On Megan’s wedding day to Isaac, she becomes a runaway bride. While making her escape out the back door of the hotel in her wedding dress, she runs into Christian, someone she went to school with and who is there as a guest for her wedding. They exchange a few words, and she leaves.

Five years later, a few weeks before Christmas, they run into each other in a bar in Dublin. They are commiserating about having to go back to their hometown for the holidays when Christian comes up with the idea they should go back as a fake couple. So that’s exactly what they do.

This book is such a fun and easy read. It’s funny and romantic. The conversations between Christian and Megan are hilarious. I love the families of the main characters. They add the perfect backdrop to Christian and Megan’s fake relationship.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book! I was reading it every free second of my day. If you like a great romance with lovable characters, this is the book for you.

Did I go against my rules and read a holiday book in October? For Catherine Walsh I will.
Spooky season is almost over, so you need to be putting this one top of the list for your Christmas TBR.

I read Holiday Romance last year and LOVED It. So when I saw Snowed In on netgalley, I knew, without reading the blurb, I had to apply for an arc.

I was nicely surprised (remember I didn’t read the blurb) that Snowed In is about the brother from Holiday Romance.

You know those kids in school, who are trouble, who act out, who are often distractions and annoying, who are categorized as dumb, mostly because they aren’t being challenged enough as they are actually really smart. Ya that’s Christian. But now he is older, hotter, richer, and out there trying to prove himself and find happiness.

Megan was with Issac since she was 15. Their families were friends, the town loved him. Issac could do no wrong. But Megan knew differently. She knew the other side to Issac no one else saw. Megan made an 11th hour decision to leave Issac. On her wedding day. And no one has forgiven her since.

Starting this book, I was reminded how much I love Catherine’s writing. The banter is so so so good. The characters are funny, sexy, and kind.

I’m generally not a fan of fake dating, but this was done very well. Megan really needed Christian and he showed up for her. And when needed, Megan helps build a bridge for Christian. But then the lines blur between fake and real which becomes difficult to navigate.

The chemistry is perfection. It sucks you in right from the get go with warm fuzzies in a tension filled moment. Add in forced proximity, a little caretaking and this is the holiday book you need to read.

Snowed In can be read as a standalone, but I recommend Holiday Romance first. The Fitzpatrick family is Christmas personified and you don’t want to miss it from the first book.

❄️ Snowed In by Catherine Walsh ❄️

❣ A very special thank you to @bookouture , @netgalley, and @catherinewalsh for the advanced ecopy of this delightful book. I inhaled it in one day and can’t wait for the release so I can add it to my shelves!

❥ Pub date: November 1, 2023

💭:

What can I say, I really enjoyed this book! The pacing of it was perfect and it didn’t feel like it dragged on which I can appreciate. I’m not a stranger to Catherine Walsh’s work (Holiday Romance) so I was ecstatic when I got approved to read this. Snowed In starts off with the MC Megan fleeing from her own wedding as well as her life (starting over in a new city). The reason for her being a runaway bride and starting all over in Dublin, isn’t touched on right away which gives the book some mystery and depth. Thankfully an explanation was given later bringing the story together full circle.

♥ Read this if you like:

۵ Fake dating trope ✔️
۵ HEA ✔️
۵ Relatable and likeable characters (Christian is dreamy, and I loved Megan’s protective younger brother Aiden) ✔️
۵ Forced Proximity trope (snowed in with a hunky bad boy from her past) ✔️
۵ Seeing how characters & their relationships (including the side characters) in a story evolve ✔️

♥ There wasn’t anything I didn’t like about this book, but I did have one thing that I did question. The weather was apparently getting pretty bad, and people were stuck in the snow. So it made me wonder why, Megan and Christian still braved the incoming storm to travel up a mountain. It’s a very minor detail, but it doesn’t distract or take away from the book in whole. I still absolutely loved it!

I really liked this book. It had all my favorite elements of a holiday, forced-proximity, fake-dating romance and excellent banter. I especially liked that it was realistic for them to continue the romance outside of the holiday bubble, which isn't always the case with these tropes. My only complaint is that it was marketed as a standalone but very heavily features Molly and Andrew from Holiday Romance which was published last year. I read (and loved) that book but over a year later, I'll admit that I only vaguely remember the major plot points. It would have been helpful to have more backstory to play catch up.

I could not have loved this book more! I read it in an afternoon. The build-up between Megan and Christian is perfect. Truthfully, there isn't a book by Catherine Walsh that I haven't absolutely loved. Snowed In is the perfect Christmas read, even during the fall months.

The good thing about a book called Snowed In is that you can expect a snowed in scenario to happen and it was as wonderful as one would expect.

But let's take it from the start, Megan left her fiancé at the altar five year ago and she hasn't been back to her hometown ever since, this Christmas season she knows she won't be able to find an excuse to skip it especially since her brother will also be coming back home.

Christian dreads being the only single person in his family as much as he dreads how everyone is acting towards him as only single one.

When a change encounter at a bar bring those two together, they find the perfect opportunity to go back in their hometown together and pretend they are dating. They can act as each other buffer and make this time back home more enjoyable.

