic, anything is possible. I will warn you, read Holiday Romance first; otherwise, you will have spoilers and may not understand the story of Andrew and Molly that continues in Snowed In.

Megan just needs a win! It’s bad enough that she is still deemed a social pariah for running out on her wedding day five years ago. Yes, she left the village golden boy Isaac at the alter but she just couldn’t face the rest of her life being with the only man that was her first… well everything! She figured life would be waiting for her when she finally broke free. What was waiting for her, horrible first dates and failed relationships. It wouldn’t be so bad if she was doing well in her career but, while she loves her job, saying she lives a modest lifestyle is an understatement. All of this she could cope with but the idea of returning to her village, aka the scene of the crime, after all these years away is not helping her look forward to the upcoming holiday. That has to be why she was willing to entertain Christian Fitzpatrick’s outlandish plan: Being each other’s fake date (i.e. backup) while they are home for the holidays. Christian’s family would avoid meddling in his life for once and Megan may actually survive running into Isaac, the scrutiny of her town, and her mother’s fundraiser. It’s a plan that is just crazy enough to work… or one hilarious failure to watch!

I never want Walsh’s books to end! When you hit that last page and she beautifully wraps up the story, you feel like she just gave you a one of a kind gift. Her stories and characters are so relatable! Life isn’t automatically easy for them. Things don’t just magically work out and suddenly there is a choreographed dance number. Her characters feel pain, shame, disappointment, heartbreak, and stew in self doubt. I can only assume (being from the US) that all Irish families are as close as she portrays and the support system illustrated is more fact than fiction. If so, the level of envy goes above and beyond!

While I loved everything about this book, what I loved most was that Walsh kept the evolution of the relationship realistic. No miscommunication, no random reason for a devastating break-up, just two people who come together to help each other and by doing so, becoming closer than they ever expected. The vulnerability of the characters, the sibling relationships, the parent/child dynamic and evolution of understanding – she delivered and then some! Add to it the sarcasm that only Walsh can deliver and the conversations that you swear you have heard from people  around you (i.e. real talk) and you can’t help but read this book from beginning to end as soon as possible.

Humor and heat are two things Walsh does exceptionally well! While nowhere near the primary focus of the book and placed deep within the story, when Christian and Megan light the initial match that starts a smouldering fire between them, you get a glimpse at the potential intensity. When that finally turns into a full blown flame, it is hot, emotional, intense, and absolute perfection, especially for these two characters.

The story touches on the concept of gaslighting and controlling behavior. For everyone in the village, Megan was the monster that nearly destroyed Isaac – the caring, kind, loving man that only wanted to give her the world. She stays away, taking the fall, avoiding the confrontation, essentially allowing the story he spins to be the truth. When we find out what their relationship was really like, how much he controlled her, manipulated her, and took away the one thing that she really wanted – we quickly learn two things: 1) she didn’t hide the truth to protect him, she did it because she knew no one would believe her (which is heartbreaking), and 2) what it had to take for her to overcome the trauma she endured so she could love herself and live her life. It makes you think about the number of people who are facing these situations and when they try to tell their story, their truth – they are met with labels such as being overly dramatic, hysterical, exaggerating, and so on. We fail to see them because we want to believe the picture that has been painted, the perfect couple that we all strive to be one day. Nothing can go wrong if two people love each other, right? What is even scarier is how quickly we are willing to believe the dominant figure in the relationship over the submissive. We see it in the news, celebrity breakups, etc and we always make our assumptions based on the louder voice instead of hearing both sides of the story.

I really enjoyed the heartfelt story of communication struggles between parents and children. Parents do their best with what they have but they can only do so much. Children aren’t born with personal manuals and as they get older, mature, change – parents struggle to keep up, to communicate, to connect. What is effort on their part may look like frustration, resentment, disappointment, or giving up to their child. Christian and his dad had built up so much between them because Christian kept reacting instead of listening and his Dad kept defending instead of being transparent. We are always so afraid of saying the wrong thing that we end up doing more harm the good. Walsh set it up beautifully where we saw the trouble in communication work two ways – for Megan and her mother, they were still close and her mother was always open and transparent – ensuring that while she may fail here and there, she would always love Megan and put her first. Eventually Christian and his dad got to this point but they had to get out of their own way.

I am crossing my fingers and toes that Walsh writes Aiden’s story so we aren’t done with this little village just yet. Snowed In is a wonderful winter treat that will put a smile on your face, warmth in your heart, and a growl in your belly (they talk about food a lot!)