Do you want a Hallmark movie in book form? If you answered "yes" to this then run to your nearest book store and pick up anything by Catherine Walsh.
Snowed In is fake dating/forced proximity romance and it has it all. Snowstorms in Ireland over Christmas? Check. Family drama? You bet!
I absolutely loved every moment of this story. Walsh has an incredible talent at writing a predictable plot, but making it original. Do we all know that her characters are going to fall madly in love? Of course we do - but, the journey there is so enjoyable (and believable) it makes the adventure worthwhile. Megan and Christian are both likeable characters and I really enjoy how we get the perspective from both of them with this story - alternating chapters between these protagonists. The story flowed smoothly, and it was a welcome delight that chapters didn't end of cliffhangers - the pacing of this book was *chef's kiss*...perfection.
Walsh has become a must read author for me and I was so delighted when I was approved to read this book as an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. I promise you, this book won't disappoint and should be out just in time for the holidays!

This was absolutely adorable! Easily my favorite read of the month and one of my favorite romcoms of the year. There's just something about these two that simply warmed my heart. The chemistry and the banter were top notch! This will probably be a re-read type of a book for me and I have a very short list of those!

Loved this snowy romance book. Loved Christian - he reminded me of Dermot Mulroney in the wedding date.. swarthy and handsome. Megan was a great character with many layers. The snowy Steve’s were a festive fiesta and it was just a great book. I read this and didn’t realise it was part of a series. I will be back to read the other one too. Thank you NetGalley for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

I adored this fake-dating holiday rom-com! Catherine writes some of the best banter and characters who COMMUNICATE. Her books are so fun and give me all the warm fuzzy feelings.

Christian and Megan were so cute and I loved that they had a bit of history, being from the same village. Neither one is looking for a relationship but both are dreading going home for Christmas, so they hatch a plan to be each other’s back-up (i.e. fake boyfriend/girlfriend). They actually pull it off quite well, but they have to deal with a little bit of family drama and Megan’s ex-fiancé. I absolutely LOVE an “I’m not pretending anymore” moment and this was no exception. This book is hilarious and sweet, with a little steam thrown in for an all around good time. I hope we will see more from this cute Irish village soon (looking at you, Aidan).

I loved this book! It drew me in, made me smile, made me want to shake the characters, and then made me smile again and left me happy and satisfied.

Megan hasn't been home since she ran away and left her fiancé at the altar. But her brother is coming home from Australia for Christmas and she's agreed to go home. Christian was the only one to see Megan's escape from the wedding and he hasn't seen her since. His family is expecting him for Christmas and he's dreading is because he's the only one that is unattached. When Megan and Christian run into they enter a pact, that includes rules and a contract, to fake date for Christmas. Everything is going well until they spend time together and start changing the rules and questioning what is fake and what is real. Will they break the rules and make it real?

Thank you to the author, Catherine Walsh, NetGalley, and Bookouture for the wonderful opportunity to read this book as an ARC in exchange for my honest review. Grab a cup of something warm and your softest blanket to get you in the mood for this cozy winter rom-com. Snowed In was an easy 5 stars for me. I love a good wintry, Christmassy romance and this one has truly set the bar high for the season, and it isn’t even November yet! Megan, one of the main characters is preparing to go home to her small Irish village for Christmas after being a runaway bride to the town Golden Boy five years prior. After running into former classmate, Christian, a few weeks before Christmas, who is also dreading going home for the holiday, they agree to be each other’s fake girlfriend/boyfriend and the fun shenanigans ensue! I enjoyed the build up of their relationship, the mature way they handled their feelings, subtle yet witty humor, the healing and growth that occurred and of course their sweet (and spicy) falling for each other. This is the absolute best book to ease you into the Holiday season, and the best part is you can get it November 1st! I loved it so much I already pre-ordered my physical copy, and one for a friend I know will love it!

Tropes: Fake bf/gf, forced proximity, runaway bride, told in dual pov, and a dash of spice!

4.5 stars

This was cute! I wouldn’t really say they were friends to start with, they both just grew up in the same small town and knew each other. I liked their fake relationship turned real, and the snowed in trope. I also liked there was a little more original reason behind why she ran from her first wedding day. I wanted to see the scene where she gave out her knitting gifts! How could that be skipped when we had been making them the whole book! I appreciated the imperfect family relationships and liked how it wrapped up.

Thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

On Megan’s wedding day to Isaac, she becomes a runaway bride. While making her escape out the back door of the hotel in her wedding dress, she runs into Christian, someone she went to school with and who is there as a guest for her wedding. They exchange a few words, and she leaves.

Five years later, a few weeks before Christmas, they run into each other in a bar in Dublin. They are commiserating about having to go back to their hometown for the holidays when Christian comes up with the idea they should go back as a fake couple. So that’s exactly what they do.

