One Snowy Night: A Heartbreaker Bay Christmas Novella

Jill Shalvis didn’t fail to make my heart flutter in her new, upcoming release that’s a perfect treat to such a happy event of the year. It’s so charming, light and heartwarming.If you have read The Trouble With Mistletoe, you’re familiar with Rory (Willa’s employee) and Max (one of Willa’s friends). But if you haven’t, it’s fine. You’ll still be able to get the drift of the book.Rory is stuck with Max and Carl (Max’s goof dog) when Max volunteered to give her a ride to her family’s home, on Christmas Eve. Whom she hasn’t seen in years. What looked like a night of driving turned to revelations they both didn’t expect they needed to hear. Will they act on their combustible chemistry now or will they let it fade away without giving it a try?I have yet to read a book by Jill Shalvis that wouldn’t make me smile like a fool. Because One Snowy Night, though very short than I would’ve liked, was very cute and romantic enemies-to-lovers novella. One night basically changed everything and that’s no wonder considering they’re pretty stuck on the road for long hours. And though it may seem too fast-paced, it worked because again, snowy night and all the road inconvenience. But it was really lovely because of Rory’s sass and stubbornness, Max’s resistance with his feelings for Rory (because of high school past) and of course, there’s Carl. I liked that the story was neatly wrapped in a way that their past was revealed and both sides have forgiven each other for what they both did. And that actually paved way for both characters to have their chance at love.Both characters sounded real, believable even when Rory’s a bit scared at first because she had a rough beginning. Both of them were funny and cheesy at times but it added to the sweetness of the book. Can I just say I almost melted at Max’s words? Gahhhh it’s so simple but very heartfelt with a dash of adorable. I loved him a lot! I mean, both of them! I liked that they got their HEA (even with Rory’s family whom she believed hated her) though it would be better if they have a novel-length book of their own.Overall, I would highly recommend this book for all romance readers who want a quick and drama-free read with all the cuteness.I volunteered to review an advanced copy.

Rory Andrews was actually going home! To a place she left 6 years ago; Rory had left in her junior year, after setting off a chain of events, that changed everyone else's life. She had worked hard and got her GED and had been barely making ends meet at the South Bark Mutt Shop, but Rory had been getting her life together and was determined not to let her family down, like she had for the past 6 years. But instead of taking trains and busses to Tahoe, she somehow ended up with Max! the man whom hated her! And his dog Carl, that loved her!Max had lost everything when Rory handed a tape into their high school before she quit town, and despite the fact that he had a great job and life, he still harbored some resentment to Rory…that, and a heck of a lot of sexual frustration. But when Willa talked Max in to giving Rory a ride home (not that it took much), he wasn't expecting to have his whole opinion of her change.One Snowy Night is an amazing story! It gives me that A Christmas Carol feeling that, where everyone gets a chance at a fresh start. I LOVE Rory's character, I loved her when she was in The Trouble with Mistletoe, but she really comes into her own in this novella. Max has also shown a side we haven't seen before; a softer side, that makes him seem a little more softer…and more delicious.The plot and writing in this book is truly superb! And I have to say that I have really fallen in love with this Jill Shalvis series! And One Snowy Night is my favorite one so far! And I hope it never ends!!

I have such mixed feelings about One Snowy night. I wanted to love it. I mean, a little second chance mixed with the holidays and a road trip? Could it be any more of a "me book"? Unfortunately it didn't totally work for me and I have to admit that might've been partially my fault for reading the books out of order. Don't get me wrong, it's good. It's just not quite what I've come to expect from Jill or especially from her Heartbreakers Bay series. It might not be my favorite of her books, but it's still a decent (and quick) holiday read.My biggest complaint about this novella comes from the fact that I didn't connect with the characters. Now whether that was because I wasn't in the right mood for the book or because I'd read them out of order and hadn't previously met the characters, I'm not sure. Either way, I Just wasn't all in when it came to Rory and Max, when all signs from the blurb pointed to this being a story I'd love. Maybe my expectations were too high? I do think that maybe if I had read the books in the correct order, I would've enjoyed this a little more though. Another thing worth mentioning because it definitely impacted my enjoyment of this story — it was deceptively short. I bought the Kindle version and it ended at 58%. The rest of the file was previews, so I was more than a little disappointed by the length of this novella.

