When London Snow Falls is a cute but predictable book that unfortunately fails to really build the connection between Ben and Charlie, the two main characters.

Charlie's working part-time at a coffee shop in London while finishing his university degree. While at work, he meets Ben, a handsome customer who also happens to be the lead singer of the up-and-coming band Halfpenny Rise. Charlie himself is also a musician and the two start a fun flirtationship that threatens to derail Charlie's strict life plans and the "dating ban" he's put in place to achieve this. However, soon both Charlie and Ben find their hookups becoming more than casual, and Charlie struggles with the idea of Ben meaning more to him than just a casual fling.

That's basically the plot and if the book had been about half the length it is, I think it could have worked a lot better. However, as it is, the boys get together, Charlie panics and ghosts Ben, then he realizes he should apologize, they get back together, and repeat. It got too repetitive for me to enjoy, and the book heavily relies on miscommunication which isn't something I'm a huge fan of being so key to a story.

I absolutely understand that Charlie has a past that dictates his present and that he worries will control his future, and that his anxiety makes him act rash at times. As someone who also struggles with anxiety and insecurities, some passages were almost too relatable. But I feel like the book failed to build a proper connection between Charlie and Ben, and by the second time Charlie suddenly pulled back and left Ben high and dry, I couldn't understand why Ben got back with him and felt they may actually be better off as just friends.

I honestly think it was the repetitiveness that got to me because I liked the beginning and I thought the epilogue was really cute, but a large part of the book didn't fully work for me. All in all, a cute queer romance that's an easy read. One that may be better suited to read in winter than at the end of June, as there are a lot of snow and cold references and motifs.

I was expecting this to be a fast, cute read like the first in this series but I just couldn't connect to it at all and ended up skim reading most of it.. It just sadly wasn't for me.

Witty banter, cute moments coupled with heavier topics, lots of smooches, what more could you ask for?? I ran through this story so fast I was actually a little sad when I realised there was no more pages.

[I voluntarily read and reviewed this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.]

3.75⭐
Spice: 2.75🌶️

(please check for content warnings)

I quite enjoyed this book. I have to admit that I struggled in the very beginning,as I struggled to envision the characters, but the more I read the story between Ben and Charlie the more I liked it.

Charlie is an absolute sweetie pie and honestly my heart broke for him on more than one occasion. He deserves and the love and happiness and I liked that Ben gave him that. Even if Carys(Charlie's daughter) did the same.

I also liked how Ben breathed life into Charlie and made him realize that he is so much more than his past mistakes, that Charlie has a beautiful soul and heart and deserves all the love that's out there for him.

It was alittle fast paced where the intimacy was concerned but I liked it nonetheless because the spice was spicing 😅.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book.

Charlie is a full time student, full time dad, almost-full time barista und part time musician in a band. Convinced he has his priorities and plan for the next years set, there is really no time left for a love life.
Ben - with his own band - is quickly rising in the music scene and leaves for his next tour soon.
When they meet, they immediately settle into banter and then one thing leads to another... but Ben doesn't remain Charlie's one-night stand, they seem to be attracted to each other on more than just a physical level.

I finished this book over a week ago and I'm still struggling to come up with a review for it.
All in all I liked the writing style, it was very easy to read and follow along. In my opinion the characters were actually well constructed. Some decisions or beliefs I didn't quite understand, but in such a way I wouldn't understand if they were real people. That's a compliment in my eyes, but it also means that, at times, I was very frustrated with the book.
Charlie's backstory is not easy to digest and you really feel for him. Up to a certain point the anxiety issues und recurring thoughts - of what he does and doesn't deserve and what he should and shouldn't do - felt very realistic and made sense. It's just that it often doesn't translate well into writing. Everything became too repetitive and got on my nerves, even though I really really didn't want it to!
Ben's and Emily's character acted as a good counterbalance to Charlie's. I just would have liked Emily to have been a bit more involved in the story.
And the misunderstanding at the end felt a bit off - kind of rushed and a tad overdone.
In my opinion!
But you should definitely read the book for yourself, the idea for the story is great and it's an easy and fast read!

I love Hayden Stone writing style, his books leave me with so many quotes and beautiful moments
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This is the second book that I read by him and the second book in the serie, the first one was a delight and this one made me cry a little, I have to admit that, it is so sincere with its characters that I felt Charlie's difficulties with his anxiety disorder and depression really deep
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Hayden Stone paints a magical picture of London, covered in snow and Christmas atmosphere and is the perfect setting for a love story
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Charlie is a barista almost full time, he is also studying his degree in literature and has a rock band and a little girl to care for, with so many things on his plate the last thing he is interested in is dating or starting a relationship
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But when Ben Campbell shows up at the cafe, all the excuses and reasons that tell him it's a bad idea stop making sense. Ben is a rock star on the rise and since their eyes meet attraction is inevitable and every moment they share is perfect, their feelings become stronger as their stories grow
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I really liked how in both books the characters find support in the family they choose, the vulnerability and the strength in them. I loved that Ben knitted and baked, it made me want to read the story from his point of view
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When London Snow Falls is a sweet and steamy story between a rock star and a young barista who must let go of the past, and forgive themselves to find a love that allows them to fully be
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Thanks to Hayden Stone and Entangled Publishing LLC for give me this beautiful book in exchange for my honest opinion I really enjoyed reading it

