A sweet, wholesome, and inspiring Christmas story—this book truly has everything you'd hope for. While it may not be flawless, it was still an enjoyable read. The writing kept me somewhat distanced from the characters and their journey, but it didn't take away much from the overall feel-good vibe of the story. It reminds us that while some of us are lucky enough to be born into a wonderful family, others must create one for themselves, sometimes with a little help along the way.

Snowy Mountain Christmas offers a modern-day take on the classic Cinderella story, initially grabbing readers’ attention with a dramatic accident that sparks intrigue and sets up a subtle mystery. Unfortunately, while the opening promises excitement, the story soon shifts gears into a romance that feels forced and overly predictable.

As a fan of romance novels, especially those featuring whirlwind love stories, I went into this book with high hopes. However, the progression of the relationship felt rushed and lacking depth, making the romance come off as more cringeworthy than compelling. The plot seemed underdeveloped, with key moments feeling contrived rather than organic.

Despite my enthusiasm for quick, lighthearted romances, this one fell short. I found it difficult to stay engaged and, at times, had to skip ahead just to reach the conclusion. While the concept was promising, the execution left much to be desired. For readers looking for a well-crafted holiday romance, this might not hit the mark.

🎧Song Pairing: The Prayer - Celine Dion

🗯Thoughts/sassy musings:

LOVE that gorgeous Christmas-y pink cover. 🩷 How can I say no to a thing of beauty?!

That being said….it had some kinks:

🙃Unnecessary drama and social situations that just don’t fit at all.
💗Instant love….makes me gag but I’m cynical
😇A lot of speak of angels and faith. I know people will love that but it is just not my thing

Okkkk and best of all I’m certain that this was the authors first attempt at writing about sex because the main character said “have mercy” and all I can think of is Uncle Jesse in Full House🪦😂

Anywho, I’m always lenient on Christmas books but this definitely won’t be my fav of the season.

Slightly spiritual in that she hears the voices of angels. which for me is a slight turn off. I liked the "cinderella" feel of the stor, it makes meet cute feel more fairytale like. But there were to many troupes the author tried to mix together. Over all not my favorite Christmas romance and I would not recommend it

I thought this book was super cute, it was an easy read. I loved how light it was and how easy it was to fall for their romance. Her signs from angels were done so well where it wasn't over baring. I was just confused about Jared and the point of his part in the book. Was he there just so Trey could save Hailey because he saved her?

An enjoyable Christmas story with a Cinderella like romance. A beautiful cover also! Thanks to Netgalley, the author and the publisher for a chance to read and review this book in exchange for an honest review.

*Snowy Mountain Christmas* by Sharon Sala is a heartwarming holiday romance that captures the essence of love, family, and the magic of the Christmas season. Set against the stunning backdrop of a snowy mountain town, Sala crafts a cozy atmosphere that invites readers to escape into a world of festive cheer and emotional connection.

The protagonist, navigating personal challenges and heartache, embarks on a journey of self-discovery and healing. Sala's character development is commendable, allowing readers to form a deep bond with the protagonist as they face both external and internal struggles. The supporting cast is equally endearing, with a blend of quirky townsfolk and relatable family dynamics that add richness to the narrative.

Sala's writing is warm and inviting, filled with vivid descriptions that transport readers to the snowy landscapes and cozy interiors of the town. The dialogue is genuine and often laced with humor, enhancing the sense of community and camaraderie among the characters.

Central to the story is the theme of second chances and the importance of embracing love when it appears. The romance unfolds naturally, with moments of tension and sweetness, making the journey all the more satisfying. Sala masterfully intertwines holiday traditions and the spirit of giving, reminding readers of the joy found in both relationships and the simpler pleasures of life.

Overall, *Snowy Mountain Christmas* is a delightful read that encapsulates the warmth of the holiday season. Sharon Sala delivers a touching tale that balances romance, personal growth, and the enduring bonds of family and friendship. Perfect for readers looking for a cozy, uplifting story to get them in the Christmas spirit, this novel is sure to leave a lasting impression and a smile on your face.

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for this arc!!

What a good book! I enjoyed this more than I thought I would. I loved the main characters! They had great chemistry and worked so well together. I loved how the book just flowed. My first by this author but will not be my last!!

A real life Cinderella story complete with the lost shoe. Marley was driving back to her home on a very rainy night when the "angels" tell her to take the fork in the road. When she does she comes upon an accident and the driver is trapped in his car. She manages to get him out of the car and have help on the way. Once he is on his way to the hospital she continues home. Trey can't get his angel out of his mind. The only thing he has left of her is a shoe that was found in the mud. So he begins a social media search to find the mysterious woman. He finds his mystery woman in Colorado running a lovely bed and breakfast. He ends up spending the holidays at her little B&B meeting the fun residents of the area and as they say the rest is history.

