Hands down the best festive rom-com I've read this year. Years after Christian sees Megan running away from her own wedding, the two bump into each other (literally) in a bar. Soon, they sign an incredibly formal contract agreeing to be each other's fake date when head back to their families for the holidays. Megan is a bit of a pariah after the wedding fiasco and Christian is just tired of being the only single one.

Huge bonus (in my opinion) that Walsh skips the contrived misunderstanding or disagreement that could be resolved with a 20-second conversation that is dragged out over multiple chapters. It's not tension-free (where's the fun in that?), but it's not forced either.

Thanks to NetGalley and the Publisher for the ARC.

*** I received a copy of this in exchange for an honest and fair review ***

Snowed in was cute, comfy and heartwarming. It had everything a good Christmas rom-com needs. Like a Hallmark movie wrapped up in 384 pages. I loved everything about this book, what felt like a predictable beginning became something I came to enjoy and read this in less than 24 hours.

When Snowed In started with Megan, a runaway bride I almost felt for her instantly. Knowing she would be probably be a hot mess and a character you'd come to love and care for. Megan was perfection because she wasn't perfect, she was real and a character you can empathize with.

Christian was an amazing, swoon-worthy, drop-dead-gorgeous, book boyfriend we all need to keep warm with on a cold Christmas night, right?

I loved the unknowing of why Megan ran away from the altar it gave the story line depth and a bit of something that these kind of books often lack.

I enjoyed the ups and the downs and the tension, THE TENSION. This felt like a slow burn, forced proximity, fake dating roller coaster. So many tropes. So many feels.

I'd recommend this to anyone who wants something uplifting, light hearted and feel good. A book that'll promise to make you blush.

Catherine Walsh does it again! Snowed In is the perfect Christmas romcom! I could not get enough of Christian and Megan but not just them, the entire cast of characters were just so fun. The dialogue had me laughing out loud throughout which doesn't happen often. I loved Holiday Romance last year so being able to catch up with Andrew and Molly was a fun surprise. You can read Snowed In as a stand alone but I highly recommend picking up Holiday Romance as well!
Snowed In is out November 1st
Thank you Netgalley!

Y’all know me well enough to know by now. If it involves fake dating and forced proximity I’m locked in lol

This was such a fun,cute, holiday romance book with everything you need to kick off the holiday season, fake dating, secret pining, christmassy vibes, and even a runaway bride!

first this book was dual POV and I’m extremely happy about that, I loved megan and christian together, their banter was simply amazing and on top of that, I liked both of their individual stories. megan was so fun and sassy.. also am I the only one who wants to learn how to knit now? and christian was actually super sweet, kind and caring and protective. Watching their relationship and the story develop and also watching them encourage each other to grow and work through their past with each other’s support was so special. Surprisedly, I liked all the side character too.

This story was absolutely perfect, there was no third act breakup or miscommunication! Well not for Andrew but you’ll see what I mean when you read!

Pub date 11/1/2023

Question: if you were preparing to be snowed in what must have items! Not including basic food

Thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture for the review copy of this novel. I have to say I was thrilled to get this novel as I have read all of Catherine Walsh’s novels and I’ve loved everyone of them. This was no different, and in fact it might be my favourite. It might be because it’s so rare that I can find an author of this genre who sets a book in Ireland and actually makes it real and not some Disney fantasy of what they think Ireland is like. That the author is Irish is probably the reason, but also she’s a great writer in this rom com genre who also has some wonderful heartfelt moments.

Megan is dreading returning to her home village for the first time for Christmas after she abandoned her fiancé at the altar five years previously. But her brother is home from Australia and she promised she would go to her mother’s special gala fundraiser. When she literally bumps into Christian in a Dublin pub, someone not only from her village, but from her year in school she’s at first embarrassed until a brief discussion puts her at ease. She discovers that Christian is also reluctant to go home for Christmas for his own reasons, but has also great family pressure to do so. In what he thinks is inspired genius he proposes that they pose as a couple and be moral supports for each other. In the end Megan agrees and the consequences are far from what she expected.

It’s a familiar trope but Walsh gives it a breath of fresh air and creates a depth around it that stretches it beyond a typical rom com. It’s a very enjoyable journey on the way and perfect for Christmas or all year round. Highly recommended.