Where to begin....So, for a novella this was good, but VERY short. The story itself ends at 91 pages. The other 64 pages are chapters from other stories in the series. I'm not a fan of when authors do this. I bought the paperback version thinking I'd get about 150 pages of story, not part story and part other chapters from the books I've read already. Also, there were several typos and grammatical errors throughout the story.Now the actual story started off good. It had it's angst/drama, it's beginning build up of anticipation of chemistry. Then they quickly resolve their issues, say the "L" word, and voila! All is well in the world. I felt the issues being resolved was a bit rushed, as well as the "L" word. I get that it's a novella, but perhaps a bit more back-story could've been added.Anyway, it was a decent novella. I'll continue with the series since I do like the characters.

One Snowy Night (Heartbreaker Bay, #2.5)by Jill Shalvis (Goodreads Author)Wendy Hodges's reviewNov 22, 2016  ·  editit was amazingRead on November 21, 2016Well I loved this story of Max and Rory stuck together driving back home to their families for Christmas, past regrets and attraction warring against each other. Good job they had Max's beautiful canine friend Carl to help break up the worst of the tenseness and lighten things up, giving them a chance to talk about the past and realise what had happened wasn't exactly what it seemed at least from Max's point of view. This is a lovely read full of all you want from a seasonal romance, the only downside for me was I wanted a lot more of it, it finished way to soon. But then hopefully we will here more of this couple in future books about other characters. Max is hot, tall with muscles all in the right places, he is kind, hard working and caring. He is also massively still attracted to Rory to the point Carl gets groomed far more regularly then he needs to be just so he gets to see her. Rory has always been shy, reserved and friendless, she had a raw deal at home, was bullied and set up at school for something she didn't do and had no body believe her. After getting revenge she left home to get away from everything, after being attacked she was found and given shelter by a lady who owned a grooming pet business. Finally having support she has now got friends and confidence, being stronger this is the year she decides to go home for Christmas. I cried for her, so lonely and fragile, but I felt for Max as well he was accidently caught up and suffered as well. I got lost in reading, loving both these characters and Carl.

After reading 'The Trouble with Mistletoe' by Jill Shalvis I was really looking forward to reading about Rory and Max in One Snowy Night but sadly, it didn't grab me as much as I'd expected.We knew from the previous book in the series that there was some sort of history between the pair and that there was an obvious mutual attraction, even if they both tried to deny it. While it was a good, fun read, I would have preferred a longer story, which it could well have been with more about both characters and more of a build up to their relationship.Saying all that, I still enjoyed the story and I'm looking forward to the next book in the series.I'm rating One Snowy Night 3.5*

Poor storyline, didn't get behind Max's reasons for being bitter to Rory, after all it was his own fault! He was in there with Cindy when he shouldn't have been so he got everything he deserved really! Since the whole story relies on this situation to carry it through it spoils the whole book. There are so many diferent more believable scenarios that the author could have written that would have significantly improved it. What a shame....

I'm really disappointed. I love Jill Shalvis, but thought this was rushed and not quite believable. It was short, but was still only 60% of the stated page numbers.

One Snowy Night by Jill ShalvisHeartbreaker Bay #2.5♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ I have loved Rory's character since I met her, and I was super stoked to see that this was her story! Rory and Max have great chemistry together and I loved they both just finally jumped in with full honesty and trust. Their banter was witty, Carl the dog was goofy and this book left me wishing it was longer! Can’t wait to read the next book… though sadly I have to, as it’s not out till January!!! At least I will get to start the new year with a great read!Original review posted at: [...]