It doesn't get better than a small town at Christmas time and fake dating romance, that's for sure!

Especially when those two school acquaintance work together and even better when they work so well together that the lines blur.

I loved how they were so supportive to each other from the start, there was zero judgment and an open communication between them that I found especially lovely.

The romance was swooning and I couldn't get enough of it.

I especially enjoyed all the family interactions with both of their families and I really hope we get a another book in this world!

* I received an ARC and this is my honest opinion.

YES, YES, YES, absolutely wonderful! 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

Finally my kind of romance: wonderfully written, with introverted main characters instead of hyper quirky ones, and real dialogue instead of silly, non-stop banter.

As someone who moved away from a small town and avoids going back (especially for Christmas 🎄), I could really empathize with Megan & Christian. I love when fake-dating makes sense, and in this case it sure did.

The romance itself was wonderful: it developed slowly and we got to spend a lot of time with the couple before anything happened. And when it did… wow! The chemistry was off the charts!🔥

I also really loved the setting: it’s my first romance set in Ireland during the Christmas holidays, and the vibes were just magical. ☘️❄️

Overall, this was wonderfully written (I hadn’t loved the writing in a romance novel since reading Lynn Painter back in May, so that should say it all), dreamy, raw, romantic, funny, emotional, and so relatable.

I want to live in this universe and will RUN to read Holiday Romance now (the prequel to this)!

And thanks NetGalley and Bookouture for my first ever ARC! 🤩

4.5 stars rounded up to 5 for Goodreads! This is such a cute little Christmas rom com, and it definitely put me in the holiday mood! Megan was such a hilarious hot mess, Christian was so adorable and protective (when he was afraid she’d get cold at the lake 🥹🥹), and I’m always down for a good fake dating book! It was my first Christmas book of the season, and it was so cute and fun and swoony and Christmassy! This is actually (sort of) the second book in the series, and I’m about to go hunt down the first!

Thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for the opportunity to read before pub day on November 1st!

Grab a blanket, some cocoa, and cozy up by the fire while you read this super sweet holiday romance. Snowed In is the perfect fake dating trope, not wanting to go home alone for the holidays, Megan and Christian agree to be each others fake partners. With a healthy amount of drama, the perfect amount of speculation, comedy gold and sweetness all around, Snowed In will have you falling in love with holiday love.

Joy to the book world!!! A new holiday romance is hitting the store shelves or on your Kindle, and it's a fake dating trope...one of my favorites!

In Snowed In by Catherine Walsh, the main character Megan last saw Christian outside the church that she was running out of on her way to becoming a runaway bride. Fast forward five years and they run into each other- literally - at a bar. While talking they realize that they both are having to go home for the holidays, and are dreading it, so they devise a plan to go together as a fake couple.

I could end this quickly by telling you I am a very slow reader and tore through this in two days...so I loved it! It was so cute and heartwarming, just like a holiday romance should be.

I loved both Megan and Christian as characters, and when I read Megan's POV I found myself always smiling, she was just so filled with positivity all the way through the book.

I also had no idea this was in a series of books, in fact, I didn't find out until after I read it, so no worries if like me, you haven't read Holiday Romance, you don't need to read it...but you certainly will want to.

The thing I REALLY liked about this book, well....besides it being set during the holidays, the whole fake dating thing, and the snuggly cozy feeling of the entire book, was that Christian had his own POV. It is always refreshing to get the male side of a love story.

I am calling it now...Snowed In is my favorite holiday romance of 2023, so pick it up, and let's talk!

Such a cute, fun read just in time for the holidays! I am a huge fan of the fake-dating trope, and I've read some really good ones and some where the storyline just felt way too farfetched and overly complicated. With that being said, I can easily say that Snowed In is hands down one of new favorites! The characters were so likeable, especially Megan. I loved how imperfectly perfect she was. All of her quirks and insecurities made her seem like a real person and not a work of fiction. The connection between her and Christian was adorable, and I loved being along for the ride. Loved, loved, LOVED it!! And I didn't realize that there was a first book featuring Andrew and Molly. I will now be running to the Kindle store to buy it!

Thank you to the author, Bookouture, and NetGalley for granting me digital access in exchange for my honest review!

This was an easy, rom com style read. The fake dating storyline felt believable and I really liked the banter between the characters.

The Christmas element felt enough to get you in the Christmas mood, but wasn’t cheesy. The slow reveal of why Megan left and the build of this new love was so readable. There is some spice sprinkled in there too!

A great December read!

All of the warm and cozy feels! I absolutely loved Snowed In!

As much as I enjoy a cute, Hallmark-movie-esque holiday book, I prefer those that read like rom-coms I'd pick up any other time of year, but with a holiday twist. Snowed In was exactly that for me. Megan and Christian felt like real, dynamic characters with complicated family dynamics, and sizzling chemistry. I was hooked from page 1.

