Reviewed by Desere
Striving to be the best at which ever job you do is perfectly acceptable, we all want recognition and we all want to make it to the top, but when it is only your job you live for and nothing else, now that is a serious cause for concern.
You don't interact with anyone unless it is about work, you don't go to bed before 3 am in the morning and by 5 am you are back up and going for the next deal. You are surrounded by people but in actual fact you are nothing but a lonely sad workaholic.
In the new read from author Sarah Morgan this is the life of Kayla Green, she slaves hour after hour closing one deal after the other, she loves her job and is devoted to it every single minute of the day, yes even in her sleep, the woman does not go to bed without her phone! But there is one time of the year that she piles on as much extra work as possible, Christmas time and in her books the season to loath.
So when I'll-make-you-melt-with-one-touch Jackson O'Neil approaches her to make sure the word gets out there about his family business, she is all for it. What else could be more perfect, a secluded cabin surrounded by snow, no Christmas decorations in store windows for miles, she could loose herself in her work and before you know it Christmas will be over and life will be okay again.
But upon arrival Kayla finds she is in buried in a very deep amount of snow or rather trouble, so deep in fact that no shovel can dig her out of it. She is surrounded by Christmas and happy everywhere she looks, she can handle this, simply block it out by focusing on work, but when she finds herself in the arms of Jackson she cannot seem to find the block she needs to resist him and the happy ever after feelings he bring out in her, she needs to run and run fast, before her heart of ice melts and she risks loosing love once again.
The character of Kayla was in all honestly a truly vivid reminder of just how messed up one can become after a lousy childhood. Our parents and their actions leave such a long lasting impression on us that it shapes our adult life and not always for the best. Kayla was so very realistic with drowning herself in work simply to escape life as most of us do, but what really got to me was that she does so even harder during Christmas, it showed her as almost dead, like she was a restless spirit just running through everyday, this is where the author made me cry because I felt so sad for Kayla, it broke my heart that someone could dislike Christmas so much, just heartbreaking. But through the character of Kayla the author also showed that it can change when you are surrounded by the love of a family.
The character of Jackson was not only all levels of serious hotness, but the author also let him hit each and every note of hero I has reader look for in a read. Kind and caring, strong and pushy when the moment calls for it, sensual and sexy! Him having some issues with his family reminded me that even though everything seems fine to the outside world, there is always, always something on the surface that is boiling and ready to tear it all apart, but with all that happening your love and understanding for each other will always shine through and make any person more than happy to become apart of that circus.
The backdrop settings were absolutely exquisite and so vividly described by the author that I truly felt as if I was standing in the snow seeing the trees, I could feel my cheeks going cold from the icy air being described and felt as if I could actually feel the moose watching me. Brilliant work Sarah!
The dialogue was sensual , super hot and sexy, but the author did not make it all about the relationship between Kayla and Jackson, she packed a very strong and heart-touching punch with emotion so strong and overpowering I cried, laughed and after completing the read it took me more than just a few minutes to come back down from my emotional high.
I am taking away a message of the past can mess you up so bad, but only if you let it. If you take control you can live a very happy life. Holding onto the past and letting it control your actions in life only causes pain and emptiness, and in the end all you will be is a cold hearted block of ice. Seek your happiness instead of doing everything possible to keep the happiness away.
The secondary characters in this read were so fantastic I felt as if I was at home, with grandmother and grandfather each being the perfection of grandparents, grumpy out of sorts, loving and adorable and just the way we all know them to be.
The author also touched on the lives of Jackson's brothers Sean and Tyler, who I am delighted to say will be getting their own stories and I simply cannot wait for them, Sarah if you have not yet written them, get to writing and do it NOW!
I highly recommend this read for all fans of romance with a simply magical setting, amazingly crafted characters and a message of Christmas is the time for loving. A sensual, sexy, passionate highly compelling read, the perfect escape into a world of romance and Christmas miracles.
5/5 star read
"The flames of desire melts away her perfectly crafted heart of ice"
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Reviewed by Shirley Buchanan
If Christmas was your least favorite
day on the calendar, you would probably go to any lengths to avoid
it. But what if you unwittingly jumped from the frying pan into the
fire? To land a new account, Kayla did.
Smart, gorgeous and successful, Kayla
Green lived, breathed and focused completely on her job. This
intensity kept the facade in place against all her broken dreams, but
Christmas was the hardest to overcome. A reprieve this year from the
twinkling lights, irritating carols and endless festivities appeared
as an opportunity to land a new account at the Snow Crystal Resort
and Spa. Or was it really? The resort came with a family, pets,
festivities and a gorgeous man. All things she didn't want or
believed she needed. She tried to hold the wall around her heart in
place, but with each new bombardment, the cracks began to form. Would
she survive this immersion in all the things she had been trying to
outrun or would she return to New York a broken, unrepairable shell?
Handsome, intelligent and family
oriented, Jackson O'Neil left a thriving business behind to save his
family's home, Snow Crystal Resort and Spa. Despite the frustrating
family dynamics and infusion of cash, a professional PR campaign was
needed to get the “heads on beds” they required to succeed.
