I accidentally requested this audiobook thinking it was the same author as This the Season for Revenge... Hoo boy, is it not!

Despite some mistaken identity, the two novellas are cute simple Hallmark Christmas movies in novella format. They were not for me, as I tend to prefer books with characters who are a bit more realistic... These were mostly perfect individuals with misunderstandings.

The first novella is a about a Christmas train, the second a Christmas 🎄 farm. If you like Hallmark holiday movies, you'll enjoy this collection.

This is a cute little collection of stories. There are three different romances and all of them are cute, albeit a little cheesy. This one felt a little too much like some Hallmark Christmas movies, which are not my favorite. It feels like Christmas gets commercialized even in the book world where everyone is writing them but they aren’t stories that sweep me off my feet, I guess. I’m a harsh critic of Christmas books but if you like Hallmark movies you’ll like this one.

Two contemporary romance novellas. This was very enjoyable. Only about 4 hours long. The stories were well written and had satisfying endings. The were both clean and sweet romance. The first story was instalove and the second a second chance romance. The narration was easy to listen to.

Being the absolute best time to snuggle in and cozy up with Holiday stories, I was very excited to read these two novellas. I had read the first novella in the book On the Way to Christmas, but it was fun to revisit Willow and her Christmas train adventures. The second story was just not great for me. I didn’t get invested in either main character and the story seemed to drag a little bit. I do enjoy this author very much and she’ll continue to be an autobuy for me. The narration needs to have both a female narrator and a male narrator. It was a little confusing to figure out who’s POV it was.

I get that these books are novellas but they were pointless. Meet, fall in love, happily ever after. No real emotion and lot of plot holes. I actually think dashing through the snow could be a great Christmas story if it was made into a full story. I would skip these two stories and read something else.

I love holiday books this time of year and was hoping a couple of novellas would be great. The novellas are quick and fluffy. I enjoyed the first novella about the Christmas train which worked to get me into the holiday spirit. The second novella however wasn't really my taste. I disliked the same narrator for both of the male and female POVs as it became confusing in sections.

2 cute holiday stories in one novella. I listened to the audio and enjoyed the narration.

Dashing Through the Snow took place on a holiday train ride. Full of odd characters and a fun plot.

Pining for You took place on a Christmas tree farm and is a second chance romance. I didn't really enjoy this one, but it was OK.

I'm glad it was a quick audiobook otherwise I wouldn't have finished it. I was really hoping for fun Christmas stories and it just fell short for me.

I liked this book ! I think the narration added an important element that I may have skipped over if i was reading the physical copy. I also think the narrators fit the voice id imagined/

This was such a fun audiobook, so thank you for the gifted copy!

I thought this was totally bingeable and really got me into the holiday spirit. The first story was admittedly my favorite, as it was more heartwarming and charming.

Overall, I think people will love this cover, love this author's work, and will enjoy these reads!

When I requested this audiobook from NetGalley, I didn’t realize both stories were previously published. The cover and premise of wintry stories appealed to me. I definitely enjoyed the first story more. The idea of a train journey around the country during winter sounds lovely. The characters were cute. This is my first Melissa Ferguson book I’ve finished. I look forward to reading more from her. Thanks to NetGalley for a copy of the audiobook to review.

📚 Snowy Serendipity: Two Christmas Stories by Melissa Ferguson
Status: Available Now, not KU
Reading Method: ALC via NetGalley

🥰Enjoyment: This title includes two shorter/ or novella length stories; I’m not sure if l or where the differentiation falls between short story and novella, nor where these would fall but the entire Audio is just under 4 hours.

Story 1: Dashing Through the Snow
I thought this story was super cute and my only regret in it being so short was that I wanted to hear more about the christmassy activities Willow, our FMC, got to partake in on her two week journey on the Christmas train. If such experiences exist I would love to partake one day. I loved the cast of characters and even though the story itself was very concise, I felt like the author was true able to squeeze in quite the love story. This story is great for your quick hit of Christmas. Also, this is, I believe the 3rd Melissa Ferguson story I have listened to that was Narrated by Talon David. She does such a great job narrating Ferguson stories and I will listen to any collaboration of the two.

Story 2: Pining for You
This one just didn’t hit the same spot as the first one for me. The plot in principle was interesting but I just had a hard time staying engrossed in the story. I did not enjoy this narrator as much as the first. The story starts off with the weirdest “this is the one” type date that our MMC is on where he then goes on to list about 800 red flags for this woman he’s seeing. Then the rest of the story occurs in less than 48 hours while feeling like it was the course of weeks. Just not my fave.

