This is my first read by this author. It was an okay book. I have to stop and start multiple times because it just didn't hold my interest. The hero wasn't the most capable. Our first interaction with him is him getting beat up by a mountain lion. He stumbles to our heroine and she uses her former nurse, current naturalist, skill to fix his boo boos and long 'healed' issues.
I didn't feel the chemistry between the characters. He's pretty bumbling but running straight into danger, she is pretty preachy and trying to prove to him the ways of old medicine.
The mountain lion stalking bit was weird for me. I'm into a lot of supernatural but it just felt silly with everything else this book was trying to accomplish.
Fast read, not sure I would read the next book.

Jaxon has an animal stalking and trying to kill him. McKenna has a man stalking and trying to kill her. Throughout reading Dead of Winter, I was consistently wondering if either of them were going to live through the storm. Dead of Winter, is an awesome novel and kept me guessing the whole time.

Jaxon's truck has broke down in the mountains in the middle of a snow storm. When he starts walking and comes to a cabin in the the woods it's the last person in the world he wants to ask for help. Half the town thinks Mckenna is a witch he just thinks she is a new age hippie one that he is very attracted to and doesn't want to be. McKenna just wants to be left alone to make and sell her homemade remeides. It looks like they may be snowed in together all alone in the snowy woods until someone starts harassing McKenna.

In Dead of Winter, circumstances force McKenna and Jax into close proximity while a storm rages and danger lurks closer. A quick setup and presentation of layered character traits make it easy for readers to sink into this short but potent romantic thriller that works as a standalone. Jax and McKenna both make some annoyingly short-sighted choices and the story gets a bit convoluted toward the end although McKenna and Jax's story is still satisfying for fans of wilderness survival romances with sexual chemistry that smolders. It's also an enticing introduction to this author whose backlist will surely get added to many TBR lists.

Edge of your seat thriller!

Wow, for a novella-length romance, this book sure packs a wallop! Jaxon is stranded just a few miles out of town in the middle of a blizzard, and is attacked by a mountain lion before finding shelter with McKenna, a local healer who's rumored to be a witch. McKenna has always kept to herself, for good reasons, but she can't leave Jaxon out in the cold. Good thing, too, because these two stop being suspicious of each other just in time to realize they're being stalked by something much more dangerous than the mountain lion. Oh but don't worry. The mountain lion isn't done with them yet, either.

I thoroughly enjoyed this fast-paced, sexy thrill ride! The story deftly alternates between the blossoming romance and the increasingly terrorizing threat, never letting anyone - reader or main characters - relax for more than a minute.

McKenna is a breath of fresh air, a character who is comfortable with herself and doesn't care who isn't comfortable with her. She uses her quirky reputation well to protect her privacy. Jaxon is a straight-up good guy, a hero through and through, and I loved watching him go into protective overdrive for McKenna.

There's a solid HEA at the end, but not before a rather unpleasant climax that will have you rethinking your next vacation in the wilderness. Definitely read this one with the lights on. If you love romantic suspense, you don't want to miss this one. I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book.

A short sexy read with a dash of mystery and suspense. The characters are great. I enjoyed learning more about McKenna practices. I was surprised by the villain. Overall a good escape read. I look forward to Josie's book.

I was immediately hooked after reading The Pretty Thieves Series by Ms. Wilde which I followed up by reading the entire Blood Brothers Series so when NetGalley had an ARC of Book #1 in her new series entitled Whistlemore, I grabbed it and didn't look back! This was a quick, fast read but an intense and emotional one as well. Wow, the pace didn't slow down one bit. I loved McKenna's character as an acupuncturist and healer (and I learned some really interesting stuff as well!) Jaxon was the big alpha protector with a heart of gold, but what I found endearing and charming was his self-deprecating humor when it came to being paranoid of the mountain lion (I would have been paranoid too - yikes). This couple deserved to find each other and it was a suspenseful, edge-of-your-seat, journey with them that made this a thoroughly enjoyable read. I really enjoy Ms. Wilde's writing style and look forward to more from her in the future. I voluntarily read and reviewed an ARC for NetGalley.

This was my first time reading this author. This was a fast-paced story and more of a novella in my opinion. Although a bit predictable, there were likable and relatable characters.

Good story intense with a lot of mystery and intrigue throughout it. Both McKenna and Jaxon were interesting and enjoyable to read about. Short story wish we had more back story on both of them but felt they were a good fit. The town they live in seems cool and I hope to read more about the people who live in it. Story was good to the very end.

