Review: Snow-Kissed by Laura Florand

Florand takes us to a snow-kissed Christmas cabin for this heart-wrenching tale of love, loss, forgiveness—and hope. After the utter destruction of her marriage and her happiness, Kai knew it was better to shut herself away from the world than to hurt and be hurt. Holed up in her mountain cabin, she planned to spend her Christmas alone. Until her not-quite-ex-husband shows up as the first flakes start to fall. Now should she send him back out into the cold? Or can she be brave enough to let this winter snow bind them back together?

(A novella of 34,000 words. Approx. 130 pages.) ~ Goodreads

Source: Copy provided by the author for my honest review

Review:
I'm a big fan of Florand's whimsical Amour et Chocolate series. Snow-Kissed is a much darker novella, exploring a marriage in the aftermath of several miscarriages.

Kai is drowning in grief. A grief that she believes her husband doesn't share so she shoulders the loss of her unborn babies alone and retreats to an isolated cabin loaned to her by her mother-in-law. The marriage is over in all ways except for the signing of the papers. Kai and Kurt find themselves unable to let go entirely, when a meeting arranged by Kurt's mother leaves them stranded together in the cabin during a snow storm, even though they haven't seen each other in almost two years.

This is a very intense novella. Because of the subject matter, of course, but also because of the cabin setting and the way Florand always uses the senses to explore feelings. In Snow-Kissed she both overwhelms and deprives you at different times making you switch gears from passionate love to extreme isolation. It's something she does well, which is why she's one of my favorite authors, but I imagine it can come off as too much for some readers.

It's clear how much Kai and Kurt love and are devoted to each other, even as they stumble their way through the emotional land mines. There are very sexy scenes in this book but they are intimate, revealing and beautiful.

I do wish this was a little longer or had an epilogue. They are on the right path but I worry lol I would have also liked to hear more from Kurt's side. He's a complete rock for Kai and we do get to see how he has been grieving through all of this but I wanted even more. It was so interesting to me to get the male POV of a situation that’s usually only seen through the woman’s eyes.

Final thoughts: I will read anything Laura Florand writes. I just get so lost in her writing. This is definitely a darker story than she has written in the past but it still has the same beautiful, flawed human beings that feel BIG and with all their heart. You might need a few tissues for this emotion packed novella.

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Buy the book! Snow-Kissed (A Novella)