I really enjoyed these short stories! This was a perfect read for the start of the holiday season.

I enjoyed the coziness for Dashing Through The Snow. I could definitely see it becoming a Hallmark movie one day. A woman coming off of a bad breakup, falls in love on a Christmas train? What more could you ask for in a charming holiday romance?? (Side note: I NEED to go on the Christmas Express! It sounds like the perfect experience for any Christmas lover!)

The second story, Pining For You had a different tone overall, but still brought a great second chance romance. I enjoyed the duel POV and loved the epilogue!

Overall I rate this 4 out of 5 jingle bells!

I loved this happy, festive novel. I will be reviewing this on my podcast, Book Fare. It's perfect for our audience of women looking for wholesome, encouraging reads.

This is 2 stories in 1, and they were both such cute Christmas stories! They were a tad bit abrupt, but that is really to be expected for novellas. From a Christmas train to a Christmas tree farm, these stories will definitely get you in the holiday mood!

⭐️⭐️⭐️ / 5 stars
Happy publication to Melissa Ferguson and Snowy Serendipity! Thank you to Melissa Ferguson, Thomas Nelson and Zondervan Audio, and NetGalley ( @netgalley ) for allowing me to read an ALC (Advanced Listener 🎧 Copy) for an honest review!

📅 Tuesday, September 26, 2023 was the pub date for Snowy Serendipity. The narrators🎙️for this audiobook 🎧 are Talon David and Kayla Jackson. 📅

This audiobook 🎧 consists of two novellas in one: 1) Dashing Through the Snow and 2) Pining for You. Both are holiday reads with a splash of romance.

Dashing through the snow was my favorite novella out of the two but I appreciate that Pining for You is set in the mountains of Virginia (I currently live in a VA mountain town).

Dashing Through the Snow is a cozy read that follows a FMC that feels down on her luck after a breakup. She embarks on a train adventure where she makes a great friend in an elderly gentleman and opens her heart at the possibility of falling in love again. Can her new love interest win her over?

Pining for You is a cute small town romance. I found the characters less relatable than those in Dashing Through the Snow. However, it’s still a feel-good Holiday read.

The narrators were fantastic together!

‘...but this, this is something entirely different. Gleaming candy apple red paint across the body, trimmed throughout in gold and green. A colossal wreath hangs on the front of the engine, the scent of pine needles already waging and winning the fight against the typical greasy air...The Christmas Express.’

This audiobook brings you not one, but two adorable Christmas romances. One set on The Christmas Express and the other at Evergreen Christmas Tree Farm. In the first offering, Dashing Through the Snow, FMC Willow has just been dumped and faces a two week long, romantic trip aboard the train of her dream alone. What she finds aboard, instead is friendship, fun, and herself...and maybe a little something extra. In Pining for You, childhood friends and sweethearts Skye and Theo must work together to take care of Theo’s family’s Christmas Tree farm following an accident. But will they be able to work together long enough to heal old wounds?

Look, I am not a romance girlie, I think anyone who knows me or is familiar with my reviews knows this. Generally, I find the formulaic manner of romances to be boring and I often find myself disengaged. But sometimes you just need something sugary sweet to indulge in. With Christmas on the horizon (yes, I am that person) I have been looking forward to every, single holiday romance I plan to read. This was an excellent starting point. Neither of these stories was particularly long and that felt right. I am also a sucker for Christmas stories set on trains, there is just something magical about it...if you like stories of women getting their groove back after a breakup or a second chance romance, these will be for you. These are cute, wholesome stories, so if you are hoping for some spice, I am sorry to disappoint. My demisexual little heart loved that these couples were taking their time and really connecting, so I am forever grateful for a pair of stories that doesn’t even need the door closed.

Both Talon David and Kayla Jackson were excellent narrators. I think each gave perfectly to their stories and I found them both very engaging and easy to listen to.

1 ⭐️

Dashing Through the Snow
This story was fine, I guess. It wasn’t exactly entertaining.


Pining for You
This story I DNFed.


Overall: You can skip this duo.



**Thank you, NetGalley and Thomas Nelson and Zondervan Audio for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.**

These novellas were sweet, but I wasn't blown away. Maybe if they were built out into full length novels I would have been more invested. As they were, it was a cute read.

I found the stories to be very cute. Feel-good and cozy, they are the perfect holiday stories. The narrator felt very robotic, like she was reading an academic text book rather than a cozy romance.