Holiday Romance was my favorite holiday book last year (and I read many), so I was thrilled to get to revisit that world (and even continue Molly and Andrew's story along the way.) I'm not sure how Walsh managed to fit so many tropes into this holiday romance including runaway bride, small town, fake dating and more, but it all worked so well and is everything I could want in a festive read.

Megan's knitting was the cherry on top for me : )

Thank you NetGalley and Bookoture for the ARC. It was an absolute delight!

Since I read "Holiday Romance" last year around this time of the year, I have become absolutely obsessed with Catherine Walsh's romance books. It's safe to say she's an auto-buy author for me now, which is why I couldn't wait to read "Snowed In", even though it's a Christmas/winter book and I'm not in a Christmas mood yet.

"Snowed In" follows Christian, who is the brother of one of the main characters in "Holiday Romance", and Megan, who knows Christian from school. They decide to fake date their way through Christmas because both have reasons for not wanting to go home alone.

Fake Dating is one of my favorite tropes to read about and Catherine Walsh delivered - I was smiling, giggling, kicking my little feet because this book was so funny and cute. There also were some more serious topics: Megans past relationship was not great and caused a lot of trouble for her in her hometown and Christian has daddy issues but while this is discussed here and there, overall the tone of the book was on the lighter sight, it’s definitely a rom com.

If you read Holiday Romance, Snowed In is a really nice addition because we also see Molly and Andrew again and if you haven’t read Holiday Romance yet, now you know what you should be reading this winter/Christmas. 🤓

This book gave me ALL the feels !!!
I have never wanted to be stranded in a cabin while it snows soooooo much!
Catherine Walsh, take a bow !! An easy to read romcom that made me laugh out loud & contained minimal cheese! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Megan is dreading going home for the holidays. She's the village pariah, the she-devil that left local golden boy Isaac at the alter years ago. Christian was the bad boy once upon a time, so he loves returning to his hometown for Christmas. The only part he doesn't like is that everyone pities him when he turns up alone. So when Megan and Christian bump into each other in the pub, they make a deal to show up as each others partners. They draw up rules and sign a wine-stained contract on a napkin.

The chemistry between Megan and Christian was so much fun to read. Walsh writes the best banter. This had me laughing all the way! Snowed in, fake dating and forced proximity + off-the-charts chemistry and delightful banter = must read for this holiday season!

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the advanced digital reader's copy (ARC) in exchange for an honest review!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for this ARC!

Imagine coming back to your small hometown for the first time in five years after you left a man at the altar and at the holiday season no less. You might have some anxiety and try to make up an excuse not to come home again. This is where we meet one of our main characters, Megan. Not long before going home she runs into a schoolmate at a pub and they hatch a plan to be in a fake relationship as they go home for the holidays. Christian has his own reasons for not wanting to come home for the holidays alone so it's a perfect plan for both of them until their walls come down and real feelings start to form, especially when they get snowed in, just the two of them, at a beautiful cabin.

I loved Catherine Walsh's novel last year, Holiday Romance, and was so excited to continue the story of Molly and Andrew in Snowed In. Andrew and Christian are brothers! This book was a total delight and got me into the holiday spirit. I tried hard not to compare it to Holiday Romance, but I preferred that one a bit more to Snowed In. I felt the ending was a bit rushed and left quite a few plot points unresolved. However, if you're looking for a funny group of characters (both characters family's bring some good drama and humor) with a sweet love story at its core then this could be a great read for you.

Thank you to NetGalley, Bookouture and author Catherine Walsh for providing me with this eARC

The perfect cute and cozy Christmas romance.

I loved both Christian and Megan individually and it was such fun, to see them falling in love!
I loved the fact that Walsh switched up the third act conflict from the usual break up, then get back together for the finale.
The characters were well developed and I really enjoyed the side characters like Aiden & Hannah!
There are loads of holiday romance cliches but in the best way.
I absolutely loved this and can only recommend it as a comfort read for winter time.
Now I have to go check out book one “Holiday Romance”
4.5 stars

This was so cute!! Fake dating is my favorite and I've loved the last two Catherine Walsh books so I knew I was going to like this, but I really LOVED it! In this one, we get to see Christian, Andrew's brother, who made a brief appearance in Holiday Romance, get his own happily ever after. Christian and Megan were exactly what each other needed at the right time. I loved how their relationship blossomed from fake to real. Seeing Christian's chaotic family again in this book was also a treat. Megan's mom and brother were also pretty cool and I loved how strong Megan was given everything she had gone through and was dealing with when she returned home. This was a cute, fast read and the perfect book to kick off the holiday season! Thank you to Bookouture, Catherine, and NetGalley for the ARC!

Two people who are dreading going home for Christmas so decide to fake date to recover their reputations and prove to their family they’re happy? Nothing new but did I enjoy it? Absolutely

I found the dialogue between the two characters funny and I spent a good deal of this book smiling, it has so many tropes that there’s pretty much something for everyone in this book. I enjoyed the self-awareness and communication the main characters had. I also found myself invested in the side characters and would happily read books about them - I’m excited to read Molly and Andrew’s story which occurs prior to this one.

A cosy, light, Christmas read.

3.75/4 stars

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.