This was a quick and very enjoyable read! I was hooked until the end to find out who the villain was. I enjoyed that the two main characters were both independent and embracing of each others "different-ness". It was heartwarming and feel good while also letting a creepy plot play out with a steamy romance!

The fast-pacing of this book made it really easy and fast to go through. I enjoyed the characters, although I have to admit they are not the most three-dimensional characters I’ve seen. The best part of this book really is the suspense of the plot, it gave me a nice thrill! Will be looking forward to Samantha Wilde’s next work.

Other than being really short thus was a great book. The plot was fast pace and keep me engaged. The little bits of witchcraft were great and the couple is really cute.

I discovered Samantha Wildes books just recently and was excited to see she has a new series out starting with Dead of Winter. I love a winter storm, shut away in an isolated cabin stories - they ramp up the tension between the characters so beautifully and this works so well in a short story.

It takes skill for an author to pack in romance, tension and suspense in a shorter word count with likeable characters and Ms Wilde pulled it off for me - I look forward to the next books in the series.

This was a very fast paced book. It was short and refreshing.i finished this book in literally a couple of hours. I like the characters of Jaxon and McKenna a lot🥰. I like the fact that the author used a lot of facts in the book about accupunctre techniques. She also presented some inspiring instances about how being different from others is not a bad thing , choosing yourself to save yourself is not wrong. The story was overall good the pace was a little fast and the whole mystery vibe totally had me and I'm sort of a sucker for mystery so that made this even more exciting to read✨.
In my opinion the story could have had more humour and it would totally change the dynamics of the book. All the conversations between the main characters is so intense most of the time. it would have been good if the characters just relaxed a bit . Seeing them on the edge also made me feel on edge. There were moments in the books where I literally thought "oh no something's gonna happen right now !! 😳😳" And that made it very interesting. All in all its a good read and if you want an escape to snow read this. Because where I'm it's 72 degrees right now but I felt like I was in snow covered lands and could literally feel the chill around me 😂😂, so KUDOS to the author who penned it so beautifully

This was an enjoyable read, plenty of suspense and Intrigue. This is the first book I've read by this author and this novella is a perfect way to see if it's for me. Will definitely read the full length book that follows this one when it's released

I enjoyed this intriguing book that tells of suspense and romance in the midst of a winter snow storm. There are battles with nature in the forms of weather and wild animals. There are battles with neighbors that mean harm. Parts of the book are indeed chilling and parts are heartwarming.

I received this ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This book was quick read but still had an okay plot line. Book opens up with Jaxon walking in a snow storm after is car died and being attacked by a mountain lion. He stumbles upon McKenna Winters house and is greeted by a shot gun. McKenna had been having trouble with a gentleman and she thought that this was him. Once Jaxon explained what happens McKenna lets him and helps him with these injuries. During his stay because of the storm, they find out that someone damaged McKenna’s generator and had been in her house and shed. Here is where the mystery starts, who wants to hurt McKenna, is it her old stalker, someone from her past life or someone in the village Enjoy the new series by Wilde.

McKenna, an acupuncturist and healer, lives in the woods and keeps to herself. Jaxon, a financial analyst, is walking in the storm when his car breaks down. An animal attacks him and the first place he comes to is McKenna's. After a guy from town scared her, she's been leary of men. She lets Jaxon in and bandages him up. Strange things start happening around the cabin. The closer they get to each other, the closer someone stalks McKenna.

Loved it. Suspense. And sexual desire is high. Two people get closer during a snow blizzard.

* Voluntarily read and reviewed this for Netgalley *

3.5/5 stars
I really enjoyed this. It was really fast paced, the characters were pretty average but the plot really made this book. The creepy/thrilling plot worked well with the relationship and pace. I also loved the witchy-ness of this, it was an entertaining read.

This was a quick, fun read. I read it in a day, with several breaks. There is definite heat between Jaxon and McKenna, and both characters are really likable. The story itself is quick paced. I did not ever feel like it was dragging. There was a lot of suspense, and her action sequences were well written. The story had some twists, and I feel like the ultimate bad guy came almost out of the blue. It worked, but I feel like there maybe could have been a couple more hints without completely giving it away. Overall, I really enjoyed this book. This is the first time I have read this author. I would definitely read more by her.