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
I quite liked this book. It was such a cute and cosy queer romantic read. It had all the feels. Their scenes in the snowy london were just adorable. The best part for me in these books was the kisses. There were a thousand kisses in this book and yet each kiss felt so intimate and filled with emotions. I loved Ben's character. He was such a jolly and charismatic person. His personality was absolutely lovable. Charlie felt like an average character to me and I just liked Ben more. The smut in this book was too much, and not in a bad way. I don't want to say too much but I'll just say that included yarn and bondage. So that was something different! The sensitive issues were handled pretty well in this book. It was an emotional book. The only problem I had with it was the weird habit of Charlie depending on other people's advice while making decisions about Ben. While Ben was really forthcoming about his feelings, Charlie just could not get sure about his own feelings and depended on the advice of other people too much. I would say it was quite a likeable and sweet book.

I am so happy I read this book, I adore it.

Charlie is a depressed and anxious student/barista/musician/dad. Ben is a lighthearted and kind successful musician.
It's a little bit grumpy sunshine trope executed in a beautiful way.
Charlies depression and anxiety gives it an angsty vibe while Ben's personality keeps the story light and fluffy at the same time. Perfect!

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC!

3.5 stars rounded up because I did enjoy it more than An Unexpected Kind of Love

Open and honest communication for the win! Problems solved by being honest and communicating! Thise things are always the way to my heart. There was a brief moment towards the end where I thought, "no, no big misunderstand now..." but it was resolved rather quickly by (shocking, that) open communication.

I really loved both leads, especially the way Charlie addresses his anxiety and past addiction. I wish Ben's dyslexia had been explored the same way, but that always stayed a little too on the surface for me. But still, positive representation is positive representation. And their bickering was adorable, and oh the insta-connection. For once, I actually believed it, because the pull between them was very well done. I also really loved that Charlie's toxic family didn't get more page time than necessary, and that the focus lay on chosen family instead. They more than made up for the horrible parents and provided such a lovey set of supporting characters.

This is one of the sweetest romcoms I've read all year. It all starts with Charlie at work in the coffee shop and low and behold Ben Campbell (rock star of an indie band) is in line and there's fun banter between the two of them. Charlie doesn't recognize him until after he's gone and thinks he'll never see him again. But for weeks Ben comes in when he knows Charlie is working and before you know it he's propositioning him into a kiss, that leads to a hookup. The problem is that Charlie is a man of rules and routines due to past discretions and an anxiety disorder. He doesn't date, period. But there's just something about Ben that has him breaking all the rules. Their romance is a roller coaster or ups and downs and intense emotions. There's mentions of homophobia, drug use, teenage pregnancy, mental illness and drinking. Overall this story was so fun to read and I really enjoyed it. I received this arc from netgalley but all opinions are my own.

OH, MY HEART. The fiery beginning of Charlie and Ben’s romance and the subsequent ups and downs gave us a lovely story.

Charlie suffers from rather intense anxiety and the author deals with it in such a real and respectful manner. His parents don’t acknowledge that he’s gay. He has a young daughter with a friend of his after one accidental night together. He’s a full-time student working at a cafe (who is also in a band). And then he meets Ben, an up and coming musician, who adds complication to his life that is rigidly planned. Ben wants Charlie and Charlie wants Ben (even if he doesn’t WANT to want Ben).

This steamy read was also sweet, loving, and compassionate. I enjoyed myself and would encourage you to read it!

I am hot and cold on my feelings for this book. I love the characters of Ben and Charlie. There are such emotions there and the author conveys them so well. What I don’t love is how the relationship comes across as insta-love. I believe in “when you know you know,” but it is just TOO fast for me to buy it in this book.

Charlie’s issues with his family were extreme and it was touching to see Ben stand up for him. But even with all we know about Charlie, we learned very little about Ben. Nothing about his family or history.

I lost interest several times, but I wanted to see how the relationship played out, so I kept reading.

Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC! All thoughts and opinions are my own as I read and reviewed this book voluntarily.

Cute, quick read. If you enjoyed Hayden's other book "An Unexpected Kind of Love" you'll probably enjoy this one!

Cute, easy read and that's it. Not to say I didn't like it; I just didn't feel connected with any of the characters. Maybe I would have enjoyed it more during Christmas/winter time since the book is set around that time.

