When London Snow Falls by H. Stone, published by Entangled Publishing LLC is an complex, intense read that may cause triggers, consider you warned.
Charlie and Ben are men who couldn't be more different. They don't have much in common. The barista and the rocker. Ons are easy, but a relationship is much more difficult.
WLSF is an intense read that had me in knots. I connected with the characters and their story. A raw and gritty read, 4,5 stars.

Charlie Renfrew has a lot going on with being in school, working almost full time, rehearsing with his band and trying to support his young daughter. He does not have time for dating, until Ben Campbell steps into his life and shows him that it’s okay to want to be happy and to allow good things to come into your life even as you work to fix the mistakes of the past.

This story had me hooked right from the first page. Charlie is an endearing and complicated narrator, and I really enjoyed reading about his budding relationship with Ben and all of his inner turmoil of what he deserves and how his past affects his life and actions in the present. Ben is a sweet character, and I wish I could read some of the scenes from his point of view. The character development was spot on in this book, and I instantly fell in love with both of them.

The atmosphere of a quiet, snowy winter moment really shone through in the writing. The author captured the magic of being caught in the snow and the way it can bring people together and show people things they wouldn’t ordinarily experience in the hustle and bustle of everyday life. The scenes between Ben and Charlie felt almost sacred in the way the author infused them with such adoration and reverence. It felt exactly the way falling in love feels like. I felt myself smiling with joy through all of those scenes.

There was a lot of angst in this book, which I personally love. Charlie is very hard on himself, and he’s plenty aware that he can get angsty. He suffers from an anxiety disorder, and I feel like the author perfectly captured the intrusive and repetitive thoughts that happen when someone has anxiety. Some of Charlie’s thoughts and actions are a bit repetitive, but I feel like it worked in showing his struggle with his mental health and his relationship with his own self worth.

This story was really well written and dealt with tough topics in a genuine and compassionate way. I enjoyed reading about these characters and the quiet, snowy London that was created. The writing reminded me a lot of Alexis Hall, so if you’re a fan of his then you will probably really enjoy this book!

This book has the feel of a grumpy and sunshine trope, but it so much deeper than that. It has a mental health rep that really solidifies Charlie, and how he interacts with the world. How he approaches relationship especially.

Charlie is absolutely a work in progress, and I really enjoyed seeing him work through his processes to get to a place where he could happily be with Ben.

Ben is a shock of color, and I love his love for knitting! This book really cements the feeling of found family.

There are quite a few CW that the author has noted in the beginning of the book.

This book earnestly warmed my heart, made me cry, and feel so very seen. The writing is impeccable, and clean. The pacing leaves no lull in the book, and the ending comes at a time that feels so right.

A good read for a slow and lazy afternoon.
~ I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own ~

Thank you NetGalley and Entangled Punblishing for this eARC, these opinions are my own. I found this book to be really sweet! I could relate to the anxiety and panic that Charlie faced so much! Charlie’s finishing school, working, and providing for his daughter. He has no time for dating but then he meets Ben, he tells himself it’s just for a night! But what if he can’t let go of Ben? To complicate things Ben’s in a semi famous band, could they work with their different lifestyles? Charlie’s sweet, kind, wring, and a great father! Sadly he’s had some difficulties in his life that have resulted in his anxiety, add to that parents who aren’t really supportive and things are easy! Ben’s confident and supportive! I loved the relationship between Emily and Charlie! I enjoy Hayden Stone’s and if you enjoyed An Unexpected Kind of Love you’ll enjoy When London Snow Falls, and even see a familiar person! Highly recommend this books, especially if you like LGBTQ+ romances!

I didn't think there was anything much original about the plot, tropes and structure of the story but I can appreciate the mental health rep in it. That I thought was done very well. And the characters were adorable, their relationship, while havings its ups and downs, was really cute.

Charlie is an anxious and serious guy who doesn't have time for a love life. He decided to ban dating. Of course, he meets gorgeous Ben and falls in love....

Enjoyed this book a lot. Ben is lovable of course. In some ways, I can relate to Charlie's anxieties.... You really feel for him and end up loving him. His family isn't the greatest. But both main characters are adorable. A great story.

Thanks to the publisher for the arc.

An M/M love story about two young guys that had a meet cute in a coffee shop. This was the second book in the series, but you do not need to read the first book to catch up. This was such a cute and sexy story. Charlie an coffee barista, college student, band member, and young father to a two year old has this strict dating ban, so he can fulfill his life goals, overcome his overthinking (anxiety) and be the best dad ever. Ben ordered coffee at his coffee shop and sparks fly between them. Ben was in a very popular band himself and was instantly infatuated with Charlie. I liked how Ben was so sweet and caring about Charlie’s worries, quirky dating ideas and his daughter. He treated him with respect and love. I loved the adorable interactions between Charlie and Ben. I really disliked Charlies’s parents. They were awful creatures. Beware of the homophobia and the awful treatment that they shown towards him. It was awful and sad. Overall, I liked that there was the message that family was not just your parents but also those that you adopt along the way such as dear friends. The ending was perfect and I loved how it was wrapped up in a satisfying way. Looking forward to the author’s future books.
I received this ARC from the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

Hayden Stone is a new author to me and I also didn't read the first book in this series, so I went into this rather blind. Good things first: As is usual with most romance series, this book can absolutely be read on its own, it doesn't require you to know what happened in the first one - I might have missed some little extras for the fans, and I think Charlie, our protagonist, does meet the first book's protagonist at one point (at least the name is the same based on the first one's blurb, so I guessed as much), but that's about it.

"When London Snow Falls" is your rather typical romcom, but there's nothing that makes it shine. There are cute moments, but because the characters are written a little inconsistently and Charlie is just a combination of way too many issues without focussing on any of them (former alcoholic and drug abuser, though now he can apparently both drink alcohol and take certain drugs in moderation without issues which I found a little weird; anxiety disorder that reads like someone not suffering from anxiety wrote a book about someone with anxiety; self-medication due to that anxiety disorder; a self-imposed dating ban that doesn't really mean anything; a two-year old child that was conceived in a drunken bender; comically loathsome parents that despise him for his problems in the past and his sexuality). It's way too much and thus feels shallow. Charlie's love interest, Ben, often feels like barely a character - he's basically perfect.

The dialogues are supposed to be witty, but often come off as cringey instead, and some plotlines are so forced into the story for added drama that I wanted to skip entire chapters (the jealousy plot during the last few chapters, why this? why?). The plot itself seems both rushed and drawn out at the same time, with instalove which I simply don't enjoy in 95% of books that have this trope.

All in all this is an okay romance with some cute scenes, but neither the writing nor the plot or characters really hit home.