This book is such a fun and easy read. It’s funny and romantic. The conversations between Christian and Megan are hilarious. I love the families of the main characters. They add the perfect backdrop to Christian and Megan’s fake relationship.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book! I was reading it every free second of my day. If you like a great romance with lovable characters, this is the book for you.

Did I go against my rules and read a holiday book in October? For Catherine Walsh I will.
Spooky season is almost over, so you need to be putting this one top of the list for your Christmas TBR.

I read Holiday Romance last year and LOVED It. So when I saw Snowed In on netgalley, I knew, without reading the blurb, I had to apply for an arc.

I was nicely surprised (remember I didn’t read the blurb) that Snowed In is about the brother from Holiday Romance.

You know those kids in school, who are trouble, who act out, who are often distractions and annoying, who are categorized as dumb, mostly because they aren’t being challenged enough as they are actually really smart. Ya that’s Christian. But now he is older, hotter, richer, and out there trying to prove himself and find happiness.

Megan was with Issac since she was 15. Their families were friends, the town loved him. Issac could do no wrong. But Megan knew differently. She knew the other side to Issac no one else saw. Megan made an 11th hour decision to leave Issac. On her wedding day. And no one has forgiven her since.

Starting this book, I was reminded how much I love Catherine’s writing. The banter is so so so good. The characters are funny, sexy, and kind.

I’m generally not a fan of fake dating, but this was done very well. Megan really needed Christian and he showed up for her. And when needed, Megan helps build a bridge for Christian. But then the lines blur between fake and real which becomes difficult to navigate.

The chemistry is perfection. It sucks you in right from the get go with warm fuzzies in a tension filled moment. Add in forced proximity, a little caretaking and this is the holiday book you need to read.

Snowed In can be read as a standalone, but I recommend Holiday Romance first. The Fitzpatrick family is Christmas personified and you don’t want to miss it from the first book.

❄️ Snowed In by Catherine Walsh ❄️

❣ A very special thank you to @bookouture , @netgalley, and @catherinewalsh for the advanced ecopy of this delightful book. I inhaled it in one day and can’t wait for the release so I can add it to my shelves!

❥ Pub date: November 1, 2023

💭:

What can I say, I really enjoyed this book! The pacing of it was perfect and it didn’t feel like it dragged on which I can appreciate. I’m not a stranger to Catherine Walsh’s work (Holiday Romance) so I was ecstatic when I got approved to read this. Snowed In starts off with the MC Megan fleeing from her own wedding as well as her life (starting over in a new city). The reason for her being a runaway bride and starting all over in Dublin, isn’t touched on right away which gives the book some mystery and depth. Thankfully an explanation was given later bringing the story together full circle.

♥ Read this if you like:

۵ Fake dating trope ✔️
۵ HEA ✔️
۵ Relatable and likeable characters (Christian is dreamy, and I loved Megan’s protective younger brother Aiden) ✔️
۵ Forced Proximity trope (snowed in with a hunky bad boy from her past) ✔️
۵ Seeing how characters & their relationships (including the side characters) in a story evolve ✔️

♥ There wasn’t anything I didn’t like about this book, but I did have one thing that I did question. The weather was apparently getting pretty bad, and people were stuck in the snow. So it made me wonder why, Megan and Christian still braved the incoming storm to travel up a mountain. It’s a very minor detail, but it doesn’t distract or take away from the book in whole. I still absolutely loved it!

I really liked this book. It had all my favorite elements of a holiday, forced-proximity, fake-dating romance and excellent banter. I especially liked that it was realistic for them to continue the romance outside of the holiday bubble, which isn't always the case with these tropes. My only complaint is that it was marketed as a standalone but very heavily features Molly and Andrew from Holiday Romance which was published last year. I read (and loved) that book but over a year later, I'll admit that I only vaguely remember the major plot points. It would have been helpful to have more backstory to play catch up.

I could not have loved this book more! I read it in an afternoon. The build-up between Megan and Christian is perfect. Truthfully, there isn't a book by Catherine Walsh that I haven't absolutely loved. Snowed In is the perfect Christmas read, even during the fall months.

The good thing about a book called Snowed In is that you can expect a snowed in scenario to happen and it was as wonderful as one would expect.

But let's take it from the start, Megan left her fiancé at the altar five year ago and she hasn't been back to her hometown ever since, this Christmas season she knows she won't be able to find an excuse to skip it especially since her brother will also be coming back home.

Christian dreads being the only single person in his family as much as he dreads how everyone is acting towards him as only single one.

When a change encounter at a bar bring those two together, they find the perfect opportunity to go back in their hometown together and pretend they are dating. They can act as each other buffer and make this time back home more enjoyable.

It doesn't get better than a small town at Christmas time and fake dating romance, that's for sure!

Especially when those two school acquaintance work together and even better when they work so well together that the lines blur.

I loved how they were so supportive to each other from the start, there was zero judgment and an open communication between them that I found especially lovely.

The romance was swooning and I couldn't get enough of it.

I especially enjoyed all the family interactions with both of their families and I really hope we get a another book in this world!

