Oh gosh what a fun one. I enjoyed “Snowed In” in the lead up to Christmas, and it is such a fun seasonal read. I really loved the whole cast of characters and so I’m hoping for some additional stories in this universe! Christian and Megan were such awesome characters, you really root for them the whole time, and I am so so glad that this book did NOT follow the plot of a hallmark movie. Sure, there were some typical tropes (you can’t call a book “snowed in” without some forced proximity, can you?) but no stupid awful misunderstandings that make you want to scream at the characters. Just… adult responses to stuff and characters you can root for. Just really enjoyed this one.

This book was fun!! The sharp wit in the dialogue had me hooked in the first chapter! I'm not a huge contemporary romance person but when the banter is top tier, I'm here for it and Snowed In by Catherine Walsh was it! The story follows Megan and Christian as they debate whether or not to go home for Christmas. For multiple personal reasons they'd rather not but circumstances demand they do so in order to make it bearable, they come up with a fake dating plan to help each other out. Being there for the other really helps distract them from their own problems and it's heartwarming how they help each other with their emotional baggage.

Thank you to NetGalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for this ARC in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Snowed In by Catherine Walsh

There’s nothing like a sweet And little bit spicy Christmas Romance book to start off the holiday season!

Has fake dating Tropes been done? Yes!
Has snowed in and Forced proximity been done? Also, yes!
And has the Idea of dreading coming home for Christmas And needing a back up plan to get you to the holiday has been done? Of course!

Yet despite all of these yeses, Snowed In was a fun charming Christmas book that seemed a little bit familiar With a refreshing plot! There were truly likeable characters that you will root for to overcome all of their barriers to believe in the magic of Christmas And love, Once again!

Thank you to NetGalley, the publishers, and the author for this advanced readers copy!

Five years ago, Megan ran away from the altar and on the way out, Christian was the only one that saw her leave. Fast forward to a night in Dublin and these two run into each other and make a pact: they will fake date for the Christmas holidays and return to their hometown, providing a barrier for all the sticky situations they had waiting on them. Romance, tropes ensue.

These two main characters are adorable. I like their chemistry, and they float along with a plot that twists and turns pleasantly, and we get all the fun Christmas overtones. It has fun tropes galore: being home from the city, a fun family ensemble cast, slow burn chemistry, high school rebel, runaway bride, fake dating, and of course: being snowed in. It’s steamy, sweet, and fun - perfect for Christmas! The side plot involving Andrew and Molly, his brother, was a bit superfluous and borderline weird. BUT, I really enjoyed this book and the small-town Irish setting. This is my first Catherine Walsh novel and I look forward to reading more.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC.

Snowed In was a nice Christmas story with good people, a solid story and a nice ending. I like the characters and the growth especially the ancillary characters as more is revealed throughout the book. There is a trigger warning but personally nothing was triggering or concerning for anyone to read. I think it was a good holiday story.

Snowed In was the perfect Christmas story to get me in the mood for the holiday season. Christian and Megan are childhood friends who reunite with a fake dating scheme when both begrudgingly return home for the holidays. But as they take their ruse on the road, real feelings develop and an adorable love story unfolds.

This was so well done - the entire book is perfection. I love all the characters - everyone has a back story and depth to them, which gives every interaction just a little more to it than what’s written on the page. I love the complex families and the Irish winter setting, and all the situations they find themselves in were hilarious - especially the hot tub voyeur.

If you’re looking for a light hearted, fun, and swoony friends to lovers Christmas story - this one is for you.

What a super cute holiday romance! I'm a sucker for fake dating and it's especially fun when paired with coming home for Christmas in a small town. Knowing this book was set in Ireland meant I was YouTubing accents and reading with them in my head.

What happens when you have one runaway bride and one outcast and they both have to go home again? Such is the predicament our MCs find themselves in. Rather than face alone, they decide to pair up and pretend to be in a relationship and we all know how that goes...

You won't regret picking this one up for the holidays!

Another fun read from Catherine Walsh.

If you need a holiday pick me up, this is the book for you! All the feels, a great romance with characters who feel like your friends. Highly recommend!