This is only the second book by Catherine Walsh that I have read so far – having really enjoyed The Matchmaker earlier this year, I was very excited to dive into a festive read by this author. What I didn’t realise until after I had read it, and saw the preview chapter at the end of the book, was that Snowed In features some previous Catherine Walsh characters from another book called Holiday Romance which came out last year. So now I am intrigued to go back and read this one!

Where Holiday Romance focuses on Andrew and Molly getting together, Snowed In centres around Megan and Christian – who is Andrew’s brother.

We start by learning that Megan ran away from her wedding to Isaac five years ago and has now settled into a happy life in Dublin – but hasn’t been back home since. We don’t fully know why she ran away, but she is dreading returning home for the Christmas holidays and potentially bumping into Isaac.

Here enters Christian – the boy from school that everyone fancied. He’s recently moved to Dublin and bumps into Megan in the pub. He is also dreading going back home for Christmas, where his loved-up family are always asking him when he is going to meet someone and settle down. Could they hatch a plan to pretend to be together and keep all the family stress at bay?

Ah this is such a lovely, heart-warming, festive story with gorgeous characters that you cannot help fall in love with. The relationship between Megan and Christian is just perfect and a joy to see develop – whilst the back-story of what really happened with Isaac gradually emerges and we see Megan and her family and old friends grow closer through finally talking about it. The story tackles some challenging topics whilst being warm, funny and cosy at the same time.

The contrasting settings of Dublin and the cosy Irish village where Megan and Christian grew up are gorgeous to read about and imagine. Catherine Walsh is fast becoming another of my favourites and very much up there with Mhairi McFarlane, Beth O’Leary and Beth Moran as some of the best romance writers at the moment! I can’t wait for more.

It starts off with a runaway bride who runs out the back door of the wedding and she bumps right into Christian, whom she went to grade school with. They don't say much, she's shocked he's even here at her wedding but being that it's a small town of course everyone was invited. So she runs and never looks back.

Five years later, she's having the worst day and decides to go for a drink on a blind date, who doesn't show up. She runs into Christian at the bar by spilling her wine all over him this day just can't get any worse. Such a cute story.

super cute , fire passion, fake boyfriend, friends to lovers, childhood town, Runaway bride, Ireland

Christian and Megan are both returning home for Christmas, and both with reasons for not wanting to do so. Enter the fake dating scenario. They pretend to be a couple, their families will be happy, and they will be there to support each other through all their respective holiday events.

Holiday Romance was my favorite holiday read of last year so I was excited for an early read of Snowed In, featuring other characters from the former. Snowed In was just as cute and laugh out loud funny, and I wasn't disappointed. Christian and Megan were so easy to root for, and their families and the other supporting characters were just as lovable. I would have loved to see more of Zoe! The Christmas setting with the outdoor scenes and the snowed in cabin where exactly what I want in a holiday read. I'd recommend putting this on your holiday TBR!

Many thanks to NetGalley and the Publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I am a big fan of Catherine Walsh and really loved her last book, Holiday Romance. Snowed In is cute, but I didn’t enjoy it as much as the last book. In typical Walsh fashion, it totally hooked me. I love the cozy vibe she creates and she’s just really funny! Unfortunately, the book started to lose steam about 70% of the way through. I wasn’t feeling intense chemistry and it became a lot less light hearted and witty. I really enjoyed all the characters and wished it didn’t feel so rushed in the end. The epilogue, in particular, felt a little forced and didn’t have the same feel as the rest of her writing.

Regardless, I love love this author and will continue to read whatever she writes!

Catherine Walsh is the author of many sweet, cute romantic comedies, so I was excited to see that she has a new book coming out. "Snowed In" centers around Megan and Christian, who were both raised in the same small farming community but run into each other in downtown Dublin. Both of them are dreading going home for the holidays for a variety of reasons; Megan -- a social pariah due to running out of her wedding, and Christian -- a disappointed, disapproving father. While unconventional, the two agree to pretend to be a couple over the holidays, but unexpected hijinks ensue!

