Sleigh Bells in the Snow (O'Neil Brothers, 1)

I liked the setting and overall plot. Romantic log cabins in beautiful snowy Vermont with skiing, sledding, ice skating. Jackson hires city girl Kayla (a PR wiz) to publicize the family owned resort.I did not like Kayla’s angst. Her parents divorced when she was 13 and neither parent wanted her. Therefore she hates Christmas and being around happy families. She has never had a love relationship. She comes to the Vermont resort for a week to create a PR campaign. Almost all the conflict throughout the story is Kayla’s internal angst. Each time Jackson kisses her or is intimate, Kayla freezes in fear and runs away. Other family members say something, and Kayla runs away. I was ok with that in the beginning, but it kept happening throughout the book. I grew tired of it.I prefer the following which this book did not have enough of: conflicts based on personalities or interesting events and seeing a character change. Kayla sort of changed her mind at the very end and the angst disappeared. I would have preferred seeing a different change.I liked Clio Reads review. She said it well. “Kayla was so emotionally stunted and cold, and Jackson’s all consuming attraction seemed to come out of nowhere and had a real Insta-Love feel to it. Kayla spends the whole book pushing Jackson away and refusing to connect with people so that she won't get hurt, and in the end when she changes her mind, it feels sudden and also unsustainable.”DATA:Narrative mode: 3rd person. Story length: 369 pages. Swearing language: strong including religious swear words, but not often used. Sexual language: mild. Number of sex scenes: about 4. Setting: current day mostly Vermont with a little New York. Copyright: 2013. Genre: contemporary romance.

Need to Know:1. Sleigh Bells follows Marketing hot-shot Kayla Green and her recent client, Jackson O’Neil of Snow Crystal Resort & Spa. Anti-Christmas Kayla is trying to escape the holiday festivities when she agrees to visit Snow Crystal for a week before preparing a media plan while Jackson is just trying to save the family resort while avoiding some of his family as much as possible.2. Sparks fly instantly between Kayla and Jackson, but the real challenge lies with Snow Crystal and the O’Neil family that runs it.3.Morgan creates wonderful secondary characters and even better main characters! Overall both Kayla and Jackson were great characters: believable, funny and full of mutual attraction ;)4. Morgan does a wonderful job of weaving romance and the power of Christmastime within this novel. Not only did this novel provide a fun and sizzling time, it also shed light on family dynamics and personal healing and growth.5. 5 Stars!! I read this book so fast I couldn’t put it down! The novel had me smiling and feeling warm & fuzzy! It was a great book to put me in the Christmas spirit and I’m looking forward to reconnecting with the O’Neil family in the rest of Morgan’s series.Full Review:Sleigh Bells in the Snow by Sarah Morgan follows Kayla Green, a Marketing/Public Relations expert whose quickly climbing the ranks at her company. Her latest assignment: Snow Crystal Resort & Spa. Just in time for Christmas, this newest assignment is just what workaholic Kayla needs! No more pretending to smile at the office or having to deal with all the Christmas festivity. Kayla can escape into her work. Then Snow Crystal client, Jackson O’Neil, suggests Kayla spend the week at the resort to get the right feel of the place before putting a media plan together. Kayla can’t wait to hop on the plane to escape the holidays. Time alone in a deserted upscale cabin is just what she wants! But Kayla soon learns to be careful what she wishes for as she begins to realize she hasn’t really escaped Christmas at all. Add in the large attraction for Jackson and dealing with his somewhat intimidating family and Kayla is full of distractions and wishing she was back locked away in her NYC office. But then she starts warming up to the O’Neil family, Snow Crystal and even Jackson. Now maybe she doesn’t want to escape Christmas at all?Sleigh Bells was an adorable read and perfect for getting me into the holiday spirit. Morgan did a great job of creating her characters and bringing her readers into the Snow Crystal world. By the end of the book, I was wishfully thinking of staying at the resort (every girl needs some R&R and wintertime fun, am I right?!). I fell in love with the O’Neil family and their various personalities. I cannot wait to explore more of this family in Morgan’s later books.The two main character, Kayla and Jackson, were written well. Kayla had a larger growth arc to complete versus Jackson, but readers are able to see both evolutions and progressions within the novel. Kayla was easy to connect with once you realized her Christmas-hating reasons and started seeing her non-workaholic side. Sometimes, I did want to shake her though. She seemed so caught up in the past, but I can see how that had become a habit–and those can be hard to break. Jackson was a more likable character for me in the beginning, but he also had his flaws. He seemed to butt heads with his family all the time, specifically his grandfather, Walter. However, seeing how his character’s interactions with his family progressed and changed throughout the novel was one of my favorite things about this story. Overall both Kayla and Jackson were great characters: believable, funny and full of mutual attraction ;)Morgan does a wonderful job of weaving romance and the power of Christmastime within this novel. Not only did this novel provide a fun and sizzling time, it also shed light on family dynamics and personal healing and growth. I loved watching the characters reach their own personal growth as well as watching them come together. I read this book so fast I couldn’t put it down! There were so many cute moments between Kayla and Jackson that I just wanted an O’Neil brother for myself. Man when they’re determined, their determined! In the end, the novel had me smiling and feeling warm & fuzzy! It was a great book to put me in the Christmas spirit (although you wouldn’t have to read it just during that time ;)). I’m looking forward to reconnecting with the O’Neil family (as Morgan has written some superb secondary characters!) and seeing what everyone’s up to!*This review previously appeared on my blog: PopCrunchBoom Books!*

I loved this book and could not put it down! Public Relations specialist, Englishwoman Kayla is hired by O'Neil brother Jackson to save the family business, A Vermont winter resort Snow Crystal. She is a solitary woman from a very broken family life, who hasn't celebrated Christmas since she was 13...has very bad holiday memories and her only refuge is work. Jackson is the oldest of 3 brothers, the other 2 being famous ski athlete Tyler and orthopedic surgeon Sean. Jackson comes home to Snow Crystal after a successful life as a hotel entrepreneur; left to run the resort after the accidental death of his father. Kayla comes to stay for a week during the holidays since she has no family, and wants to learn the place to learn how to promote it. The entire family except Sean lives at the resort/maple farm, from Grandparents to mother down to Tyler's daughter. The family is rich, colorful, lively, vivid, and solitary Kayla has no idea what to do with them or how to relate. The chemistry with Jackson is immediate and nearly inexplicable in its intensity, yet remains perfectly balanced and restrained as she discovers the meaning of family, discovers herself and maneuvers the snowy pathway to love. The story unfolds with taut intensity, with just the right blend of family, fun and drama. We get both Kayla and Jackson's perspectives, so the insight is perfect. Loved it.