Thank you to the publisher and to NetGalley for an arc. All opinions expressed are my own.

Out On: October 1, 2024

I absolutely adored the first book in this little series and had high hopes for this one. Lucky for me, this one was just as good as the first and has officially kicked off my winter/holiday themed book reading (yay)! I thought that the characters in this book were so much fun to follow along with, and I'm sorry but the first chapter with a runaway bride??? Hook, line and sinker! I had to know why she decided to run from her wedding and I am so glad that it takes us awhile to find out why, keep the mystery alive a little bit you know?

Christian is a wonderful man and I think that Megan and him were extremely cute together. I really love that we get to watch both of them grow, especially Megan, throughout the story. It definitely added to the plot and made me care so much more about the two of them. The alternating POVs were so good and made you realize just how much each of them cared about the other -- it was very sweet to read about!

I also loved that the title came into play as the story went on! Sigh, I love a good wordsmithing!

If you're looking for a holiday book that isn't aggressively about Christmastime quite yet (it is only November after all...) then this could be the book for you! Subtle holiday cheer is definitely the right vibe for this month!

If you don't like to read spicy scenes in books (like myself) then I recommend you skip/skim the following chapters:

🌶️ Closed Door Modifications: Chapters 27 & 28

Thank you so much to Forever Pub for this advanced copy on NetGalley! 🤍

Wow this was a fun romcom book! Friends to lovers, fake dating, run away bride, contracts? And it was a fast paced read. Recommend this book for a cozy snowed in day.

I was NOT expecting to enjoy this book as much as I did!

Tropes: Runaway bride, fake dating, friends to lovers, holiday vibes. Also, it's spicy. AND there's no third act breakup?! How refreshing!

Snowed In starts with our FMC Megan dreading returning to her small village where she's known as the runaway bride who ruined her ex's life. The MMC Christian is also not very happy to be coming own for his own reasons. To solve their own and each other's problems, they decide to fake date. Because what else could they possibly choose to do? And what could go wrong??

Christian is a great book boyfriend, the vibes are impeccable, the tone is very funny, and the chemistry between Christian and Megan is fantastic. Some minor things about Megan's character felt a bit unclear or a little annoying (the identity crisis wasn't as enjoyable written as the rest of the story). But overall this was an extremely fun, extremely bingeable holiday romcom with some crossover characters from the author's previous book Holiday Romance (though it's not necessary to read that book first).

Overall, I highly recommend!

Thank you to NetGalley, Forever, and Catherine Walsh for providing an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.

Give me fake dating in a wintery small town, and I will take it any day of the week. I loved this holiday read from Catherine Walsh - it was refreshing, and fun, and had all the hallmarks of a read that I will come back to again and again. I adored the small town setting, loved the grumpy/sunshine vibes of Megan and Christinan, and absolutely applaud Catherine for the way their relationship developed. It's sometimes hard to make fake dating feel real (which is a funny thing to say) but this one felt SO honest and the progression of fake-to-real felt earned. This is the perfect book to cozy up by the fire with and read over the holidays!

Megan is dreading going home for the holidays. Five years ago she became the town pariah when she left her fiancé at the altar and she hasn't been back since. Christian doesn’t mind being alone but he’s fed up with his family feeling sorry for him especially during the holiday season. So when Megan and Christian bump into each other at a Dublin pub, they come up with a fake dating scheme to get through the holidays back home. An agreement is drawn up on a cocktail napkin and Megan and Christian agree to go to each other's family gatherings and pretend that they're madly in love while home for the holidays but things have started to get messy even before a snowed-in cabin and some Christmas magic are added to the mix!

It's impossible not to love a cute small-town Ireland holiday romance - especially one that involves fake dating that leads to real feelings! This is funny with good chemistry between the two main characters and a little open door spice - perfect when you're looking for a fun, quick read for the holidays!

This is the second in Catherine Walsh's Fitzpatrick series following Holiday Romance (one of the best romances I read in 2022) which features Andrew Fitzpatrick and Molly trying to get home to Ireland for Christmas. Snowed In can be enjoyed as a stand-alone but I would recommend reading Holiday Romance first as Molly and Andrew appear in this one as well and I enjoyed getting an update on where they are in their relationship. Hoping for a third in the series next year as there's still a single Fitzpatrick sibling plus Megan's brother, Aidan, and Molly's twin sister, Zoe, who could take centre stage!