Learning of Kayla's success in increasing the scope of a company's
appeal, he invited her to the resort to observe firsthand the
activities offered to prepare a campaign for them. What he didn't
plan on was the instant attraction between them and a profound wish
to destroy the guard she held around her heart. He just knew under
that hard professional exterior was a soft, warm, and compassionate
woman crying to be released. Would he be the one to release that
woman or would she carry his dreams and desires back to New York,
leaving him a lonely, empty man?
From the first page to the last, this
story contained witty dialogue, intriguing secrets, and a wide range
of emotions. Excellent character development intertwined with an
intriguing plot produced a superbly written book. Watching Kayla
mature from a broken, lonely woman to one of unlimited emotional
response was extremely entertainingly.
I would highly recommend this book to
all romance readers.
I was given a signed copy by the author
for an honest review.
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Reviewed by Nancy Crocker
Sarah Morgan’s latest
book Sleigh Bells in the Snow was the perfect way to start my holiday reading.
I totally fell in love with this book. The setting takes place in Snow Crystal,
Vermont. It was written with beautiful scenery and winter activities. It made
this reader wish she could travel north for the holidays.
Kayla Green is not a big
fan of Christmas, so when the chance came along to escape the decorations and
parties she jumped at it. She envisioned herself isolated from the rest of the world
in a cabin, until all the excitement of the holidays had passed. What she
didn’t plan on, was finding what was missing from her life.
Jackson O’Neil is the
type of hero every reader would love to read about. He is self made, determined
and sexy. Jackson has come back home to save the family business. Failure is
not an option! He just needs to have his grandfather on his side. So he has
hired Kayla Green, the top PR specialist to help bring tourist to Snow Crystal
Resort and Spa.
The attraction between
Kayla and Jackson is instant. And the two main characters were so well written.
They were flirty, funny, sexy and believable. My heart broke for Kayla when we
learn of the true reason she doesn’t like the holidays. But Jackson and his
family will give Kayla a special holiday she won’t forget. Along with these two
amazing characters, Sarah writes strong secondary characters as well. I felt
like I knew the entire O’Neil family very well by the time I finished reading
this book. This will be a book I will cherish and read a number of times. It
totally captured the spirit of family and Christmas. I can’t wait to read Sean
and Tyler’s stories.
I highly recommend this
book to Romance Readers, Sarah Morgan Fans and readers who love a romance novel
with a Christmas theme.
There were so many
favorite lines in this book; I have to share more than one:
“Do you live with your
family?” “No. I love them, but there are limits. I converted the barn.” So that
he could have his own personal brick wall to bang his head against when they
drove him crazy.
It sweeps you away and robs you of breath, and
you know that no matter what happens in the future, this is a moment you’re
going to remember forever. It’s always going to be there, living inside you,
and no one can take it away.
5/5 stars
I received an
Autographed Copy of this book from the Author in exchange for an honest review.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Reviewed By Nas
SLEIGH BELLS IN THE SNOW by USA Today Bestselling Author
Sarah Morgan is an outstanding Christmas story.
Reviewed by Maria
Kayla Green is at the top of her job, smart and successful.
But she hates Christmas. And everything associated with it. When Jackson O’Neil
approaches her company for business and offers a week at his lodge, Kayla jumps
at the offer. As it would take her away
from all things Christmas.
Little does she know that it would put her smack bang in the
middle of family times and Christmas with Jackson’s big and boisterous family.
And here she was working hard to convince the family that she can make a change
to their business. All the while fighting her losing battle with attraction for
Jackson and her bad memories of Christmas.
Would Kayla succeed in getting away from Jackson and his
family with her heart intact? Would Jackson let her leave and forget the
scorching hot chemistry between them?
SLEIGH BELLS IN THE SNOW is a humorous story shimmering with
breathtaking romance, spectacular emotional punch, a believable conflict and
vivid atmospheric details. Sarah Morgan brings to life these sterling
characters that leap off the pages and create a sparkling romance! I've always been a big fan of Sarah Morgan's romances and Sleigh Bells In The Snow exceeds all expectations!
All readers of romance would love this story.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Reviewed by Maria
This was one
of the most spectacular winter reads I have ever come across. I didn’t only sense the snow and ice, I felt
the firelight and the family warmth of a Vermont winter too. Good heavens, it was the perfect read for the
Christmas season or for the winter in general.
I totally loved Sarah Morgan’s vivid description of snow-filled forests,
log cabins, sleighs pulled by husky dogs and skiing down slopes, some easy and
some not so easy. I relished the story
of Kayla, a young woman with a heart frozen from lack of love, thaw out from
the love of Jackson, a warm-hearted and gallant hero. Not to forget a very
special puppy. This is a winter classic
which I’ll be coming back to again and again.
And it’s one of a series, which is great news for Sarah Morgan
fans. Jackson’s brothers and their
ladies will have their place in the spotlight too. For anyone who loves romance, classy winter
reads, family sagas and slightly longer Harlequin reads.
5/5