The plot was a bit repetitive and pretty standard for the rom-com genre, very insta love/lust type of relationship, plus it heavily relied on the miscommunication trope. The relationship between Charlie and Ben could've been more developed; I feel like dual POV would do wonders to the story and add so much more depth to both plot and characters.

I did, however, like the portrayal of anxiety and mental health. Charlie's struggles and complicated relationship with his parents were written really well and realistic. And I loved the found family aspect of the story; the epilogue with all 4 of them living together was satisfying and heartwarming (I would love to see more of that dynamic).

Overall sweet but forgettable, 3 stars.

I received an ARC from Entangled Publishing and NetGalley. I voluntarily read and reviewed this ARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Sweet, charming and soooo swoony, When London Snow Falls is an absolute delight of a read.

Filled with witty banter, swoon worthy moments, heartache, angst and a giant helping of steam, this book is an absolute gem. I cried and laughed and raged, but mostly I was left with a huge smile and a magical sense of calm, possibility and rightness.

5 stars and a ball of yarn

Stone’s writing just makes me *feel* good. I said it in An Unexpected Kind of Love, too, but their characters are just fun and loveable and I want only good things for them.

Charlie is easily one of the top three most relatable characters I have ever read, so much so that when he was lamenting about how he should be doing schoolwork, I also got anxious about my pile of unfinished work. His anxiety and the way it’s portrayed is just very much something I relate to and I loved seeing it on the page and the discussions had around it.

Ben is literally perfect and has never done a thing wrong in his life.

Also! Absolutely adored the little Aubrey mentions. Aubrey was my favorite in An Unexpected Kind of Love so I was thrilled to hear from him again.

I really enjoyed Charlie and Ben’s story and I didn’t want to put the book down. I rooted for them from the jump and I couldn’t have asked for a better ending for these two. A delightful read!

Thank you for the advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

My thoughts are all mixed up on this one!

I loved Hayden Stone’s debut (it was Notting Hill but make it queer!) and I really like Stone’s writing. The witty banter and well written steam carried across into this book. Hayden Stone is sharp!

My issues:
1. I would have liked a few more early interactions between the lead characters to find the quick timeframe believable
2. The complication continually repeats itself - I think there were a few too many “pull them apart put them back together” scenes and I got bored of the reasoning. Ben deserved better and, despite Ben telling us, I’m not sure what he saw in Charlie
3. I’m not sure the snow metaphors worked for me, but I did like the woolly jumpers that came along with the snow hah
4. The “cream” references - I cringed. Otherwise I liked the steam

Things I liked:
1. Charlie’s backstory was sensitively handled
2. Knitting bondage. Enough said. Crafters will love this lol
3. Witty dialogue
4. The epilogue was really nice - the story wrapped up well!

In short: a quality queer romance, but maybe a little too young and framed in miscommunications for me.

I wanted to love it, but I didn’t.
The storyline is overdone and boring. Barista meets super popular musician..: snore.
The pace and the style is sophomoric at best. I think it would have been more successful as a YA book (minus some of the sex scenes.)
It’s a bit swarmy, but mostly saccharine sweet.

When London Snow Falls is an adult mlm romance with lots of well written smut scenes all through the book. I love Charlie and Ben as a couple, they have great chemistry and I ship them so much more than I did with Hayden Stone’s other leads.

I obviously cannot speak for everyone but the portrayal of anxiety and it’s symptoms really spoke to me, as they were similar to what I experience. (It’s not the focal point of the story but Charlie deals with it and actually mentions it).

They have a complicated, very much undefined relationship for most of the book, but they do get physical from the get-go, so I’m not sure you can call this a slow-burn.

That being said, unfortunately When London Snow Falls wasn’t an overall favorite. First of all, it has the very same plot of every 2010s fanfic had: a barista has a meet-cute with a famous musician? That part of the story doesn’t stand out at all and it has a lot of competition in that front.
The pacing was a bit odd too: when our leads had a deep and heartfelt conversation, it was completely overshadowed by them hooking up right after. I don’t mean people can’t have sex after they talk but as a reader, you are just digesting their situation when you are thrown into another intense scenario. (The smut is great, no complains there but it just felt odd having there right after some key emotional scenes)
Charlie and Ben are both intelligent and mature men, and yet the book had that obligatory miscommunication trope a couple chapters before the ending that most romance books include just to add a little bit of tension. I couldn’t take that seriously and it felt cheap.

I think this is the perfect quick read and you don’t have to read An Unexpected Kind of Love beforehand. I would recommend it to anyone looking for a queer meet cute story with great steamy scenes.

My heart feels so warm after reading this book.

MC Charlie is wonderfully written. I found his struggle with anxiety relatable, and well incorporated to the story.

Love interest Ben was so likeable. I was rooting for them from start to finish.

This story has a good amount of spice and a sprinkling of kink (bondage/shibari). But more importantly the story was sweet, and heartfelt. Also a beautiful nod to the importance and validity of found family.