Thank you to NetGalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for sending a digital ARC of this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

Catherine Walsh is a go to winter author for me! Cuddle up by the fireplace with a hot cup of tea and read your hearts out with this one! Cute as bd fun with emotions mixed in! It will have you smiling and feeling cozy throughout the whole book!!!!

I read this easily as a stand alone but it is the second in the Fitzpatrick Christmas series. The story begins with a runaway bride. She leaves the person everyone considers perfect at the altar in their small Irish village. Jump forward five years and she needs to go home for Christmas. Christian is from the same village. He has a great job in Dublin but doesn’t love it. He likes going home but hates everyone trying to pair him up. When the two run into each other at a pub they agree to be each other's fake dates for a hometown holiday Christmas.

I love that they agree to rules on a napkin while drinking at the pub. Of course you know the rules are going to get broken but that is the fun. I like that the families are genuinely well intentioned. Andrew and Molly (the couple from the first book, Holiday Romance, Sept 2022) are progressing as a couple. So if you’ve read that, you’ll enjoy their appearance here. I like getting chapters from both MC’s POVs. They are sweet, with honest banter. They also get interrupted more times than I can count trying to deepen their relationship.. They eventually get some spice. And for a Christmas miracle there is no late break-up in the story.

I will look forward to the next Christmas adventure with the Fitzpatrick’s and in the meantime will look for the first book in the series. Thank you to NetGalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for the ARC and I am leaving an honest review.

4/5 ⭐️s
🌶️1/2 - low to medium spice, a couple of explicit scenes

LOVES:
- Lots of good banter from all the characters! The main characters, of course, but so many good side characters too.
- I really like Christian. He’s confident, but not cocky, he’s kind and funny. Great guy alert 🚨
- The situation with each of their siblings was funnily similar… and the small town judgement thing was done well.
- The mystery of what fully happened in the past kept me intrigued
- The difference between lying to a parent vs not telling them exactly how you feel to spare their feelings/keep them from worrying - relatable.
- The “Peeping Tom” 😂
- Andrew and Molly are the absolute sweetest 😍 I love their journey
- Once things picked up again, they were really good! I liked the ending a lot. ♥️

CRITIQUES:
- There was a period of time around the middle@of the book when my attention started to wander/I felt a little bored
- The snowed in aspect was so minimal for it to be titled as such…

This was super cute and felt like one of the most realistic romances I’ve read in a while. The way the characters interact and the way the plot flushes out felt very natural.

Thanks to @netgalley for the eARC 💝

This was a cute small town fake dating holiday romance that I enjoyed. I loved that it was an Irish small town. I always love a dual POV. The banter was fun, steamy and swoony. I didn’t mind the slow burn with these two, the chemistry and tension was a great build up to the heat. And I enjoyed to building of their feelings. And no 3rd act break up! Overall fun and festive, and sweet and swoony for a holiday read.

I didn’t know this was a series, so I’d be interested in Andrew and Molly’s book!

"Snowed In" by Courtney Walsh takes a surprising turn from the author's earlier works, which were predominantly Christian fiction. While Walsh is known for her heartwarming, faith-centered storytelling, "Snowed In" introduces elements that some of her long-time readers may find unexpected. The book features a homosexual relationship and several steamy passages, diverging from the more conservative themes of her previous novels.
This shift in content can feel confusing, especially for readers who were anticipating a more traditional Christian romance. The characters feel somewhat lacking in depth compared to her previous works. The emotional layers and spiritual reflections that typically characterize Walsh’s stories were completely absent, which might leave some readers wanting more wholesome substance.

This was perfect as far as the genre goes. I appreciated the flawed characters with real emotional baggage. I loved that we got to revisit the characters from the first book. It was truly lovely to read. I can't wait for more.

"Snowed In" was such a fun holiday travel story. What could of been a travel nightmare turned into a fun unlikely romance. I couldn't put this story down and really enjoyed it!