I wanted a cute Christmas read, and the premise and cover of this one truly sounded perfect. Unfortunately it did not work for me in the sense that I truly hate instalove.. this one was so instalove it was a little ridiculous. Also, the short and big references got a little on my nerves. I didn't think there would be literal divine intervention (angels) and that just doesn't do it for me. I guess I just wasn't the right audience for this one.

New to me author and I was drawn to the description. Marley was likeable and Trey was a nice guy. The instalove was cute and definitely gave off Hallmark vibes. I loved that it took place in Colorado in a lodge with snow and the Christmas season. There were multiple things I did not enjoy or resonate with. It was not closed-door romance, the instalove was a bit over the top. Trey’s parents and Marley’s stalker were distractions and did not seem to jive with the story. It’s an escape, but very little felt plausible or believable.
I received a complimentary copy from the publisher via NetGalley and all opinions expressed are solely my own, freely given.

Snowy Mountain Christmas is a beautifully told story by Sharon Sala. Marley Corbett has seen and heard angels all of her life. As she is driving home from a research trip to the Ozarks she is detoured by her angels in time to come upon an accident and is able to save the driver who is unconscious and hanging upside down in rising water. Using her Swiss Army knife, she is able to cut him free and, even though he is so much bigger than petite Marley, she is able to wrestle him away from the wreckage and call 911. Once rescue has arrived and the paramedics are preparing him for transport, Marley quietly slips away simply leaving a red shoe behind stuck in the mud.

When Marley returns to her Corbett Lodge just outside of Boulder she is kept busy preparing for the holidays. The lodge has been closed for a short time for remodeling so she currently has no guests but expects a full house after the first of the year. She will, however, have a full table at Christmas, with family friends and found family. As busy as she is, she sees nothing about the search being made for Cinderella by the man whose life she saved. He is seeking her out to thank her.

Once Marley realizes this, she makes contact, first on social media, then by phone, and finally when she invites the stranger to the lodge as he wants to thank her in person. Trey Austin arrives the next day to meet his Cinderella and the story and its mysteries begin to further unfold.

This was a well constructed story with a little mystery and a lot of mysticism. I very much enjoyed this holiday story and I do recommend it!

This one was just okay for me. It was an instalove type of romance. Trey gets into a car wreck and Marley saves him. He couldn’t find her because the police didn’t get her name. (I found that a bit hard to believe.) Marley has always had “angels” tell her what to do in life. Sometimes they steer her from danger and other times they guide her toward good situations. Trey ends up finding out who Marley is and goes to spend Christmas at her lodge. They fall hard and fast.
The narration and writing were good! It had enough conflict to keep me listening. Huge thanks to Dreamscape and Netgalley for allowing me to listen and review.

Honestly, if I hadn't received this on NetGalley, I would have probably DNF'd this.

There is so much about angels in this book that it was absolutely obnoxious. It also felt like a super copout because the "angels" literally told the FMC everything so she never really had to work for much. Must be nice to never have to struggle or worry about much. She was very much a Mary Sue.

Also, there was so much about how the guy was "SO BIG" and how she was "SO SMALL LIKE HALF HIS SIZE" that it got annoying.

I really didn't like this, and I also didn't like the male narrator for the entire book. It really made it challenging to understand whose perspective we were in.

Also, not much Christmas cheer.

This is the type of book that ruins life because the entire time I was listening to it, I wanted to meet my own prince charming who is gorgeous, rich, and romantic...and of course, live in a Marley's lodge.

I really enjoyed it! thank you for this audiobook!

Snowy Mountain Christmas by Sharon Sala
Narrator, Taylor Darby
I have read or listened to a goodly number of books by this author and most I have liked. This one left me a bit lukewarm. I prefer romances that have a big cast of characters that can lead to more books in the series. The Jubilee Kentucky series comes to mind since it is recent. This book has a very small group of characters since they are mostly snowbound. The secondary stalker storyline seemed a bit contrived, also the set of parents who have ignored Trey all his life and suddenly become caring. But I liked it enough to finish it, although I did increase the speed to 1.25.
Speaking of the speed, the narrator spoke so slowly at the beginning that I had to speed it up and it still sounded fine. I listen to a lot of audiobooks and I am not familiar with this narrator. He was okay but not great. There were a few mispronunciations and he was not fabulous with the female voices. I would not go to the trouble to look for other books with his narration like I do with some favorite narrators.
All that said, it was a bit sappy, very insta-love, and totally Hallmark but a Christmas romance is always kind of entertaining. It was a bit predictable but mildly enjoyable.. Maybe not quite up to this author’s usual quality but I will stick with her. I have already pre-ordered the next Jubilee Kentucky book. Looking forward to that book.