* I received an ARC and this is my honest opinion.

YES, YES, YES, absolutely wonderful! 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

Finally my kind of romance: wonderfully written, with introverted main characters instead of hyper quirky ones, and real dialogue instead of silly, non-stop banter.

As someone who moved away from a small town and avoids going back (especially for Christmas 🎄), I could really empathize with Megan & Christian. I love when fake-dating makes sense, and in this case it sure did.

The romance itself was wonderful: it developed slowly and we got to spend a lot of time with the couple before anything happened. And when it did… wow! The chemistry was off the charts!🔥

I also really loved the setting: it’s my first romance set in Ireland during the Christmas holidays, and the vibes were just magical. ☘️❄️

Overall, this was wonderfully written (I hadn’t loved the writing in a romance novel since reading Lynn Painter back in May, so that should say it all), dreamy, raw, romantic, funny, emotional, and so relatable.

I want to live in this universe and will RUN to read Holiday Romance now (the prequel to this)!

And thanks NetGalley and Bookouture for my first ever ARC! 🤩

4.5 stars rounded up to 5 for Goodreads! This is such a cute little Christmas rom com, and it definitely put me in the holiday mood! Megan was such a hilarious hot mess, Christian was so adorable and protective (when he was afraid she’d get cold at the lake 🥹🥹), and I’m always down for a good fake dating book! It was my first Christmas book of the season, and it was so cute and fun and swoony and Christmassy! This is actually (sort of) the second book in the series, and I’m about to go hunt down the first!

Thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for the opportunity to read before pub day on November 1st!

Grab a blanket, some cocoa, and cozy up by the fire while you read this super sweet holiday romance. Snowed In is the perfect fake dating trope, not wanting to go home alone for the holidays, Megan and Christian agree to be each others fake partners. With a healthy amount of drama, the perfect amount of speculation, comedy gold and sweetness all around, Snowed In will have you falling in love with holiday love.

Joy to the book world!!! A new holiday romance is hitting the store shelves or on your Kindle, and it's a fake dating trope...one of my favorites!

In Snowed In by Catherine Walsh, the main character Megan last saw Christian outside the church that she was running out of on her way to becoming a runaway bride. Fast forward five years and they run into each other- literally - at a bar. While talking they realize that they both are having to go home for the holidays, and are dreading it, so they devise a plan to go together as a fake couple.

I could end this quickly by telling you I am a very slow reader and tore through this in two days...so I loved it! It was so cute and heartwarming, just like a holiday romance should be.

I loved both Megan and Christian as characters, and when I read Megan's POV I found myself always smiling, she was just so filled with positivity all the way through the book.

I also had no idea this was in a series of books, in fact, I didn't find out until after I read it, so no worries if like me, you haven't read Holiday Romance, you don't need to read it...but you certainly will want to.

The thing I REALLY liked about this book, well....besides it being set during the holidays, the whole fake dating thing, and the snuggly cozy feeling of the entire book, was that Christian had his own POV. It is always refreshing to get the male side of a love story.

I am calling it now...Snowed In is my favorite holiday romance of 2023, so pick it up, and let's talk!

Such a cute, fun read just in time for the holidays! I am a huge fan of the fake-dating trope, and I've read some really good ones and some where the storyline just felt way too farfetched and overly complicated. With that being said, I can easily say that Snowed In is hands down one of new favorites! The characters were so likeable, especially Megan. I loved how imperfectly perfect she was. All of her quirks and insecurities made her seem like a real person and not a work of fiction. The connection between her and Christian was adorable, and I loved being along for the ride. Loved, loved, LOVED it!! And I didn't realize that there was a first book featuring Andrew and Molly. I will now be running to the Kindle store to buy it!

Thank you to the author, Bookouture, and NetGalley for granting me digital access in exchange for my honest review!

This was an easy, rom com style read. The fake dating storyline felt believable and I really liked the banter between the characters.

The Christmas element felt enough to get you in the Christmas mood, but wasn’t cheesy. The slow reveal of why Megan left and the build of this new love was so readable. There is some spice sprinkled in there too!

A great December read!

All of the warm and cozy feels! I absolutely loved Snowed In!

As much as I enjoy a cute, Hallmark-movie-esque holiday book, I prefer those that read like rom-coms I'd pick up any other time of year, but with a holiday twist. Snowed In was exactly that for me. Megan and Christian felt like real, dynamic characters with complicated family dynamics, and sizzling chemistry. I was hooked from page 1.

Holiday Romance was my favorite holiday book last year (and I read many), so I was thrilled to get to revisit that world (and even continue Molly and Andrew's story along the way.) I'm not sure how Walsh managed to fit so many tropes into this holiday romance including runaway bride, small town, fake dating and more, but it all worked so well and is everything I could want in a festive read.

Megan's knitting was the cherry on top for me : )

Thank you NetGalley and Bookoture for the ARC. It was an absolute delight!