Let it Snow (Minnesota Snow #1) by Heidi Cullinan

Summary:

The weather outside is frightful, but this Minnesota northwoods cabin is getting pretty hot.

Stylist Frankie Blackburn never meant to get lost in Logan, Minnesota, but his malfunctioning GPS felt otherwise, and a record-breaking snowfall ensures he won’t be heading back to Minneapolis anytime soon. Being rescued by three sexy lumberjacks is fine as a fantasy, but in reality the biggest of the bears is awfully cranky and seems ready to gobble Frankie right up.

Marcus Gardner wasn’t always a lumberjack—once a high-powered Minneapolis lawyer, he’s come home to Logan to lick his wounds, not play with a sassy city twink who might as well have stepped directly out of his past. But as the northwinds blow and guards come down, Frankie and Marcus find they have a lot more in common than they don’t. Could the man who won’t live in the country and the man who won’t go back to the city truly find a home together? Because the longer it snows, the deeper they fall in love, and all they want for Christmas is each other.

Warning: Contains power outages, excessive snowfall, and incredibly sexy bears.

My Review:

You know how you have different friends? Friends that you can spend time with even in a large group and you still get that connection regardless of who is around. But there is that other friend. The one that is special, so special that they need your undivided attention. It’s not that they demand it, it is just who they are. The one on one time, the alone time is how you connect, how they touch you so deep that the moments you share together become part of you. For me, with books, that friend is anything by Heidi Cullinan. Now, I am known as a massive sneak reader at work but it’s something I just can’t do with Heidi’s books. It’s not that I don’t eagerly want to read what is on the page, I so do; I just need that one on one time with me and the story. Just us, the two of us in our own world and that is all that matters.

I have to admit, Christmas makes me cringe. The holiday and what it has become turns me into a Scrooge of the Bill Murray persuasion. That being said, I do LOVE the holy hell out of Christmas stories, music and movies. They remind me that for whatever reason, this holiday, this season is a magical time and anything, even the impossible can happen. A bit of a romantic notion…did you see the blurb for this? Have you met me yet?

Frankie and Marcus, Marcus and Frankie…Where do I begin? I loved Frankie, just fell for him the instant he walked, or rather, struggled to find his way in his car, onto the page. I have thing for the boys with the swish. Their flamboyance is like a beacon that draws me to them. I want to be in their light, share in their joy and absorb their personality. Frankie was a treasure to read, to be in his head the first time he sees the bears in flannel at the café, the ones that he typically would be afraid of, I got it and I got him. His thought process was so easy to settle into and I did immediately. I connected with him in many, many personal ways.

Marcus…oh boy! You big old grumpy bear with the softest center EVER! How could I not love you and just want you to be happy? Want you to not feel the guilty over your life decisions and just find the happiness that is dropped at your feet, or actually on your couch. The love you have for your mother, your friends, your town and all the love that you have to give. Even bears need to have someone to give their hugs to.  I loved your struggle, I struggled with you. I loved your kindness, I felt it. I loved your ability with snow suits, oh yeah. Damn boy!

The story is told in my favorite way with a slow burn. Goodness. I love how you get comfortable with the characters; as you get to know them, you know there is an attraction there but you put that to the back of your subconscious because the burn is so warm and cozy and then BAM! You are hit with the heat! You stumble back shocked, give your head a shake, look back at the page and dive right back in. I swear, each time I am stunned by the first kiss and this one was damn hot! Snow? Cold weather? What in heaven’s name are you talking about? The boys are HOT and that kiss was only the beginning. Only. The. Beginning.

Marcus and Frankie were wonderful to read. I got everything I needed from them. From their first meeting, to the point where they finally gave in was so good. I loved how each man brought their baggage to the table; the dirty laundry was laid out in full color. Maybe it was the confines of the cabin, the magic of the snow as it cocooned them inside and made a new world for them? I don’t know but it worked. Once they let it happen…it was wonderful. Have I said that yet? I can’t stop myself from smiling as I write this. I have over 30 highlights and notes on my Nook and I have not looked at one of them while I write this, which is so not my way of business but I don’t need to look at them.  I loved them, which is why I highlighted them, but this story is so in my heart right now…*sigh*

This…this story is exactly what I needed. I was in a mood, a funk that I needed out of. I needed a book, a story, a chance to meet to boys who would make me fall so hard for them and make me believe…I got it with Let it Snow and then some.

I have to add: With each book from the author, I find something with the MC’s that I connect with on a very personal level. This was no exception. It stuns me with the realization. While the book is fun to read, there are these moments where reality sets in. Where I have to take a deep breath and absorb the emotions from the characters as I feel it with them. I am an emotional reader, the romance gets me but when those connections happen, it floors me. It humbles me and reminds me of the reasons that I read; I read to feel, I read to escape and I read to fall in love with the characters on the page as they fall in love with each other. I read to get lost in a story that hits me with every emotion, touches every bit of me from the fantasy of the love story to the realization that things to happen, that people are a certain way and when I get all of that in one book; it’s wonderful.