I went into this book guessing I’d like it, but happily ended up a truly captivated listener. Not one typically enchanted with insta-love stories, I was pleasantly surprised to find myself thoroughly enjoying the relationship between the main characters. There was a small amount of open door intimacy, with nothing too explicit. Representation of loss, trauma, among some other serious topics were done tastefully and added layers to the characters and story. No 3rd-act-breakup, and a satisfying happily ever after for all— I was grinning to myself throughout the entire book. There was a bit of a spiritual element with guardian angels, but it was kept pretty vague. Narration had me hooked within the first minute of listening, and kept me engaged until the very end. Overall, I found the story to be an addictive, small-town romance that had me feeling good and cozy.

Thank you to Sharon Sala, Dreamscape Media, and NetGalley for allowing me to listen to a free eaudio ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I've always wanted to give Sharon Sala a try; I've actually been collecting her books for years without having read her, because I'm a hoarder like that. This title popped up on NetGalley and I thought, the time is now!

And it was okay. For sure the fluffiest bit of fluff I've read in a while. Trey and Marley got very familiar very quickly; they knew each other for a day or two, had sex, then suddenly they were unofficially engaged and Trey was moving in. I actually completely missed whenever that moment happened---one minute they were starting to get it on and I skipped ahead a bit because I wasn't in the mood to listen to that, and next thing I knew Marley was telling Trey which drawers he could use and the word "permanent" was being tossed around. I was so thrown off that I checked to make sure I hadn't accidentally skipped a few chapters instead of a few minutes. Nope, just instalove.

Relative, this book really didn't have much plot. Trey and Marley experienced absolutely zero conflict in their relationship. Absolutely zero internal conflict. Well, Trey seemed depressed at the very very beginning because he was lonely, but that didn't last long, definitely not long enough to be called an arc. Marley missed her parents but wasn't hung up on it. They were both very self-confident and comfortable in their own bodies and life courses. All the conflict was external---Trey's parents, Trey's secret authorship, Marley's shoehorned-in stalker guy, the media circus.

I can't decide if I'm mad about it or not; on one hand, it was very relaxing to be in the heads of characters who aren't stressing over self doubts or emotional problems. They had their shit together, and it was . . . comforting. On the other, it didn't make for a very exciting or satisfying story. It should have been boring, but the characters were likeable enough to keep me interested in them.

Then there were the angels. There's a bit of a Christian element and theme to the story that was in no way hinted at in the NetGalley listing, which is annoying. The angels send Marley verbal messages that steer her in the right direction in life. Why Marley is so privileged, I have no idea. It does make her come across like a Mary Sue, in a way---thank god the angels warned you to go to the bathroom, or you'd have puked in bed and made a gross, undignified mess. Thank god the angels gave you the secret to Anders's emotional PTSD, or you'd have had to earn his respect the hard way. Thank god you've got the angels helping you cut corners, Marley, or you'd actually have to struggle.

And then there was the time when Marley named Sharon Sala as her favorite author of romantic suspense. I'll just leave that there for you to think about.

So yeah, I wasn't much impressed. Probably what I liked most about this book was Tyler Darby's excellent narration. There were times when he pronounced or inflected something strangely, but nothing super annoying or distracting.

This was a sweet read with a smidge of spice. It had a lot going on. A lot.

**Spoilers** She saves him in an accident, he saves her later on, she hears angels, he has a horrible relationship with his parents, she has a stalker ex, he is a mystery writer with a hidden identity, he is her favourite author, she is attacked, he has a life changing offer. At the same time they fall in love, like instantly. Talking marriage within weeks. There's just a lot going on yet somehow it's a bit waffle-y and I just wanted it to wind up. The pacing was fairly even throughout rather than the regular build up.

Maybe a nice cosy read around the fire at Christmas rather than fireworks on New Year's. I listened to this on audio and whilst I loved the narrators deep voice, I would have preferred dual narration.

Thank you NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for the ARC of this audiobook for my honest review

Wow this was a cute romance, a bit insta lovey but it worked out for the plot, and it’s understandable in the circumstances. The characters were amazing I liked them both so much like I’d date the guy and the girl haha. The atmosphere was cozy and the writing was really well done, I really liked how they switched between characters it just switched whenever you wanted to know what another person was thinking and I LOVED that and it was written so well it didn’t even confuse me. It made it speed through the story really well. The plot was great really unique and I just loved the tinge of holidays. So it can be a year round read but it makes it extra cute in December. I really enjoyed this book and I can’t wait to read it again but physically so I gotta buy the book!

I'll be publishing my review on Goodreads and StoryGraph 24th October and on Tik tok most likely will add to a monthly wrap up post with review the beginning of November.