This book has a lot of promise - it has suspense, intrigue, and undeniable attraction between the main characters, and some big plot twists! Some twists truly came out of nowhere and I was wishing for a little more foreshadowing so it didn't feel like an out of the blue leap, but the author made it work. A really good read and some scenes had SO much detail, both in the love story and the action sequence. I also really enjoyed some small details about random things - it had me googling walnut taco meat for one!

This was a quick, entertaining read. Samantha Wilde created impressive characters and motivations that were believable in a short amount of time, and did a first-rate job at building suspense so quickly that actually made me apprehensive and invested. It also hit a lot of my fav romance tropes, including trapped together and survival.

Dead of Winter starts with our hero, Jaxon, stumbling through a winter storm after his car breaks down. When a cougar injures him, he’s lucky to stumble across McKenna’s cabin. Though she’s reluctant to allow him to enter, she cares for his wounds and they quickly succumb to mutual attraction. It’s very insta-lovey, but they’ve harbored some previous interest and crushes so it works.There’s one delectable, spicy scene, and then the suspense ratchets up when it appears they’re being preyed upon by an unknown entity. Again, it’s quick, but the mystery and tension works and there’s a satisfying HEA.

This was a new-to-me author and I’ll be checking out some of her other reads because of this one.

I received a free copy of this e-book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

This was a quick read and I enjoyed it. Both main characters, who are essentially the only characters until the last 10% of the book, are likeable. There's a bit of an "insta" between Jaxon and McKenna, it's not obnoxious or mushy; it actually works well for the storyline.
Don't go looking for extensively fleshed out characters. You don't need that to enjoy Dead of Winter. Samantha Wilde has done a good job of giving enough to be invested and making them likeable.

I'll admit I wasn't sure who the protagonist was gojng to be. I was definitely surprised. I'm usually not.
I really enjoyed that the author gave McKenna a passion that she loved. I don't even know what I'd call it but reading about McKenna's love of natural healing with herbs and oil and acupuncture. Definitely some research done and done nicely.

Now, I do wish we had an opportunity to meet other characters like Josie and Raven since it seems like they'll be main characters in upcoming books, which I will absolutely read. But that's just a me thing and doest detract from liking the book.

Five Stars for a quick, interesting read.

Good book! This book was a bit short but I still feel like I got the whole story! This book had suspense, intrigue, action, and a bit of a who done it! Or who is doing it?! Lol I can't wait for the next book! It sounds really good! I will definitely recommend reading this book and series! It was well worth reading! Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for sharing this book with me!