I enjoyed the dual POV in this book, and usually like the "fake dating" trope. However, the chemistry between these two don't exactly ring true to me. Another small quibble I have is that there are so many side characters (many of them with similar names), that I kept getting confused. Overall, this was a cute book but probably not one I would re-read. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

𝚁𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐: 4⭐️
𝙶𝚎𝚗𝚛𝚎: Holiday Romance 📚

𝙼𝚢 𝚃𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑𝚝𝚜:
A sweet holiday romantic comedy

𝚁𝚎𝚊𝚍 𝚒𝚏 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚕𝚒𝚔𝚎:
Runaway brides
Fake dating
Small town
Ireland setting
Lovable characters
Forced proximity
Dual POVs
Lighthearted and cozy vibes
Spicy scenes

𝚃𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚜 𝙸 𝚕𝚒𝚔𝚎𝚍:
No third act break up

𝚃𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚜 𝙸 𝚍𝚒𝚍𝚗’𝚝 𝚌𝚊𝚛𝚎 𝚏𝚘𝚛:
The ending felt a little abrupt
There were a lot of side characters

4.5 As far as a romcom holiday book goes I did like this one. It wasn’t too “hallmark cheesy” and I actually did enjoy the storyline & the characters (if you haven’t, read Holiday romance first, Andrew and Molly make an appearance in this book!) this was a quick cozy read and perfect for the holidays!

Such a great holiday read! Christian and Megan have the perfect plan to make their families happy and to make their holidays easier. Their chemistry is so intense and they have such charming and quirky banter. I love the way Christian helps Megan find her worth it was a great part of the story. There is more to this story than just romance. I didn't want to put it down! Christian is definitely book boyfriend material.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC!

What a fun and spicy little holiday romcom! I enjoyed that this fake dating plot centered on two “black sheep” and seeing the characters bond over their reception in their hometown and families.
Excellent banter and spice,

I loved this one! ❤️
It was an easy five ❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️

Megan hasn’t been home for the holidays, in five years. The reason? She’s the village pariah, the she-devil 😈 who slipped out the back door of the Regency hotel on her wedding day, leaving local golden boy Isaac at the altar.

🏃‍♀️ 🏃‍♀️ 🏃‍♀️ 🏃‍♀️ 🏃‍♀️

Christian was once the “bad boy” from Megan’s hometown. He LOVES returning home for the holidays but he HATES the way his “coupled up” family members look at him with pity every holiday when he turns up solo.

So when Megan literally bumps into Christian in a Dublin pub, 🍷 (oops!) they come up with a pact to get them through the holiday season-They will return home together and be the very best “fake dates” for each other-EVER!!

Rules are drawn up, and a contract is signed on a wine-stained napkin. (Why not? Southwest Airlines was born the same way!)

But, we all know, rules were made to be broken!

The dialogue (witty banter) is smart, the chemistry is SPICY (one or two very open door scenes) and the grand gestures are sweet!

Getting “Snowed In” has never been this much fun!!

I have no hesitation recommending this one! Catherine Walsh has now written two of my FAVORITE ROM-COMs-this one and “Holiday Romance” !

AVAILABLE NOVEMBER 1, 2023

Thank You to the wonderful Bookouture for the gifted ARC provided through NetGalley! It was my pleasure to offer a candid review!

I received this book from the publisher and Netgalley for free in exchange for an honest review.

As soon as I heard about this book, I thought that it sounded very cute and Christmassy and I wasn't disappointed. The characters in this book were very relatable and fun and I enjoyed how Walsh handled popular romantic tropes such as "fake dating." I found myself wanting the two to end up together and wondering what would happen next.

Overall I give this a four star rating and would recommend it to people who like a sweet cute romantic story whether it's Christmas or not.

Good book. Struggled to get into it but good once it found its rhythm. Would recommend to family and friends.
Gave a good wedding Christmassy feel, as October wasn’t feeling very Christmassy which had affect on how I felt about the book. Would read again closer to Christmas to see if I enjoy it more. Currently 3 stars.

How has this only been my second Catherine Walsh book to read? I need to read them all now. She is so amazing. Snowed In is such a sweet and funny book to get you in the Christmas mood.

Adorable, fast paced, pretty predictable Christmas rom com. I really enjoyed this one even if I knew exactly where it was heading. The perfect light and fluffy holiday read. I loved Megan and Christian. Their chemistry and banter were top notch. I didn't realize this was a second in a series (it really doesn't matter if you read the first one) but now I would like to go back and read Molly and Andrew's story.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC!

loved so so much !! megan and christian were so cute. always love dual povs and small town tropes and this was no exception, such an autumny/christmassy book. there were no parts where i hated either character bc they were both so well written that i couldnt help falling in love w them both!

brief summary: megan left her wedding on the day and moved to dublin, where she met christian, who she went to school with. they agree to fake date in order to both be benefitted.